Raon raised the Heavenly Drive, unleashing the new Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation he had gained from the mental world. As a golden sun rose from his energy center, he felt a sense of freedom, as if the Heavenly Drive—no, his hand—could reach anywhere.
The intense flames blooming from the sword's tip eradicated thousands of undead without wavering, even splitting the dragon's breath.
The invincible Heavenly Drive finally aimed for the Specter's neck. It sliced through the body of the creature preparing high-level magic with dark mana. The concept of distance vanished as the Specter's head fell. Unable to comprehend the situation, it felt shock before pain.
The Specter sank into the river, melting into black smoke. Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive and looked up. All he could see was the blue sky. The undead army that had been here was completely erased, leaving not even a speck behind.
-I thought it was strange that you had an aura beyond your growth, but now I understand.
Wrath nodded as he looked at Raon.
-You've learned how to compress and use your power.
He curled his lips as if finding it interesting.
-Yeah. I think I'm starting to get it.
Raon smiled faintly as he created the sun of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation above his right hand. Thanks to the insights gained from the mental world and life-and-death battles, he could now operate the Astral Ring more powerfully and quickly. It felt like he was constantly using the Divine-Demonic Harmony.
-It's not just a feeling.
Wrath calmly shook his head.
-Right now, you're in a state similar to when you raised that sun.
'Really?'
-Indeed. You might not know since you're not using Glacier, but your current state is similar to when you form a Sword Domain.
He wiggled his finger, saying that Raon's aura was moving at a level no different from forming the Divine-Demonic Harmony.
'Ah...'
Raon exhaled, feeling the intensely burning flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold energy of Glacier.
'This is beyond my expectations.'
He had merely used the image of Divine-Demonic Harmony to elevate Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier, but he never expected such results. His hands trembled with joy.
"Uaaa..."
Flumen let out a soft groan as he looked at the clear sky where the undead army had melted away.
"R-Raon! Have you become a god?"
He blinked rapidly as he asked if Raon had become the god of swords.
"That's not it."
-Absolutely not!
As Raon was about to shake his head in denial to Flumen, Wrath shouted loudly.
-How could such a pathetic youngster be a god! There's not even a possibility!
Wrath snorted, insisting that Raon must never become a god.
'That's right.'
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at the frowning Wrath.
"I'm not a god. I don't even want to become one."
What I want is the downfall of Derus Robert and the happiness of those around me. I don't want to become a god or a demon king, nor do I have any intention of becoming one.
-D-Demon king too?
Wrath approached from the side, blinking his eyes.
-But being a demon king is fine, isn't it? It's fun.
He lightly patted Raon's shoulder with his chubby hand.
-As I always say, you're perfectly suited to become a demon king. Aren't you evil enough to make even demons tremble?
'Aren't I kind of nice in my own way?'
-Have you lost your mind?
Wrath twirled his finger at his temple, blinking his eyes.
-A guy who can deceive even the demon kings is far from nice!
He shook his head, telling Raon not to say such nonsense.
-The reason I want to make you a demon king is so that others can experience what I've been through!
Wrath waved his hand, saying he just wanted to inject some crazy vitality into the boring, stagnant Devildom.
-Anyway, you should come with me to Devildom and...
'Nope. Not going.'
-Eek!
Raon pushed away the leech-like Wrath and beckoned to Flumen.
"Flumen. Can you bring out Merlin now?"
"Sure!"
Flumen nodded and entered the river.
About a minute later, Flumen emerged with blue water droplets, carrying Merlin, who was covered from head to toe in a black robe, on his shoulder.
"I've treated the dangerous wounds for now."
Flumen explained that he had used magic to seal the severe injuries, snapping his clawed hand.
"Thank you."
Raon patted Flumen's head and brought Merlin to the riverbank. As he tore the tattered robe, Merlin's unmasked face was revealed.
'This woman is Merlin?'
She was a mature woman with deep violet hair the color of dawn, and skin so pale that her veins were visible. Her beauty was so extraordinary that it made one ponder if the saying that a woman could bring down a nation was not merely a tale.
-She's quite something, though not as much as me.
Wrath raised his round eyes as he examined Merlin's face.
-Why did she cover such a face with an old lady mask?
'How would I know?'
As Merlin's appearance wasn't important right now, Raon took out internal injury medicine from his subspace pouch and put it in her mouth. He used the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to release the medicine's energy into her body.
'I'll leave it at this for now.'
Just as he was about to leave the rest to Flumen, Merlin's eyelids trembled.
"Ugh..."
Merlin opened her eyes with a groan-like breath. Her light purple eyes, reminiscent of azaleas, had a strange red cross reflected in them, and my image was mirrored in her gaze.
"Raon?"
"Merlin. Are you okay?"
"Raon. Raon."
"Yes, it's me. Are you hurt any..."
Raon nodded and lowered his gaze to check Merlin's condition.
"Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon. Raon."
Despite her abnormal state, Merlin began frantically calling Raon's name as if speed-chanting a spell.
-Kueeeek!
Wrath let out a pig-like squeal and hid his body inside the bracelet.
"W-wait! Merlin. Calm down..."
Raon was also startled and tried to move away, but Merlin tightly gripped his wrist.
"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
The red cross in Merlin's eyes began to shine brightly as if filled with divine light. As their gazes met, Raon felt his chest tighten.
"P-please stop!"
Raon's chin trembled as he struck the back of Merlin's neck with the edge of his hand.
"Love... Ah."
Merlin shouted "love" until the very end before closing her eyes and collapsing.
"Huh..."
Raon exhaled roughly, his whole body trembling. Though brief, it was chilling enough to make him regret waking her.
-D-Didn't I tell you! Let's leave that madwoman and eat mint chocolate first!
Wrath peeked his eyes out from the bracelet and shouted.
'I really should have done that.'
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his shoulders shaking.
"Flumen. Can you take care of her?"
"B-but it's scary..."
Flumen bit his lip hard, also terrified by Merlin's obsession.
"If she wakes up, knock her out again."
After saying that it was okay to use magic to put her to sleep, Raon stood up.
-So, are we heading to the battlefield now?
'No, there's still something I need to do.'
Raon shook his head as he looked up at the forest behind him.
'I need to make sure it's truly over.'
* * *
A black dimension opened in the forest near the Lable River, and the Specter emerged.
"Grr..."
The Specter pounded the ground with its fist, grinding its teeth.
"Damn you, Raon Zieghart!"
What the hell is he! They said he was dead, but he suddenly reappeared and displayed swordsmanship that was beyond belief. The Specter never imagined it would be annihilated without even blocking a single strike, despite receiving power from The Fallen and growing stronger through bitter determination. Unlike the first defeat, it hadn't let its guard down, which made the loss even more painful.
'Unforgivable.'
The Specter bit its lip and clenched its fist as it moved towards the river where Merlin was hiding.
'Even if I can't defeat you, I will at least kill Merlin.'
Too angry to accept defeat, it risked damage to its soul to resurrect immediately and return to the Lable River. It held its breath, planning to ambush and kill Merlin, then report to The Fallen that Raon was alive.
'Hm?'
The Specter frowned as it returned to the place where it had been defeated by Raon.
'They're not here?'
It had definitely returned to where Merlin was, but Raon was nowhere to be seen. Only a young Blue Lugh and the unconscious Merlin were visible.
"Where is he... Gah!"
As the Specter spread its mana to search for Raon, it felt a pain as if its back was being torn apart and collapsed forward.
"Urghh..."
Looking back, it saw a blue blade tearing through its back, and above it, a red moon illuminating the darkness of the forest. No, that wasn't a moon. It was Raon Zieghart's blood-red eyes.
"Y-you, how..."
"So you did come back."
Raon lowered his gaze and nodded lightly.
"You must have been quite angry to come looking right after resurrecting, huh?"
"Grr, that's right. Even if you kill me now! I'll come back again! I'll make sure you and Merlin can neither live nor die!"
The Specter twisted the corners of its mouth, challenging Raon to kill it if he dared.
"No, this is the end."
Raon spoke in a cold tone as he placed his hand on the Specter's back.
"Nonsense! Even your flames can't burn my soul!"
"Don't worry. It's not flames."
He shook his head and raised a colorless energy above his palm. As the colorless wave Raon emitted bored into its back, the Specter felt pain as if its soul, not its body, was being torn apart.
"Arghh! What is this..."
"It might not work on Transcendent Warriors, but for someone like you, it's easy."
"Guhh..."
The pressure from his hand grew stronger. The pain was so intense that the Specter couldn't think at all.
"D-damn it!"
It tried to abandon its body and escape with just its soul, but the colorless energy Raon had raised caught its ankles, preventing escape.
"Urghh..."
As the pain intensified rapidly, it felt the vessel of its soul hidden in another dimension shattering. At this rate, it would truly die.
"W-wait!"
The Specter's chin trembled as it turned to look at Raon.
"I-I can tell you what The Fallen is thinking! Right now, Eden is..."
"No need to tell me."
Raon shook his head and twisted the blade of the Heavenly Drive.
"I can guess what you all are thinking."
He curled his lips and employed the Fierce Wave Arts at its peak. The energy of the Fierce Wave Arts, embodying his enlightenment, not only crushed the Specter's body but completely shattered its soul.
"Arghhhh!"
The Specter let out an agonizing scream before crumbling into white ash. It was different from before when not even a corpse remained.
-Now it's finally dead.
Wrath nodded as he looked at the white ash.
'Yeah.'
Raon nodded as he brushed the ash off his hands.
'Though my Fierce Wave Arts were still immature, fortunately it worked.'
The Specter wasn't in its right state as it came here immediately after resurrection. Thanks to that, even Raon's low-level Fierce Wave Arts could damage its soul.
"Flumen. It's over!"
Raon waved to Flumen by the river, then turned his gaze towards the Lable River where the war was taking place. It was time to turn that war into a victory.
* * *
The sword wreathed in red lightning and the spear commanding blue dragons clashed countless times. Every collision between Glenn Zieghart's Heavenly Tremor and Dranos' Sea Dragon Spear split the sky and swept away the river water. A storm of pitch-black aura engulfed the entire Lable River, as if hell itself had descended upon the mortal world.
Glenn raised the Heavenly Tremor amidst the raging storm of aura. The lightning blazing from the sword's tip left trails of crimson light stretching in all directions. It was an eerie sight, as if red lightning had covered the entire Lable River. On the opposite side, Dranos, the South-North Union Leader, brought down his Sea Dragon Spear.
The spear tip split into three streams, each summoning a different type of dragon. The three water dragons roared mightily, undaunted by the red lightning.
An enormous explosion occurred as thousands of lightning bolts clashed with the water dragons enveloping the river. The ensuing shockwave and thunderous roar melted the warships of both the South-North Union and Zieghart without leaving a single piece. It was a calamity that seemed more like a war between gods than a human battle.
"Kuh..."
Dranos was thrown back, exhaling rough breaths. A trickle of blood flowed from his lips, suggesting internal injuries.
"You must have internal injuries too, yet you don't even flinch. How infuriatingly stubborn."
He bit his lip as he looked at the unwavering Glenn.
"The same goes for you bastards."
Dranos exhaled sharply as he watched the Zieghart swordsmen pushing back the South-North Union despite the disadvantage of being on the river.
"I have no intention of exchanging words with you."
Glenn pulled the Heavenly Tremor back behind his shoulder, as if truly having no intention of talking. Lightning surged above the sword's tip, forming a dark red sphere that flickered ominously.
"Going all out, is it?"
Dranos smiled leisurely as he rested the spear shaft on his shoulder.
"So you really intend to kill me. However..."
He pulled out a black cloth from his bosom, barely large enough to cover a hand.
"I have no intention of dying yet!"
Dranos threw the black cloth into the air. It rapidly expanded, growing large enough to cover the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye. It was as if the night sky had descended upon them.
"Where to!"
Glenn shot a bead of lightning energy from his sword tip. The space through which the bead passed was torn thickly, causing a tremendous shockwave. Even the black cloth covering the battlefield was sucked into the lightning bead and split into thousands of pieces.
However, Dranos and the South-North Union's warships that should have been inside the cloth had already vanished from the river.
They hadn't collapsed; their very existence had been erased. All that remained were Zieghart's warships and the swordsmen in the river.
"If you want to kill me, come to the South-North Union headquarters. I'll be waiting."
Dranos' voice was heard as the pieces of the black cloth fell into the river.
"..."
Glenn narrowed his eyes as he grabbed a wet piece of the cloth.
'Is this Riquias' cloth?'
Riquias' cloth was a legendary artifact capable of transporting designated people and objects at once. There had been many rumors about it, but it seemed the South-North Union Leader was its owner.
'Now I understand why they were willing to engage in a head-on battle.'
They must have been confident in their ability to escape at any time, which is why they engaged in a direct confrontation despite the disadvantage.
"Roenn."
"Yes."
As soon as Roenn caught Glenn's gaze, he vanished into black mist.
"Father!"
Alice frowned as she descended onto the Azure Wind.
"Where did all these bastards go?"
"..."
"D-did they run away?"
Karoon and Sylvia followed behind her, their eyebrows furrowed.
"They used an artifact. They've probably moved to their headquarters."
"What? There's an artifact like that?"
Alice exhaled in disbelief.
"It's Riquias' cloth, capable of moving only allies."
Glenn nodded as he held up a piece of the cloth.
"Then if those bastards run away whenever they're at a disadvantage..."
"That won't happen. It's one-time use."
No matter how legendary the artifact, such a feat couldn't be repeated endlessly. Riquias' cloth was a one-time use artifact.
"All Division Leaders and Squad Leaders, report the situation."
Glenn gestured for the officers who had gathered on the pirate ship to approach.
"The White Sword Unit has ten injured and two casualties. The injuries aren't severe."
"The Blue Wolf Unit has injuries..."
The officers reported the status of their forces while taking a brief rest.
"Head of House."
As Glenn was listening to and summarizing the officers' reports, Roenn approached and bowed.
"As expected, Dranos and all the warships have moved to the South-North Union headquarters."
He raised his gaze as he reported that everyone had gathered at the South-North Union headquarters.
"What about other forces?"
"None visible. Only the South-North Union."
Roenn shook his head, saying that not only the Five Demons but also neutral forces were nowhere to be seen.
"We'll depart after 30 minutes of maintenance. Get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
The officers bowed deeply and headed towards their subordinates.
"Ugh, this is frustrating! We almost had them!"
Just as Alice bit her lip and slammed her fist down, a cute-looking ship approached behind the Zieghart warships. The green ship sounded a large ship's bell, as if to signal it wasn't an enemy.
"That's..."
As Glenn slowly turned his gaze, Rimmer, Sheryl, and Trevin jumped from the ship and landed on the pirate ship's deck.
"Head of House. We will fight too."
"We can't stand by any longer."
"Please allow us!"
The three knelt down and bowed their heads, expressing their desire to fight together.
"As for Raon..."
"..."
"That..."
Sheryl and Trevin bit their lips, unable to answer.
"...We couldn't find him."
Rimmer let out a long sigh before his lips moved. He said they couldn't find him, not that it was still too early to judge. They had now accepted Raon's death.
"Ah..."
Sylvia sank down weakly. She covered her face with trembling hands, her shoulders shaking.
"..."
Karoon watched Sylvia for a moment before turning his head away, as if irritated.
"Ha, damn it..."
Alice rubbed her head vigorously as she placed her hand on her sword. Her hand trembled so much that the scabbard seemed about to fall off.
"I see."
Glenn's voice broke. He exhaled a cold breath from the depths of his soul as he gazed at the distant river.
'Raon.'
Upon hearing that the Astral Ring had exploded inside his pierced chest, Glenn had already thought in his mind that Raon was dead. But unlike his mind, his heart couldn't accept it. That's why he had waged this war without the crucial forces of the Heavenly Blade Division and the Light Wind division.
'But now...'
He had to let go. The fact that Raon hadn't appeared even after searching the entire river meant he had left this world. It was time to accept it.
'I'm sorry, Raon.'
Glenn closed his trembling eyes. He bit his lip as he remembered his young grandson smiling during sword training.
'You don't need to forgive this foolish old man. But I promise that at your funeral, more dirges will resound than for anyone else.'
When he opened his eyes again, only a chilling murderous intent burned in his red eyes. He turned to look at the ship. The Light Wind division swordsmen, including Burren, Martha, and Runaan, were gritting their teeth, as if eager to fight.
"Very well."
Glenn nodded as he looked at Rimmer.
"Thank you."
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Trevin raised their fists to their chests, as if pledging their lives.
"Head of House. The maintenance is complete."
Karoon bowed, saying the time was up.
"Then set sail. There will be no rest until we destroy their headquarters."
"Yes, sir!"
The officers bowed their heads and shouted in response to Glenn's chilling order. The pirate ship Azure Wind, Zieghart's warships, and Dorian's ship headed upstream on the Lable River, following Roenn's guidance.
After sailing for a while on the strangely widening river that seemed to become a sea, a massive castle floating on the water came into view.
"That is the South-North Union's headquarters."
Roenn pointed at the South-North Union's headquarters, which was even larger than Zieghart's main building, radiating a cold murderous intent.
"..."
Glenn met Dranos' eyes as he stood atop the headquarters' spire and extended his hand forward.
"Advance."
Following his gesture, Zieghart's warships surged forward as if charging.
"Since we cannot win in a direct confrontation, we just have to change our tactics."
Dranos smiled as he raised his hand, causing the river water to surge up as if reaching the sky, forming a water barrier to protect the South-North Union headquarters.
"Huh!"
"W-what is this!"
"Insane..."
The Zieghart swordsmen were speechless at the water barrier, higher and thicker than Zieghart's own walls. But the barrier wasn't the only problem. Magic cannons, ship cannons, arrows, and harpoons glinted ominously atop the walls. The air around the headquarters seemed to shimmer, as if tremendous mana had been imbued in the area.
"Break through if you can."
Dranos mockingly wiggled his finger, as if daring them to come.
"A water barrier..."
"Did that filthy bastard have something like this prepared?"
"This has become troublesome."
Sylvia, Karoon, and Rimmer bit their lips as they looked at the high barrier. Glenn silently raised the Heavenly Tremor. As he brought down the sword with excruciating slowness, the water barrier split, revealing the South-North Union headquarters.
"Huh..."
Even Dranos seemed not to have predicted this situation, his eyes wide as he exhaled sharply.
"Advance without fear."
Glenn aimed the Heavenly Tremor at the South-North Union headquarters. A cold, reason-erasing murderous intent bloomed in his eyes.
"I'll take the lead."