“Haa…”
Raon sighed while looking at the scattering remnants of combative energy.
‘I barely managed to block it.’
He managed to sever the wall of astral energy by using Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation with Heavenly Drive and Glacier with the Blade of Requiem.
He had to dual wield—which he wanted to use as a surprise attack—from the beginning and ended up with an internal injury that was making him nauseous, but he didn’t regret it.
‘Because they are alive.’
Since Federick and the boy were alive, giving up on the surprise attack while gaining an internal injury was worth it.
“Who are you…?”
Federick’s voice was the same as before. A small smile appeared on Raon’s face as he remembered the times when he patted his back to pour energy into him.
“Please step back for now. I’ll tell you later.”
Raon pointed behind him and looked ahead. Unfortunately, Federick had no energy left. Raon was alone for the next fight.
‘Can I do it?’
It seemed difficult. The original plan was to fight alongside Federick against the three Masters. Honestly, it was the worst situation he could’ve been in.
Whir!
Once the exploding dust calmed, he could see the two demons clad in armor.
‘The Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon.’
A warrior wearing red armor and a wolf head helmet, and a man clad in black armor with a pair of wings on his back were looking at him fiercely.
He could feel their powerful pressures despite the fact that they were only probing him. They were both monsters at Master level.
‘And…’
Raon swallowed nervously and looked behind them. A man was leaning his back against a tree while wearing armor made of a goat as his lower body and a knight as his upper body with a goat helmet on his head.
‘Evil Goat Demon.’
Of course it had to be Baphomet.
Lycanthrope and gargoyle lords were both powerful boss-rank monsters, but Baphomet was on a different level.
Baphomet was a highest-rank monster capable of using great techniques at sword master level and seventh-circle magic at the same time, all while also being intelligent enough to bamboozle humans.
Since the Evil Goat Demon inherited the Baphomet’s power, he couldn’t be considered an average Master.
Honestly, he felt more danger from the Evil Goat Demon than the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon combined.
‘The fortunate part is the fact that he’s alone.’
Baphomets usually moved in small groups and did whatever they wanted. Judging from the fact that he was alone, he must not have been complete yet.
“An Expert capable of slashing through astral energy. Are you Raon Zieghart?”
The Red Wolf Demon examined Raon from top to bottom and nodded.
“R-Raon? Are you Raon?”
Federick, who was taking care of the boy behind him, widened his eyes.
“It’s been a long time.”
Raon smiled faintly at Federick and nodded.
“I was wondering how you could defeat the seventh apostle, and it was because you could use both fire and water attributes.”
The Red Wolf Demon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Blade of Requiem and Heavenly Drive. He apparently knew about him already.
“Can I kill that bastard? Right? I don’t like his face!”
Crimson combative energy burst from the Black Winged Demon’s dagger. He looked like he would attack him at any moment.
‘I have no chance of victory if all three of them attack altogether…’
Raon checked the Evil Goat Demon. He apparently didn’t have any intention of fighting, since he wasn’t taking his back off the tree.
“My job is to block this path. I have no intention to join as long as you don’t come this way.”
The Evil Goat Demon smiled at Raon as he noticed his gaze. It almost felt strange how carefree his voice was, as if a little kid were the one speaking behind the mask.
“Are you really doing that?”
The Red Wolf Demon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Evil Goat Demon.
“You heard it too, didn’t you? They asked me to block the path. We are just doing our respective jobs.”
The Evil Goat Demon shrugged, as if he were asking them ‘so what?’. Although they were both affiliated with Eden, they didn’t seem to agree with each other.
“He’s telling the truth. He didn’t act even when his allies were in danger.”
Federick nodded, telling him that the Evil Goat Demon didn’t make his move during his fight, either.
‘I should still be careful about him.’
Baphomet was a self-centered monster. He couldn’t be careless against him, since he could change his mind at any time.
“I can’t stand him! I don’t care whether he is a Zieghart or whatever! He’s so arrogant when he’s just an Expert!”
The Black Winged Demon spread his wings. He smoothly floated into the air like a balloon and fell down like lightning. His dagger, filled with combative energy, was rushing towards Raon’s neck.
The moment the red dagger was about to sever his neck, Raon twisted his shoulder. Since his eyes were used to the current of combative energy from the fight against the Blood Raving Demon earlier, his reaction time was fast.
Raon thrust Heavenly Drive in return, aiming at the Black Winged Demon’s neck. The moment the silver blade imbued with the quickness of Frost Pond was about to sever the black armor, his wings bent at a different angle.
Swaa!
Alongside a violent wind, he soared into the sky.
Whoosh!
A red line was filling the spot the Black Winged Demon left. The Red Wolf Demon had come running to slash at him with his claws.
‘Fast!’
He seemed better than the flying Black Winged Demon in terms of pure speed. He was already right under Raon’s nose before he realized it.
Whir!
The astral energy of combative energy engulfed his entire body. As an expert of the claw technique, his advanced martial art was already blocking all of the directions Raon could potentially dodge to.
However, Raon’s footwork was even better than that. The first step of Supreme Harmony Steps allowed him to deflect the Red Wolf Demon’s claws.
Raon stomped the ground, using the Flame Wheel of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The cogwheel of crimson flame made the atmosphere tremble.
“Hmph!”
Upon feeling the aura wave, the Red Wolf Demon bounced back before dashing at him again.
Baam!
The clash between Flame Wheel and astral energy created a powerful explosion.
“Kuh!”
Raon bit his lip. Even though he’d managed to react quickly, he still received a powerful impact inside his body. The Red Wolf Demon’s astral energy was apparently capable of penetrating through aura.
“Die!”
However, he didn’t have time to think about that, since the Black Winged Demon—who had been looking for an opportunity from the sky—was charging towards him and aiming for his heart with his dagger, which was burning with combative energy.
Raon used Supreme Harmony‘s second step to shake off the red dust, then unleashed the quick sword. A blue blade incorporating the Supreme Harmony Step‘s mysterious power parried the dagger that was glowing with combative energy.
Claang!
The impact felt like a lump of steel was smacking against his body. The Black Winged Demon’s aura was as solid as an agglomeration of ground steel. It didn’t look like it would be easy to pierce through.
“Grr!”
The Red Wolf Demon was slamming into him with his body this time. Raon didn’t even have time to catch his breath and stepped back by using Supreme Harmony‘s third step, incorporating Heavenly Drive with the principles of softness at the same time.
Claaang!
With a huge sound like splitting boulders, livid blood spread on his wrist. His vein had popped from the power of his charge.
“Damn it…”
Raon exhaled roughly.
‘And they aren’t even supposed to be in their best condition.’
The Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon must’ve spent their power during their fight against Federick, yet he was barely able to defend himself. He could feel nausea similar to motion sickness. That meant that his internal injury was getting gradually worse.
‘I’m still going to endure.’
Raon brandished his two swords, counting on the Ring of Fire‘s abilities to analyze and recover. Just like the fight against the Blood Raving Demon, he needed to end the fight in an instant and it was necessary to analyze their martial arts beforehand for that purpose.
“You arrogant bastard!”
The Black Winged Demon got extremely angry and spread his wings wide to dive towards him. He maintained his speed, shooting astral energy like an arrow from his dagger.
Raon gritted his teeth and raised the Blade of Requiem. He deflected the dagger with a strike incorporating the softness of Supreme Harmony‘s third step before using the Fangs of Insanity with Heavenly Drive.
Clang!
Heavenly Drive’s blade slashed the Black Winged Demon’s opening, but the sword was unable to cut through the armor and bounced back instead.
‘What durability…’
Although it wasn’t clad in combative energy, the armor was more durable than the Blood Raving Demon’s, which was wrapped with combative energy. The sturdiness of his armor and weapon were almost abnormal, befitting his characteristics as a gargoyle lord.
Swoosh!
As Raon was pushed back, the Red Wolf Demon didn’t miss the opportunity and dashed at him. The fearsome combative energy in his claws were targeting Raon’s heart.
‘I need to deflect it.’
It wasn’t a good idea to clash head-on against the Red Wolf Demon’s combative energy.
Clang!
Raon twisted his ankle to incorporate Coiling Power into the Blade of Requiem. The spiral rotation in his blade parried the claw, which was exploding with murderous intent.
“Kuh…”
Raon frowned. Although he managed to deflect most of the power, the damage he received made him feel like a blade was stabbing his organs.
“It’s far from being over yet!”
The two demons seemed to have no intention of letting him rest, as they kept storming at him with a tremendous amount of combative energy while dominating the sky and land.
Since Raon needed to defend against astral energy, his aura was quickly exhausted even though not much time had passed, and an intense pain coming from his stomach felt like a furnace was burning him from the inside.
“Do you finally regret it?”
“You can’t even retreat anymore. This place is going to be your grave.”
The Red Wolf Demon smiled coldly, and the Black Winged Demon smiled a toothy smile. They apparently believed the fight was over, since they had relaxed themselves and were walking towards him.
“Regret?”
Raon smiled, swallowing the blood that was rising from his throat.
“I threw that away a long time ago.”
There was no regret even if he died right there. The life-saving favor would be repaid with life. He was determined to save Federick, no matter what.
‘Wrath.’
You’ve finally decided. Let the King of Essence descend upon this land to eradicate them al…
‘Let’s make a trade.’
What?
Wrath stopped in the middle of popping out of the bracelet.
‘I’ll take your wrath, so heal my internal injuries and aura in return.’
It’s pointless. It’s impossible for you to win against those two even if you recover.
‘I’ll give my body to you right away if I feel like I’m going to die.’
Y-You are crazy…
‘If you are scared, forget it.’
Fine! Bring it on!
Pure energy flew towards him from the ice flower bracelet. The stabbing pain of a heated awl in his abdomen subsided and his empty energy center was refilled like spring water.
[20 points of wrath have been created according to the contract with ‘Wrath’.]
[Bet against has been created.]
Raon nodded without even reading the messages.
‘I can win.’
Ever since he cut through the Blood Raving Demon’s astral energy, multiple lines that he was unable to understand had been appearing in his head.
Whenever he closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, the sparkling lines in front of his eyes became clearer the fiercer the battle was.
He was certain that connecting the countless lines into one would allow him to advance to a new height.
‘I have to advance right now.’
It was a deadly trial, and an opportunity to advance one step further at the same time.
Cring!
Raon raised Heavenly Drive and Fangs of Insanity to point towards the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon.
“Come at me!”
* * *
* * *
Baam!
The clashes between dozens of strikes and magics scattered magnificent rings of light into the dim sky of the night.
“Get out of my way!”
Merlin frowned, drawing a magic array even bigger than the moon.
“I told you, no one shall pass.”
Sheryl smiled coldly while pointing her White Sword at Merlin.
“You idiot! There are three Masters in there! Even Raon isn’t capable of winning against them!”
Merlin looked seriously worried about Raon, intense passion in her eyes.
“I need to stop them before they kill him! Step aside already!”
“And you will try to take Raon to Eden.”
Sheryl snickered, telling her she already guessed her intentions.
“It’s better than dying!”
“He won’t die. Raon has never betrayed his own words before. Moreover…”
She continued while smiling.
“He creates miracles. Rather than dying, I’m sure he will return even stronger.”
“You must be crazy.”
Merlin opened her hand while biting her lip. The bracelet around her wrist started shining in black to increase the magic array’s size and power.
“I’m going to kill you and go greet Raon.”
“Try it, if you can.”
Sheryl smiled coldly and raised the White Sword. The gray energy surged from the White Sword to reach the end of the sky.
Swaaa!
The black tidal wave gushing out from the magic array clashed against the single line emerging from the White Sword.
* * *
Unlike the grandiose clash between Sheryl and Merlin, the battle between Raon, the Red Wolf Demon, and the Black Winged Demon was critical and offered no breathing room.
Raon kicked the ground while wiping the blood flowing from his mouth with his sleeve.
Creak!
He thrust Heavenly Drive towards the Red Wolf Demon, who dashed at him while showing his fangs and attacking with astral claws, and used the Blade of Requiem in a reverse grip to push back the Black Winged Demon’s attack that was targeting his neck from behind.
Rumble!
The explosion created from both sides turned the land upside down, and the intense trembling of the forest felt like it could collapse at any moment.
The moment Raon escaped the impact by using the Supreme Harmony Steps, the Black Winged Demon’s wings caught up to him. He was flying towards him with the intention of cutting him with his wings.
“Huff!”
Raon exhaled roughly and parried with the Fangs of Insanity.
Clang!
He was proficient enough to even surround his wings with astral energy. The impact passed through his bone and muscle to reach his organs. The internal injury he managed to heal by taking wrath from Wrath had already returned to him.
However, he didn’t have time to feel pain. The red wolf—who would pounce whenever he saw an opportunity—was already right under his nose.
Raon used the Supreme Harmony‘s second step to use the Flame Dragon Art. Although its power had decreased, it was as fast as a ray of light.
Slaam!
Despite the decreased power, the Flame Dragon Art was still powerful. It didn’t lose, despite facing Red Wolf Demon’s astral energy.
However, Raon’s insides were turning upside down. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat and used the Spear Flash of the Fangs of Insanity.
Clang!
He managed to twist the black dagger targeting his neck. The Black Winged Demon clicked his tongue, floating into the air once again.
“Haa.”
His internal injury was spreading like a forest fire. The intense heat filling him felt like his entire abdomen was burning, but his mind only became clearer.
Whaam!
The Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon charged at him at the same time. The way the combative energies in their claws and dagger were vibrating the atmosphere and shattering the land told him that they were using their respective special techniques.
Raon pulled back Heavenly Drive to his left shoulder, and the Blade of Requiem to the right side of his waist before thrusting them at the same time. The harmony between Revolving Sky and Frost Pond created an explosion of red and blue sparks.
Baam!
Raon was pushed five steps back, coughing out the blood he’d been holding back. His abdomen felt like it was burning, telling him his internal injury had been aggravated.
‘It’s okay.’
Raon caught his breath while chewing on his lip. It was because, while they didn’t manage to pierce through his strike, he was starting to see their martial arts.
Whir!
He could see the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon inside the subsiding sandy dust.
“What the hell…?”
“H-How is this even possible?”
They were biting their lips as if they’d witnessed something unbelievable. A thin line of blood was flowing down from their mouths.
“That bastard… He thrust his sword at Bone Shattering Claw‘s opening.”
“Me, too! He pierced through the Punishing Flying Sword‘s weakness!”
The Red Wolf Demon’s eyes sparkled heartlessly, while the Black Winged Demon’s eyes inside the helmet were glowing with murderous intent.
Wham!
The two monsters realized they needed to finish the fight as soon as possible and used their footwork to the best of their abilities.
‘Right side!’
The Red Wolf Demon was storming from the blind spot on the right side. Raon used the Star Connecting Sword to deflect the end of the sharp astral energy rising towards him, then slashed with Heavenly Drive into the Flame Spirit.
Swaa!
The firestorm bursting from the sword pushed the Red Wolf Demon back, and the coldness from the Blade of Requiem in his reverse grip emerged like an icicle to parry the Black Winged Demon’s wings.
The combative energies of the two demons turned into violent waves to storm at him, but Raon’s blades became a high embankment to block all of the combative energies.
“Kuh…”
Blood was coming from his mouth, but he could only smile. That was because the weakness found through the Ring of Fire was definitely working.
Clang! Claang!
Heavenly Drive perfectly parried the Red Wolf Demon’s twisted astral energy, and the Blade of Requiem pushed back the Black Winged Demon’s wing in an instant.
‘Just a little bit more…’
Like a blacksmith hammering a blade to sharpen it, his mind was getting more and more focused. He could perfectly feel the Ring of Fire spinning around his heart.
“That shitty bastard!”
“Kill him as fast as possible!”
The Black Winged Demon and the Red Wolf Demon were targeting his upper body and lower body, respectively. The raging astral energy in their hand and blade were the same as before.
‘Haa…’
Raon polished his focus even more. Probably because of their impatience, the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon’s martial arts were getting more twisted as they dashed towards him.
‘They are also getting tired.’
The two demons had spent a lot of their energy attacking Retran and fighting against Federick. It was possible for Raon to win if he held out until the end.
‘I’m confident in my endurance.’
After all, he’d endured a lot while living as an assassin, so he was confident he could endure better than anyone.
He gathered the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier to the maximum. Enduring the pain of his mana circuits falling apart, he thrust the Fangs of Insanity.
Claang!
The red and blue strikes stormed through the space to sever the opening in the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon’s combative energies.
“Keep chasing!”
“Grr!”
He gained distance from them by using Supreme Harmony Steps, but they chased after him like a leech to unleash astral energy.
“Huff!”
Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem, targeting the weaknesses of the two demons’ martial arts.
Bam! Baam!
The huge shockwaves spread out consecutively, and the forest that used to be dense was turning into a barren field.
‘I need to focus even more.’
Since his internal injury had been aggravated so much, the only way to hold out even longer was by targeting their weaknesses. He raised his focus one more time upon reaching his limit.
‘I need to erase everything that’s unnecessary.’
The sky and land were erased from his vision. The forest disappeared, and even the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon scattered away.
The only things left were two lines.
They were the flows of combative energy coming from the Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon.
He pushed back and parried the two demons’ combative energy, which were still extremely powerful.
Probably because he was only watching the flow, it became a lot easier to block the attacks and see the current.
He even started feeling like time had stopped, and the lines of astral energy slowly extended towards him.
‘They are different somehow.’
Those lines were similar to the lines drawn in his head, and different at the same time.
The emotion he felt was desire, or maybe obsession, as he just kept watching those lines until they reached right in front of his eyes.
The thin lines spread around like fire to fill his vision.
‘This is—!’
He finally understood. The red lines that were drawn in his head and appeared in front of his eyes weren’t coming from someone else.
It was his life, and his sword.
In that instant, he remembered the millions of swings he’d practiced before, and a lightning bolt starting from his brain pierced through his mind and body.
Spark!
The crimson lightning hit something sturdy stuck around his solar plexus, shattering it into small pieces.
Rumble!
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation‘s energy from his mana circuit brushed past that space to emanate an even stronger and sturdier energy.
Cring!
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation‘s energy blooming on Heavenly Drive twisted and combined into a clear source of light.
Whap!
A perfectly materialized flame. The astral energy of raging flame seemed capable of burning anything in the world as it spread its brilliance.
‘Is this astral energy…?’
It felt completely different from the aura blade and aura thread. The crimson flame was incorporating an extreme sharpness, capable of severing anything.
“Astral energy?”
“K-Kill him! Kill him right now!”
The Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon mustered as much combative energy as they could. Their impatience made them use all of the power they’d been saving up to create an astral energy even more violent than in the beginning.
Whir.
Raon was contemplating himself instead of the two demons, who were running towards him.
‘There’s more than this.’
‘I can take another step forward.’
‘While others crossed the wall, I destroyed it.’
Raon took another step forward, using the martial arts he’d been accumulating so far as fuel.
Lightning struck inside his head for a second time. He had the feeling that his soul had reached the next dimension for a moment.
The principles he couldn’t understand before mixed into one to create a new trajectory for his sword.
Raon thrust Heavenly Drive towards the single line in front of his eyes.
The blackish-red astral energy merged at the end of his white blade. The lightning spreading from the condensed energy distorted the space.
“What a sloppy strike!”
“It’s slow!”
The Red Wolf Demon and the Black Winged Demon tried to dodge while laughing at it, but it didn’t matter.
They wouldn’t be able to escape the area.
Whir!
The gravity coming from the sphere formed at the extremity of the blade prevented the two demons’ attempts to move away and pulled them towards the center.
“No way, is this the heavy sword’s…?”
“I-I’m being pulled!”
The two demons’ chins were trembling as they failed to escape the gravity created from the crimson astral energy.
“Block!”
“M-Maximize the astral barrier…”
“It’s pointless.”
As Raon stomped the ground, the land trembled and the concentrated energy exploded at the same time.
Raon Zieghart style technique.
Second Form, Heavenly Heavy Cannon.
The mighty heat extending from Heavenly Drive pierced through the crimson combative energy.
