N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 291
Raon raised his lips as he watched Merlin, who was ahead, rolling her eyes.
"Seems like you are having fun."
Her light footsteps were as light as feathers, and it seemed she couldn't contain her excitement after donning the dragon helmet.
"You must be waiting for the one inside."
While Merlin might desire to have the soul in the helmet take over his body, such a thing couldn't happen.
Regardless of who the opponent was, he couldn't be overcome through sheer mental strength.
"How does it feel? Nervous?"
Merlin stopped and turned around as if sensing Raon's gaze.
The eyes within the mask gleamed with a glint of desire.
"A little."
Raon nodded honestly.
He wasn't entirely devoid of nervousness.
"No need to be nervous. All you have to do is surrender yourself to the helmet."
Merlin reassured him, smiling as he spoke.
"What's that?"
Raon pointed to the Death knight helmet trailing behind her.
It was rare for him, who usually didn't accompany her into here, to come all the way here.
"I asked him to come and protect you. You're defenseless when you're wearing the helmet. I didn't want any issues with your ceremony."
She referred to the helmet-wearing event as his "ceremony."
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the burning eyes of the Death knight helmet that radiated a golden light.
'Something feels different.'
Unlike the mindless Eden specters he had encountered so far, the sword emitted not only aggression but an indescribable scent of death.
It was almost as if they had brought a lion and put a helmet on it.
"All these strange beings together..."
Raon shook his head slightly and halted before the entrance to Merlin's log cabin.
But Merlin continued onward, as if indicating that this wasn't the place.
"Your ceremony will be held in a different room. You are special."
Merlin flicked her long finger as if beckoning him to follow.
She walked further until they reached the end of the cabin.
Wooong!
As Merlin lightly tapped the gray wall, a passage formed in the middle of the wall, emitting a bright white light.
From the passage emerged a faint azure light.
"Let's go."
Merlin grinned, entering the passage first.
"Hmm..."
Wrath frowned as he looked at the energy flowing from the wall.
'What?'
"It's nothing."
Despite saying so, Wrath glared at the passage in the wall with an annoyed expression.
'So, it's him?'
He clicked his tongue, contradicting his previous statement.
"Are you curious?"
Raon, looking at the energy flowing from the wall, raised an eyebrow and looked at Wrath.
'Curious?'
Wrath shut his mouth tightly as if he didn't want to speak.
"Have a seat over there."
Just as Raon was about to ask more questions, Merlin pointed to a gray chair in the center of the magic circle on the floor.
"...."
Without revealing any emotion, Raon glanced at the soulless eyes of the Death knight helmet and then obediently sat in the designated spot.
"You're quite intelligent, so this should be comfortable for you."
Merlin approached, extending her hand.
A crescent-like smile formed in her eyes.
Above her hand, the dragon helmet he had seen before floated in the air.
The sharp scales and vibrant azure mane made the helmet seem as though the dragon were truly alive.
"Phew."
Raon exhaled shortly and held the helmet with both hands.
Contrary to its appearance, it was as light as paper and had a rubbery elasticity.
It seemed like it could fit anyone's face, no matter how big or small.
"Wait a moment."
Merlin brought her hands together.
Above her hand, six magic circles appeared, identical in shape to the ones engraved in the room.
Woong woong woong!
The magic circles resonated with her mana, causing the magic circles on the walls, ceiling, and floor to vibrate and emit a dim light.
"Raon."
Merlin nodded as if instructing him to put on the helmet.
Raon closed his eyes, then opened them and donned the dragon helmet.
The slightly oversized helmet adjusted to fit his head perfectly, and a strange energy began flowing through his entire body.
"Have a safe journey."
Merlin lifted her mask slightly, aligning her red lips with the helmet's mouthpiece and curling the corners of her lips.
"That's the last thing you'll hear."
With that voice as the last thing he heard, his vision abruptly went dark.
* * *
The Head of House Zieghart manor, audience chamber.
Despite the presence of the family's executives and devoted family members, the audience chamber felt as cold as if it were laid with ice.
The expressions of the executives were also severely stern, and the reason for it was a single presence.
Glenn Zieghart.
The intense determination emanating from him, seated on the Throne of the Destructive King of North, made everyone gulp dryly.
"Family head. Everyone has gathered."
Roenn approached Glenn's side and bowed his head.
Tap, tap.
Glenn looked at the executives and family members and lightly tapped the throne with his finger.
"A considerable amount of time has passed since Zieghart's steps came to a halt."
"Um..."
The frigidness in his voice made the members of the War Order tremble.
"As Zieghart showed the capability to devour half the continent, I thought there was no need to spill more blood than that."
Glenn's icy gaze turned to the right.
"We ourselves halted our steps. Zieghart needed rest and recuperation, and there was no regret in that choice."
Sheryl, who was standing behind the right column, nodded slowly.
"However, it seems others don't think the same way."
Glenn's pupils flared with crimson light.
"Everyone must be aware that Raon Zieghart and Dorian Sepia have been kidnapped."
The executives and family members nodded heavily.
"If the White Blood religion and Eden had killed the Light Wind squad right then and there, I wouldn't have called all of you here. I would have left revenge to Rimmer."
That was true.
Even if Raon Zieghart or the Light Wind squad were completely annihilated, he wouldn't have gathered them all.
"However, they have kidnapped members of the Light Wind squad in Zieghart's name. What could this possibly mean?"
Glenn's gaze shifted.
The pupils of the audience, who had been fearful of him a moment ago, now sparkled with a sinister light.
"It means they're underestimating Zieghart."
Sheryl replied as a representative, her fist clenched tightly.
"That's right. Kidnapping warrior in Zieghart's name means they see us as pushovers. It means they're not afraid of our warriors or our power."
* * *
As he opened his eyes, he saw a dark sky above him.
It was a ceiling that extended beyond sight.
"Hmm..."
Raon sat up and turned his head to the right.
Behind a small expanse of dark space, frozen ground came into view.
It was a palace larger than Zieghart's territory, entirely frozen in a silvery frost.
'That cold...'
An unmistakably familiar sensation.
It was Glacier cold.
'Lohengreen's handiwork, it seems.'
Seeing the palace frozen by Glacia's cold, he was certain it was the castle of Merlin mentioned in the story.
Over the long years, untouched by human hands, the palace appeared not only desolate but also ancient.
"Hmm?"
Raon stood up, his gaze fixed on the castle, and furrowed his brows.
'What's this?'
Something was different from usual.
His body, which had become perfectly accustomed, was slightly different in height.
It was strange that Raon, after waking up, noticed the height difference in his own body.
This situation might be indicating some sort of transformation or change that he wasn't fully aware of.
He examined his hands and clothes.
The ice flower bracelet, which had never disappeared, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead of the Light Wind squad uniform, he was now wearing a black night time outfit.
"No way..."
Raon's face reflected on the white ground.
The blond-haired face that had been with him for almost 20 years was gone, replaced by a young man with dark hair and eyes that seemed to be shrouded in darkness.
"It's me..."
Not his current self, but his past self.
The appearance of Raon, the assassin who had lived his life under Derius Robert's control, with a collar around his neck.
Thump.
As he took a step back, he felt something under his foot.
Looking down, he saw a small dagger and a longsword lying side by side.
"This is..."
He couldn't be uncertain.
The dagger and longsword he had used in his past life.
They were the weapons he had carried with him until he died by Derus Robert's hand.
"Was meeting with the soul supposed to mean this?"
Seeing the appearance of his past self, not Raon Zieghart but the Raon from his previous life, it seemed that the idea of meeting with the soul wasn't a lie.
"So that's why there was no Wrath."
No wonder that chatterbox (warth) hadn't said a word.
It seemed like he was in a secluded space.
Holding his past-life weapons in his hands after a long time, Raon formed a faint smile.
"So..."
When will my caretaker wake up?
Before that thought could even finish, the space around him trembled violently.
Rumble!
The palace collapsed, and a massive dragon covered in sharp blue scales thrust its enormous neck forward.
At the end of it, a furious blue glint flashed as if venting its anger to the world.
Roaaaar!
The ice covering the entire palace shattered like glass, and the grand roar of the dragon echoed through the world.
Roaaaaar!
Huge wings unfolded as if drawing the horizon, and the palace collapsed entirely.
Amidst the pouring debris of stone and ice, a small log cabin that didn't fit this place became visible, but it quickly disappeared, buried under the dust.
From within a majestic radiance, a young man walked forward.
He had sea-colored eyes and was adorned in knightly armor.
His appearance was so striking that upon seeing him, one might be compelled to exclaim, "He's a prince."
"I cannot comprehend."
The man with azure hair furrowed his brow slightly.
"If what the princess said is true, then the barrier of your mind should have remained intact, preventing this world from opening. Why are you in front of me?"
He tilted his head as if finding it odd.
"I guess the Essence of the Unbonded wasn't given in vain."
From what the man in front of him was saying, if Raon broke the barrier of the mind using the Essence of the Unbonded, it seemed that his soul would immediately break the other guy's soul, creating a space like this.
"But a princess?"
This dragon wouldn't mistake someone else for the person he was looking for.
He had clearly referred to Merlin as the princess.
"Is Merlin the princess?"
"You don't know?"
The dragon lowered his eyebrows as if asking if he really didn't know.
"Well, I suppose you were captured by the princess too."
He made a mocking gesture, flicking his tongue briefly.
"You're not a dragon, after all."
Raon raised an eyebrow as he looked at the man with azure hair.
"There's no way you could be a dragon."
Dragons, being the mightiest race, have a strong sense of pride.
Maybe if they were in a playful mood.
A dragon that had revealed its true form wouldn't call a human a princess.
"So then..."
Raon's eyes flickered with recognition.
There was only one existence that could transform into a human and wasn't a dragon.
"Are you a Draconian?"
"That's right."
The man with azure hair nodded confidently.
"My name is Rockta Deport. I am the son of the Blue Dragon, Chronos Deport, and the Captain of the Guard of Sirken."
Dressed in armor and holding a sword, he proclaimed himself a knight.
"You hold no ill feelings towards me. I am a sinner who couldn't protect the princess as a knight. I will pay for my sins by dying. If you surrender peacefully, I won't inflict any pain..."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Raon laughed coldly.
Perhaps because of his past life's body, profanities that he rarely used came out naturally in his words.
"You people kidnap and then talk about paying for your sins by dying? Stop spouting nonsense."
"Resistance is futile."
Rockta's expression sank as if he found Raon's response pathetic.
"Look at the ground beneath you."
At his words, Raon looked down.
He saw the white ground Rockta was standing on and the dark land in stark contrast.
"That dark land is your entire life."
"What?"
"The world imprinted on your soul consists of that land and the two swords. On the other hand..."
Rockta pointed behind himself.
"My world may have been confined to this frozen castle, but it is vast and strong compared to yours."
His eyes exuded a chilling coldness, as well as the despair of one who has experienced death.
"If I decide, I can easily push away your narrow and feeble world. I'll give you one last chance. Retreat. I don't want to use my strength against the weak."
Rockta continued to spew nonsense, seemingly still believing himself to be a knight. Not even a chuckle came out.
"Usually weak dogs just bark incessantly."
Raon chuckled and flicked his finger.
"Quit blabbering and come at me, you half-baked lizard."
"Eventually, it's about toasting the buns and sipping the beer."
As Rockta's eyes flared yellow, frosty waves arose from the frozen ground he was standing on.
Kuaaah!
A white tide surged, swallowing distant lands and expanding its territory.
The sensation was like the energy center freezing.
It was a pain similar to the attacks from Wrath that he felt every day.
"So that's what this is."
So, this is what they call a 'Tuhonsik' (Soul Duel).
Now it all made sense.
This place visualized the fights he had with Wrath in this life, the battles he waged day after day.
Rockta's soul, possessing greater power, had devoured most of this space.
Kugugugugu!
Rockta's generated frost and the despondency he exuded grew immensely, causing the black space to rapidly shrink.
In the blink of an eye, all the space froze, leaving only a span of land beneath his feet.
"I told you."
Rockta sneered openly.
He had talked about being a knight and all, but in the end, he was just like Merlin, not much different.
"Such meaningless actions. You winning against me in this world is an impossible task."
"Why is that?"
"Because of the difference in experience. This might be your first time in this place, but I've fought in this world since I was alive. I must have fought more than a hundred times."
"Over a hundred times."
Raon raised the corner of his lips.
"That's all?"
With a twist, he activated the ring of fire, and fire sparks erupted from his feet, sweeping across the frozen ground.
Hwaaaah!
The blazing flames instantly melted the endless coldness and even devoured the frozen land.
Rockta's frost and dimensions were at a different level of speed.
"Is that all you've got?"
"What... what is this fire?"
Raon smiled widely, looking at Rockta's eyes that seemed about to burst.
"It's my turn now. I've spent half my life being pestered by that annoying cotton candy (wrath). I've fought not a hundred, but a thousand battles like this."
With a cold laugh Raon ignited the land burning with crimson flames.
Jebuck.
The sound of worn-out shoes soaked in flames transformed into distinct footsteps.
Dark pants and shirt transformed into the polished uniform of the Light Wind squad, exuding a brilliant golden hue as his black hair blazed into a dazzling golden mane.
Toowooong!
The black eyes, once filled with emptiness, turned into a sun-eclipsing crimson gaze that pierced through Rockta's soul.
Whaaang!
As the endless flames spread, the annex building, the Light Wind squad, and even Zieghart's appearance appeared behind Raon.
The distant land, once filled with desolation, was now filled with the connections he had forged.
His world was no longer empty.
"Wha... what are you! How can there be such a stark transformation in a human's mind..."
Rockta's jaw trembled as he looked at the transformed Raon, seemingly beyond confusion and entering a state of fear.
Whaarrr!
Whether Rockta was shocked or spoke, the heat of the ring of fire melted the frozen ground, reaching even the once-destroyed palace.
"Just an ordinary human."
Raon gripped the Heavenly Drive sword hilt tightly, his gaze deepening.
"Now that the noose is removed, I can finally live a human life."
"What nonsense is this!"
"Sorry to disappoint you. You and your precious princess will never obtain what you want... Hm?"
"What?"
Raon suddenly halted his words and looked to his right.
Rockta also turned his head simultaneously.
Shaaaah!
The flames of the ring of fire seethed, creating intricate patterns on the fiery ground.
"What... what is that? How can an intruder breach this space?"
Rockta's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You! What are you summoning?"
"I didn't summon them. They came on their own."
Raon frowned as he looked at the ice flower bracelet that had formed on his wrist.
"An illegal tenant." (Welcome Back Wrath, lol)
