C769
Whoosh!
The darkness raised by the Green King couldn’t withstand the flames of the Divine Sword and slowly melted like morning mist touched by sunlight. Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the Green King’s Sword Domain fade into nothingness.
‘Sword Domain…’
The Sword Domain is a type of barrier that materializes the Willpower and Mental Images accumulated by a swordsman into reality. As befits its special nature, it has an essential condition: It can only be used by swordsmen who inherit the Zieghart bloodline.
Rimmer and Wrath had shown Sword Domains, but strictly speaking, they were slightly different techniques that substituted blood power by overloading the body and mind.
‘But that Sword Domain is real.’
In fact, the darkness raised by the Green King was so crude that it could hardly be called a Sword Domain. Although it was far inferior even to the incomplete domain he had used during his Master days, she naturally followed the flow of the Zieghart Sword Domain. In other words, it meant that the woman wearing the black Orc helmet was inheriting the Zieghart blood.
—That’s a real Sword Domain…
—Rimmer also gasped in disbelief at the Green King’s Sword Domain—.
That’s right.
—Raon nodded heavily. When he made sure that the Green King was of Zieghart origin, several buried feelings of discomfort and questions began to excavate in his mind.
A young body that looked about twenty years old, talent not inferior to his own, affiliation with Eden, some advice that Wrath had given before the battle, the mocking comments of the Two-Headed Demon that he couldn’t understand, and now the Sword Domain.
‘It’s still hard to believe, but…’
The Green King seemed to be his sister Sia, who was believed to be dead. If he accepted this hypothesis, it would explain why he felt familiarity when looking into the Green King’s eyes, and why Wrath had said that they had similar temperaments. However, there was still something he needed to confirm to be sure. He swallowed.
Raon swallowed dryly and turned to look at Sylvia. She was staring at him with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the situation.
“I have to ask.”
To confirm that the Green King was Sia, he needed Sylvia’s testimony.
“However…”
He couldn’t speak easily, unable to imagine how much pain Sylvia would feel.
“The reason Mother came here is also related to that incident.”
Before leaving for this mission, Sylvia had told him sincerely that she was training to the point of collapse to protect her family, and those she needed to protect included him as well.
“Mother has been carrying this unhealed wound all this time…”
The reason Sylvia made such an oath was because she couldn’t protect her husband and their young daughter. She tormented herself so that she wouldn’t experience that pain again.
“That’s why she came here too.”
Having a son who had died once and returned asking for support, Sylvia couldn’t have stayed quietly in the annex building. Scenes of her pleading with the Leader of the Void Sword Division and kneeling before Glenn to ask for permission were easy to imagine, making his fingertips tremble unknowingly.
However, even knowing Sylvia’s mental state, he couldn’t stop there.
Even if he deepened her pain and wounds, he had to find out the truth.
“I’m sorry to do this in this situation, but…”
Raon turned to Sylvia, clenching his fist so hard that it almost bled.
“What color were my sister’s hair and eyes?”
For the first time, he asked about the color of Sia’s eyes and hair, which he had avoided mentioning for fear of saddening Sylvia.
“They were brown and red. But why are you asking?”
Sylvia, still not understanding the situation, rolled her eyes.
“Huu…”
Raon examined the Green King and closed his eyes tightly. Her hair color was brown and her eyes were red like his.
“Lastly, Mom, you didn’t see Dad and my sister die for sure, right?”
“I-it’s true. I saw them fall, but I was dragged away unconscious…”
She shook her head, saying that the Zieghart guards had stopped her.
“Raon. Why suddenly… Oh?”
Sylvia, as if finally realizing why Raon had asked those questions, turned her gaze to the Green King. She looked at the Green King from head to toe, then dropped her sword with a metallic clang.
“N-no way…”
“I think it’s true.”
“Ah…”
Sylvia sank to the ground, not even thinking about picking up her fallen sword.
“No, it can’t be…”
She shook her head wildly, as if she couldn’t believe it.
-Hey, why is Mom acting like that?
Wrath blinked, looking at Sylvia who had suddenly fallen to her knees.
—Because it seems that the woman wearing the helmet came out of the same womb as me, just as you said. —Huh? E-that was just an example, is it really true?
The boy gaped, seemingly surprised by himself.
—Yes.
—Thanks to Sylvia’s testimony, it was made certain that the Green King was his sister, Sia.
—Keheheh…
—Seeing the Two-Headed Demon’s mocking laughter, as if saying “Now you know,” made him even more sure.
—I-is that your sister? —Rimmer’s lips trembled as he realized that the Green King was Sia—.
It’s certain.
—Raon nodded, biting his lip—.
No. No. It can’t be. That’s too…
Sylvia’s face turned pale. Her eyes, as she looked at the Green King, were bloodshot.
“It’s not wrong.”
The Two-Headed Demon stood beside the Green King and laughed softly.
“She is indeed the daughter you abandoned and ran away from.”
He nodded firmly, as if he were delivering a coup de grâce.
“Aaaaagh!”,
Sylvia screamed, clutching her head. Tears that seemed to be stained with blood flowed from her eyes.
“Bastard!”
When Raon was about to charge forward, the Two-Headed Demon laughed and hid behind the Green King’s back.
“I haven’t finished talking yet.”
The Two-Headed Demon raised a finger behind the Green King, indicating that he had more to say.
“Stop babbling uselessly and let me take your head…”
“Maybe you want to hear this. Unless you want to regret it later.”
“What?”
“There’s one more secret left.”
He shook his head as he rested his chin on the Green King’s shoulder.
—If the sister you thought was dead is alive, wouldn’t your father be alive too? —The Two-Headed Demon raised a finger and pointed at the Severing Sword who was standing behind Rimmer—.
That man. Who do you think he is? —The corners of his helmet’s mouth curved into a long smile—.
Ah…
—Raon let out a low groan as he turned to look back. The Severing Sword was standing still, just as he had seen him in the Eden branch—.
That’s right. He’s your father. His aura was worse than third-rate, but his swordsmanship was strangely excellent, so I brought him with me. It turned out to be a jackpot! It’s been a while since I saw The Fallen laugh like that. —The Two-Headed Demon clicked his lips and said that the reward was quite impressive—.
Liar!
—Sylvia shook her head in disbelief as she looked at the Severing Sword. However, contrary to her cry of “liar,” she couldn’t take her eyes off him, as if she were remembering Edgar through the Severing Sword’s physique.
“It’s all lies!”
It was palpable that her mind was crumbling.
“Hmm…”
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the Severing Sword.
“Now that I think about it…”
Just a moment ago, when the Severing Sword ambushed him, he hadn’t used his full strength and hadn’t imbued his sword with Killing Intent. He had wielded his sword while creating a small but escapable path. It was the same when they met at the Eden branch. The Severing Sword had only looked at him strangely and hadn’t hurt him.
Each of these strange occurrences would make sense if he were really his father.
‘However…’
As Raon frowned, remembering the differences between the Severing Sword and other Eden Phantoms, the Two-Headed Demon tilted his chin.
—So I’ll let you confirm his face? Although you might faint. —The Two-Headed Demon chuckled as he stroked his own mask—.
Shut your mouth.
—Raon tightened his grip on the Divine Sword and the Demon Sword and took a step toward the Steps of Supreme Harmony. Just as he was about to behead the Two-Headed Demon, strong sword blows flew from left to right. Clang! It was the Green King and the Severing Sword. The two stood in front of Raon, as if to protect the Two-Headed Demon.
—Grr…
—Why do you think I told you all this? —The Two-Headed Demon’s eyes curved like crescent moons—.
Because I wanted to see family members killing each other!
—He laughed, clutching his stomach, as he let out a sneer worse than any evil spirit. It felt like watching pure evil, not just a demon.
—Hand over his body. This king will crush that helmet bastard!
Wrath seemed genuinely enraged, his entire body dyed in pure white Cold Energy.
“I’ll kill him.”
Raon bit his lip until it bled and pushed his aura toward the wavering Divine Sword and Demon Sword.
“If you want to behead me, come after you kill your sister and your father.”
The Two-Headed Demon couldn’t hide his smile, as if he had wanted to create this situation from the beginning. Now it seemed that he really was a monster who inherited Etin’s traits.
“Nngh…”
Sylvia vomited as she knelt, as if she had lost all will to fight.
“That little bastard.”
Rimmer frowned as he approached from the side.
“He’s really getting on my nerves.”
His green eyes glowed red, as if he were enraged as well.
“Huu…”
Raon exhaled, expelling the turbid energy. Thanks to the Fire Ring, his anger slowly subsided.
‘Something’s wrong.’
From the Blood Demon to the Phantom, all the Eden executives he had seen so far moved of their own free will. But the Green King and the Severing Sword, despite being high-ranking Eden officials, were following the Two-Headed Demon’s orders instead of their own will. It was too strange.
‘Could it be that they couldn’t completely erase the souls of these two?’
Remembering the Green King using the Sword Domain and the Severing Sword not imbuing his sword with Killing Intent, he felt a slight possibility of saving them both.
“Maybe we can save Dad and my sister.”
Raon nodded as he turned to look at Sylvia.
“What…?”
A small light shone in Sylvia’s eyes, which had been sinking into despair.
“What are you talking about? Once someone puts on the helmet, they can’t return! You know that better than anyone!”
Rimmer shook his head, as if to say that they should give up what they should give up.
“Tsk tsk.”
The Two-Headed Demon clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at Raon.
“You’re too late. Their souls have not only melted, but they have been completely digested.”
He chuckled and let out a small burp.
“I can’t believe your words.”
“False hope. That’s the biggest culprit that ruins humans.”
The Two-Headed Demon curled his lips, saying it was like gambling.
“Do whatever you want. It won’t mean anything anyway.”
He shrugged mockingly.
“…”
“That’s nonsense.”
As Raon bit his lip, a familiar female voice was heard from the air. Woong! A long dimensional gate opened and Merlin, wearing an old woman’s mask, emerged from it.
“Merlin?”
The Two-Headed Demon’s eyes widened at Merlin’s sudden appearance.
“The old man pretending to be a being from the spirit realm has gotten better at lying.”
Merlin snorted as she looked at the Two-Headed Demon.
“Those two were directly manipulated by The Fallen. Seeing their current state, their souls might still be alive.”
She nodded, saying that, since The Fallen often perform strange experiments, there was a good possibility.
“Mother.”
Merlin approached Sylvia first, not Raon, and lifted the hem of her skirt.
“It’s not time to give up yet.”
She called Sylvia “Mother” and grabbed her shoulders.
“M-Mother…?”
Sylvia’s jaw trembled as she looked at the old woman’s mask Merlin was wearing. Even in this situation, she seemed bewildered by a magician from Eden who called her “Mother.”
“Huhu, I called you that a little earlier.”
Merlin slightly lifted her mask to reveal her bare face. She usually didn’t like to take off her mask, but this seemed to be an action to reassure Sylvia.
“The cross…”
Sylvia’s lips trembled as she saw the cross reflected in Merlin’s eyes.
“Please, wait a little.”
Merlin squeezed Sylvia’s hand and stood to the left of Raon.
“The fact that you’re controlling those two proves that there’s something wrong with their minds. It must all be The Fallen’s intention.”
She snorted as if she had seen through all the Two-Headed Demon’s lies.
“You, traitorous bitch…”
The Two-Headed Demon’s mouth twisted as he jumped up. For the first time, it wasn’t a mocking laugh, but one that seemed genuinely angry.
“Betrayal?”
Merlin snorted and shook her head.
“I’ve been on Raon’s side since his past life. It’s not betrayal, it’s just a return to love.”
She waved her pale white hand up and down, as if to say don’t talk nonsense.
“Ha, fine. This is better anyway.”
The Two-Headed Demon raised his wooden club, aiming at Raon and Merlin simultaneously.
“I’ll kill you all at once now.”
As he tilted his chin, the Green King and the Severing Sword stepped forward.
“I never thought I’d be fighting alongside Merlin.”
Rimmer let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn’t believe it and moved to Raon’s right side.
“I was grateful back then.”
He gave a small bow to Merlin.
“Who are you?”
Merlin blinked as if she wasn’t interested in anyone but Raon.
“Uh…?”
“Let’s save the introductions for later.”
Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demon Sword, from which the flames and frost had begun to dissipate.
“Let’s finish this fight first. Our target should be the Two-Headed Demon.”
“Yes. I’d rather die. Don’t worry.”
Merlin smiled as if she would save Edgar and Sia even if it cost her life.
“That’s going to be difficult.”
Rimmer sighed but nodded, saying he understood.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Raon spun the Fire Ring and entered the Steps of Supreme Harmony. He advanced toward the Two-Headed Demon, gripping the Divine Sword and Demon Sword more tightly. Before he could wield the two swords, the Green King and the Severing Sword blocked his path. The Two-Headed Demon stepped back with a smile, as if challenging him to cut them down. Swish!
Raon didn’t stop his attack. He completely trusted the two people behind him and continued to advance.
Kukugugugu! As the Green King’s slash and the Severing Sword’s demonic energy flashed, intense mana and wind rose from behind. Woooo! Merlin deployed dozens of magic circles to push back the Green King who was about to stab her sword, and Rimmer knocked down the Severing Sword with a blade that surged with wind and lightning. Swish!
Raon plunged the Divine Sword and Demon Sword toward the Two-Headed Demon, who was acting calmly in the open path.
“You’re underestimating me too much.”
The Two-Headed Demon smiled as he raised his wooden club diagonally. Kuwaaang! Raon pressed the Two-Headed Demon’s wooden club with his Divine Sword and Demon Sword, which spewed flames and frost as if it were the last time. Unlike the flames that were dying down, his ever-stronger Willpower carved deep cracks in the wooden club.
“What…”
The Two-Headed Demon’s eyes widened as he saw his wooden club trembling as if it were about to break.
“Keep laughing.”
Raon’s blood-red eyes pierced him as he gave him a cold smile.
“Because today will be the last day you can laugh.”
-
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