C773
Raon swallowed hard as he watched the demonic energy in the Soul Stone, which had been raging as if it were about to explode, suddenly subside.
'Did he suppress the demonic energy with willpower?'
Seeing the Soul Stone's explosion stop, it seemed that Rector had crushed the demonic energy with his transcendent Willpower.
-That Soul Stone contains demonic energy that even most Transcendent Warriors would have difficulty enduring...
Wrath licked his lips as he looked at Rector.
-That old man seems to have grown quite a bit.
He chuckled and said that old men also grow well.
'Grown?'
Now that he thought about it, Rector's aura seemed much sharper now. It was like seeing Glenn from before.
"Q-What..."
The two-headed demon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Demon Sword! Why are you here? And how did you stop the explosion?"
He yelled at Rector with the mocking laughter wiped from his face.
"..."
Rector looked at the two-headed demon with cold eyes without answering.
"Grrr! This can't be! Everyone must die here!"
The Two-Headed Demon raised his shattered arm, contorting his face. He seemed to be trying to detonate the Soul Gem remotely using Fighting Spirit. Raon forcefully concentrated his exhausted aura and stepped onto the Steps of Supreme Harmony. He advanced directly towards the Two-Headed Demon and swung the Requiem Blade he held in reverse grip.
The sword, flickering with demonic energy, cut through the two-headed demon's Fighting Spirit and pierced his neck.
"Guilty!!"
The Two-Headed Demon tried to detonate the Soul Stone even if it meant his own death, but he couldn't move a finger due to the Demonic Energy emanating from the Requiem Blade.
"R-Raon Zieghart. You interfere to the very end..."
He gritted his teeth and raised his bloodshot eyes.
"Now that you are about to die, that annoying smile of yours has disappeared."
Raon nodded, looking at the cruelly contorted expression of the Two-Headed Demon.
"S-if you kill me, the Soul Stone will explode immediately! Don't pull out the sword..."
"Your lies are clumsy."
Raon scoffed and looked at the Two-Headed Demon.
"If that stone were to explode with your death, you would have committed suicide earlier."
The Two-Headed Demon wanted everyone present to disappear even if he died. The fact that he didn't take his own life and tried to detonate the Soul Gem clearly showed that the explosion triggered by suicide had also been blocked by Rector.
"W-Wait! No! Listen to me! I..."
"Now it's your turn to be mocked by death."
Raon shook his head firmly and forcefully cut the Requiem Blade that was stuck in the Two-Headed Demon's neck. The demon's head detached from his neck and rolled onto the ground.
"Damn it..."
The evil spirit that had mocked human life and destiny died in despair.
"Ugh..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he looked at the Two-Headed Demon who had died with his eyes wide open. Seeing the one who had played with the lives of others die in sobs felt comforting, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
'I want to collapse right here, but...'
There is still work to be done. He raised his head in pain and looked at Rector and Edgar. They also looked silently towards there.
'Did father say?'
Edgar had called Rector father before, which meant that Rector was his grandfather.
-To think that that old man is your real grandfather....
Wrath licked his lips as he examined Rector.
-As expected, your blood is not normal.
He frowned and said that he knew from the first encounter that Raon was extraordinary.
You knew Rector was here from the beginning, didn't you?
-Of course.
Wrath snorted, telling him to ask whatever he needed to ask.
-Then why didn't you tell me?
-That old man has been watching you more than once or twice. I thought he would stay quiet this time too, since he never appeared before.
He shook his head and said that he thought Rector's hobby was voyeurism.
"F-Father, how did you..."
Edgar swallowed with difficulty, as if he couldn't believe that Rector had arrived.
"I received a call from that one while I was tracking Eden's movements."
Rector pointed at Merlin.
"It seemed unbelievable, but I came just in case, and I'm glad I didn't arrive too late."
He nodded his head towards Merlin gratefully.
"This child greets grandfather."
Merlin gently lifted her tattered skirt as if it were an old umbrella and bowed her head. She seemed to have no sense of shame.
"Grandfather...?"
Rector's eyes trembled sharply. He looked at Raon and Sylvia as if he didn't understand the situation, but no one could open their mouths.
"I also called the other side, but it will take a while because it's late."
Merlin smiled brightly as if telling him not to worry.
"W-Well done..."
Rector nodded, responding abruptly as if he didn't want to talk to Merlin anymore.
"Yes!"
Merlin smiled brightly, muttering that her grandfather had praised her.
"Father. I..."
Edgar couldn't look directly at Rector and looked away.
"Shut your beak."
Rector shook his head as he stopped the blood still flowing from Edgar's left chest.
"I'm sorry..."
Edgar couldn't raise his bowed head, as if he were ashamed.
"I left the Holy Sword Alliance shouting that I didn't want to live like my father, but I became a worm who couldn't even protect his family..."
He trembled as if his heart ached more than the wound in his chest.
"I'm so sorry..."
"No, no!"
Sylvia ran out and held Edgar's trembling hand.
"Eden came to get me, not him! It's all my fault!"
She shook her head, shouting that Eden's attack was because of her.
"Mmm..."
Rector turned his head as he saw Sylvia's tear-filled eyes. He didn't say anything because he understood Sylvia's pain better than anyone else.
-Ah! I'm sorry. I greet you again.
Sylvia knelt before Rector while holding Edgar's hand.
"I am Sylvia Zieghart. Father."
She called Rector father and bowed her head deeply.
"It seems you already knew."
Rector nodded his chin as he directly lifted Sylvia.
"You two look so much alike, as if you were stamped, I couldn't ignore it."
Sylvia smiled slightly, saying that Edgar and Rector looked too much alike.
'Indeed...'
Raon nodded as he looked at Edgar and Rector back and forth. As Sylvia said, the two had very similar appearances and auras, and they only differed in hair color.
"Raon."
Sylvia turned her head and called Raon by name.
"You should greet your grandfather."
She gestured with her hand, telling him to come.
"Ah, yes."
Raon nodded and stood up. Although his body was powerless, he had to greet properly as Sylvia said.
"Um, well..."
But, suddenly, as he stood in front of Rector, his mind went blank. He couldn't utter the word grandfather.
"Greetings can wait. Let's deal with this first."
Rector also seemed embarrassed as he exhaled softly and carefully lifted the Soul Stone connected to Edgar's heart.
"Will you be able to endure it?"
"Of course."
Edgar didn't even groan despite feeling intense pain, holding Sylvia's hand.
"It's alright. You shouldn't show an unpleasant appearance in front of your son."
Rector smiled slightly as he examined the Soul Stone that was still shaking. After a moment, he frowned as if he were frustrated.
"If we cut the blood vessels like this, the demonic energy could explode or your life could be in danger. We will need a doctor after all."
Rector let out a murky sigh, saying that they needed a priest and a skilled doctor.
"The Ragged Saint is now in Zieghart."
Raon pointed in the direction of Zieghart. The ragged Saint Frederick possessed both sacred power and excellent medical skills. He would surely be able to solve this.
"Y-Yes. Let's go to Zieghart."
Sylvia nodded quickly.
Surely Frederick will help us!
"Going to Zieghart is difficult."
Edgar looked down, unable to look directly into Sylvia's eyes.
"What? Why?"
"I was an executive of Eden, and my father became the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance. How could we go to Zieghart?"
He bit his lip, saying that he didn't want to cause trouble for Sylvia and Raon.
"It doesn't matter."
Rector shook his head calmly.
"The name of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance does not weigh more than your life."
"F-Father?"
"The reason I became the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance was to protect Raon and Sylvia from the Five Demons."
He revealed his firm gaze, saying that was the only reason.
"Father..."
"Father..."
Edgar and Sylvia trembled with pale lips, as if they felt Rector's sincerity.
"Since you were not able to be a father, at least I should do it."
Rector smiled slightly and said that he was simply paying the price for having raised a bad son.
"Ah..."
Raon clenched his fist tightly as he looked at Rector's calm eyes. Recalling his words from a moment ago and Wrath's testimony that he had been taking care of him, all the questions that had accumulated were immediately resolved. It seemed that all of Rector's strange actions until now were to protect him.
His heart ached as if it were wrapped in thorny vines of gratitude and regret towards him.
"I'm sorry."
Edgar also seemed to feel Rector's heart as he bowed his head deeply.
"I really have nothing to say to you, father."
"I told you to stop apologizing."
Rector waved his hand calmly.
“Besides being your wife, son, and daughter, they are also my daughter-in-law and grandchildren.”
He snorted, saying that it was natural for him to move.
"..."
Raon smiled slightly as he looked at Rector's face, which seemed to have brightened a little.
"It seems he has returned."
It seemed as if he had seen Rector competing with Glenn in sword training when he arrived in Zieghart. The gentleness of that time was blooming in him.
—Well, anyway, it means you're not an enemy.
Rimmer lowered his sword, seemingly relieved at last.
"That timid old man will have to be nervous."
He shrugged as if an interesting idea had occurred to him.
"It seems Zieghart will support us, but let's get out of here first."
Rector turned and said that we should return to House Arianne while holding Edgar's shoulder.
"I-I'm sorry."
Edgar exhaled softly as he received Rector's support.
"After decades, all you say is I'm sorry."
Rector shook his head as if telling him to stop.
"That's not something you say in front of your children."
He looked at Raon and waved his hand as if telling him to stop.
"Ah, yes."
Edgar nodded after looking at Raon and Sylvia.
"I'll carry Sia."
Sylvia picked Sia up herself, as if she didn't want to trust anyone else with her daughter, whom she met after 20 years.
"This feels good."
She smiled brightly as she approached Rector and Edgar with tears still in her eyes.
"Well, you are really peculiar..."
Rector was about to speak, but he raised his head urgently.
-He's here!
Wrath also shouted in surprise.
"What..."
When Raon looked up, the air stirred like a curtain and a long darkness emerged. A sacred light emerged from the darkness, rippling like waves. It was The Fallen, the leader of Eden, enveloped in light and darkness.
"...So we have come this far."
The Fallen nodded calmly, as if he had understood the whole situation just by looking down.
"The Fallen..."
Rector stepped forward to protect the others.
"It seems you had other thoughts after all."
The Fallen smiled slightly, as if he had expected this.
"I will never forgive you!"
Rector revealed a face like an evil spirit, as if he wanted to kill the Fallen who had inflicted indelible wounds on his son and granddaughter.
"Do whatever you want. Of course, after my experiment is finished."
As The Fallen smiled and snapped his fingers, the Soul Stone that Rector was holding, which hadn't moved at all, began to vibrate violently. The diminished demonic energy surged instantly, and deep cracks appeared in the Soul Stone.
"Get back!"
Rector pulled the Soul Stone from Edgar's heart and pushed everyone else back.
"Rector!"
The moment Raon called out to Rector, the Soul Gem shattered and an enormous amount of demonic energy exploded as if it wanted to swallow the whole world. Raon was thrown back like a kicked stone and rolled on the ground countless times.
His vision turned completely white, and only a buzzing could be heard in his ears. His limbs had no strength, and he couldn't feel anything, as if all his senses had been erased.
"Guilty!!"
After a long time of being unable to regain consciousness, he coughed up blood due to the intense pain that arose in his abdomen. Thanks to the pain, his mind slowly returned, and he began to see the plain where black smoke rose.
'Mom, Dad, Grandpa...'
He turned his head, but there was no one else in sight. His heart began to beat rapidly, as if it were going to burst immediately.
"Ugh..."
Raon crawled on his knees towards the smoke. Even though his arms and legs wouldn't move, he couldn't stay still. Just as he barely reached the black smoke, the wind blew from the air and pushed all the dust and smoke covered in demonic energy.
"Ah..."
Rimmer and Merlin had collapsed, coughing up blood as if they had tried to protect him, and next to them were Edgar and Sylvia, lifeless as they hugged Sia. Raon turned his trembling gaze to look ahead. Rector was standing, alone, in front of a crack in the earth that seemed to open into an abyss.
He felt empty, as if he had poured all his energy into stopping the Soul Stone's explosion.
"Oh..."
Whether his senses were distorted or this was reality, everyone's breath seemed to have disappeared. Seeing the people lying soaked in blood, the anger buried deep in his soul rose like a wildfire. An uncontrollable urge of rage began to spread to his fingertips.
-Stop it! Do you really want to kill everyone?
Wrath waved his arms, blocking the front.
-How many times do I have to tell you that if I descend directly into your body, you will go crazy! Still...
The demon was saying something, but Raon couldn't hear him well. His mind was already filled with anger, making it difficult for him to regain his senses.
"If you hadn't protected these useless things, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
The Fallen nodded as he looked at Rector, who had finally fallen to his knees and lowered his head.
"Still, it was worth the effort I made."
He smiled as if he was satisfied with the experiment. At that moment, a line broke in Raon's mind. Raon no longer resisted and surrendered to anger. The mind he had cultivated with the sword began to freeze like silver.
-Damn it!
Wrath gritted his teeth as he was absorbed into Raon's mind. Having lived as a spirit unable to dominate a body, he was destined to cause a ruckus, even if it was himself. That masked bastard would surely escape, and only the others would die.
-Stupid, hold on a little longer!
As he shouted and tried to hold on somehow, the heart ring that had lost control of its master began to spin rapidly, unfolding burning wings in flames.
* * *
"Is it broken?"
The Fallen approached Raon, who had frozen in place.
"His mental strength is weaker than I thought."
Just as the dark sword he raised was about to pierce Raon's heart and neck, a blue light erupted from the divided earth and enveloped Raon. The dark sword that The Fallen raised ripped like paper and melted.
Black horns sprouted on Raon's forehead, and a huge, shimmering silver moon rose behind his back.
The Frost World Tree that grew under that noble moonlight dimmed the light and darkness of The Fallen. The sky froze in pure white, and the earth twisted in black. Raon, standing under the blue light, revealed a noble appearance as if he had the whole world at his feet.
Causality. An anomaly that upset the principles of the world had fallen upon a human body.
"T-This is..."
The Fallen's eyes filled with doubt and fear. He raised intense walls of light and darkness to protect himself. Raon, enveloped in the Demon King's energy and with his revealing red eyes, launched himself through the Heavenly Drive. The light and darkness separated, and crimson blood gushed from The Fallen's abdomen.
-
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