C810
"If you defeat me in swordsmanship, I'll tell you where to find the one you're looking for."
Darkan pursed his lips confidently, seemingly forgetting his own injuries.
"You better keep that promise."
A dark lightning flashed in Lust's blue eyes.
"If you lie, I will make you live a fate worse than death."
They raised a sinister aura as they tilted their curved sword diagonally. Their auras clashed, creating a dark blue vortex in the air. The powerful shockwave pulverized building debris and uprooted trees.
"Haha..."
Raon let out a sigh as he watched Lust and Darkan prepare to fight.
"Now they're finally communicating..."
Lust and Darkan hadn't been able to understand each other, as if they spoke different languages, but ironically they found common ground when it came to fighting.
"But how did it come to this situation?"
Raon had been thinking about how to handle Lust's arrival to save everyone, but Darkan's sudden intervention caught him by surprise. It was so unexpected that his mind went blank.
"Or maybe it was inevitable..."
Darkan, obsessed with the sword, encountered a new Transcendent swordsman, while Lust, obsessed with Wrath, stumbled upon a human radiating wrath. Their confrontation wasn't so strange after all.
'The movements of Transcendent beings are hard to predict.'
Raon let out a short sigh as he observed Darkan and Lust.
"It's not because they're Transcendent! It's because those two are lunatics!"
Wrath shook their head vigorously, insisting that Darkan and Lust were simply crazy.
"And now's not the time to be impressed, it's time to run!"
They tugged on Raon's sleeve, urging him to flee while the two fought. It felt like a cat begging for food.
"Even this king is afraid of that crazy thing's obsession! It's on par with your crazy one!"
Wrath yelled that Lust was on the same level as Merlin and they should escape quickly.
"If we move now, we might draw Lust's attention to us."
Raon shook his head and took a step back. It would be suspicious if he moved while everyone else remained still. Now was the time to wait.
"Mmm..."
Wrath nodded briefly, seemingly unable to argue with that logic.
"T-Then run as soon as they start fighting!"
'Alright.'
Although he agreed, Raon had no intention of fleeing immediately. A battle between Darkan and Lust would undoubtedly provide much to learn from.
"Ugh..."
Dorian collapsed on the ground, overwhelmed by the aura emanating from Darkan and Lust. As soon as he touched the ground, the two Transcendent beings lunged forward. Lust swung their curved sword with a low stance. Their fluid posture belied the ferocious attack. They pounced like a tiger stalking its prey.
"Not only your sword is unique, but also your style!"
Darkan had already recovered Zalek's sword and had precisely blocked Lust's attack. However, despite the proper defense, his shoulder received a cut that began to splatter blood.
"...What is this now?"
Darkan frowned as he touched the wound on his shoulder.
"Piercing swordsmanship? No, it doesn't seem so."
He smiled deeply, as if he was happy to try a new sword technique despite being injured.
"Tell me where Wrath is before you die."
Lust frowned, still searching for Wrath even in this situation.
"Show me more! The fight isn't over yet!"
Darkan licked his lips and gestured with his finger.
"This time I'll cut off your arm."
Lust swung their curved sword in a reverse grip, clearly intending to finish it off. A powerful gust of wind accompanied their cut that seemed to cleave the very space.
"Not only my arm, I'll give you my whole body!"
Darkan lowered Zalek's sword and extended his arms, receiving Lust's attack with his entire body. His chest was deeply cut, from which an alarming amount of blood gushed out.
"That's how it works."
Darkan smiled as he looked at the wound gushing from his chest.
"You really have to experience a sword firsthand to understand it."
He nodded in satisfaction, as if he had now understood something.
"Ugh..."
Wrath gaped in disbelief.
"T-that's not just a lunatic, but a perverted lunatic!"
They shuddered, unable to comprehend Darkan.
"He certainly is a perverted lunatic when it comes to swords."
Raon nodded gravely. Darkan's obsession and madness for swords far surpassed his own. The man had always been this way.
"Where is Wrath?"
Lust coldly extended their curved sword, uninterested in Darkan's madness. Their blade spun in a wide arc, becoming a crescent moon that filled the Holy Sword Alliance headquarters and spilled over Darkan's shoulders.
"The same trick won't work three times."
Darkan twisted his lips and released the sword in his hand. The sword he released rose with an elegant vibration and advanced towards Lust's cut. Darkan's Sword Control pierced through Lust's attack like a salmon swimming upstream, cutting deeply into their waist as it passed.
This time, blood gushed from Lust's waist, splattering the ground red.
"Don't you have anything more interesting?"
As Darkan tilted his head playfully, the blade of his Sword Control trembled finely, as if mocking Lust.
"Yes. This must also be a test to face Wrath."
Lust smiled slightly like a devout monk and readjusted their grip on the curved sword. Their blade elongated, then bent like a snake and fell sharply towards Darkan's chest. It was a flexible sword shaped like a curved blade.
"I thought your sword looked fun!"
Darkan fired his Sword Control to block the bending cut, as if he had known Lust's sword was flexible from the beginning. However, despite defending properly, his shoulder opened up and blood gushed out.
Countless clashes between the Sword Control and the Flexible Sword that seemed to transcend space created sharp cracks in the sky and ground.
"Mmm..."
Raon frowned as he watched the increasingly fierce duel between Darkan and Lust.
"This is no joke."
He knew Darkan was strong, of course, but he hadn't realized Lust's swordsmanship was on that level. It was especially surprising that she displayed such martial prowess without even using her Demon King Authority.
'A Flexible Sword...'
A Flexible Sword has a soft blade that bends like a whip, but the swordsmanship itself doesn't necessarily change just because the blade is flexible. However, Lust's Flexible Sword moved as if it were truly alive, blocking all the strange movements that Darkan's Sword Control created.
'This isn't the Demon King's talent...'
It was a skill developed through direct experience. Raon could tell that she had poured her own talent and effort into swordsmanship. The swordsmanship Lust displayed was imbued with blood and sweat.
"That's why it's even more educational."
Both Lust's method of using the Flexible Sword and the angles of Darkan's Sword Control movements contributed to his growth. But this insane battle didn't seem likely to continue indefinitely.
'Wrath.'
Raon approached Wrath.
"If they keep fighting like this, who will win?"
"Obviously Lust."
Wrath shook their head as if there was no need to ask.
"If that moth were in their right mind, they could have put up a real fight, but as things stand, they'll end up dead."
They frowned and said that Darkan's initial internal injuries and soul wounds were too severe.
'I see.'
Darkan was undoubtedly one of the strongest Transcendent beings, but he had suffered soul wounds from Wrath. Although he could endure it for now, cracks would eventually appear over time. Meanwhile, Lust hadn't even revealed her true power yet. She was that formidable without using Demon King Authority, so her victory seemed inevitable in the end.
'Wouldn't even the Soul Weapon work?'
"A Demon King's soul is different from a human's."
Wrath slowly shook their head.
"As you saw in this king's mental image, souls thicken with the years lived. The same goes for causality."
'Mmm...'
"Unless your swordsmanship reaches the extreme heights of your grandfather's Soul Weapon, that man's sword cannot cut Lust's soul."
They frowned and said the outcome was already determined.
'I see.'
Raon licked his lips briefly.
"I wanted to keep watching this fight."
A battle between strong opponents, especially those far above his level, helps a lot with developing mental images. He had hoped this fight would continue for his own growth, but it seemed it was inevitably coming to an end.
"Ugh, you're not right in the head either!"
Wrath's lips trembled.
"You're just as crazy as those two!"
"Come on, I'm not that bad."
Raon shook his head, telling them not to make such comparisons.
"From this king's perspective, you're exactly the same! No, forget it! Go now!"
Wrath pointed behind them, saying it was the perfect time to escape.
'Ah, just one more thing.'
Raon grabbed Wrath's tail and pulled them forward.
'Why doesn't Lust reveal their true form and just follow you?'
"Because they don't like their own power! And as for following this king..."
Wrath frowned deeply as they looked at Lust.
"It's because this king gave them advice..."
'Advice?'
"This king regrets it even now! Why did I say such a thing...?"
As they gritted their teeth, Darkan's Sword Control briefly pierced Lust's hood as it passed. Their face was revealed as the hood fell. Short ocean blue hair cascaded down their fair skin.
Their beauty was striking, but different from what one might expect from the Monarch of Lust. Instead, they exuded an air of purity.
'So that's Lust... huh?'
Raon frowned as he looked at Lust's blue eyes.
'That woman...'
He tilted his head and turned to look at Wrath.
"She looks a lot like you."
Except for the short hair and small stature, their appearance was almost identical to Wrath's true form.
"O-of course..."
Wrath's lips trembled even more fearfully.
"She takes that appearance to imitate this king!"
They grabbed their head and said that's why they called her a lunatic.
"Ah..."
Raon swallowed dryly.
'That's pretty serious...'
Knowing she even imitated their appearance sent chills down his spine.
"If you understand, then let's run already!"
Wrath shook their head, urging them to leave.
'Just a little more.'
Ignoring Wrath tugging on his arm like a child excited in a marketplace, Raon studied Darkan and Lust's swords.
'When the Sword Control bends like that, it's better to deflect the aura diagonally.'
'How can I replicate that flexibility of the Flexible Sword with a normal sword?'
Raon used the Fire Ring technique as he watched Darkan and Lust clash, using it as a basis for his growth.
"What luck I've had twice! I must be close to death!"
Despite his serious injuries, Darkan was delivering increasingly powerful sword strikes, and he seemed to be enjoying his duel with Lust. His Sword Control fell like meteors, combining overwhelming power with elegant movements.
"Wrath..."
It was such a tremendous attack that Lust had to switch to defense instead of offense.
'Where does he get that strength...?'
Darkan had taken direct blows from Rector during their duel, suffered soul wounds from Wrath, and even sustained a cut to his back caused by his own Sword Control. His body and mind should be shattered, but he could still endure it to that point. When Raon first met Darkan, he thought he was a brutal sword maniac, but he was far beyond that.
'Impressive... Hm?'
As Raon exhaled softly, Darkan's gaze turned towards him. His eyelids fluttered as if they were about to close.
'Dimming?'
"That man is reaching his limit."
Wrath frowned.
"The soul wound inflicted by this king is starting to open."
They bit their lip and said such a duel would surely take a heavy mental toll as well.
'Now that I think about it...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched Darkan counterattack Lust.
'Darkan must know who Wrath is.'
Lust had said they perceived the scent of Wrath as soon as they appeared and that it was stronger in Darkan. Having met him twice, Darkan would surely realize that the soul within him was Wrath, unless he was a complete idiot.
'Is he hiding it?'
Thinking about it, it seemed Darkan knew everything but kept silent.
'So even now...'
Now Darkan's gaze seemed to clearly warn him to retreat. His intention was probably for Raon to survive and fulfill his promise.
'Darkan...'
Raon bit his lip as he met Darkan's gaze. Once again, he was reminded that people can be very different beings, depending on the perspective from which they are viewed.
"Haha..."
Raon let out a long sigh and stepped back.
"Raon?"
Rector swallowed dryly as he looked at Raon.
"W-what are you planning to do?"
"I have to go somewhere for a while."
Raon nodded towards Rector and turned his gaze towards Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Dorian.
"Stay here. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, he left the Holy Sword Alliance headquarters. Using the Supreme Harmony Steps at full power, he climbed to the top of the mountain where the Zieghart ancestor had planted the seed.
"How dare you try to escape alone!"
Wrath shook their head vigorously, yelling how crazy that was.
"I'm not running away."
Raon shook his head calmly as he observed the terrain. Judging by the shape of the rocks and the earth, this was indeed the place he had seen in his memories.
"It should be around here..."
He searched his memories for the original seed that should be somewhere around there. Back then, it had been a seed overflowing with vitality that he could instantly perceive, but its power seemed to have diminished after nurturing this place.
'Ah!'
Raon's eyes stopped on a pale red flower. Although he couldn't feel its vitality, a faint scent of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation emanated from it.
'This is it!'
He was sure. That seed had become this flower and had revived this mountain and this forest.
"Haha..."
After confirming everything, Raon rolled up his sleeves and turned his gaze towards the village. The fight between Lust and Darkan became even more intense. However, Darkan was now clearly being pushed back. Rector was gathering his energy, ready to jump in at any moment.
Raon watched as Darkan's Sword Control and Lust's Flexible Sword clashed violently, then rolled up his sleeve.
He clearly revealed the ice flower bracelet and tapped into Wrath's wrath.
"Huh?"
Wrath perked up in surprise.
"W-what are you doing?! Turn off the wrath right now!"
They grabbed Raon's neck and asked why he was doing something so crazy.
"I don't want to let that man die."
He shook his head calmly. Just as Darkan had saved his life, he didn't want Darkan to die.
'And...'
Raon smiled as he looked at the bracelets on his wrist.
'I'd like to get a new bracelet.'
"You, you can't say that!"
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