C879
"One, one hit?"
Borgos trembled, his lips stained with blood, as he looked at the Balrog whose head had been severed.
'To think that monster would fall with a single blow...'
He had personally experienced the martial prowess of the demon cloaked in flames. He couldn't believe that the monster who crushed the legendary Thunder Hammer with its pinky finger and burned everything the Grey Hammer Guild had built with a single spark had its head cut off with a single blow.
"It wouldn't be strange to call him the new god of the sword."
He had heard rumors that Raon had reached Transcendence, but he didn't know he had moved from the initial stage to stability. A terrifying talent. It was a growth rate that could change the history of the continent.
"That's right!"
Martha nodded, slapping her palm with the hand holding her sword.
"That's what it means to be the Light Wind Division Leader!"
She stomped her foot forcefully, saying it was refreshing.
"Is he using lightning now too?"
Burren shook his head as if he couldn't believe it.
"Fire, frost, wind, earth, and now lightning..."
He shrugged and said he was excited to see what Raon would use next.
"Raon is super handsome today."
Despite being busy protecting the burnt dwarves and masters, Runaan couldn't take his purple eyes off Raon's back.
"Eh..."
Sheryl let out a hollow laugh after finishing off the last remaining demon.
'That sword technique was taught to Lord Raon this time.'
Does this make sense? She remembered Glenn's excited face when he said he would pass on the Celestial Thunder Arts to Raon. Using a sword technique learned in a single night in a real battle. And using it to behead a monster who had reached Transcendence, it was so absurd that she was speechless.
"Is it over already?"
Dorian lowered his sword, panting heavily.
"Then, let's go back quickly? It's too hot here, it's not good for people..."
"No."
Raon shook his head, interrupting Dorian.
"This is just the beginning."
He had barely said "This is just the beginning" when crimson flames erupted from the headless Balrog's neck. The dense flames smoothly took shape as if touched by a master's hand, regenerating the Balrog's head with five horns.
"I didn't expect you to attack so quickly. And with a sword that escapes my perception, as well."
The Balrog muttered that it was impressive as he rubbed his nape.
"Kuuuugh!"
Dorian collapsed with a scream, seemingly unable to imagine the Balrog reviving.
"He comes back to life even after being beheaded?"
"Damn it! What is this? A lizard tail?"
"As persistent as he is ugly..."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan also trembled their lips with frozen expressions, as if they had seen something they shouldn't have.
"It would be weirder for a demon to die simply from having its head cut off."
Raon flexed his fingers without showing the slightest sign of confusion.
"Did you know he would come back to life?"
Wrath whistled as if he were surprised.
"Because I've seen it once before."
The flame demon general, who was a Transcendent of the Black Tower, didn't die even when Wrath ripped his head off. It would be weirder if a true demon like the Balrog died from being beheaded. Naturally, he had expected him to regenerate his head.
"Well, this prey is tastier than I expected."
The Balrog clicked his lips for a while, as if he were satisfied with himself.
"Don't get cocky."
Raon looked at the Balrog with his chin tilted to the side.
"You may not have died, but your power must have greatly diminished."
The Balrog had consumed quite a lot of energy regenerating his head. Now, his power had dropped to a level not too different from Raon's own aura.
"This is no bluff."
The Balrog spread his arms and curved the corners of his mouth.
"I'm happy to be able to fight an opponent as strong as you. It doesn't matter if I die or you die, or even if we both die. Come at me with everything you've got!"
He stomped his foot and raised a fighting spirit strong enough to make anyone's skin crawl. The thin ground cracked open, and lava and flames erupted from all directions.
"No, you're the only one who's going to die."
Raon clicked his tongue and performed a Crimson Cut. A blade of frost, with a silver flash, fell towards the Balrog's head.
"I'll crush you!"
As the Balrog approached the flames, a large sword that burned viscously like flowing lava appeared in his hands. Uuuh! The Balrog's great sword flashed with an intense light as it crashed against the Crimson Cut's cold energy. Kwaaaang!
The two swords, enveloped in flames and frost, collided and sent tremendous shockwaves in all directions. The frozen ground shattered into pieces, and the solidified lava exploded again, covering the land.
"You're not going to run away!"
The Balrog nodded emphatically, as if he were impressed.
"For a human, you have a good fighting stance, but it's not a good choice."
He narrowed his eyes and said that Raon had made the wrong decision.
"Because that weak body of yours won't be able to withstand my power."
The Balrog put more force into the hand holding the great sword, intending to crush Raon. But no matter how much weight he added, Raon's arms and legs didn't waver.
"Are you holding on? How is this..."
The Balrog opened his eyes in disbelief.
"Now it's your turn to endure it."
As Raon smiled coldly and raised his wrist, the thin Heavenly Drive began to push back the great fire sword, as thick as a building pillar. Humans and demons alike were surprised to see Raon physically push back the Balrog, who was more than twice his size.
"Is this the power of a human?"
The Balrog, seemingly nervous at being outmatched, grabbed the great sword with both hands, but could only withstand Raon's strength without gaining the upper hand.
"It's problematic if you're surprised by just this."
Raon tilted his chin and looked into the Balrog's bewildered eyes.
"This is just the beginning."
"Hmph. Having sucked the marrow from this king's bones, it's natural that you can easily crush a creature like that."
Wrath snorted, saying it would be strange if Raon lost.
'That's right.'
Thanks to Wrath, he had possessed physical abilities exceeding those of a Transcendent since he was a Grand Master. Now that he had reached Transcendence, his skills and attributes had greatly increased, giving him a body that wouldn't lose even to a Balrog.
"Alright! Let's settle this with force!"
The Balrog, as if his pride was hurt by not being able to overwhelm with force, stomped his foot hard on the ground and raised his demonic energy to the extreme. His surroundings glowed red-hot, and the flames emanating from the great sword flickered blue.
Raon unleashed Frost Snap towards the Balrog's fire sword that was thrashing like a tidal wave. Two lines of silver flashes pierced through the flames and deflected the Balrog's great sword that was approaching from behind.
Clang! Raon's Celestial Impulse and the Balrog's flaming great sword collided, creating blackened cracks and shaking the entire tunnel. The lava-filled ground surged up and down, scattering sparks as if it were about to explode.
Raon and the Balrog walked on the red-hot lava, delivering sword blows to each other's vital organs. It was a clash of pure power and speed, without any kind of grappling. As their immense powers endlessly collided, everything surrounding the two Transcendants disappeared.
'Charging like a boar without caring about injuries...
Raon narrowed his eyes as he deflected the Balrog's great sword coming towards him not to stab him, but as if to explode.
'Similar to a martial artist, but different.'
Even a martial artist focused on power and speed would instinctively try to avoid injuries. But the Balrog approached him with force and fighting spirit, not even protecting his vital points, as if he were going to kill Raon even if it meant dying himself. His swordsmanship was rudimentary, but his movements were full of conviction and spirit, making him difficult to face.
"It seems you're getting tired now!"
The Balrog, thinking he had won the game, twisted his lips and transformed his great fire sword into a whip, lashing it out. The way he freely wielded the flame-covered whip was like a dragon spewing fire endlessly.
The Balrog seemed to gain strength as he fought, increasing his increasingly powerful fighting spirit and pressing Raon. The flames of his whip began to turn blue, pushing back the cold energy of Glacier.
"You can't stop my flames with that level of cold energy!"
The Balrog mocked the cold energy of Glacier as he transformed his whip into a great fire sword and swung it down. Although Raon blocked the Balrog's great sword, the heat was so intense that the cold energy enveloping the Celestial Impulse began to melt.
"How dare that creature!"
Wrath gritted his teeth and raised his head.
"What are you doing! This king is being disrespected!"
He gritted his teeth as if asking why they were pushing Raon back.
"Crush him with force!"
"I was already planning to do that."
Raon nodded slightly. Having completely understood the Balrog's skill and swordsmanship, he was ready to finish this.
"I'll end this!"
The Balrog swung his great sword horizontally with both hands. With a sound as if the world was being torn apart, a wave of flames mixed with wind surged forward. It seemed as if the entire underground was enveloped in the firestorm caused by the Balrog. Thud.
Raon took a step forward with his left foot and plunged the tip of the Celestial Impulse into the Balrog's great sword. Cold energy erupted from the thin blade and bloomed into icy flowers that spread throughout the underground.
The final battle technique of the Demon King of Wrath. Silver Aurora. The Silver Aurora drawn with swordsmanship bloomed into a brilliant flower within the realm of Transcendence. As the intense heat and icy energy competed, steam rose in all directions.
But the outcome was decided in less than a few seconds. The cold energy of Glacier enveloped the Balrog's flames and heat, dyeing the entire underground silver.
Even the firestorm froze silver, creating a shape similar to the World Tree raised by Wrath.
"W-wait! This cold energy is!"
The Balrog tried to raise flames to push back the Silver Aurora, but the silver world had already bound his limbs and covered his body and neck.
"You, you and the Monarch of Wrath have some kind of..."
The Balrog couldn't finish his last words as his mouth and head were completely frozen.
"You talk too much."
Raon twisted his lips and brandished the Heavenly Drive. The Balrog's frozen body burst, and the boiling lava and flames calmed down. Unlike before, even a trace of vitality couldn't be felt in his body.
"Uf..."
Raon lowered the Heavenly Drive and let out a short sigh.
"It certainly wasn't easy."
It might have seemed simple, but he had actually almost lost his life. If he hadn't drawn all the power of Glacier, he might have been burnt.
"Well done!"
Wrath extended his hands.
"He dared to disrespect this king's power! He deserves it!"
He wagged his tail as he looked at the shattered Balrog.
"Ah, you even compliment me. That's rare."
Raon smiled slightly as he lowered the Heavenly Drive.
"A compliment? When did this king do that?"
"You said 'well done'"
"T-that just slipped out! Don't fool yourself just because you defeated a creature that only knew brute force but didn't know how to use it properly!"
Wrath shook his head, saying it was natural since the Balrog wasn't even worth knowing the name of.
"I'm not going to get arrogant, but Transcendence is definitely different."
A state where the sword moves as he wants and he can even control the forces around him. After defeating the ancient dragon and now the Balrog, he finally felt the reality of having reached Transcendence.
'Hmm?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ground where the Balrog had been.
'Isn't this the Balrog's demonic energy?'
The Balrog's aura was clean like that of a martial artist, but the traces of demonic energy left on the ground where he seemed to have been summoned had an ugly feel.
'As I thought...'
Someone else had summoned him. The Balrog he fought was certainly strong, but not to the point of traversing dimensions at will like Demon Kings. It was clear that someone had summoned him after extensive preparation.
"Probably the Black Tower."
There's no doubt about it. Only the demonized humans of the Black Tower use that contaminated demonic energy.
'Were they planning to let him grow stronger in this space before taking him out?'
It wasn't certain, but it seemed they had summoned the Balrog to this underground to subdue the dwarves and then turn them into their own forces.
"I'm not sure if I should consider this fortunate..."
The Grey Hammer Guild and the dwarves suffered heavy damage, but by taking care of them here, they avoided a situation where thousands or tens of thousands could have died. However, he couldn't simply be happy because many had died or been injured here as well.
Raon turned around, feeling a bitterness on the tip of his tongue. He smiled and nodded his head at the people who were looking at him with tense faces.
"It's over. You can relax now."
He nodded, shaking the remaining Balrog heat from his hand.
"He won't revive again, right?"
Dorian raised a trembling finger, pointing at the Balrog's frozen corpse.
"I'm not sure if he'll revive or not, but even if he does, he won't be a threat anymore."
Raon shook his head slightly. Even if non-human beings revive, most of them consume a large amount of energy. If he lived now, he would meet his end at Sheryl's hands without Raon needing to intervene.
"You called him Balrog before, what is that?"
Martha narrowed her eyes as if remembering what was said before.
"He's a demon."
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the Balrog's corpse.
"He's an extremely strong race among demons."
He briefly recited the explanation Wrath had given him.
"Balrog? Now that you mention it..."
Borgos raised his head, his chin trembling.
"I remember my father mentioning those monsters. He said they were creatures with a great hunger for flames, combat, and weapons..."
He let out a sigh and said he had only remembered now.
"He said few could stand against them among all races, yet you..."
Borgos approached Raon, raising his knee that was covered in dried blood scabs.
"Thank you. There's nothing more I can say except thank you."
He knelt on the hot ground and thanked him for saving the dwarves and people. Despite his burning skin, he bowed his head without making a single groan.
"Thank you."
"Thank you so much..."
The dwarves and masters of the Grey Hammer Guild also knelt behind Borgos, pounding the ground with their fists, regardless of their injuries.
"Please don't do this."
Raon gestured for Borgos and the masters to stand up.
“I only helped because I could.”
He shook his head and said it was no big deal.
"No, it's a big deal. If you hadn't come, we would have died in these flames while hammering."
Borgos bowed his head and said that Raon was more than worthy of such gratitude.
"Then please do yourself a favor and get treatment before thanking me. It's a burden..."
"Rank!"
Raon suddenly turned around mid-sentence. Wrath, who seemed to have felt the same, shouted his name fiercely. The space where the Balrog died split in two. No, as the space itself was torn apart abruptly, a black wave like an abyss surged forward.
Unable to withstand the powerful force of a dimension opening, the air exploded violently.
He quickly drew the Heavenly Drive to block it, but the wave of force was so powerful that it knocked him back. The others couldn't withstand the shockwave and were blown backwards, their backs hitting the walls.
"Puaj..."
Raon wiped the blood dripping from his mouth and looked up with difficulty. Kuung! Two burning red eyes emerged from the dark crack in space. They were similar to the Balrog he had just killed, but the aura they possessed was on a completely different level. Just looking at them made their eyes feel as if they were burning.
"What madness! Why is that creature here?"
Wrath shouted as if it were unbelievable.
'No way...'
"This king mentioned it before, didn't he? That there was a demon who kicked the throne of Devildom on his own."
He swallowed dryly as he continued speaking.
"That creature is Askara, the leader of the Balrogs."
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