C914
"Haah..."
Rensia collapsed to the ground, apparently exhausted from the relief that her part was now over.
"You really held up well."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"That's right. Even Chamber said your endurance was the most important part."
Martha hugged Rensia tightly, saying how truly impressive she was.
"You were amazing..."
Runaan stroked Rensia's hair with a smile that had become more natural. It seemed she was now using terms like "handsome" and "impressive" as simple compliments.
"Shall we take a look then?"
Raon tilted his chin towards Rensia.
"Huh? Look at what?"
"Don't you want to see the results of your efforts with your own eyes?"
"What do you mean... Oh!"
He grabbed the waist of the surprised Rensia and kicked the fountain. They ascended into the air as if climbing invisible stairs to see the panorama of Montiro. Whoosh! The path of flames that began from the fountain met five silver orbs, forming a red five-pointed star formation.
The crimson flames, not content with merely forming the five-pointed star, drew a large circle that encompassed all of Montiro.
The magnificent view of five red stars shining within the massive circle was the true form of the "Lantern That Awakens the Darkness."
"It's beautiful..."
Rensia clasped her hands as she contemplated the five-pointed star formation that enveloped all of Montiro.
"This is the magic called 'Lantern That Awakens the Darkness.' Your role was the most crucial."
Raon pointed down at the flames forming the five-pointed star.
"... Did I really help that much?"
Having been trapped under the influence of the Black Tower her whole life, Rensia still didn't realize how significant her contribution had been.
"Yes. Without you, this magic wouldn't have been possible."
Raon nodded, telling her she had done exceptionally well.
"Ah..."
Rensia clasped her hands with a slight smile, as if she felt relieved.
"And the effect of that magic begins now."
As Raon snapped his fingers, the gem of Rensia's necklace shattered, and the flames forming the five-pointed star began to change to a blue hue. A deafening sound erupted.
At that moment, with a sound like thousands—no, tens of thousands of windows shattering simultaneously, a pitch-black magical formation in the shape of a five-pointed star began to rise from beneath the ground of Montiro.
The magical formation, which had concealed the demonic energy and demonized humans and hidden the existence of the Black Tower, emitted a sticky and repulsive energy like dirt.
- As repugnant as those creatures.
Wrath frowned in disgust.
- I want to freeze that energy immediately.
He waved his hand, urging to destroy the magical formation quickly.
"That is the barrier that has been binding your arms and legs."
Raon bit his lip slightly.
"Ah..."
Rensia's eyes trembled violently with fear.
"You don't need to be afraid. It's about to disappear now."
Following Raon's gesture, the "Lantern That Awakens the Darkness" descended and collided with the magical formation of the Black Tower. A shockwave arose as if the land and sea of Montiro were completely collapsing while the magical formations of different colors and textures clashed.
The blue flames and the black demonic energy pushed against each other in a fierce competition, but soon cracks began to appear in the magical formation of the Black Tower as the black energy was consumed by the blue flames.
'Of course.'
The barrier installed in Montiro was not for combat, but to hide the Black Tower and accumulate demonic energy. On the other hand, the "Lantern That Awakens the Darkness" was magic specifically created to quickly erase the barrier of the Black Tower, so it was obvious which one would win. Another thunderous sound erupted.
Finally, the black five-pointed star barrier that had dominated Montiro melted into the blue flames, completely shattering the barrier of the Black Tower.
As the magical formation of the Black Tower broke, the clear sky began to darken. The demonic energy writhing like worms rose from the ground, and the emerald sea turned black like sewage. It seemed that breaking the barrier of the Black Tower had turned the once beautiful land into a hell.
"Ah...?"
Rensia's jaw trembled in disbelief.
"How...?"
"As I said at the beginning, we can't always be happy. This is the true face of Montiro, which was filled with laughter and happiness."
Raon shook his head as he looked at the darkness of Montiro, now buried in what looked like hell.
"I see..."
Rensia merely bit her lip, not taking her eyes off the now horrifically transformed Montiro.
"You've changed quite a bit too. In the past, you would have blamed yourself."
Raon smiled slightly as he looked into Rensia's eyes.
"It's thanks to you, Raon, and to the others."
Rensia pointed to herself, Martha, and Runaan.
"Thanks to the swordsmen, I realized that it's not my fault, but that of the Black Tower, and that I should always have courage."
She nodded calmly, saying she had learned a lot through this experience.
- What a lively girl!
Wrath exhaled sharply while watching Rensia.
- You're much better than yourself or the others! This king would even like to raise you!
He waved his hand in the air as if he were proud of Rensia.
'I feel the same way.'
Rensia was a girl who thought of others before herself, even while living in this hell. As Wrath said, she seemed to have a stronger mental fortitude than he or the swordsmen of the Wind Light Palace.
- What a pity. If that girl were a little younger, she could have become a great martial artist or a great mage.
Wrath clicked his tongue as if he regretted it.
'It may not be too late for magic.'
As Raon shook his head with a smile, the ground beneath the fountain began to slowly split apart. It was not simply the ground collapsing, but a black dimension opening beneath.
-Hmm...
Wrath squinted as he watched the dimension slowly opening.
- Although it's corrupted, its source seems to be real demonic energy.
He licked his lips, saying he could feel the energy from the demon realm from the slightly opened crack.
'Real demonic energy...'
Raon clenched his fingertips as he descended back to the ground.
'The battles to come won't be easy either.'
* * *
When Raon landed on the ground with Rensia, the dimensional crack had opened about the size of a pinky nail. The demonic energy within that dimension seemed so strong that it would take a long time for the door to fully open.
"Raon!"
Trevin waved his hand as he ran towards him with the swordsmen of the Warring Steel Division. Although they appeared battered all over, suggesting they had gone through a great trial, they were returning victorious and stronger.
"Good job."
Raon nodded at Trevin.
"It was tough. No, it was very dangerous. A high-ranking Floor Master suddenly appeared."
Trevin exhaled deeply, saying it had been an almost even fight, but they had managed to take the upper hand little by little and win.
"That's why I trusted you with this."
Raon smiled, saying he never doubted them.
"Palace Master."
The second to return was Mark Goetun.
"Fortunately, I was able to keep my life."
He bowed carefully. Unlike the Warring Steel Division, he seemed unscathed, but appeared more mentally exhausted.
"Did you have a single-strike duel?"
"As expected, you can say that."
Mark Goetun nodded, saying Raon was correct.
"I was lucky. My opponent was less patient than I was."
"When it comes to sword draw duels, you can't win just with luck."
Raon placed a hand on Mark Goetun's shoulder, telling him he won by skill.
"Huff... huff..."
"Heh... heh..."
The third to arrive were Dorian, Krein, and the swordsmen of the Wind Light Palace who had been sent with them. All sat on the ground, gasping so loudly that it wouldn't have been strange if they died right there.
"Why did you send us towards the statue!"
"We really thought we were going to die!"
Dorian and Krein looked at him with resentful eyes.
"It was really hard!"
"We captured the spiritual mage Foreshon, then demonized humans arrived, and when we captured them, countless demon beasts flooded us!"
The other swordsmen of the Wind Light Palace also shut their eyes tightly, saying it had been too hard.
"But you did it, right?"
Raon tilted his head as if asking what the problem was.
"Huh?"
"Uh..."
"B-Well, yes..."
The swordsmen blinked blankly, seemingly at a loss for words.
"None of you died, and you all returned having grown a bit, right?"
"B-Well, that's true..."
Dorian lowered his chin, blinking.
"Then it's fine, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
He looked away, as if too afraid to argue further.
"Hey! We agreed to complain together!"
Krein shook his head as if he felt betrayed.
"Complain together, you say..."
Raon approached Krein with a chilling smile.
"Krein, you've become quite bold, haven't you?"
"Ah, no..."
"You'll get to hear about this when we return."
"I'm sorry!"
Krein immediately bowed, realizing he had made a mistake, but Raon's unsettling smile did not fade.
"Everyone is here now, I see."
Burren, the fourth to arrive, waved his blood-stained hand.
"Burren. You..."
Raon opened his eyes in surprise as he looked at Burren.
"Did you reach Grand Master?"
He was so shocked that Burren had reached Grand Master after Martha and Runaan that his mouth opened without him realizing it.
"I was lucky. I managed to have a breakthrough in the end."
Burren showed a modest attitude and smiled slightly.
"A breakthrough..."
"I was inspired by Rensia. It seems that breaking walls is really about imagination."
He tilted his chin toward Martha and Runaan, mentioning Rensia's story. Although he pretended to be humble, it seemed he wanted to show off to the two who had always been ahead of him.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Raon took a step back behind Martha and Runaan, shaking his head.
"Martha and Runaan have also reached Grand Master."
He pushed the two forward, telling Burren to take a good look.
"Huh...?"
Burren inhaled sharply as he felt the aura of Martha and Runaan, identical to his own.
"Oh my! Did you think you were the only one who had a breakthrough? How cute, our little brother."
Martha chuckled and patted Burren's head as if she could see right through him.
"Always the last..."
Runaan also waggled her finger up and down, finding Burren's boasting cute.
"Urgh..."
Burren let out a low groan, his face turning bright red as if he were embarrassed by his behavior just moments ago.
"You shouldn't end up like this."
Raon laughed as he told Rensia not to become like Burren.
"Wait! So now we have three Grand Masters?"
Dorian exhaled in disbelief.
"No, four. Don't forget the Warring Steel Leader."
Krein shook his head, saying that there were now four Grand Masters belonging to the Wind Light Palace.
"Even for a palace, isn't it a bit excessive to have a Transcendent and four Grand Masters?"
Trevin shook his head in astonishment.
"At this rate, even if we are outnumbered, our combat strength shouldn't lose to the Five Divine Orders."
Mark Goetun also smiled, saying that the current military power of the Wind Light Palace had no comparison anywhere.
"Hmm, Mark, aren't you disappointed?"
Burren took a deep breath as he looked at Mark Goetun.
"The time when I envied others or resented not reaching that position has long since passed. Now, I just want to congratulate all of you."
Mark Goetun applauded Burren, Martha, and Runaan, congratulating them for reaching Grand Master.
"Ugh... and..."
Roenn, the last to arrive, cleared his throat as he approached the fountain. He seemed to have done well, as he tilted his chin without a single hair out of place.
"Good job."
Raon smiled and nodded.
"The lantern has been lit properly. The Wind Light Palace Master has also worked hard."
He nodded, speaking with more respect than before.
"Now we just need that door to open."
"Yes. It seems it will take some time, so please rest."
Raon finished greeting Morel Kazan and turned around.
"You all should take some medicine and recover your strength."
He squinted, pointing to the dimension that was slowly opening.
"The real war begins when this door opens."
* * *
With a thunderous sound, the ground tore apart as if a giant had inserted its fingers to open a door, revealing a dimension swirling with dark red energy. Unlike the cracks that had opened until now, the dimension revealed by the "Lantern That Awakens the Darkness" was on a different scale. Even this massive city of Montiro seemed to be less than half the size of the dimension where the Black Tower existed.
A wave of dark red demonic energy surged from the enormous dimensional door that split Montiro in half. It was so potent that just smelling it made one's energy center fluctuate.
- It's been a while since I've smelled real demonic energy.
Wrath spun his blue eyes as he took a deep breath.
'Real demonic energy?'
- I thought they were only imitating demons, but now I see their demonic energy is genuine. They will be different from those we fought outside.
He licked his lips, saying he could feel the energy from the demon realm from the slightly opened crack.
'Real demonic energy...'
Raon clenched his fingertips as he descended back to the ground.
'The battles to come won't be easy either.'
The ground of Montiro, extending to the sea, was completely shattered, and the dimension connected to the Black Tower opened completely. The endless surge of dark red demonic energy covered the sky, creating an even more ominous atmosphere.
"Whew."
Raon approached the edge of the split dimension and looked down. With a roar, the dimension opened by the lantern connected to the land of Montiro like a mirror image. Unlike the white ground on this side, jet-black earth with red lava flowing over it stretched out, and at the end stood an incredibly tall tower, rising upside down.
"So that's the Black Tower."
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the black tower rising upside down. The tower itself was vomiting demonic energy as if it were a living creature, and around it, giant demonic beasts were spreading their wings and howling. A deep rumbling sound resonated.
As Raon took a deep breath, observing the demonic energy of the Black Tower, a sound like the trembling of heaven and earth reverberated as the first floor of the Black Tower opened.
With a creak, a door large enough for giants to pass through opened, and a countless number of demonic beasts poured out. Another thunderous roar sounded.
Demonic beasts resembling animals, those with human forms, and those shaped like demons from stories: the entire sight was filled with demonic beasts displaying red eyes.
With a creak, as the demonic beasts took their positions in front of the tower, the second floor opened, and demonized humans wielding dark red weapons emerged. They stood behind the demonic beasts, staring intently at this side. A sharp scream pierced the air.
One of the upper floors of the Black Tower opened, and a black knight riding a dark dragon flew out. As the dragon it rode roared, the demonic beasts and demonized humans began to charge towards this side.
"The, the number is quite overwhelming..."
Burren frowned, seemingly giving up on counting the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"Just defeating them all would drain all our energy."
Martha shook her head, blowing air from her mouth.
"They're tough..."
Runaan let out a short sigh as she observed the demonic energy surrounding the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"C-Can we really stop all this...?"
Dorian's jaw trembled as he watched the demonized humans pouring out like a flood.
"Urgh..."
Rensia swallowed as she looked at the demonic beasts and demonized humans emerging like a black sea. She seemed surprised to see an even more challenging situation after thinking everything was over.
"Don't worry."
Raon shook his head calmly as he watched the influx of demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"This fight isn't just ours."
As if his words were a spell, dozens of magic circles bloomed in the black sky above Montiro. With a resonant sound, the magic circles opened with a blue light, and silver knights bearing a lion emblem emerged.
"Join forces!"
At the command of Greer De Owen, the third prince of Owen who stood at the center of the knights, the elite knights simultaneously unsheathed their swords and cut down the approaching demonic beasts.
"It's been a while."
Greer gave a knightly salute with his hand on his chest.
"You've become a swordsman worthy of more than just respect."
Duke Tartan, who emerged from the adjacent magic circle, smiled with his sword resting on his shoulder. With a roar, the demonic beasts and demonized humans from the Black Tower, seemingly disconcerted by the momentum of Owen's knights, turned to enter from the left side. But blue magic circles were already blooming in front of them as well.
"Burn."
As Jayna, the princess of Balkar, lifted her chin haughtily, the magic battalion ignited dozens of pre-prepared spells. With a tremendous wave, all the approaching demonic beasts turned to ash and settled.
"..."
Jayna carefully tilted her head, as if to say "good job."
"..."
Raon nodded slightly with his chin, accepting her salute. After watching her change over the past month, he felt she could now be treated as a princess. With a roar, the black dragon knight spread its wings, seemingly enraged. It raised a burning black spear and lunged towards Raon like lightning.
With a flash, just as the dragon knight was about to strike Raon and detonate the demonic energy imbued in its spear, a cold and fierce sword strike shot out from the magic circle on the right.
"Vermin."
It was Karoon. With the sword he swung upon entering, the heads of the black dragon and the knight riding it fell simultaneously. The Central Martial Palace elites who came with him unsheathed their swords without the slightest hesitation and began cutting down the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"Well done."
Karoon only gave a brief salute before crossing into the dimension without hesitation.
"So this is the Black Tower."
Turning around at the sound of the clear voice, Chamber was smiling as she looked at the Black Tower.
"It's dirtier than I thought."
Chamber licked her lips as she stood beside him.
"Shall we do some cleaning?"
"That's right."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"Alright."
The moment Chamber smiled and clapped her hands, the lower floors of the Black Tower and the demonized humans and demonic beasts waiting around it were ripped from space as if cut by scissors. With a thunderous sound, dozens of demonized humans were erased by magic without even uttering a chant.
"That feels good!"
Chamber smiled with satisfaction as she popped a lollipop into her mouth.
"Let's go. We have to clean that entire tower today."
She calmly bit her lollipop, seemingly without the slightest fear.
"All these people..."
Rensia's jaw trembled as she looked at the numerous people before her.
"I told you. It's not me who's strong, but us."
Raon smiled as he grasped Rensia's shoulder.
"Today, that tower will disappear from this world."
-
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