C924
Finally....
Raon tightened his grip on the Heavenly Drive as he watched the forces of the Suphren Holy Kingdom ignite light in the darkness.
"They've arrived."
He had initially requested their support, believing the Suphren Holy Kingdom to be stronger than Owen or Balkar in battles against demonized humans and Demonic Beasts. However, after the death of the previous Holy King, Suphren had closed its gates, focusing on internal affairs and military strength, making communication difficult.
It seemed that the message had arrived, even if it was late. The Holy Knights and priests unleashed overwhelming holy power, pushing back the Demonic Beasts and demonized humans. What was once a small white dot now covered half of the black canvas.
"Huh...."
Raon let out a sigh as he watched the forces of the Suphren Holy Kingdom effortlessly erase the Demonic Beasts.
"To think they would be so strong."
In truth, compared to the elite of the Five Kings and Five Demons, the Holy Knights of Suphren were not particularly powerful warriors. However, their swords imbued with holy power cut through the aura-resistant hides of the Demonic Beasts as if they were tofu, and their armor resonating with sacred hymns remained unbreakable against demonic magic.
In this land stained with demonic energy, the Holy Knights of Suphren were unmatched.
-Damn, holy power....
Wrath clicked his tongue in displeasure.
-But I guess we have no choice this time.
He closed his eyes tightly, resigned to endure it for today.
'God, huh....'
Wrath had said before that God was not the kind of being we imagined. While Raon didn't disapprove, the holy power bestowed by God seemed real enough. The Holy Knights and priests of Suphren were pushing back the demons and Demonic Beasts, finally reaching the place where the allied forces had gathered.
"The wounded first!"
"Yes."
At the order of Holy King Hoppen, high-ranking priests approached the wounded and began to offer prayers of healing. The light of holy power dispersed, and the wounds of those whose bodies were beginning to rot began to heal. Color returned to the faces that had been sickly and pale, as if they were on the verge of death. It was a true divine power that even the highest quality Holy Water could not achieve.
"Hey!"
Saint Olga pulled out a cigarette from inside her nun's habit and put it in her mouth.
"Instead of standing there gaping, why don't you get to work?"
She lit her cigarette and tilted her chin. Although her holy power and martial skills had grown tremendously, it seemed her personality remained unchanged.
-I don't understand why these kids put things in their mouths.
Wrath wrinkled his nose, seemingly remembering Chamber eating candy while watching Olga with her cigarette.
"Benefactor! Please leave this place to us!"
The new Holy King Hoppen bowed his head, pounding his chest as if asking Raon to trust Suphren. His eyes were filled with pride, as if he had been training as both king and Holy Knight.
"He seems reliable. He's changed a lot."
Unlike his past naiveté, Hoppen now displayed an attitude befitting the leader of the Holy Kingdom, both devout and dignified. Remembering his former self, Raon felt an inexplicable joy welling up inside him.
-I recognize it.
Wrath nodded, sharing the same thought.
-However, it's not just his confident attitude that has changed. The holy power he possesses has grown several times stronger. To think that his faith would deepen even after such experiences, it's truly remarkable.
He narrowed his eyes, pondering that humans were still incomprehensible beings.
'We'll figure it out later....'
Raon licked his lips as he watched the demons and Demonic Beasts being pushed back by holy power.
'Now we need to focus on closing the gate.'
Thanks to the powerful holy power, the resurrection speed of the Demonic Beasts and demons had decreased significantly. With Karoon still holding out, it seemed everyone could hold on until he closed the Devildom Pathway.
"Palace Master! Don't worry about this place, go!"
Burren moved his blood-soaked hand. Despite bleeding not only from the blood of the demonized humans but also his own, he didn't lose his smile.
"Don't hesitate, just finish it quickly! We'll be fine here!"
Martha wiped the blood flowing from her neck and tilted her chin. It was a wound that would have been fatal if it had been a little deeper, but she remained defiant.
"I'll hold on...."
Runaan nodded with a slight smile on his lips. Smiling at a time like this seemed to mean that he truly believed in him.
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace raised their swords with hands drained of strength, pointing towards the Devildom Pathway. He felt as if the eyes of everyone were conveying the same emotion.
"....."
Karoon nodded calmly, as if no more words were needed.
"I leave it to you."
Raon looked at those remaining on the ground one by one, then turned resolutely.
-You were so restless until now....
Wrath frowned as he looked at Raon.
-Now you've finally made your decision. What a frustrating guy!
-I'm sorry.
Raon lowered his gaze.
-I didn't want to see anyone die.
Rimmer's death was still fresh in his memory, and he didn't want anyone he knew to die. But that indecision had almost created even more deaths.
'From now on, I'll go all out.'
Raon slowly opened his eyes and looked towards the Devildom Pathway. Meanwhile, more Demonic Beasts and demons had emerged, obscuring the gate itself.
"Now I have nothing to fear."
He pointed the Heavenly Drive towards the Demonic Beasts and demons attacking him. The flames enveloping the silver blade spun fiercely, creating a gravitational force that sucked everything around it.
Raon Zieghart Swordsmanship Style. Second Form: Heavy Sky Cannon.
The Demonic Beasts and demonized humans struggled to escape the reach of the Heavy Sky Cannon, but the swordsmanship imbued with transcendent power ignored their will and drew them inward. The black heat condensed in an instant, exploding towards the sword. The Demonic Beasts and demons drawn towards the sword were obliterated without leaving a single piece.
Raon rode on the aftermath of the explosion, advancing again towards the Devildom Pathway. As he cut down demons and reached the front of the gate, a black shadow descended from above. The enormous Demonic Beast that had pushed him back before the forces of the Suphren Holy Kingdom arrived again blocked his path.
A monstrous Demonic Beast with a dragon's body and eagle's wings. It seemed impossible to pierce that body completely even with a full-force blow, but now he had nothing to fear.
Raon didn't retreat as before, but charged directly towards the enormous Demonic Beast. Breaking the black wind coming from the beast's mouth with his body, he raised the Wooden Ring.
The subtle glow of the Wooden Ring was imbued with the essence of a well-sharpened blade and the determination to end the enemy. Uniting these two similar yet different grains was the Wrath of the Demon King. A blue glow as cold as ice burned on the silver blade.
The silver trajectory traced by the Wooden Ring cut through the sky. The enormous Demonic Beast caught between was seemingly dead before it could feel pain, unable to control its body as it fell. Frost-covered blood splattered from its body, split in two.
Raon jumped towards the Devildom Pathway, swinging the Heavenly Drive. Fragments of flame blooming from the red-hot blade flew like cherry blossoms, incinerating all the fleeing Demonic Beasts.
"Now...."
Raon pointed the Heavenly Drive towards the black-handed demon floating above the Devildom Pathway.
"It's your turn."
He tilted his chin, beckoning the demon to come to him.
"A human...."
The black-handed demon looked at the allied forces and the army of the Suphren Holy Kingdom on the ground, then slowly raised his gaze. His black eyes turned to meet Raon's.
"Indeed, you are qualified."
The black-handed demon licked his lips, his black eyes shining like a prospector who had discovered a treasure.
"My name is Zircon. I will confirm who is more worthy between you and him."
The demon who identified himself as Zircon stretched out his hand towards the air, and a sword resembling a lightning bolt appeared in his grip.
"Qualified? What nonsense are you saying?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zircon. From their first encounter, he had felt that this demon's behavior was somehow different from others he had met before.
"You just need to swing that sword towards me."
Zircon revealed a chilling gaze as he pointed at the Heavenly Drive.
"With all your strength, with the will to kill me."
He moved the hand holding his sword, saying that was all.
"If you fail to kill me with a single blow, you will die."
Zircon uttered these ominous words as if he were casting a curse, then withdrew his sword behind his waist. A black lightning bolt burned on Zircon's sword. It seemed that all the powerful demonic energy flowing from the Devildom Pathway was gathering in his sword.
Black currents burned on Zircon's shoulders, making his sword seem as massive as to cover the sky. The sheer magnitude of the energy made Raon's senses feel distorted.
"Just one blow."
Zircon said there would be no second chance, then bent his knees and lowered his upper body.
"Huu...."
Raon closed his eyes as he watched Zircon's sword become increasingly massive.
'This won't be easy.'
The demonic energy that Zircon had concentrated was undoubtedly powerful enough to tear this space apart, but Raon felt that Zircon's sword itself was even more dangerous. It exuded a level beyond mastery.
'I need to finish this decisively here.'
He had to end Zircon with a single blow to prevent any further interference, and then close that Devildom Pathway.
'Then there's only that swordsmanship left.'
He couldn't afford to risk conserving strength here. His role was to close the Devildom Pathway. Regardless of what happened next, he had to give it his all in this confrontation. Raon put away the Wooden Ring and gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands. He fully resonated the Ring of Fire, drawing out all the aura he possessed.
"I'll start if you're ready."
Zircon put strength in the hand holding his sword and stepped forward with his left foot. The area around him flickered a deep black, unfolding a world of darkness. In the darkness where not an inch ahead was visible, lightning darker than darkness itself flashed. As if he had forgotten both the sword and the demon, Zircon launched himself towards Raon's life like a true lightning bolt.
The power of nature realized through demonic energy. Before Raon could react, Zircon's sword had arrived right in front of his neck. Blood dripped from his neck from the sharpness, although the blade had not yet touched him.
'I made the right decision.'
No matter what swordsmanship Raon employed now, he wouldn't be able to block Zircon's lightning bolt. Except for one. Raon slowly raised his eyelids and lifted the Heavenly Drive. Slow yet fast, heavy yet light, animated yet empty.
Sword Mastery: Heaven's Rift. One sword, and yet ten thousand swords. Imagining the strongest he could conceive, Raon brought the Heavenly Drive down. A golden glow that pushed back the night and heralded the morning collided with the black lightning bolt.
The sword strike that Zircon unleashed was so fierce that it felt like fighting a true lightning bolt. The electricity sparking from the collision tore flesh and burst blood vessels.
But while Raon's body might tremble, his sword did not falter. The ever-changing subtleties of ten thousand swords sustained the light of Heaven's Rift, splitting the black lightning bolt that covered the sky.
Zircon's sword shattered, and his body was split in two. His form crumbled into black ashes, scattering as if he had never existed.
"...So it's you."
Zircon smiled faintly, as if he was satisfied, even as he faced death.
"We will meet again."
With those words, he melted into the darkness.
"I'd rather not see you again."
Raon shook his head, still leaning forward. He wasn't sure he could decisively end Zircon if they met again. He had to close the Devildom Pathway before the demon could resurrect. Raon jumped into the air without pausing to catch his breath, planting himself before the black, undulating Devildom Pathway. Biting his blood-stained lips, he raised the Heavenly Drive.
"This is the end."
* * *
"It's good I brought the new product."
Chamber pulled out a bright yellow candy from her chest.
"Leaving your subordinates unprotected, separating myself..."
The Black Tower Master's ruby eyes flashed.
"Were you so desperate for revenge?"
He twisted his lips, as if mocking Chamber.
"No."
Chamber shook her head as she put the yellow candy in her mouth.
"I trust them. It's probably impossible for you to understand."
She shrugged, saying that she had faith in everyone.
"Those worms who believe in an ugly god might hold out for a while, but if the Devildom Pathway doesn't close, everything will eventually be consumed by darkness."
The Black Tower Master tilted his chin, seemingly confident of victory in this war.
"And you will also be buried in this space."
"We have the king of variables on our side."
Chamber twirled her finger.
"The king of variables?"
"Raon Zieghart. You didn't expect Karet's death either, did you?"
She laughed, mocking the Black Tower Master for losing Karet.
"Whatever happens, your plans will fail."
The Black Tower Master extended his hand, which rippled with darkness, twisting his lips.
"You will never defeat me. I will make you beg for your life again this time."
"There are no absolutes in this world."
Chamber shook her head, thinking of a person.
"This time will be very different."
She bit the candy in her mouth and brought two fingers forward.
"Let's end this long, bitter relationship here."
-
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