C930
"Huff..."
Raon exhaled a breath tinged with the smell of blood as he looked at the Black Tower Master trapped within the pink ice.
'As expected, he's not dead.'
Perhaps because the Silent Spirit World still remained, the Black Tower Master retained a faint vitality despite his body being cut into four pieces and his heart having exploded.
-Just like you said, he's like a worm.
Wrath sneered in disbelief.
-No matter how many times you step on it, it keeps wriggling.
He frowned, saying that such a tenacious demonized human was rare even in the Devildom.
'That's why I froze him.'
Raon bit his lip as he lowered his right hand, from which pink frost emanated.
'Because he can't be killed simply by cutting him with a sword.'
The Black Tower Master had returned here even after Chamber had ripped his neck and heart out with her magic. Knowing that stabbing vital points and cutting the body wouldn't kill him, Raon had frozen him with the Silver Aurora.
-It's extremely annoying to use my Silver Aurora with <Lust>, but...
Wrath nodded as he looked at the Black Tower Master trapped in the pink ice.
-Lust is still a demon king. The worm has no means to regain his strength, so he'll have no choice but to remain trapped like this.
He nodded, saying that the pink cold energy blocking external forces was essentially the same as sealing the Black Tower Master.
'No. I have no intention of sealing him.'
Raon shook his head firmly.
'I'm going to kill him.'
Although the Black Tower Master couldn't escape that ice, someone could break it from the outside. He couldn't bear the thought of that man being released.
'For the sake of that girl, if nothing else.'
Roenn had said he would do whatever it took to save Rensia, but Raon already knew the outcome. Unless a miracle happened, she wouldn't survive the demonic energy explosion inside the body of a normal girl.
Rensias's last words asking him to take care of her siblings instead of her, and that girl's face showing a genuine smile for the first time, came to mind. He wanted to kill the Black Tower Master, the root cause of all this, by any means necessary.
"Haah..."
Raon placed his hand on the pink ice that imprisoned the Black Tower Master. He ignited the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, summoning Wrath's <Wrath>. His vision blurred as if his upper dantian was shattered, but he bit his tongue to harmonize his anger with the flames.
'I'll burn everything.'
Wrath's frost had the power to freeze not only the enemy's body but also their energy and soul. He had to erase everything that was frozen in an instant. Whoosh! As if being pricked by needles, he disassembled the Silver Aurora in his aching mind and reassembled it into a new technique that could kill the Black Tower Master.
'I'll put an inescapable chain of death around your neck.'
He opened his fluctuating mental world as it resonated with the Fire Ring. Raon Zieghart-style ultimate technique: Crimson Chain. Dozens of flames shot out from his extended hand like tree branches, enveloping the frozen Black Tower Master. In a split second, the chains of fire surrounded the Black Tower Master and began to burn his very existence.
"W-What is this!"
The Black Tower Master tried to use teleportation magic as soon as the ice trapping him melted, but the scorching flames burned even his demonic energy and magic formulas.
"Aaaaargh!"
The chains of flames became a prison from which even an ant couldn't escape, melting the Black Tower Master's flesh and bones. His screams of agony could be heard from within the crimson flames.
"S-Stop!"
The Black Tower Master, seemingly in such intense pain that he desired death amidst the cold and heat, cried out for mercy.
"If you let me out, I'll tell you everything I know!"
He pounded the crimson chains, saying he would reveal the secrets of the Five Demons if they released him.
"Have you ever forgiven someone who has begged for their life?"
Raon looked down at the chain-bound Black Tower Master with chilling eyes.
"Urgh..."
The Black Tower Master's blue lips trembled, as if he had no words to say.
"I don't need your information. Just die."
"W-Wait..."
Ignoring the Black Tower Master who was about to speak again, Raon clenched the fist that had raised the crimson chains. Whoosh! The chains of flames shrunk in an instant, crushing the Black Tower Master inside along with his soul. Boom!
The flames compressed to the extreme exploded, melting the Black Tower Master and his demonic energy without leaving even a spark behind.
Even in the gentle breeze, the Black Tower Master's demonic energy could no longer be felt. It seemed that not only his body but also his soul had been annihilated.
[It's over. His presence has been completely erased.]
Zircon nodded as he looked at the space that seemed blackened like charcoal.
[As expected, my choice was correct.]
He nodded as if to say that it was right to choose Raon instead of the Black Tower Master.
-Why are you stealing this king's lines!
Wrath frowned and smacked Zircon's head.
[Ack...]
Zircon, who had maintained a serious expression for less than a second, bowed his head with tears in his eyes.
-Ahem!
Wrath looked at the crumpled Zircon and slowly crossed his arms.
-It's over! That worm's presence has been completely erased!
He nodded as he recited exactly what Zircon had said.
'Is it really over?'
-Indeed. This time he's certainly dead.
Wrath licked his lips, saying that it was effective to freeze the man's soul and demonic energy with the Silver Aurora and then wrap him in chains of flames so he couldn't escape.
"Thank God..."
Raon exhaled a cloudy breath as if he was about to stop breathing, his arms hanging limply. As soon as he relaxed, the Heavenly Drive, the Wooden Ring, and the Blade of Requiem that he had been controlling with Sword Control fell to the ground.
'It really was my limit.'
Both mentally and physically, he had been on the edge. If the Black Tower Master had withstood his final attack, it would have been Raon who had died, not him.
'I got lucky, I guess... Hm?'
As Raon closed his eyes and opened them again, a light green jewel floated above his head. It resembled an emerald, but slightly different.
[That's a peridot. It seems it has returned to its original Birthstone form.]
Zircon nodded, saying that the peridot seemed to have returned to its original Birthstone form.
"Hmm."
As Raon raised his arm, the peridot descended onto his palm as if it were waiting.
"Lady Chamber."
He turned around to inform Chamber of the situation. She was still staring at him with two fingers together.
"It's over now. You can relax your power."
"Finished..."
As soon as Chamber heard it was over, she closed her eyes and collapsed. It seemed that she had poured all her power and mental strength, falling unconscious.
"Lady Chamber!"
Raon extracted aura from his aching energy center to catch the falling Chamber. As she fell to the ground, she began to revert to her childlike form, but because her power and mana had been drained, her skin cracked and wrinkles appeared like those of an old woman.
'She pushed herself so hard...'
The last time he saw Chamber, she wasn't in a condition to use her final technique, but to create a last chance, she had ripped apart the meteorite and erased the Black Tower Master's final attack. If she hadn't intervened, he would never have been able to win.
'Please.'
He pushed the remaining energy in his energy center towards her body to help Chamber endure. Boom! Raon staggered as if he was about to collapse and barely managed to land on the ground. Having also exhausted his own strength, he left deep footprints in the ground before falling backwards.
"Olga!"
Holding Chamber in his arms, he called out to Saint Olga who was with the allied forces.
"Ah!"
Olga, who had been standing stunned as if she still couldn't believe that the Black Tower Master was finally dead, rushed over and examined Chamber.
"...Is she alright?"
His chest ached as if he had been stabbed, Chamber's energy was so weak. The scene of Rimmer's death flashed before him, and his hands trembled.
"She's in critical condition. But I'll do what I can."
Olga placed her hand, glowing golden, on Chamber's chest, saying that she would at least try to prevent her from dying.
"You should step back. Even in this situation, she probably wouldn't want to show this appearance."
She shook her head, as if she didn't want to show Chamber covered in wrinkles.
"Alright..."
Raon nodded briefly and stepped back. As Olga said, Chamber probably wouldn't want to show her current appearance, and there was nothing more he could do now.
'No, there's one thing left.'
Raon wiped his bleeding lips and bowed to Chamber.
'Thank you. Thank you for you. No, it was because of both of us that we were able to defeat the Black Tower Master.'
He wanted to express his sincere gratitude before she woke up, even though he would have to do it again when she did. Raon kept his head bowed towards the fallen Chamber for a long time.
* * *
"Hah..."
Karoon exhaled as he watched Raon bowing to Chamber.
'Did he really defeat him?'
Did Raon defeat the Black Tower Master? In fact, he thought it would be disadvantageous after the Black Tower Master opened the Silent Spirit World, and after he returned from death and obtained the power of the angel Peridoto, Karoon believed there was a high probability of losing.
But Raon and Chamber didn't give up even in such a dangerous situation, persisting until the end and finally taking down the Black Tower Master. It was hard to believe even though he saw it with his own eyes.
'Could I have done that?'
No, it would be difficult. Even if he had been in the same situation as Raon, he didn't think he could have done the same. The sight of him facing the Black Tower Master while burning his body and soul sent chills down his spine.
'I can only say that it's amazing.'
Raon's martial prowess isn't permanent. It's a very temporary power. Perhaps if he left this earth, Karoon would be a little stronger. But even he didn't have the confidence to fight like Raon did here. That was a desperate battle only possible because it was Raon Zieghart.
'But maybe I've changed a little too.'
His old self would have felt jealousy and envy for Raon's achievements, but strangely, he now only felt gratitude and joy for that kid.
'Head of House...'
Becoming the head of the Zieghart house was his lifelong aspiration and desire. Even if Glenn returned to his youth, he had no intention of handing it over, and he still wouldn't give it up. But today, for the first time, he felt that he could accept someone else sitting in that position. Slash!
Karoon lifted his chin as he cut down demons who no longer revived.
"Clean up the demons as quickly as possible."
He curved his lips as he watched Raon regaining his strength again with his eyes closed.
"We need to welcome today's heroes."
* * *
"Raon did it..."
Burren let out a hollow laugh as he watched Raon examining the Devildom Pathway.
"He actually defeated the Black Tower Master!"
Although it was a 2-on-1 fight, he never thought Raon would erase the Black Tower Master.
He had prayed for victory, but when it actually happened, he was stunned.
"It seems you didn't believe in Raon."
Martha shook her head as she patted Burren on the shoulder.
"I've been waiting for this scene from the beginning."
She clenched her blood-soaked fist as she looked at Raon.
"Me too..."
Runaan also nodded calmly, as if he had believed in Raon until the end.
"I knew Raon would do it today, being so handsome..."
She smiled slightly as she looked at Raon standing alone at the edge of the battlefield.
"As expected, he doesn't betray our faith."
Mark Goetun nodded with his hand on his chest, as if his trust had never wavered from the beginning.
"Lord Raon!"
"Master of the Palace!"
"Wooooah!"
Dorian, Krein, and the other swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace cut down the fleeing demons and ran towards Raon. They called out to Raon by name with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.
"Young Master. Is it really over now?"
Yua grabbed Raon's torn sleeve and asked.
"No..."
Raon shook his head as he looked up at the Devildom Pathway.
"There's one step left."
He had killed the Black Tower Master, but he hadn't completely closed the Devildom Pathway yet. That gate had to be destroyed for today's war to end.
"Wait a moment."
After patting Yua's head, Raon propelled himself off the ground and went back up to the sky. Whoosh! In a single breath, he ascended to the edge of the sky and stood in front of the frozen Devildom Pathway. Originally, the gate should have closed naturally due to Wrath's cold energy, but due to the Black Tower Master's demonic energy, the gap had widened instead.
'This is the last one.'
If he could close this gate, this terrible and long war would end. Although his strength was exhausted, he couldn't back down. Hum! He wrapped what little remained of Glacier's cold energy around the Heavenly Drive and extracted Wrath's anger from the depths of his soul.
'I have to hold on.'
At his mental and physical limit, he gathered his last strength and swung the Heavenly Drive downwards. Crack! As more than half of the gate was already frozen, there wasn't much space left to cut. However, the Devildom Pathway emitted intense demonic energy as if it were making a last stand, blocking the blade.
"Just die already."
Raon bit his lip and put more force into the Heavenly Drive. Crack! The demonic energy trying to protect the Devildom Pathway recoiled as if it were afraid, and the gate began to freeze white again. Just as he thought it was over and was about to explode his remaining strength, a bronze arm shot out of the small gap that remained.
'A demon?'
He tried to cut the arm along with the gate, but the Heavenly Drive's blade bounced off the demon's bronze skin without cutting it. Crack! The hand that had pierced the white frost grabbed the frozen Devildom Pathway and forcefully tore it apart. Boom! As the Devildom Pathway opened again, terrifying demonic energy swirled.
A black-haired young man with a monocle emerged from the golden center of the Devildom.
"You've really done it now."
The moment Raon saw his terrifying smile, his heart sank.
"You are..."
-
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