C953
Raon shook the blood off the Heavenly Drive and examined the fallen Farel.
‘It’s over.’
Perhaps because he was only a half-Anima with one reversed eye, Farel couldn’t move after his heart was burst. He was slowly letting out his last breaths, waiting for death.
‘Is it time for the next stage then?’
Just as Raon was about to put away the Heavenly Drive while waiting for the First Patriarch’s third test, the collapsed floor and walls of the palace suddenly rose as if time was rewinding. The wound carved in Farel’s chest, who had been on the verge of death, regenerated as if nothing had happened.
“What is this…”
Even Farel seemed surprised by his own resurrection, trembling his jaw as he looked at his now unmarked chest.
“I don’t know what just happened, but I won’t be caught off guard again. This time I’ll kill you for sure!”
He lunged forward, determined not to let this opportunity slip away. Raon frowned as he blocked the violent descent of Farel’s serrated sword.
‘Judging by Farel’s confusion about his resurrection…’
Was this also part of the First Patriarch’s plan? Raon thought the second test had ended when he killed Farel, but it seemed he hadn’t satisfied the First Patriarch yet.
“You don’t have any more chances!”
Farel shouted that he wouldn’t be fooled again as he unleashed the Flame Dragon Strike. A huge fire dragon rose above the edge of the serrated sword and lunged at Raon as if it wanted to devour him. Raon deflected Farel’s Flame Dragon Strike with a combination of the Dance of the Golden Flame and Fire Wall, then held the Heavenly Drive at mid-level.
“No matter what you do, you can’t surpass my sword.”
Farel’s eyes gleamed dangerously, as if to say he would counter anything Raon threw at him.
“You talk a lot for someone who just died.”
Raon openly mocked as he unleashed the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques towards Farel.
“I’ll kill you with the same swordsmanship.”
Farel shouted that he wouldn’t lose this time as he extended an even more powerful version of the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques. Raon narrowed his eyes as he saw Farel’s technique approaching even faster than his own sword.
‘It’s the same as before.’
I need to fill the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques with the right sword principles. The Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques are a sword technique that slightly refines the Crimson Slash to simultaneously strike in thirty-six directions. It required different sword principles than the Sharp Sword he had infused into the Crimson Slash.
‘Should I add the Fluid Sword?’
To strike all thirty-six directions simultaneously without a single error, Raon infused the principles of the Fluid Sword that could connect blow after blow. His own version of the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques, now imbued with the principles of the Fluid Sword, clashed with Farel’s technique enhanced by the Sky-Piercing Thunder.
A roar echoed as if thousands of steel rods were being shattered as the sword strikes collided in thirty-six directions simultaneously.
“Didn’t I tell you it was useless?”
Farel curled his lips into a smile as he saw his own Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques push back Raon’s attacks.
“This time it’s your turn to have a hole pierced through your chest… Huh?”
But his smile didn’t last long. Although he was pushed back by the initial force, Raon’s Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques maintained all the sword paths until the end, breaking through Farel’s strikes.
“I-Impossible!”
As Farel retreated in astonishment, Raon approached and unleashed the still-burning flames of the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques. The burning flames adorning the blade of the Heavenly Drive fell elegantly and engulfed Farel’s entire body.
“Urgh…”
Farel collapsed backward, his vital points all over his body torn and scorched red. It was an even more miserable death than the first.
“That should be the end now.”
As Raon rested the still-hot Heavenly Drive on his shoulder, the cracks in the floor began to fill in again, and Farel’s shattered body began to regenerate rapidly.
“Damn you!”
Farel seemed to remember this death as well, as he audibly gritted his teeth while his hand holding the serrated sword trembled.
“What have you done to me!”
He seemed reluctant to die again, charging towards Raon’s left side with a mystical movement despite his panic. Farel’s descending cut with the serrated sword scattered like a dream, making its trajectory unpredictable. It was the Silver Sword Dream, a Raon Zieghart-style sword technique that embodied the extremes of illusion and change.
Raon unleashed the same Silver Sword Dream as Farel, raising the edge of the Quick Sword that could cut the enemy’s trachea in an instant.
Just as Farel’s blurry and nebulous sword strike was about to fall on Raon’s neck, the Heavenly Drive that had been low rose like lightning and cut Farel’s neck. It was a new Silver Sword Dream that embodied extreme speed within patience.
“Hk…”
Farel let out a very short moan and collapsed, as if he hadn’t even realized he had been cut. But he immediately resurrected as if he had never died and charged forward, grabbing his serrated sword.
Raon looked up at the faint morning sky through the collapsed ceiling of the palace. The moon peeking through the clouds and smoke had descended only slightly.
‘Surely not…’
Will this aurora continue until I develop all the sword techniques I’ve learned up to Ten Thousand Swords? By the situation so far, it seemed this battle would only end when all the sword techniques he was learning were strengthened.
‘In that case…’
I’m fine with that. Being able to engage in a life-or-death combat with a martial artist as strong as Farel is an incredible fortuitous encounter. Knowing this time would continue, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Why are you smiling?”
Farel twisted his lips with evident anger.
“Because I feel sorry for you.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
He frowned, seemingly unable to understand.
“I counted how many times you’ll have to die. I felt a little sorry for you.”
Raon arrogantly raised his chin as he pointed the Heavenly Drive towards Farel.
“Let’s stop at a thousand deaths.”
* * *
“Phew.”
Wrath let out a heavy sigh as he stepped on the ashen gray earth.
‘That took a while.’
Although he had moved as fast as he could, the end of the sea was incredibly distant, befitting its nature. By his sense of time, he felt he had walked for over a month to reach this land.
‘It was a tedious journey.’
As he turned around, the sea that had been dyed black as ink now rippled with a blue hue similar to his hair, as if it had been purified.
‘I can’t believe I crossed that.’
For him, walking through that sea was like a human walking on a red-hot stone slab. Although it was a rather arduous test, strangely, the thought of giving up never crossed his mind.
‘Well, I guess that’s natural.’
This king has observed Raon’s life more closely than anyone. Raon is a tenacious bastard who would smile and wield his sword against enemies even with his flesh torn and bones broken. Having witnessed his battles constantly, this level of pain was nothing.
‘But what is this place?’
He saw lands and mountains that seemed to be made of ash, similar to the sand mountain he had seen when he first woke up.
‘I guess I should head towards that mountain.’
He walked along the faded ashen path towards the gray mountain. It wasn’t far, so he was able to reach his destination after a short walk.
‘It’s different from the sand mountain.’
Wrath licked his lips as he looked at the black cave halfway up the mountain. He felt something pulling at his soul, not from the mountain itself, but from inside that cave.
‘The scent of Devildom. And the fragrance of that deeper earth, too.’
He opened his eyes wide as he entered the dim cave. Strangely, a stench that reminded him of his past emanated from inside this cave.
Wrath clicked his tongue briefly before entering the cave. The path inside was level, but it was so dark that even his spiritual vision couldn’t see ahead. All he could see were the tips of his hands and feet.
‘Even if I can’t see, I have no choice but to move forward.’
It was clear that what he wanted was inside this cave. No matter what he might bump into, he had to walk this path. Wrath cleared his mind and simply moved forward.
* * *
“This is getting irritating.”
Wrath pressed his fingers against his forehead.
“When will this damn path end?”
He felt he had spent even more time than when he was walking through the sea, but he couldn’t reach the end of the cave. It seemed this darkness would continue endlessly, like a bottomless pit.
‘It certainly didn’t seem that far…’
When he first entered the cave, he had felt his destiny not far away. But even after what seemed like months of walking, he couldn’t reach the end.
“Hah…”
Wrath looked back at the path he had traveled. Although he couldn’t see clearly due to the darkness, he could tell at a glance that it was incredibly long.
‘It’s too late to turn back now. I have no choice but to move forward.’
It was too late to turn back now. Even if he were to grow old and die in this cave, he had no choice but to keep moving forward. As he advanced through the darkness, Wrath recalled the face of a certain human.
‘How’s that damn brat doing?’
Raon Zieghart. Although their time together wasn’t long, he had grown fonder of him than any other subordinate, and he found himself curious about the brat’s situation.
‘That mountain was surely a space prepared for him.’
If the previous sea and this cave were spaces prepared for himself, then that golden sand mountain was a space created to help Raon grow. Being too far away to sense Raon’s presence, he wanted to see what kind of situation the brat was in.
‘Well, I can guess without seeing.’
He’s probably doing great. Raon is a cockroach with stronger survival instincts than anyone else I know. He’s the type who would survive and end up devouring a demon king even if you just throw him into Devildom.
‘I need to find power here and get out, if only to avoid being ridiculed by that weasel.’
Although Raon might be treating him like a game, his strength has decreased considerably.
‘Having my power drained by Raon and even descending, I’m destined to be lacking in strength.’
Creating stats and traits for Raon consumed a considerable amount of authority, but the impact was even greater when descending or using power that ignored causality to save the children of the Light Wind Palace.
No matter how great his martial prowess was, he has only been consuming power without recovery, so the situation could be truly dangerous now.
‘If this continues, I could end up losing not only to Pride or Greed, but even to those below them.’
I’d rather die than be forced to kneel before those other demon king bastards.
‘That’s why I was grateful.’
This time, when fighting in the war against the Black Tower, although Raon was in mortal danger, he didn’t pull the descent card. He felt a little grateful towards the brat who fought to the very end with only his own power for his sake.
‘So I need to get something here, no matter what.’
The Room of Self opened its doors not only for Raon, but also for him. It meant he had the chance to regain his strength, even if only a little. ‘I must cling to the First Patriarch’s pants if necessary, but I must regain my strength and return.’ As Wrath made this new resolution while walking through the endless cave, he felt his foot touch something.
‘Hm?’
Looking down quickly, he saw the full-length mirror that had summoned Raon and himself to this place.
However, what was reflected in it wasn’t his ‘current’ self.
A child with blue hair and eyes appeared. The child, who seemed to be either male or female, smiled brightly from inside the mirror.
“You’re late!”
The blue-haired child frowned as if they had been waiting for a long time and stepped out of the mirror.
“I was hoping for a recovery, but…”
Wrath looked at the blue-haired child and deeply furrowed his brow.
“You’re giving it to me in a very dirty way.”
* * *
Crackle! Lightning filled the sky, taking the shape of a sword and falling. It was the supreme technique of Sky-Piercing Thunder, Celestial Thunder Sword. Krrrrrr! Despite Farel’s full effort to unleash the Azure Sky Sword’s supreme technique, the lightning sword shattered the sky and pierced his body.
“Urgh!”
Farel gasped as he looked at the blackened hole in his chest.
“Damn it…”
He fell backward with eyes full of despair. With his heart completely melted, it was impossible for him to remain alive.
“The power was enough, but the casting time was too long.”
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the lightning-struck ground.
‘Should I add the Quick Sword next time?’
True to his word, Raon had engaged in almost a thousand life-or-death battles with Farel, infusing the principles of Ten Thousand Swords into every sword technique he knew, from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the recently learned Sky-Piercing Thunder.
The joy of his growing swordsmanship kept him tireless no matter how many times they fought. He only thought about how to unleash even better sword techniques.
‘Should I go back to the Crimson Slash?’
Now that he had even unleashed the Sky-Piercing Thunder technique, it might not be bad to go back to basics and modify the Crimson Slash. As he pondered how to improve it, unlike before, Farel’s wounds didn’t regenerate.
‘Could it be…’
Raon frowned as he looked at Farel, who seemed truly dead this time and wasn’t moving.
‘Is it over?’
Seeing that Farel was no longer regenerating, it seemed that his current level had finally satisfied the First Patriarch.
“One hit, as expected. Impressive.”
The woman in the purple robe nodded, clearly impressed.
“This is on a completely different level…”
Even the dying king let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.
‘Wait a minute…’
Raon frowned as he examined Farel’s corpse again.
‘Did the First Patriarch kill this guy with one hit the moment he saw him?’
The current situation was a replay of the past. According to the purple-robed woman’s words, it seemed that the First Patriarch had cut Farel with one blow the moment he saw him.
“The sun will soon rise. The monsters will weaken, so let’s move now.”
The woman in the purple robe called to hurry and stop the massacre as she flew out of the palace.
“Th-Thank you.”
The king let out a helpless laugh as he lowered his hand.
“I’ll repay this debt even after death. And he is…”
Just as he was about to lower his voice to say something important, the sun rose, erasing the darkness. Light flowed from the sun like pillars, erasing everything around him.
‘What’s happening now?’
Seeing how everything that had existed before his eyes was disappearing, it seemed that the First Patriarch’s second test had ended.
‘I feel like it’s been both long and short.’
Unable to measure the flow of time, he felt like it had been both a day and a year.
‘But one thing is certain.’
That I’ve grown stronger. Although his aura or physical abilities hadn’t increased, he had filled in the gaps in his swordsmanship, cut away the unnecessary parts, and drastically raised his level of martial arts mastery. He was eager to return to reality soon and wield his sword to see how much he had changed.
As Raon practiced sword techniques in the air, the sun that had risen reached the center of the sky.
A terrifying heat that seemed capable of melting flesh and soul fell from the dazzling golden light of the sun. The intense heat made him feel dizzy, and he couldn’t stand properly. Sweat fell all over his body like rain, and strength drained from his arms and legs. He felt like he would collapse from suffocation in just a few more minutes.
‘W-What is this now…?’
Just after gaining some insight into Ten Thousand Swords, being pressed by the sun’s heat like this, he didn’t know what to do or how to do it.
‘Surely he doesn’t want me to cut the sun. So what… Ah!’
As he squinted towards the golden sun, a memory from the past came to mind.
‘Vulcan’s coal furnace!’
He remembered how he had absorbed the heat of Vulcan’s coal furnace when he first learned Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. It seemed the First Patriarch intended to use that incredibly hot sun to raise his level in Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
‘I don’t know why he made such arrangements, but…’
Forcing a smile, he sat under the sun. Enduring the heat that seemed to melt his skin, he slowly closed his eyes.
‘I’ll accept it gratefully.’
For my revenge. Raon vowed never to give up as he employed the extreme of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Exhaling a cloudy breath, a heat more intense than hellfire began to burn around him.
Dancing flames enveloped his body as he concentrated, merging with the golden light falling from the sun. He felt his energy begin to spin and intensify, channeling the sun’s heat into his interior. Raon clung to the determination to become a master in his art, no matter how many times he had to face death.
As the heat reached its peak, Raon felt as if he were on the verge of passing out. However, instead of giving up, he concentrated even more. He remembered every battle, every fall, every time he had to rise. His experiences intertwined with the heat, and his spirit burned with renewed strength.
‘For everything I’ve lost and for everything I’m still going to gain!’
With an internal shout, Raon directed the power of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation towards the sun, absorbing its heat and turning it into strength. It was a challenge, and in that moment, he knew he was on the right path.
He felt his body begin to transition to a new level of power. The sweat evaporated instantly, and the energy flowing through him felt like a torrent of hot lava, ready to explode at any moment. The sunlight became an extension of himself, and his sword, the Heavenly Drive, shone with a golden glow.
‘I’m ready!’
With a new sense of purpose, Raon raised the Heavenly Drive, a manifestation of his will and determination. The fusion of his burning spirit and the sunlight filled him with a strength he had never known before. Energy accumulated in his sword, surging like a beam of light that defied anything that stood in its path.
‘From here, nothing will stop me!’
With the Heavenly Drive held high, Raon lunged forward, not only to face his enemies but to surpass all the limits he had ever had. The battle would continue, but this time, it wouldn’t be the same Raon who had started. This would be a new beginning, a new chapter in his journey towards greatness.
And so, under the radiant sun and with the power of intense heat flowing through him, Raon prepared to face whatever the future held.
-
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