C973
With a snap of Xanthos' fingers, a blue light rose from the round table and drew a map of the continent. Surprisingly, not only were the major powers like Zieghart and the Kingdom of Balkar marked, but the names of numerous smaller groups were also engraved on the map.
"Let's start with the fall of the Black Tower."
As Xanthos nodded, the black tower that had risen in Montiro crumbled like a sandcastle.
"The Black Tower, hidden in Montiro, had been slowly eroding the territories of Balkar, Owen, and the Beast Union by sending demonic beasts from the Devildom."
He frowned as he observed the darkness surrounding Balkar, Owen, and the Beast Union.
"Indeed, our allies suffered more than we did. Many groups had to relocate to other regions. But with the collapse of the Black Tower, the situation has changed."
As Xanthos lowered his finger, a white light seeped into the blackened areas of Balkar, Beast Union, and Owen. It seemed to indicate that the influence of the Black Tower had completely disappeared.
"With the disappearance of the demonized humans and the demonic beasts that had been relentlessly attacking, the people were finally able to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long time. Even if it's only a temporary peace, it has arrived."
He looked at Raon and said that this brief period of peace and happiness was only possible thanks to the fall of the Black Tower. By his words, it seemed that Xanthos was there not as the king of Balkar, but as a moderator of the Five Kings' Conference.
"That's right!"
Beast King Ogram slammed his palm on the round table, signifying his agreement with Xanthos' words. His physical strength didn't seem to change as the impact shook the entire conference room.
"The demonized humans and demonic beasts of the Black Tower kept nibbling at us with their attacks, making it impossible for us to sleep properly, but now they've completely disappeared."
He nodded emphatically, saying that the people of the Beast Union were also living happily now.
"The same goes for Owen."
King Lecross licked his lips as he looked at the castle marked with the name of Owen.
"Although you should know that I am injured, there haven't been any attacks from any side. Instead, they seem to be busy hiding their tails."
He sent a warm glance towards Raon, saying that the impact of the Black Tower's disappearance was greater than imagined.
"We have destroyed many forces following the Five Demons, but this is the first time we've seen such results. In the end..."
Glenn narrowed his eyes as he looked at the five stars engraved on the blue holographic map.
"To end this war, we need to destroy the main body of those demons, not just the smaller ones."
He tapped the round table with his finger, saying that this method was the only way to end this tedious war.
"That's right."
Chamber nodded as she pulled a lollipop from under her witch's hat.
"If we don't cut off their heads, they will multiply like cockroaches and plunge the continent back into chaos. Countless people will suffer."
She bit into the lollipop abruptly, saying they didn't have much time.
"The problem is, we have no way of finding them."
Lecross frowned with his hand on his chest. He seemed to be in pain from the wound Derus had inflicted on him.
"If it weren't for the Master of the Light Wind Palace, we would have never found the Black Tower. Even if we had killed Demonblade, extracting information from him wouldn't be easy, and finding the Black Tower, hidden in another dimension in Montiro, would be almost impossible."
He bit his lip slightly and said that only thanks to Raon were they able to find the Black Tower's location so easily.
"We don't need to find them! We just need to become stronger! If the old woman and I regain our true power, we won't lose to anyone who comes!"
Ogram clenched his fist, saying that instead of finding the Four Demons, the Five Kings should focus on regaining and increasing their strength.
"Unfortunately, that's difficult."
Chamber bit her lip slightly.
"Unlike us who have a set path, those Demons are beings who can walk paths beyond human morality. It's impossible to become stronger faster than them. Have you already forgotten how the Leader of the White Blood Religion drank your blood and achieved incredibly rapid growth?"
She tapped her temple three times, telling him to think carefully.
"And..."
Chamber frowned as she stared at Ogram.
"Call me old one more time, and I'll rip that mouth off your face."
She smiled menacingly as she tilted her chin.
"Mmm..."
Ogram's fingertips trembled, whether it was from Chamber's threat or because the memory of what the Leader of the White Blood Religion did to him resurfaced.
"We don't have much time."
Glenn closed his eyes and then opened them as he placed his clasped hands on the round table.
"Like she said, they're getting stronger and increasing their forces much faster than us. They don't have lines to protect."
He shook his head and said that although the Black Tower had fallen, the overall war situation wasn't entirely positive.
"That's why we need to find their bases by any means necessary."
Ogram rubbed his forehead as if he was frustrated.
"That's why we're trying to gather people through this Five Kings' Conference."
As Xanthos raised his hand with a slight smile, the names of the neutral forces across the continent began to glow.
"Just as the Master of the Light Wind Palace found the Black Tower, the more people we have on our side, the greater our chances of gathering clues. We need to attract neutral forces to gather information that can help us find the Four Demons."
He placed his clasped hands on the round table, saying that the reason for gathering neutral forces wasn't just military strength.
"But it won't be easy to attract forces that haven't supported the Five Kings until now."
Lecross lowered his eyebrows as if he was worried.
"That's also true. The fact that they've maintained neutrality for so long in the midst of a large-scale war means they're choosing which restaurant they find more appealing between them and us."
Chamber wrinkled her nose as if she was disgusted.
"Indeed, it's difficult to trust them completely. If the Four Demons' side makes a better offer, they'll leave immediately."
King Lecross frowned and called them worse than merchants.
"Then we can't leave them alone! We have to teach them a lesson so they don't even think about switching sides!"
Ogram waved his rocky fist, saying they needed to establish discipline right now.
"I'm good at this kind of thing. If you wait..."
Just as he was about to say he would personally take care of the matter, a vibration and a noise like an earthquake shook the royal capital. The tremor itself wasn't too strong, but everyone present was a Transcendent, so no one failed to notice the movement. (E/N: Sheryl, Roenn, and I don't know who else, crying in the background)
"What's happening?"
"Did a fight break out?"
"Could it be the Four Demons?"
As tension filled everyone's eyes, Raon stepped forward.
"No."
Raon raised both hands to calm everyone down.
"That lesson you just mentioned..."
He smiled as he turned his gaze towards the window.
"It has already begun."
* * *
A black-haired man lay motionless on the ground, which was deeply furrowed as if a meteorite had fallen. The red hawk embroidered on his martial uniform was the emblem of the Sairan family, a powerful group in the central region, but it seemed meaningless now.
"Ugh..."
As the black-haired man coughed up blood and tried to get up, a shadow fell over his head. Martha. She twisted her lips as she stepped on the black-haired man's back.
"That's what you deserve. Why did you talk so carelessly?"
Martha muttered that he had brought this upon himself as she pressed down on the black-haired man.
"Urgh..."
Unable to withstand the impact, the black-haired man finally lost consciousness, and his eyes rolled back.
"This, this is too much!"
A middle-aged man with red hair, wearing the same martial uniform of the Sairan family as the black-haired man, trembled his chin.
"We were just talking about rumors we heard around while we were drunk!"
The middle-aged red-haired man shook his head and said it wasn't a serious conversation.
"His name?"
Martha tilted her chin towards the middle-aged red-haired man.
"Umm, Rotan Sairan..."
The middle-aged red-haired man hesitated for a moment before giving his name.
"Right. Rotan."
Martha called Rotan by his name as if she were addressing someone far below her.
- Do you think this is the first time I've seen guys like you?
She stepped over the unconscious black-haired man and approached Rotan.
"It's not that you heard rumors around, but that you were creating them yourself. The tavern was quiet until you started wagging your tongue. They were just praising Raon and the Light Wind Palace."
Martha tapped Rotan's forehead, telling him not to tell such obvious lies.
"Ugh..."
Rotan bit his lip as if he had nothing to say.
"Sure, we might have said some unfavorable things, but isn't it too much for a Grandmaster like you to attack us? Neither I nor that guy are more than Masters!"
He shook his head and said that while he admitted to making a slip of the tongue, this had been too excessive.
"This is pure violence..."
"You also used verbal violence."
Martha slapped Rotan on the back of his head, telling him not to make a fuss.
"Ugh..."
Rotan even drooled, as if this was the first time he had suffered such humiliation since he was born into the Sairan family.
- Do you know how delicate our Palace Master is? If Raon had heard what came out of your mouth earlier, he would have buried you alive in sand and boiled you!
Despite calling him delicate, Martha made Raon seem like an unparalleled demon.
"No, that's not..."
"But you're right about one thing."
She smiled slightly as she examined the frightened Rotan.
"It's not necessary for a lion to move to catch a pig. You..."
Martha pushed forward the young woman who was behind her.
"Our bunny will take care of you."
"Sister?"
Yua looked at Martha with wide eyes, as if that wasn't part of the plan.
"Do you really mean me…?"
She swallowed hard as she looked at Rotan.
"Alright! Just do what you've learned."
Martha smiled and said there wouldn't be any problem if she fought like she did during training.
"Mmm..."
Yua seemed to trust Martha more than her own abilities as she slowly stepped forward.
"Are you mocking me?!"
Rotan gritted his teeth.
"I switched your opponent because you said it was too much, and you're still making a fuss. Is this the new trend, complaining no matter what?"
Martha frowned and asked why he was complaining regardless of the situation.
"If you don't like it, should I intervene? Do you want to try?"
"That's..."
Rotan bit his lip as he looked at Martha, who was smiling like a demon, and Yua, who looked like a rabbit. Finally, his gaze fixed on Yua.
"Alright! Don't regret it later! My sword has no eyes!"
Rotan raised his sword and said they should start immediately.
"Ugh..."
Yua slowly calmed her breathing as she unsheathed her sword.
"Think of the times Raon hit you. With those memories, you can do anything."
Martha patted Yua on the back, not offering any particular advice, as if she had no worries.
"Hahaha!"
Rotan attacked Yua, kicking the cracked ground. Like a true Master, he advanced on the wind and swung his sword, imbued with Astral Energy.
'This sword is too...'
Yua narrowed her eyes as she watched Rotan's sword fall like a beam of light.
'Slow.'
The sword strike was much slower than Raon's or the leaders of the Light Wind Palace she had faced during training, so its flow was clearly visible to her.
'Let's use that rhythm.'
Yua advanced with a different rhythm than Rotan's sword attack. She leaned her shoulder back to dodge Rotan's upward slash and then thrust her sword forward half a beat faster. A red wave rippled in front of Rotan's chest due to the rhythm of the sword emanating from Yua's fingertips.
The small current instantly turned into a massive wave, crashing into Rotan.
Rotan was so surprised by Yua's sudden counterattack that he dropped the sword in his hand.
"Wait! I let my guard down too much..."
"You can't let your guard down in a fight!"
Yua didn't wait for Rotan and immediately followed, hitting him on the head with the flat of her sword. Despite holding back, the dragon bone sword caused bright red blood to gush from Rotan's forehead.
"That's it!"
Martha gave Yua a thumbs up.
"Even hitting the head was perfect!"
She smiled and asked how Yua came up with breaking his skull.
"I've seen the young master Raon do it every day..."
Yua scratched her wrist, remembering how Raon used to hit the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"Well, if you keep seeing that, you can't help but copy it."
Martha patted Yua's head, saying she had learned well.
"Urgh..."
Rotan let out a groan as if he was about to be choked, both from the pain of his broken head and from the shock of losing to someone much younger than him.
"This is too much..."
As he struggled to get up, fierce aura storms erupted from the west, north, and south of the royal capital.
"What, what is that..."
"Oh, that?"
Martha shrugged as she looked at Rotan's trembling eyes.
"We're taking care of loose-lipped guys like you. You're actually lucky to have run into us."
"Ah..."
Rotan, realizing that this wasn't a casual encounter, fell to his knees on the spot.
"Next."
After confirming that Rotan's spirit was completely shattered, Martha turned to the audience.
"No one's coming forward? It's troublesome if you're already so discouraged."
She lowered the sword resting on her shoulder, saying they hadn't even started yet.
"If you don't come to me, I'll go to you! Starting with the bastard who called me Miss Rakshasa!"
Martha charged towards the neutral forces like a wild colt.
"All of you, die!"
* * *
After finishing the first meeting, Raon headed towards the quarters assigned to the Light Wind Palace. The swordsmen enjoyed refreshments with relaxed faces, as if they had completely relieved their stress.
"How was it?"
Raon approached the unit leaders and asked about the situation.
"Just as you said. There was at least one person in each tavern belittling our achievements or martial prowess."
Martha nodded, saying she had beaten up everyone who had loose lips.
"Their movements were similar to professional protesters. They repeated the same words they had said in the first tavern when they went to the second."
Burren clicked his tongue and said it was clearly an intentional move.
"But I didn't smell any unpleasant odors..."
Runaan shook his head and said they didn't seem to be from the Four Demons.
"There might be spies, but they wouldn't act so ostentatiously."
Raon shook his head as he looked out the window.
"The people who tried to damage our reputation today were probably trying to increase their own value rather than acting as spies."
Even before coming here, he had predicted that some of the neutral forces would try to bring down the achievements of Zieghart or the Five Kings. The neutral forces who hadn't yet chosen a side would want to maximize their value. That was quite understandable.
However, instead of increasing their value through their own prowess or martial skills, they tried to elevate themselves by belittling the Five Kings.
There was no need to treat those who used such basic methods as humans, which was why he had unleashed the rabid dogs of the Light Wind Palace. The war that was coming would be like walking on thin ice with every step. In the midst of this, a clear lesson was needed for those who only sought money and profit without conviction.
"The grand conference will be held in three days. I'll need your help until then."
Raon nodded towards Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Trevin, saying he was counting on them.
"Of course."
"Leave it to us!"
"It's quite fun..."
"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course we will."
Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Trevin nodded emphatically, as if telling him to trust them.
"Mmm..."
Raon shook his head as he looked at the four and the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace scattered behind them.
"Looking into your eyes, it seems you've relieved too much stress."
"That's right!"
"It's been a while since we encountered some decent guys to beat up. It felt good."
Martha and Trevin smiled and said it was satisfying.
"That shouldn't be done."
Raon shook his head and sighed.
"Huh?"
"What do you mean..."
"Follow me."
With a cold gaze, he called everyone to the training ground located in front of their rooms.
"Wait, you can't say you're going to train..."
Burren swallowed dryly, forgetting to call Raon by his title and speaking informally.
"In the next three days, more neutral forces will gather. We can't decisively overpower them with the current atmosphere."
Raon drew his sword Heavenly Drive, still in its scabbard, with a chilling smile.
"I'll make the stress you relieved today return to your minds."
He beckoned them with his finger to come.
"Damn demon!"
"So, are we getting beaten up too?"
"This isn't stress, it's death!"
"If you don't come to me, I'll go to you."
Raon twisted his ankle slightly before charging at the stunned swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace. That night, no, until the night before the grand conference, the screams of dozens echoed across the training ground.
* * *
At noon, three days later, the doors of the grand conference hall swung open. The golden sunlight poured onto the white round table, creating a mystical atmosphere inside the hall. Unlike before, luxurious chairs were placed beside the enormous round table, and the throne that originally occupied that space had been moved to the platform.
The leaders of the forces following the Five Kings and those of the neutral forces who hadn't yet chosen their path entered the conference hall one by one and took their seats at the round table.
Curiously, the expressions of the two groups were completely opposite. Those who had already decided to follow the Five Kings chatted with radiant smiles as they took their seats, while those who hadn't yet chosen their path looked down at the floor with eyes full of fear, like drenched puppies.
When all the seats around the round table were occupied, strangely stimulating footsteps to the ear were heard from the end of the hallway.
As people held their breath and only rolled their eyes, Raon entered the conference hall. People unconsciously swallowed dry saliva at the sight of Raon's black dragon coat billowing despite the absence of wind.
"Everyone has arrived."
Raon stood at the edge of the platform with heavy steps. He looked at those seated around the round table with eyes that seemed to glow with red lightning. Despite the presence of numerous martial artists and mages, only one person dominated the air in the conference hall.
"I am the Master of the Light Wind Palace of Zieghart. I truly appreciate you coming from so far away to participate in this conference."
Unlike his violent subordinates, Raon first expressed his gratitude in a calm tone.
"It's been a while!"
"You look even better!"
"To think that the nickname Sword Emperor would suit someone so well!"
The people who followed the Five Kings cheered and waved their hands. However, the leaders of the neutral forces were different.
"Urg!"
"Master of the Light Wind Palace..."
Those who had been beaten by the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace trembled their dry lips in fear, trying to hide their bruised faces or bodies.
"The heavens of the Five Kings will soon enter, but I have something to say before that."
Raon approached the round table with a slight smile.
“Since we know each other well enough, let's avoid any unnecessary embarrassment.”
As Raon said this, he gently pressed his finger, devoid of any aura, onto the round table. A black hole formed on the round table, following his long, slender finger.
"Do you understand?"
As he twisted his finger again, the hole in the round table slowly filled up. It was a divine skill that transcended martial prowess. The martial groups that were alongside the Five Kings applauded, impressed, but the neutral forces who hadn't yet chosen their path looked down, seemingly remembering the beatings they had received.
"Believing that everyone will behave, I will now call upon the lords of the Five Kings."
Raon took a step back with a slight smile.
- Sigh.
Wrath exhaled empty air as he watched people tremble in fear.
- What kind of gathering of the strongest on the continent is this! They're just a bunch of thugs!
-
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