C1045
"You..."
Raon exhaled sharply as he looked at Darkan's face.
"What happened to your eyes...?"
Unlike before, Darkan's eyes were now completely visible, no longer covered by an eye patch.
"This is my mental world."
Darkan pointed to the gray ground with his finger, curling his lips upward.
"It's a space that reflects the soul, not the physical body, so it's not strange that my eyes are here."
"The mental world..."
Raon frowned as he looked around the space filled only with gray ground.
"Don't tell me you're trying to get revenge for that time?"
Raon thought that Darkan might have brought him to his mental world to get revenge for when they first met in the Holy Grounds of the Holy Sword Alliance, where Darkan had tested him and accidentally touched Wrath's soul, being pulled into his mental world.
"No."
Darkan shook his head firmly.
"Didn't I tell you? I said I would reward you for your help. Besides..."
He smiled slightly as he looked at Raon.
"Why would I seek revenge for that? It was incredibly useful for me."
"It was incredibly useful?"
"Yes. Thanks to that experience, I was able to find a clue to create my own Soul Sword."
Darkan laughed, saying that he actually wanted to thank Wrath.
"What do you mean by your own Soul Sword?"
Raon squinted as he observed Darkan's relaxed expression.
"Isn't the Soul Sword just a martial art that cuts the enemy's soul?"
"I thought so too."
Darkan rubbed his chin calmly.
"Your grandfather's Soul Sword is the ultimate form of that image. If I hadn't tried to cut multiple people at once, I wouldn't exist in this world anymore."
He sighed, saying that Glenn's Soul Sword was more than just a mythical instant death magic.
"That was the only Soul Sword I had ever seen, so at first, I followed that path too. But..."
Darkan stroked his carefully trimmed beard.
"It's not fun."
"What?"
Raon blinked as he watched Darkan lower his hand.
"What do you mean it's not fun...?"
"Exactly what I said. Learning the Soul Sword is enjoyable above all, but the moment to actually use it to cut someone's soul is so fleeting that it feels empty."
Darkan clicked his tongue, saying it didn't fit his personality.
"I'm different from your grandfather. My goal isn't to perfectly kill the enemy. I want to see what kind of swordsmanship they have learned and how. I want to see the culmination of the swordsman's efforts."
A red glimmer of excitement sparkled in his eyes.
"So after being defeated by the Azure King inside you, I came up with my own Soul Sword."
"Don't tell me this is..."
Raon murmured that he finally understood as he lowered his gaze to the gray ground.
"That's right. My Soul Sword doesn't cut the enemy's soul but attracts it to my mental world."
Darkan nodded, saying that he was able to create this type of Soul Sword thanks to his experience with Wrath.
"Here, we clash sword against sword, and soul against soul."
He curved his lips, saying it was no different from heaven.
"What do you think? Doesn't it sound delightful?"
"Ha!"
Raon burst into laughter as he looked at Darkan, who was smiling without a trace of dust.
"You're insane..."
He couldn't help but call him crazy. The Soul Sword was supposed to be the final stage of swordsmanship where one sharpens their own soul to instantly divide the enemy's soul. This was how Glenn used it, and that was the direction Raon was following.
But Darkan had created this absurd Soul Sword, not to kill the enemy, but to savor and feel their swordsmanship more perfectly.
In a way, it seemed more like a Sword Domain than a Soul Sword.
"Of course, this Soul Sword doesn't always succeed."
Darkan continued, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"At a minimum, one must possess a Transcendent-level soul to be brought into this world. Souls below that level are too weak and die before they can be attracted."
He smiled slightly, saying that was why he hadn't thought of calling Raon here from the start.
"I see..."
Raon massaged his temples, feeling a pulse in his mind.
"It really is a Soul Sword that suits you perfectly."
If Wrath had seen this, he would have repeatedly called Darkan insane, but to Raon, it seemed like a skill that fit Darkan perfectly.
"But your mental world is quite simple. The color of the ground is unique, but there's nothing else here."
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he scanned the world that showed only gray ground.
"What are you talking about?"
Darkan shook his head as if Raon was seeing it wrong.
"What you're stepping on isn't earth; it's a sword."
"One, a sword?"
Raon opened his eyes in surprise as he looked at the gray ground again.
"Follow me."
Darkan gestured with his finger and floated into the air.
"Hmm..."
Raon licked his lips briefly before following Darkan into the sky.
"This should be high enough. Look down."
After rising high in the sky for a while, Darkan lowered his hand, telling Raon to look down. Following his words, Raon looked down to see that what appeared to be ground was actually in the shape of a massive sword.
"Insane..."
Raon couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
'Was it really a sword?'
As Darkan had said, what he had been stepping on was not earth but a massive, sharp sword. Now he understood why the floor had been gray.
'This goes beyond being obsessed with swords.'
He had entered the mental worlds of others a few times before, but this was the first time he had seen someone so singularly focused. It felt like looking at a beast rather than a human.
"You..."
Raon exhaled sharply as he looked at Darkan.
"Do you like swords that much?"
He had been called obsessed with swords many times, but not to Darkan's level.
'No, such a question is unnecessary.'
Darkan was a person who, despite being one of the strongest on the continent, had learned to be a beggar, even receiving a slap from Raon, to improve his swordsmanship. Seeing that he had created a skill not to kill enemies with his Soul Sword, but to see more swordsmanship, it was clear that he was obsessed with swords to a degree Raon could not match.
"Yes. All my interests and curiosities are about swords."
Darkan twisted his lips, saying that both his hobby and specialty were swordsmanship.
"If I could show the ultimate sword with my own hands, I would be happy to die here and now."
He smiled serenely as he looked at the massive sword he had forged himself.
'Saying that he is obsessed with swords is not enough. But...'
Raon licked his lips as he looked into Darkan's eyes, filled with warmth.
'Thinking about it, I am similar.'
If Darkan had created his mental world with a massive sword, Raon had filled his with countless swords and sword techniques. The texture was different, but the ideal they pursued was similar.
'If I didn't have the goal of avenging Derus Robert, my goal might have been the ultimate sword like Darkan.'
Since he had found the practice of swordsmanship fun and joyful rather than difficult and boring, he could understand Darkan's feelings a bit now. He had postponed it because he had something he needed to achieve even if he died twice, but if he had lived an ordinary life, he might have thought only about swords like Darkan.
"Now that I've seen your entire mental world, let's begin."
Raon placed his hand on the Heavenly Drive as he looked at Darkan.
"I don't need to say much, which is really nice."
Darkan nodded with a smile.
"What you have to do is simple. Just engage in swordsmanship with me until you leave this world."
He moved his hand as if the very idea was delicious.
"Sounds good."
Raon smiled as he drew the Heavenly Drive from his waist.
"Since I've come this far, I should show all the swordsmanship I have."
"I thought you would understand me."
Darkan nodded as he summoned a black sword in the air.
"Then let's begin."
As Darkan's voice lowered, his aura, no, the caliber of his soul increased terrifyingly. The overwhelming aura shook the vast mental world. The fool who had been talking about beggars with him no longer existed.
The Dark Night Sword God Darkan, who made bones and flesh tremble just by looking at him, had descended before his eyes.
"I'll go first."
Darkan grabbed his black sword with his right hand and smiled chillingly. His tone was firm, saying he would not yield as a senior, but it suited him too well.
"Since it has come to this..."
Raon twisted his lips and deflected Darkan's sword with his footwork.
"Let's enjoy it to the fullest."
***
Raon exhaled a murky breath as he clashed swords with Darkan head-on.
'How much time has passed?'
He wasn't sure whether hours or even days had gone by. He had been crossing swords with Darkan without paying attention to time, so he had no idea how long it had been since he arrived here.
"I didn't know that even the soul could get tired."
His vision was trembling, and his soul-made body wasn't moving properly, perhaps because the time he could remain in this world was running out. Although Darkan had been controlling his strength while they fought, it seemed they would have finished much earlier if they had fought properly.
"It seems you've reached your limit."
Darkan clicked his tongue as he lowered his sword.
"Well, you must be tired. No one has lasted as long as you in this world."
He exclaimed with astonishment that it was quite surprising that Raon had stayed in this world for so long.
"Is it strange? How can a young man barely over 20 have a soul greater than even martial prowess?"
Darkan exhaled sharply, saying that the caliber of Raon's soul was more astonishing than his martial prowess.
"From now on, it might be better for you to refine that soul instead of swordsmanship..."
"Hey."
Raon breathed out briefly and called Darkan.
"As you said, there isn't much time left, so we're not just going to finish with talks, right?"
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive toward Darkan and gestured with his chin.
"I still have one last sword left."
He had shown all the sword techniques he had learned while fighting Darkan here, but he hadn't displayed one final sword technique. It seemed he would only be satisfied after pouring that out.
"Ha! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Darkan burst into laughter that shook this space, holding his forehead.
"There was someone even more obsessed with swords than me!"
He nodded as if he was pleased rather than angry.
"Good. Come."
Darkan extended his arms as if to receive everything.
"You better be careful."
Raon bit his lip as he gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands.
"This time will be different."
As Darkan's voice sank, his aura, no, the caliber of his soul increased terrifyingly. The overwhelming aura shook the vast mental world. The fool who had been talking about beggars with him no longer existed.
"Beyond my expectations!"
Darkan smiled, showing his teeth with excitement.
"I'll accept it!"
He lowered his black sword toward the Sword Domain that rose incessantly from Raon. The desire and will of a swordsman who had walked a single path his entire life turned into black flames and fell. As the golden flash and black radiance collided, Darkan's mental world, made only of swords, shattered into thousands of pieces.
When Raon opened his eyes, feeling his soul twisting, he saw Darkan with his eyes covered by an eye patch.
"Ugh!"
Raon clutched his chest and fell to his knees on the ground filled with rubble from buildings.
'Have I returned?'
It seemed he had been surprised in Darkan's mental world and had returned to reality.
"Raon!"
Rector, who had been watching the battle, ran toward him and supported him.
"What happened?"
He bit his lip, looking at Raon with worried eyes.
-You. Where have you been!
Wrath hit Raon's shoulder.
-Your soul disappeared from this world for about a minute!
He frowned, saying he would have devoured Raon's body if he had arrived a little later.
"I went to Darkan's mental world."
-Mental world?
"W-mental world?"
"Actually..."
Raon told Rector and Wrath what had happened in Darkan's mental world.
"Huh..."
Rector exhaled sharply, as if he had never even thought of such a thing.
-Insane... I can only say it's really insane!
Wrath gasped, astonished to hear that Darkan's Soul Sword had changed because of him.
-A madman who complements you perfectly has finally appeared!
He bit his lip, saying that Raon and Darkan were on the same level.
"It was a splendid sword."
Darkan nodded calmly, as if he was satisfied.
"The only regret is that I saw it before it was complete."
He briefly licked his lips, seeming to have noticed that Heaven's Rift was not a complete sword.
"If I may offer a piece of advice, your final sword did not include a Soul Sword. If you harmonize it with a Soul Sword, it will become a completely different sword."
Darkan offered advice on how to develop Heaven's Rift, moving his hand.
"Soul Sword..."
Raon furrowed his brows as he looked at Darkan's smile.
'Indeed, I couldn't afford that luxury.'
As he still couldn't create a Soul Sword with his own power, he hadn't even thought of incorporating the flow of a Soul Sword into Heaven's Rift. If he improved that aspect, it seemed another Heaven's Rift would be created, as Darkan said.
"Thank you for the advice. However..."
Raon gestured to Darkan.
"Heaven's Rift has no end. It's a sword that will rise beyond completion."
"A sword that will rise beyond completion..."
Darkan smiled with joy, as if he remembered the Heaven's Rift he had seen at the end.
"That's great confidence. But you're not wrong."
He nodded, as if he awaited that day.
"And you said you would teach me, but it seems you enjoyed it more?"
"Maybe."
Darkan laughed, not seeming embarrassed at all.
"But I will definitely fulfill the other promise."
He gestured to Raon.
"Derus Robert. I will stop him."
Darkan licked his lips as he said he would keep that promise. He seemed to be looking forward to Derus's swordsmanship.
"I'll trust you."
Raon took a transparent marble from his pocket space and tossed it to Darkan.
"I'll contact you with that when I have a plan, so keep it with you."
"Well, since I have to leave this place, it will be necessary."
Darkan said it was a good idea as he placed the marble against his chest.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I have reached enlightenment as a beggar, so now I need to find another path."
He was already looking for a new path, even though he had just reached enlightenment.
"What will you do next?"
"Well? I've been a king, and I've been a beggar; perhaps I’ll try to start a normal family?"
Darkan smiled faintly as he looked at the surrounding houses.
"It seems that one of the reasons your grandfather reached his current level is because of you."
He waved his hand, saying it might not be bad to create a family for that purpose.
"If you’re going to do it, do it right, and if not, don't do it at all."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"A family is not something you create alone. If you can't be sincere with others, you'll be making the same mistake you did when pretending to be a beggar."
He lowered his brows, telling Darkan to think first about the responsibility if he was going to start a family.
"I know. I learned that from you."
Darkan nodded as if to tell Raon not to worry.
"Well then."
He waved his hand as if to say goodbye and disappeared into a dark alley. The way he left without any attachment to this place suited his title as the Dark Night Sword God perfectly. Of course, he still looked like a beggar dressed in rags.
"Well, it seems it ended well."
Rector sighed in relief as if he were fortunate.
"Yes. In fact, I thought it would be a great gain just to persuade him, but I also got other benefits."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"Other benefits?"
"Yes. As I said, thanks to being dragged into Darkan's mental world, my swordsmanship improved a lot."
Darkan had brought him to his mental world for his own enjoyment, but Raon had also been able to elevate his Ten Thousand Swords by exchanging swords with a top-level Transcendent.
-Hmph. Even so, it doesn't mean much. It's not enlightenment, nor did you gain a trait...
As Wrath snorted and shook his head, the rewards for this incident came pouring in.
[You have participated in a soul competition with a powerful being that has reached the heavens.]
[All skills increase by 20 points.]
[The caliber of your soul increases significantly.]
[The realm of the Ten Thousand Swords increases significantly.]
[The grade of the trait <Soul Sword (Spirit)> increases.]
As if mocking Wrath, the rewards for this incident came pouring in.
-Huh? W-what? Why suddenly...
Wrath opened his eyes in surprise as he looked at the messages, astonished.
'As expected, Wrath is generous.'
Raon smiled as he watched Wrath's trembling mouth.
'Your mouth is my fortune. Thank you.'
-This is not what I meant to say!
Wrath's shout echoed through the alleys of the royal capital, commemorating the new bond with Darkan.
-
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