C1072
"Raon! Are you awake?"
Sia ran towards Raon with a radiant smile that resembled spring flowers.
"Yes, just now."
Raon carefully caught Sia as she leaped into his outstretched arms.
"I'm so glad you're safe."
Sia hugged him tightly, saying she had been very worried. Though the warm temperature of her body naturally made him smile, there was something he needed to ask first.
"Why is that person with you, Sister?"
Raon pointed to Darkan, who was still standing by the lake.
"I'm not sure. He suddenly appeared and started giving swordsmanship advice, teaching with the same ease as you."
Sia lowered her head, saying her skills had improved thanks to Darkan's teachings.
"Of course! No one in this world has mastered more sword techniques than me!"
Darkan burst into a loud laugh, saying he couldn't help but teach well given the amount of sword techniques he knew.
"Why? Is he a bad person?"
Sia tilted her head, seemingly having taken a liking to Darkan.
"He's not a bad person. However..."
Raon shook his head as he let Sia down on the ground.
"He's not a good person either."
The most accurate word to describe Darkan was chaos. Neither good nor bad. He was a madman who would do anything for swordsmanship.
"Well, he can see perfectly fine, but he wears an eyepatch as if he's pretending to be pitiful."
Sia shook her fist, insisting that Darkan could clearly see.
"T-that's not true."
Raon's shoulders trembled slightly. He felt uncomfortable explaining Darkan's act of madness of tearing out his own eye for strength.
"Anyway, learn what you can from him, but don't get attached. He's the type who could point his sword at you at any moment."
He grabbed Sia's shoulders as he warned her to be careful around Darkan.
"He's constantly been asking me to fight, saying my swordsmanship is interesting."
Sia crossed her fingers, saying Darkan had challenged her to spar more than ten times.
"Are you really crazy? Why would you want to spar with my sister?!"
Raon frowned as he looked at Darkan.
"You're underestimating your sister. She already has the basics. Since it's come to this, you'll be the referee."
Darkan ignored his words and instead gestured for him to officiate the match. He was truly insane.
- Sigh! I knew it would be like this.
Wrath sighed, saying Darkan hadn't changed.
"Sister. Ignore his challenges. Never cross swords with him."
Raon shook his head at Sia, telling her to keep ignoring the training requests.
"Alright. I understand."
Sia smiled sweetly, agreeing to follow his words. Whether during her adolescence or now, she had always prioritized his advice above all else.
"What a shame. It would have been fun."
Darkan licked his lips, seemingly regretting not being able to fight Sia.
"Fun only for you."
Raon shook his head repeatedly.
"I trained my sister. Once my wounds heal, I'll be your opponent."
Raon pointed to himself, offering to spar instead of Sia.
"That wouldn't be bad either."
Darkan raised his eyebrows slightly, looking intrigued.
"Now tell me. Why are you in Zieghart?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Darkan's thin smile.
"What a strange question. I came because I was called."
Darkan pointed to himself, saying he had received a formal invitation.
"You received an invitation?"
"Yes. In fact, I almost died too."
He lifted his shirt to show the ink-black scars etched on his chest and shoulder.
"Death aura..."
Seeing how it had pierced Darkan's aura and willpower to leave such horrific sword wounds, it was clearly Derus' death aura.
"That's right. It was completely different from regular death energy."
Darkan frowned, saying that while death energy and death aura came from the same root, their power was infinitely different.
"Honestly, it was very dangerous. I barely survived thanks to your grandfather saving me and that beggar who lives there treating me."
He clicked his tongue briefly as he touched the wound on his chest.
"Was it that dangerous? For someone like you?"
Raon swallowed as he watched Darkan lower his shirt.
'Was Derus that strong?'
Though Derus had become stronger, he thought Darkan could easily handle him. Especially since Darkan had mastered the Soul Weapon realm, he thought he could even capture Derus, but he never imagined that Darkan would be defeated in this way.
- That madman...
Wrath deeply frowned as he looked at Darkan.
- He's weakened.
'Weakened?'
- Indeed. Those physical wounds are just the tip of the iceberg; his mind and soul have suffered great trauma.
'Now that you mention it...'
Following Wrath's lead, Raon bit his lip as he observed Darkan.
'Darkan's soul realm has diminished.'
Except when pretending to be a beggar, Darkan always openly displayed his spiritual pressure. As someone who showed off his strength to everyone, the reduction in his soul power was clearly noticeable.
"Seems like you've realized."
Darkan chuckled and nodded.
"As you thought, I've weakened. I made a big mistake falling for Derus' trap."
"A big mistake?"
"Actually, more than a trap or a mistake, I was just unlucky."
"Is it about the Soul Weapon?"
"Exactly."
He snapped his fingers, confirming the answer.
"Derus was certainly strong, but I could have blocked him with my martial prowess at that time. However, when I used the Soul Weapon to fight him properly, I realized something was wrong."
Darkan's face paled.
"Derus didn't have just one soul. Beneath the soul we knew, there was an enormous soul of unimaginable size..."
Darkan told him everything that had happened in the Soul Weapon realm.
"If Glenn Zieghart hadn't come, both I and that old musclehead would have died."
Darkan let out a short sigh, saying he survived thanks to Glenn. Seeing how he referred to Frederick as a beggar and Ogram as the old musclehead, it seemed he barely recognized anyone who wasn't a swordsman.
"A massive soul formed by combining shadow-like entities..."
Raon imagined the soul Derus had been hiding as Darkan described it. A massive congregation of souls covering the entire mental world, with thousands of blinking eyes. Just thinking about it made his hair stand on end.
- Do you know what it is?
'No, I don't know either.'
Though he thought he knew more about Derus than anyone, he hadn't known about the existence of another massive soul within him.
'He said it was like a shadow, right?'
What was the connection between Derus and shadows? Derus favored the term "shadow" enough to name his important assassination organization with that name. Since even his soul rippled darkly like a shadow, there had to be some relationship.
'Of course, I shouldn't think too much about it.'
With so few clues about Derus' soul, it seemed better to accept the current information for now.
"So you weakened because the mental image created by your Soul Weapon collapsed."
Raon nodded, saying he understood now.
"Yes. The upper dantian suffered enough damage to almost break, so I couldn't help but weaken. However, that's not all."
Darkan raised a finger and touched his temple.
"Derus possessed the ability to steal the power of others."
"What?"
Raon swallowed as he saw Darkan's severe expression.
'Steal martial prowess?'
He knew Derus had several abilities, but stealing the power of others during battle was something he had never heard of before. Now he understood why that guy had grown so quickly.
"Wait..."
Raon swallowed as he looked at Darkan.
"If you were defeated in the mental world created by the Soul Weapon..."
"Yes."
Darkan nodded calmly in confirmation.
"He took my Soul Weapon. Though he didn't steal it all, he'll certainly be able to reach the Soul Weapon realm."
He frowned, saying that the next time they meet, Derus might be able to use the Soul Weapon.
"If he creates a Soul Weapon with that massive soul, no one will be able to resist it."
Darkan twisted his lips, saying even Glenn might have a hard time.
"Except me, of course!"
He clenched his fist as if confident he could still defeat Derus.
"Now that I've told my story..."
Darkan approached him as he licked his lips.
"Let's fight!"
He unsheathed his sword, ready to fight immediately.
- Isn't he just a dog?
Wrath let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
- Just like dogs drool when they see bones, that guy clearly gets excited just seeing a sword.
He seemed like he was crazy, but firmly crazy.
"I told you I haven't recovered yet."
Raon shook his head, saying he still had wounds and his physical and mental strength hadn't fully recovered.
"Then I'll wait. Five minutes should be enough, right?"
"..."
Five minutes, he says. This man's sense of time seemed different from normal humans.
"The Head of House must know about Derus taking your Soul Weapon, right?"
Raon moved his chin as he watched Darkan repeatedly grab and release his sword.
"I doubt it."
Darkan shook his head as if it were obvious.
"Eh? Why?"
"Because he didn't ask."
He lowered his hand, saying he didn't say it because he wasn't asked. *Pum!* Raon slapped his forehead and squeezed his eyes.
'This person really is...'
An impossible madman!
***
As soon as dawn broke, Raon left the annex building.
"I'll go with you!"
Darkan followed him to the Lord's Mansion audience chamber, saying it would be interesting.
"I'm presenting myself to the Head of House."
"Should we have a spar?"
Unlike Raon's courteous greeting, Darkan immediately lifted his chin, suggesting a fight. However, unlike when he challenged Raon or Sia, he didn't seem serious.
"Pass."
Glenn waved his hand, saying it wasn't the time to fight now.
"Stand up."
At his command, Raon's knees straightened and his back naturally straightened. Glenn's aura reached the heavens.
"It seems you don't have any serious injuries."
Glenn nodded calmly, saying he had been worried he wouldn't be able to visit, but he was glad Raon was safe.
- That old man makes lies so smoothly!
Wrath shook his head in utter denial.
- He came every day and took turns watching with that crazy woman, but he says he couldn't visit! There should be limits to lying!
He frowned, saying Glenn's obsession rivaled Evelyn's.
"Thank you for your concern, Head of House."
With Darkan present, he bowed as he addressed him as Head of House instead of grandfather.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Glenn's curved lips trembled slightly, seeming satisfied with those words alone.
"Did you catch a cold? Why are you coughing like that?"
Darkan lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Glenn.
"Just clear your throat!"
He openly pointed out what no one had dared to mention before.
"...No."
Glenn quickly looked away in embarrassment.
"Well. Since you were unconscious, you must be curious about what happened."
He seemed to try to change the subject by addressing Raon.
"Yes. I heard about Derus from Darkan, but I don't know about the other matters."
Raon lowered his hand, saying he would listen.
"Hmm? I'm sure I told you not to tell him?"
Glenn frowned as he looked at Darkan.
"I don't need to listen to you. Unless it's about swordsmanship, of course."
Darkan shrugged as if asking why he should listen. Actually, he wasn't wrong.
"Haaa..."
Glenn let out a deep sigh as he massaged his temple as if he had a headache.
"I'll just explain from the beginning. After you fell unconscious..."
He explained in detail what had happened after Raon lost consciousness.
"Thanks to Princess Jayna, we were able to go to the Beast Union and save Darkan and Ogram."
"Princess Jayna went that far..."
Raon smiled softly as he remembered the look in Jayna's eyes when they first met and during this war.
'She's really changed a lot.'
There's a saying that people don't change, but looking at Jayna and Karoon, that didn't seem absolutely true.
"I have a question."
Raon raised his hand towards Glenn.
"How strong was Derus Robert?"
"Besides the Heavenly Demon and me, no one can face him."
Glenn shook his head, saying that the current Darkan couldn't stop Derus.
"That..."
"No need to worry."
Darkan smiled as he looked at Glenn.
"Even after consuming my power, Derus was still defeated by your grandfather! It was beautiful swordsmanship!"
He revealed an ecstatic look in his eyes, saying he wished he had been on the receiving end of Glenn's sword. He truly wasn't normal.
"And I can win too. Fighting isn't just about martial prowess."
Darkan pounded his chest with his fist, showing his confidence.
"Um, I have something to tell you, Head of House."
Raon bit his lip deeply as he looked at Glenn.
"Speak."
"It seems Derus has reached the Soul Weapon realm by consuming Darkan's mental image."
He sighed deeply as he told Glenn what he had heard from Darkan.
"I see."
However, Glenn's expression remained unchanged, as if he already knew.
"Did you know?"
"Since Derus stole Darkan's power, and it happened in the mental world created by the Soul Weapon, I naturally thought it was possible. Besides..."
Glenn raised a finger to point at Darkan.
"That guy came and told me directly. He was rambling about wanting to fight Derus after he masters the Soul Weapon."
"What?"
Raon turned to look at Darkan with wide eyes.
"You said you didn't tell him!"
"That was a lie."
Darkan laughed as he waved his hand. Perhaps due to the shock in his upper dantian, he seemed even crazier than before.
"I told you not to believe my words unless they're about swords and swordsmanship."
He openly told them not to trust him.
"But this was about swordsmanship!"
"..."
Darkan fell silent as if he had no answer to that. He was truly insane.
"You must be worried about Derus using the Soul Weapon with that massive soul hidden inside."
Glenn nodded as if he was reading his thoughts.
"Yes... As Darkan said, if he creates a Soul Weapon with such a massive soul, no one could stop him."
"No need for so much worry."
He stood up from his throne and stood at the edge of the platform. The sunlight coming through the window rippled like a golden cloak.
"The Soul Weapon isn't a martial art that gets stronger just because the soul is bigger. Just as a remarkable sword requires tens of thousands of hammer blows, forging a Soul Weapon requires time spent in anguish hammering one's own soul."
Glenn lowered his hand, saying there was no need to rush.
"Since it will take a long time to forge a Soul Weapon using a soul that isn't his own, there's no need to worry about him."
He nodded, saying this would actually delay his growth.
"Focus only on forging your Soul Weapon with your own soul. A single sharp remarkable sword can pierce through hundreds of great swords."
With Glenn's words, the shadow of Derus that seemed to constrain his shoulders suddenly vanished.
"I understand."
Raon nodded, saying he would focus on himself.
"I watched your battles from beginning to end. You must have had many difficult times, thank you for holding on well."
Glenn nodded with a serious gaze, saying they were able to win this war thanks to him.
"We will formally recognize and reward your achievements soon, so you can wait."
His lips curled like a newly caught fish as he mentioned the rewards that matched their achievements. He seemed truly pleased.
"Thank you. However, I didn't achieve it alone, but thanks to the help of others."
Raon bowed his head, thinking about everyone who participated in the war, starting with Darkan beside him.
"Ah, what about the injured?"
Thinking about others reminded him of the Five Kings Transcendants who had been badly injured.
"Fortunately, no one has died since the war. Not only Darkan, but Ogram is also alive and well. However..."
Glenn massaged his temple as he lowered his gaze.
"Lecross' condition isn't good."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"It's not just about wielding a sword, they say he might never wake up."
"Ah..."
The White Blood Religion headquarters had both the Ragged Saint Frederick and the Saintess Olga. If even their combined power couldn't heal him, it meant his condition was truly critical.
"I see..."
Raon bit his lip deeply.
'I expected it, but hearing it directly...'
It gave him a headache. Despite being cut in the heart by Denier's sword, Lecross had stayed until the end to stop the Leader of the White Blood Religion. Having fought not only with his body and willpower, but with his own life force, even if he woke up, he wouldn't be able to use his power as the Silent Sword Master.
'We finally killed the Leader of the White Blood Religion, but at a great cost.'
Lecross' life was in danger, and Chamber, Larian, and Alice were in no condition to fight. Even Ogram, though his strength had recovered, couldn't fight immediately due to his injuries.
'And on top of that...'
He turned his gaze to look at Darkan beside him.
'Even Darkan, who could have been used as a card against Derus, has fallen.'
Darkan needed a long period of recovery due to the severe shock to his upper dantian. While the Five Kings alliance hadn't suffered many casualties, the serious injuries of their strongest fighters were painful.
- Still, there are only two guys left!
Wrath snorted, saying it would be over once they killed Eden and Derus.
'Eden aside, Derus still has great power.'
- Great power? Ah!
Wrath's eyes filled with cold energy as if he had just remembered something.
- Those damned Angels!
'Not just Angels, but Archangels.'
Seeing how the number of Archangels had increased one by one since Uriel, even with the death of the Leader of the White Blood Religion and The Fallen, they were still clearly outnumbered in terms of Transcendants.
'There's no other way...'
Raon shook his head with a deep sigh.
'I'll have to start that plan.'
- That plan? What plan are you talking about?
Wrath opened his eyes wide with curiosity.
'Who knows?'
Raon gave a dark, cold smile as he looked at the curious Wrath.
- W-why are you smiling at me? It's making me uncomfortable!
'Because looking at you makes me smile.'
He gave an even darker smile to Wrath, who had opened his eyes wide in confusion.
- Why are you smiling! Tell me!
Wrath seemed to sense something ominous in his smile and backed away with a trembling tail.
'Hehe.'
- Stop smiling, it's scary! What are you planning to do to me?!
'Jajajaja.'
Raon created a chilling smile by twisting only his lips while keeping his eyes unchanged.
- That crazy woman and that sword maniac were nothing compared to this!
Wrath shouted as he gasped.
- You're the biggest lunatic across all dimensions!
-
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