Chapter 1141
Tear! Raon transitioned into his swordsmanship, fully aware that he had breached the threshold of a new enlightenment. The refined, curving edges of the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword descended toward the throat and heart of Lust. Clang!
Lust swung a blade that shimmered with a rhythmic pink radiance, intercepting both the massive weight of the Demonic Sword and the Divine Sword at once, utilizing that very collision to propel herself into a swift riposte.
"Deflect this if you can!"
She appeared visibly thrilled, thrusting a lethal sword strike without the restraint she had shown previously. Crash! Lust's blade tore forward, causing pink fractures to spiderweb through the very atmosphere.
'In days past, I wouldn't have dreamed of meeting this head-on.'
Raon pressed his lips together as he tracked the incoming trajectory of Lust's violent slash.
'But today, I believe I am capable.'
As the Monarch of Lust, she possessed physical prowess and a conceptual domain that far transcended the limits of humanity. Regardless of his rapid development, a direct clash was usually a poor tactical choice. However, thanks to the interaction with Lust, he had gained the insight to weave raw emotion into his steel, granting him the certainty to stand his ground.
Rather than merely burning through the authority of the demon kings as a fuel source, he saturated his blade with that essence and met Lust’s advance.
Fwoosh! Raon’s steel, heavy with the fury of Wrath, slammed into Lust’s strike, which was veiled in the haze of desire. Kaboom! The moment the two contrasting blades locked, a catastrophic shockwave detonated, lancing into the heavens and pulverizing the soil beneath them. Rumble!
The force of the blast was so immense that even the barricade of holy power maintained by the Holy King, the Saintess, and hundreds of clergy members shuddered on the brink of failure.
"Ho-hold steady!"
Holy King Hoppen, though staggered by the terrifying display of power, shouted orders to the Holy Knights and priests to keep the holy barrier from shattering.
"Curse it! These damn aberrations..."
Saintess Olga, acting as the central anchor for the holy ward, braced her legs against the earth, straining to stay upright and hold the line.
"Aaaargh!"
"The pressure is overwhelming!"
"I can't maintain this..."
"Phew, this isn't a battle meant for mortals."
Several Holy Knights and clerics collapsed, unable to process the kinetic shock radiating from Raon and Lust. However, because Olga remained unyielding at the center, they prevented the total disintegration of the holy perimeter. Snap!
Raon and Lust stood amidst the fractured terrain, their weapons still ground against one another. Neither combatant was forced back by the explosion; instead, they continued to flow through their respective forms.
'Channeling a demon king's sentiment feels different.'
Raon narrowed his focus as he observed the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword straining against Lust’s weapon.
'The power is there, but the tax on the body is high.'
When he infused the sword with Wrath’s indignation rather than his own internal reservoir of feeling, his lethality and speed surged exponentially. Yet, his limbs began to feel as heavy as sodden wool, and the exhaustion of his mind and spirit seemed to outpace the gains in his martial skill.
"Incredible!"
Lust tossed her head back, a deep flush spreading from her cheeks across her entire countenance.
"It truly is you! Wrath!"
She gave a joyful cry, proclaiming that only Wrath could ever provide her with such ecstasy.
"The dance continues!"
Pink sparks flickered within Lust’s pupils. It appeared she was also ascending into a state of higher enlightenment alongside him.
"Very well. I shall dance until my very spirit is spent."
Raon's lips curled into a smirk as he executed a sequence from the Celestial Thunder Arts. The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword transformed into streaks of crimson and azure lightning, crashing down toward Lust. Boom!
Lust parried the lightning-clad strikes of the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword by simply tilting her blade at an angle. She ran her tongue over her lips in delight and pivoted her weight to launch a jagged upward stroke.
Chime! Raon caught Lust’s aggressive lunge and felt his smile broaden.
'I can see the path; I can feel the intent.'
He could sense with newfound clarity the "how" and "where" of Lust’s movements, as well as the underlying emotions she carried. It was as if her inner world was bleeding into his own consciousness through the point of contact between their swords.
"Ahahahaha!"
Lust, seemingly bursting with uncontained joy, let out a melodic laugh and unleashed a flurry of sword paths saturated with her feelings. Clang! Raon and Lust possessed eyes of different hues, yet in this instant, their gazes were mirrors of one another as they traded blows, fully immersed in a shared state of transcendence.
-Ugh!
Wrath twisted his features into a scowl as he watched Raon and Lust, both of whom had reached a synchronized state of awakening.
-These absolute lunatics, finally!
A short while ago, it was a superficial layer of enlightenment that one could be pulled from, but now Raon had slipped into a total detachment from the world. No amount of mental prodding would wake him now.
-No, he was already gone before this.
He had been screaming at Raon to retreat, but the brat hadn't acknowledged him at all. Usually, Raon would have snapped back just to be annoying, but his silence meant he had already crossed over into that state.
-Sigh...
Wrath stared up at the void and released a heavy breath.
-I have no idea how I’m going to handle the fallout of this later.
It was already nauseating to recall the promises Raon had tricked him into earlier, but now the boy was trading sword strikes while whispering like a lover—just the thought of how Lust would hunt them down after this gave him the shivers.
-Every time I’m around this brat, nothing goes as planned!
Wrath squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his head.
-I should have just enjoyed some bead ice cream and moved on from this realm...
When he opened his eyes again, dwelling on his regrets, fwoosh! He saw Lust and Raon exchange techniques with looks of pure bliss. It didn't resemble a duel anymore; it looked like a perfectly choreographed duet.
-Hmm...
Wrath let out a low, guttural sound as he noticed Lust’s usually pained or distorted expression had turned entirely radiant.
-Because of that cursed Raon, Lust’s heart is pouring into me as well.
Whether it was because he shared Raon’s vessel or because the shared enlightenment was scattering emotions into the air, he could feel the depths of Lust’s soul with agonizing clarity.
-It is profound and suffocating.
A singular, unrequited devotion toward him. Yet, that devotion didn't demand a return of love or even a glance. She was simply letting her feelings exist. It felt melancholic, almost tragic.
-Sigh.
Wrath looked upward, letting out a short huff of air.
-It was a mere fragment of the past that meant nothing. A fleeting moment. Why do you pursue me with such desperation?
He remembered the catalyst—the reason Lust truly began her obsession. As he revisited the history they shared, a ghost of a smile touched his lips involuntarily.
-If the opportunity arises later...
Wrath’s expression softened as he watched Lust, entirely lost in her own awakening, swinging her heart-infused blade.
-Let us have a proper conversation about what lies between us.
The synchronized swordplay between Raon and Lust, both adrift in their enlightenment, persisted until the sun dipped below the horizon and the shroud of night returned. Though the local architecture and the very soil had been ground into fine powder, the pair remained suspended in the air, endlessly clashing.
"When in the name of the heavens will this conclude!"
Holy King Hoppen ground his teeth together, his face appearing to have aged a decade in a single day.
"I don't care who triumphs, just let it end..."
He let out a moan of exhaustion, praying for a conclusion of any kind.
"Stop talking rubbish!"
Saintess Olga swung her leg and barked a kick into Hoppen's thigh.
"Raon must be the victor! If he falls after all this, we are all corpses!"
She screamed at him to stay focused on the warding instead of whining.
"Huff..."
"I've hit my breaking point."
"I can't... I can't hold it..."
"What kind of demons are they... Ugh!"
"I'm sorry..."
The Holy Knights and clerics had been rotating in shifts to keep the holy power barrier active, but they had finally reached the end of their endurance. One by one, they began to faint. As the priests lost consciousness, the wall of holy light, which had been hanging like a shredded banner, finally dissolved into nothing.
"Blast it!"
"Huff!"
Olga and Hoppen had also reached the limits of their physical and mental reserves and could no longer sustain the magic, allowing the wall to fall.
"There is nothing left to do! Everyone fall back! Grab the unconscious and run as far as you can!"
Olga bellowed for a retreat, frantically tending to the fallen soldiers and clergy at her side.
"The civilians are clear, so head south!"
Hoppen didn't flee immediately; he stood his ground to guide the exodus of his people. However, despite their panic, Raon and Lust were no longer in motion. They had come to a standstill.
"Huh...?"
Olga swallowed hard, watching the motionless figures of Raon and Lust.
"What's happening..."
Just as she summoned the courage to step toward Raon with wide, trembling eyes.
"Like this..."
Lust wore a smile that resembled a divine maiden from the heavens rather than a wicked sorceress.
"This is the most happiness I have known since I came into being."
She pressed her glowing cheeks with her palms, whispering that she never imagined she could feel such things.
[This King shares the sentiment.]
Raon gave a slow nod as he returned the Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword to their sheaths, the embers and frost fading away.
[And I have come to perceive the weight of the emotions you carry.]
"Truly? Truly?"
Lust clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with hope.
[However, I cannot provide you with an answer at this moment. You understand the reasons, do you not?]
He offered a non-committal reply, having gleaned that there were complicated ties between Wrath and Lust.
-Wh-what!
Wrath surged forward in sheer disbelief.
-What do you think you know? Stop talking!
He seized Raon's collar and shook him, demanding he retract the statement.
"Yes! Of course!"
Lust nodded fervently, claiming she understood perfectly.
"I am willing to wait for as long as it takes, whenever you are ready!"
Having reached such a high state of enlightenment, she was in a blissful enough mood to accept any condition he laid out.
"Hmm..."
Raon gave a small nod, glancing toward Olga, Hoppen, and the clergy who were watching from the ruins of their barrier.
'Time to wrap this up.'
The performance was nearing its finale; it was time for the antagonist to make her exit.
[Lust. This land is home to friends of mine. Since you have caused unintentional strife, make a show of your departure and then hide your presence.]
He gestured with his chin, signaling to Lust that he maintained a bond with the Suphren Holy Kingdom.
-No! Stay!
Wrath waved his arms at Lust.
-If you leave now, you’re just playing right into this brat’s hands...
"Ah!"
Lust, unable to perceive Wrath’s protests, let out a tiny gasp. She had likely seen Olga and Hoppen while she was hidden earlier, but they seemed to have slipped her mind entirely. It appeared she had a habit of forgetting everything that wasn't related to Wrath.
"I am truly sorry. I was simply overwhelmed by him..."
With eyes full of regret, as if she had committed a terrible sin, Lust bowed deeply toward Olga and Hoppen.
"My sincerest apologies..."
After offering a final, hushed apology, she dissolved into a stream of pink energy and completely vanished from detection.
"What...?"
Olga stared blankly at the empty space where Lust had just stood.
"What just happened..."
Her jaw worked up and down, unable to process the scene.
"The witch... she burned out her soul and perished!"
Hoppen threw his arms into the air, looking toward Raon.
"Lord Raon has struck down the witch of manipulation!"
He bellowed the news, believing the evidence of his own eyes.
"Wooooaaahhhh!"
"It is the Sword Emperor! No one can stand against the Sword Emperor!"
"Did you see the witch begging for forgiveness? He is truly without equal!"
"Exactly! Even a demon king is nothing to him!"
"Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor!"
The Holy Knights and priests raised their swords and staves, cheering in the belief that Lust had been destroyed.
-What kind of drivel are they shouting!
Wrath shook his head violently.
-This brat just manipulated Lust! And she isn't even dead!
He screamed for them to look closer, but his voice was lost to them.
'It’s only natural they see it that way.'
Lust was still present, but only he could feel her.
'When she gives a heartfelt apology and vanishes into pink dust with a look of despair, anyone would think she died of exhaustion.'
Since Lust wasn't much of an actress, he had subtly steered her toward a depressed expression, and the result was better than he hoped. It seemed her infatuation with Wrath had only deepened.
'That is what you call stage direction.'
-Direction, my foot!
Wrath ground his teeth together.
-You’ve ruined my existence! Now what will...
Just as he was about to demand Raon take responsibility.
"Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor!"
"The savior has arrived!"
"Woooooohhhh!"
The citizens of the Suphren Holy Kingdom hailed him as a champion, chanting the titles of Sword Emperor and Raon.
-This brat is no savior! He is a monster without a soul!
Wrath wailed, gesturing fruitlessly at the crowd.
-He is a fraud! That witch is still right there, hiding in the shadows!
He looked genuinely devastated, tears prickling at his eyes.
'It’s no use. I told you I’d get you that bead ice cream later. Just deal with it for now...'
Raon tried to quiet Wrath by patting his head.
[You have engaged in combat with <Lust>.]
[You have guided <Lust> to a state of awakening.]
[You have achieved a monumental feat.]
[All attributes...]
[Traits...]
Notification windows began to flood his vision, acknowledging the significance of his shared enlightenment with Lust.
-Ah...
The moment Wrath saw the notifications appearing in the air, the tears finally spilled over.
-Oh, for the love of...!
He let out a cry of pure, unadulterated frustration.
-What did I do to deserve this! Why must I suffer these trials!
‘Oh.’
Raon let out a soft sound of surprise at Wrath’s outburst.
‘Did you awaken too? Your emotions are certainly running high, aren’t they?’
-You absolute lunatic! Be quiet!
