Chapter 1192
—The Ring of Fire?
Wrath's gaze sharpened as he focused on Raon’s chest.
—It is... it still remains at only nine?
'That’s right. Still nine.'
Raon gave a small nod, sensing the Ring of Fire rotating around his heart with the intensity of a celestial body’s trail.
'Come to think of it, the tenth should have manifested a long time ago.'
Under normal circumstances, he ought to have dedicated more time to forging the tenth Ring of Fire before seeking the awakening required to reach his current heights. However, his path to growth had been paved through an understanding of human sentiment rather than a standard awakening. Consequently, he had vaulted into the realm of transcendence without formally upgrading his Ring of Fire, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, or the Glacier.
It was such a peculiar development that even he hadn’t foreseen it, and he had simply allowed himself to be carried along by the momentum. Now, however, the moment had arrived to generate one more ring.
—What a cursedly irritating quality!
Wrath knit his brows tightly, appearing utterly incredulous.
—How does it make any sense for a mortal who hasn't even attained 10-star martial arts to possess such a trait! No, stay! That wretched ring was like filth from the very first moment I encountered you!
The demon gnashed his teeth violently, seemingly recalling the frustration of being unable to seize Raon’s physical form because of that very Ring of Fire.
'The individual who devised it was truly remarkable.'
Raon let out a soft breath of laughter and lowered the hand that had been monitoring the ring's vibrations.
'Likely even more powerful than you?'
The warrior responsible for the Ring of Fire was the founding patriarch of House Zieghart. He was an unrivaled hero who had ended the Demonic Dragon and preserved the world. From what Raon could deduce, he was a combatant who eclipsed both Wrath and Glenn. It stood to reason that the Ring of Fire he engineered was extraordinary.
—Pure idiocy!
Wrath roared in protest.
—No mortal exists who surpasses this king!
The demon’s expression soured, adamant that the Monarch of Wrath would never suffer defeat at the hands of a human.
—Drag that fool before me this instant! I shall snap his neck like a twig!
'Not his neck—you wouldn't manage to even bend his pinky.'
Raon gave a casual shrug to the fuming Wrath.
'The creator of the Ring of Fire departed from this realm long ago.'
The first head of House Zieghart had established their legacy, planted the seeds of the future across the continent, and then vanished without a whisper. That was a millennium in the past; he might have fallen in battle or succumbed to the passage of time. Regardless, it was impossible for him to still be among the living.
—Hmph! Then this king is the victor!
Wrath let out a haughty snort, declaring that the one who remains is the one who is superior.
'I suppose that’s one way to look at it.'
Raon offered a faint smirk and nodded in agreement.
'At any rate, since I bypassed certain milestones without realizing it, I need to bridge that void.'
He traced a flawless circle in the air with his finger, symbolizing the elusive tenth ring.
—That will be no simple feat.
Wrath shook his head while watching the gesture.
—Boarding a carriage that has already departed is far more grueling than you imagine.
The demon clicked his tongue, suggesting that because the window of opportunity had passed, achieving it now—given how much Raon had already grown—might be even more taxing than it would have been originally.
'You aren't wrong.'
Raon didn't challenge Wrath’s assessment; he accepted it with a calm mind.
'Just because my power has increased doesn't mean I can effortlessly grasp the stage I should have reached previously.'
Exactly as Wrath noted, even though he had crossed the threshold of transcendence, securing the tenth ring was proving difficult. In truth, he could perceive the vague shadow of the tenth ring, but it was clear that manifesting it fully would be a trial.
—Then it shall take an eternity...
'No.'
This time, Raon cut Wrath off and held up his hand.
'Currently, there is someone who can drastically accelerate that process.'
He aimed his finger toward Glenn, who had just stepped into the annex.
—Ah!
Wrath seemed to catch his meaning, his eyes widening in realization.
'Having the finest blade-master on the continent right here is the stroke of luck of a lifetime.'
Raon moistened his lips, stating his intention to utilize Glenn’s presence to the absolute maximum.
'Like picking every last bit of meat from a shell, I intend to drain every drop of grandfather’s martial wisdom until I stand at the very peak.'
—Whoa...
Wrath’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
—After bleeding me dry, you now intend to sap your own grandfather as well?
You are a parasite in human skin!
"Hmm!"
Glenn peered out the window toward the spot where he could sense Raon’s focus and allowed a thin smile to play on his lips.
"He is transforming, bit by bit."
He nodded in approval, as if he could feel the shifts in Raon’s essence through the very air.
"How does he look?"
Sylvia set a platter of fresh fruit on the table before Glenn and Sia, then took a seat near them.
"Is Raon making progress?"
Despite her status as a Grandmaster, she seemed unable to fully interpret the dynamic between Glenn and Raon, her eyes shimmering with inquisitive energy.
"Well,"
Glenn replied, skewering a slice of melon with his fork.
"Raon is testing various evolutions, but whether they will bear fruit remains to be seen."
He noted that since Raon was at a vital crossroads, the risk of failure was significant, and he passed the fruit to Sia.
"The fact that he is trying is enough for me."
Sylvia’s expression softened into a warm smile, clearly pleased by Glenn’s report.
"It brings me peace of mind."
"Even though I mentioned the high likelihood of failure?"
Glenn tilted his head, wondering if she had fully grasped the gravity of his words.
"Yes. He might stumble, just as you suggested, Father. But he will undoubtedly pull himself up and try once more."
Sylvia folded her hands tightly as she watched Raon training under the silver glow of the moon.
"Because Raon is a person who simply does not understand how to surrender."
She spoke with absolute conviction in her son, believing that no matter the number of setbacks, he would eventually triumph.
"That's right! My little brother never falls."
Sia bolted the piece of melon and gave a broad grin.
"He told me that if you never quit, you can't be beaten by anyone!"
She squeezed her fist, echoing Raon’s philosophy verbatim.
"If you don't give up, you won't lose..."
Glenn murmured the words Sia had just spoken, a look of deep satisfaction crossing his face.
"Indeed. It is no exaggeration to say that Raon’s entire journey is distilled into those words."
His grandson, born in this very annex as a member of a peripheral branch, had ascended to the direct line through sheer grit. He had transformed the Light Wind Squad into the Light Wind Division and even claimed the title of master of the Light Wind Palace. No one on earth had more right to speak those words than he did.
"Sia. You would do well to take Raon’s words to heart..."
Glenn was about to offer further guidance to Sia when he was interrupted.
"Father-in-law!"
Edgar lunged forward, smoothing back hair that had been frizzed and curled by lightning strikes.
"I won't be outdone in the department of persistence! Just like Raon, I refuse to quit, and I will never leave your side until you finally accept me!"
He set his jaw firmly, convinced that Glenn still held him at a distance.
"Ah...?"
Glenn’s gaze turned freezing cold. His brow furrowed as if he were struggling to process Edgar’s logic.
"Glares won't work on me! They call me the leech! I'll shadow you forever until you welcome me..."
"Be quiet!"
Sylvia, unable to endure another second, snapped her foot upward and caught Edgar square in the jaw. A sharp crack rang out! Caught completely off-guard by Sylvia’s strike, Edgar’s jaw took the full force, and he tumbled back onto the floor once again.
"Do you honestly think Father struck you with lightning because of malice? It’s because you’re acting like a complete moron!"
Sylvia rapped the forehead of the already blacked-out Edgar, pleading for him to regain his sanity.
"Heh..."
Edgar was far beyond hearing her, a thin trail of drool escaping his lips as he lay unconscious.
"Sigh..."
Sia shook her head, looking at Edgar with genuine pity. Glenn blinked in silence for a moment before placing a steadying hand on Sylvia’s shoulder.
“Be strong. However...”
He let out a heavy sigh while staring at the drooling man.
"Of all people, why did it have to be this one?"
"He truly was a decent man before."
Sylvia scowled, suggesting that his brain seemed to have short-circuited after he donned the Death Knight's helmet.
"...I see. Is that the case?"
"I'm serious!"
Her voice rose slightly, wounded by Glenn’s skeptical tone.
"He was perfectly normal twenty-five years ago!"
"I said I believe you."
"But it’s the truth!"
Glenn and Sylvia engaged in their first bit of lighthearted banter, both letting out a small laugh.
'Crushing sword, variable sword, phantom sword, flexible sword, charging sword.'
Raon bit his lip as he watched Glenn’s wooden branch weave through the air like a soaring dragon.
'It would be wiser to meet them in the opposite sequence.'
Because Glenn’s flow shifted with every heartbeat, he had to formulate his counters in reverse order rather than following the standard progression of the sword's secrets. He pushed the Ring of Fire to its absolute limit. Amidst the vibration of nine rings hammering in his chest, he hunted for the placement of the tenth.
'There are no openings.'
Since he had attained transcendence, the velocity of the rings had reached a point where finding the space to weave the flames together for a tenth ring was nearly impossible.
'Even so, I’ve managed to manifest roughly half of it.'
Through their thrice-daily duels, he had gained the ability to briefly summon an incomplete version of the tenth ring. This, at the very least, extended the window of time he could spend analyzing Glenn’s movements.
'Just a bit more precision... Wait?'
Raon’s eyes snapped wide as he dissected the swordplay.
'What? I was certain there were only five?'
The display Glenn was currently maintaining consisted of five distinct sword mysteries. Yet, peering closer now, it seemed there was a sixth mystery layered within that he had previously missed.
'Is this why I've been losing so decisively without even putting up a fight?'
It was becoming clear that he had spent the last two weeks being pummeled simply because he hadn't perceived the secret Glenn was concealing.
'I can't identify the nature of this hidden technique.'
Likely because the tenth ring remained unfinished, he couldn't grasp the essence of the additional mystery Glenn had woven into the harmony.
'It can't be helped. Even if I can't decipher it, I'm going in!'
Unable to finalize the tenth ring, Raon synchronized nine and a half rings and lunged with Heavenly Drive toward Glenn’s advancing branch. A thunderous roar filled the air! His own technique, forged specifically to nullify Glenn’s mysteries, cut a massive swath through the air like a horizon line.
Despite pouring every ounce of his nine Rings of Fire, his total aura, and his peak physical strength into the strike, the conclusion remained the same.
A sharp snap! Raon was hurled backward along with his blade, tumbling through the garden's undergrowth. Glenn’s branch was poised against his chest, looking exactly as it had at the start.
"I... I yield."
Raon ground his teeth as he confessed his defeat. It was staggering that Glenn could funnel such monumental swordsmanship through a mere twig.
"Hmm!"
Glenn acknowledged the surrender and lowered the branch.
"What did you gather today?"
He tilted his head slightly, prompting Raon to share his observations.
"The mysteries the Head of House demonstrated initially were the crushing, variable, phantom, flexible, and charging swords. But..."
Raon glanced at the white mist curling off Heavenly Drive's edge before looking up.
"A different mystery was introduced in the middle. I managed to perceive its presence for the first time."
Locking eyes with Glenn, he informed him that he was finally beginning to read the rhythm of his blade.
"Two weeks, then. You have finally arrived at the starting gate."
Glenn gave a firm nod, confirming that Raon’s intuition was correct.
"However, if you cannot identify the nature of that swordplay, the reason for its mid-flow emergence, and how it maintains the internal harmony, you will never bypass this branch."
He brushed off his palms as if the real work was only just beginning and headed back toward the annex.
'To think he would detect that in only a fortnight. He is my own blood, but he is truly a monster.'
Glenn felt a chill of excitement at the sheer speed of Raon’s progress and suppressed a chuckle.
'But the road ahead will be far more brutal. Even with the best of luck, he might only reach it just before the conflict...'
He was weighing Raon’s potential against the coming storm. A soft rustling sound occurred. The leaves on the branch Glenn held suddenly drifted away, revealing clean, razor-sharp edges as if they had been sliced by an invisible edge.
"Huh."
He quickly swept the severed leaves into his palm so Raon wouldn't notice, his eyes flashing with newfound intensity.
'My assessment was flawed.'
Glenn cast a side-long glance at the contemplative Raon and allowed the corners of his mouth to curve upward.
'The pace might actually quicken from this point on.'
