Chapter 1203
'Keep it together.'
Raon came to a halt, deliberately smoothing out his respiration.
'I cannot strike that wretch down yet.'
Because of the shadow of Derus Robert, a visceral loathing for the Angel race surged within him. He had to manually steady his pulse to prevent his hand from instinctively drawing his blade. A hum of shifting radiance filled the air. High above, the sanctuary's dome leaked a torrential gold, as if a captive sun had been bolted to the ceiling.
Bathed in that blinding luster stood a figure with hair even more brilliant than the light itself.
With skin like unblemished porcelain, a profile as sharp as a silver moon, and eyes the color of a bottomless alpine lake, he possessed the ethereal grace of a worldly deity.
'Just as I suspected.'
Raon tightened his jaw, stepping toward the golden-haired man who wore a mask of benevolent warmth.
'The bastard is undeniably an Angel.'
The proximity only confirmed it; the unique, suffocating sanctity of the Angels radiated from him. It was a pressure that made the marrow feel heavy, a divine weight upon the soul that no mortal could naturally withstand.
-What is this nonsense about your legs giving out!
Wrath barked a cynical laugh, clearly offended by the display.
-A creature of that stature? You could snuff him out with your bare knuckles, never mind a sword!
He snorted in derision, dismissing Raon’s feigned weakness as total rubbish.
'He is underwhelming, though.'
Despite the magnificent facade, the golden-haired Angel didn't radiate true power. As Wrath pointed out, Raon felt he could settle this without even unsheathing his weapon.
-He isn't lacking. It’s simply...
Wrath’s brow twitched in a rare moment of gravity.
-That you have grown monstrously powerful.
The demon shook his head, noting that an ordinary warrior would likely collapse just trying to hold that Angel’s gaze.
'Look at you, offering another compliment.'
Raon let a ghost of a smirk touch his lips.
-It isn't a compliment, it is an observation...
'Regardless, if your assessment holds, I need to look even more crushed by his presence.'
Raon decided to lean into the role of a lowly Expert-level human. He allowed a visible tremor to take hold of his limbs.
'The others are already lost to him.'
The temple was occupied by more than just himself. The rest of the arrivals were already spellbound by the man’s aura, collapsing into positions of worship as if a god had descended. Raon felt a surge of grim amusement watching these wealthy elite, draped in silks and gems, sobbing out desperate supplications.
'My theory was sound.'
Every person gathered here was someone whose life had been dictated by their own rapacious cravings.
It confirmed his hunch: one gained entry to this so-called 'heaven' by festering in negative impulses, letting their greed and ugliness bloom until it reached a breaking point.
'And yet...'
Raon’s eyes narrowed as he observed the others. Some were salivating, some were weeping hysterically, and others were gnashing their teeth in a blind fury.
'They’ve crossed a line. This isn't just devotion.'
Even for a first meeting with a divine being, their behavior was too volatile. They didn't just look inspired; they looked shattered. He couldn't quite grasp why these people, who were merely greedy outside, had turned into raving lunatics the moment they crossed the threshold.
"Uh... ah..."
Adopting a faltering gait, Raon mimicked the fearful reverence he had shown when first entering the Land of Clouds. He sank to his knees, eyes shimmering with mock tears as if overwhelmed by the "holiness" before him.
“Kuanyu spoke truly. Your potential is staggering.”
The golden-haired man tasted the thick veil of negative energy Raon had draped over himself and let out a soft huff of appreciation.
"You shall perform your duties in heaven with great distinction."
He reached out, resting a hand on Raon’s shoulder in a gesture of false intimacy. A wave of tepid holy power surged through Raon, washing away the physical strain of his journey. However, beneath that surface relief, a heavy mental exhaustion began to settle in.
'No, it’s more than just fatigue.'
The artificial desires he was projecting started to churn violently, threatening to boil over. Had he not been a Transcendent master masking his true soul, he would have devolved into a mindless beast like those surrounding him.
'They intend to strip away their humanity entirely.'
He realized now that the frantic reactions of the others weren't just psychological—they were being catalyzed by the very "blessing" the Angel was bestowing.
"Grrrrr..."
Raon leaned into the madness, letting the focus leave his eyes and allowing a thin trail of foam to escape his lips.
'Right about... now.'
With a subtle mental tug, Raon drew upon Wrath’s dormant fury, projecting a surge of loathing so intense it eclipsed everyone else in the room.
"Oh?"
Vayph, the golden-haired Angel, looked down at him and licked his lips.
"You are truly a rare specimen. No wonder you were fast-tracked to heaven in a mere fortnight."
A smug grin spread across his face, like a collector who had stumbled upon a masterpiece.
'Hook, line, and sinker.'
Raon exhaled a silent breath of relief at the Angel's reaction.
'A wise choice to keep the Ring of Fire silent.'
Had his Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation been active or his Ring of Fire spinning at full tilt, that invasive holy energy wouldn't have stood a chance. By completely suppressing his inner world, he had remained undetected.
"Ten units. A flawless tally."
Vayph began to count them, using terms for livestock rather than people, seemingly unconcerned with whether they understood his insults.
“Kuanyu, you have done well.”
He cast a glance toward the back, offering a curt nod of approval.
"It is my honor to serve. Only doing my duty."
Kuanyu stepped into the light, a humble smile plastered on his face.
"The true burden lies with you, Lord Vayph."
He addressed the Angel by name, bowing low with practiced subservience.
"Hmph. Keep your flattery."
Vayph’s nose wrinkled slightly, though he didn't seem entirely displeased.
"Upon our return, your contributions will be reported to the higher spheres. I suspect you’ll be joining the ascent next time."
"I am unworthy! I place all my faith in your guidance, Lord Vayph."
Kuanyu’s bow deepened, his voice thick with gratitude.
"Then we depart."
Vayph gestured upward, and the air behind him tore open into a void of absolute pitch. The golden brilliance from the ceiling curdled into a sickly gray, and the sanctuary's holy glow began to wither.
'Wait...'
Raon’s eyes sharpened. Vayph was now wreathed in shadows, not light.
'Is this creature truly an Angel?'
He had assumed so because of the holy resonance, but the way he manipulated that oily, malevolent darkness felt more akin to a Demon.
-He is a hybrid.
Wrath’s expression soured as he watched the shadows Coil around Vayph.
'A hybrid?'
Raon directed his thoughts toward the demon.
-He belongs to that cursed bastard’s lineage.
Wrath, who usually looked down on Angels with bored indifference, sounded uncharacteristically tense.
'Which "cursed bastard" are we talking about?'
Raon felt a chill of anticipation and pressed for an identity.
-The time for that revelation hasn't come yet.
Wrath went silent, his expression suggesting the answer was looming just ahead.
'But—'
Before Raon could push further, Vayph stepped through the shimmering black rift. Beyond the dark portal lay a world of crystalline, blinding white that mirrored the Land of Clouds.
"Move along, cattle."
Vayph signaled toward the dimensional breach with an elegant, dismissive hand.
"Beyond this threshold lies the paradise you’ve craved."
He stood with his chin lofted, watching them with icy arrogance.
"Graaaah!"
"Out of my way!"
"Heaven is mine!"
The nine humans, their minds completely eroded by mania, began clawing at one another to be the first through the gate.
"Krrr!"
Raon mimicked their desperation, shoving his way into the rift alongside the others. As he crossed the threshold into the white expanse, a violent sensation of weightlessness took hold.
The shadowy energy Vayph had used vanished, replaced by crashing waves of pure white light that erased all perspective.
'What is this place?'
Raon squinted, trying to find his bearings.
'This is heaven?'
Every direction was a void of featureless white. He was standing in a literal nothingness.
'Where did the others go?'
The nine people who had charged in ahead of him were gone. He was completely alone.
'Wrath? Can you hear me?'
There was no answer. Even the constant presence of the demon king had been severed.
'What on earth is...'
Just as Raon’s confusion peaked, a thin wisp of shadow drifted through the white. It flickered like a dying coal, devouring the light around it as it expanded into a humanoid shape. No—an angelic shape.
This entity was a paradox: a black angel shrouded in abyssal darkness, yet possessing wings that shimmered with a brilliant, holy white. It didn't just exist in the light; it began to systematically consume it, swallowing the radiance of the entire realm.
As the world plunged into shadow, a sudden spark of gold erupted. Those flames coalesced into a blade, gripped firmly by a man who stood as a bulwark against the dark.
Raon recognized that silhouette instantly. It was the First Patriarch of Zieghart. The golden swordsman, glowing with a fervor that outshone the sun, swung his blade to reclaim the world from the encroaching void.
The black angel, incensed, lunged forward with the weight of the darkness behind him. The First Patriarch met the charge with his blade of fire, unyielding and fierce. When the gold and black collided, the world shattered into a blinding flash, and everything vanished.
Raon’s hands curled into tight fists as he felt the jarring sensation of his consciousness slamming back into his body.
'The thing the First Patriarch was fighting... could it be...?'
Raon’s eyes snapped open. He was staring at the back of a man—one of the travelers from the temple.
'Am I back?'
It appeared the First Patriarch’s legacy extended even here, reaching across dimensions into the celestial domain.
-Where do you think you're going when you vanish like that!
Wrath was scowling, his voice vibrating with annoyance.
-Whenever you slip away, I’m the one stuck babysitting this carcass!
He huffed, acting as if it were a supreme grievance.
'My apologies.'
Raon offered a mental bow of thanks.
'Look at him.'
In their early days, Wrath would have threatened to hijack his body the moment he was vulnerable. Now, he spoke of protecting it. The demon king was no longer just a parasite; he was a comrade.
'Supposedly, this is paradise.'
Raon stood and surveyed his surroundings.
'Wait... what is this?'
A sprawling metropolis stretched before him, but it was a city of jarring contradictions. To the right lay a district of opulence—sprawling estates and glittering spires that rivaled the Land of Clouds. To the left, however, was a slum of rot and debris, where hovels were cobbled together from scrap wood and jagged stones.
The disparity extended to the inhabitants.
A select few moved with confidence, dressed in shimmering leathers and fine silks. Others, however, were draped in nothing but filthy rags, dragging themselves through the dirt like starving animals.
"What?"
"Is... is this the promised land?"
"I don't understand..."
The travelers who had been driven by holy madness were now trembling, their faces pale with shock at the grim reality of "heaven."
"Indeed."
Vayph’s lips curled into a cruel sneer as the shadows swirled around him.
"This is heaven. The place where you discover the true price of your cravings."
He let out a sharp, mocking chuckle, signaling that their new lives were about to begin in earnest.
"..."
Raon maintained his mask of bewilderment, clutching his head and staring at the ground.
'I see the pattern now.'
Despite his outward display of shock, he wasn't truly surprised. The puzzle pieces of Derus Robert’s grand scheme were finally clicking into place.
'Evelyn.'
Raon whispered the name in the silence of his mind and gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
'It's time to get to work.'
