Chapter 1215
'I was constantly falling short.'
Raon drifted into a state of deep reflection, his eyes sliding shut as he revisited the numerous instances where he had failed to manifest the tenth Ring of Fire.
'I managed to bridge more than half the gap, but the finish line always eluded me.'
Throughout his time in Zieghart, bolstered by the immense support of Glenn, he had made attempt after attempt, yet victory remained out of reach. Perhaps if he had remained within the safety of the family estate to continue his efforts, he might have achieved his goal by this point.
'However...'
Ever since this undercover operation commenced, he hadn't dared to even attempt the formation. Though he maintained the rotation of the Ring of Fire even during his slumber, he had strictly avoided the challenge of the tenth ring. He had placed a firm embargo on himself, terrified that a failed endeavor might trigger a ripple effect of complications.
In truth, his window for focused training had been far too narrow. The likelihood of a mistake was dangerously high, and it was painfully clear that any slip-up would instantly strip away his mask in front of Derus Robert—a realization that sent a shudder down his spine.
'The risk is astronomical.'
Raon took a moment to regulate his pulse and opened his eyes. Adopting the hungry, ambitious gaze of Zilfen, his blue eyes locked onto the hand that Derus had offered.
'But if I refuse to grasp that hand, my life ends here and now.'
If he didn't reach out and declare a desire in this moment, the villain's growing doubts would turn into absolute certainty, and his life would be snuffed out instantly. The sole path to survival was to shatter the ceiling and finally master the ten rings.
'And yet, I don't feel overwhelmed.'
Despite standing on a razor's edge where a single stumble meant certain death, a strange serenity washed over him. He couldn't quite pin down the source of this calm, but a gut feeling told him he would prevail, and a genuine smirk tugged at his lips.
-Ha! You’re actually finding humor in this?
Wrath let out a dry, incredulous cackle.
-You are an absolute adrenaline junkie! You insist on doing your most dangerous work in the heat of a real fight!
The entity grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him frantically while complaining that his own spiritual heart was racing fast enough to kill him.
'Relax.'
Raon gave a mental chuckle and brushed the concern aside.
'I have a feeling I can pull this off. Besides...'
He started to reach for Derus Robert, tilting his chin with a touch of bravado.
'I might not have finished the tenth ring yet, but since I arrived in this place, I haven't let the nine rings stop for a single second.'
Because he had to keep the Ring of Fire resonating to maintain the facade of the soul known as Zilfen, the rings had been in constant motion since his time in the Land of Clouds and his arrival in Heaven. He had never maintained the rotation for such an uninterrupted duration before; as a result, the rings now felt as natural to him as his own limbs.
"Come now, take my hand and voice your longing to ascend as a Transcendent."
Derus Robert wore a polished, soft smile, though his eyes made it clear that the time for hesitation had expired.
"Of course! Anything for the sake of my vengeance!"
Raon set the nine Ring of Fire into a fierce resonance and gripped Derus Robert's pale hand. Ssssss! The contact was chilling, the hand as cold as a glacier despite the man's inviting expression. Naturally, the temperature wasn't the threat; the real danger was the bastard’s soul, which came surging forward the moment their skin met.
'He’s moving with total confidence, treating me like a complete amateur.'
Derus wasn't interested in a slow approach; he immediately unleashed his spiritual essence to dissect Raon’s very soul.
'Intercept it. No, keep it completely out of sight.'
As Derus’s essence began to infiltrate his form, Raon pushed the nine rings to their absolute limit. Woooooong! The rings, now an extension of his own being, spun with the ferocity of molten rock, causing the flow of time in his perception to grind to a halt. Hssssss.
Even the invasive probe of Derus Robert’s soul slowed to a crawl. Just as he suspected, the Ring of Fire was an unparalleled ancient art that nothing else could touch.
'This is it. I get exactly one shot at this.'
Derus Robert, a monster capable of rivaling the likes of Glenn, was moving with terrifying momentum even within the dilated timeframe of the Ring of Fire. Judging by the speed at which the intruder's soul was seeping in, there was only a tiny window to forge the tenth ring.
'Let's do it.'
Raon sparked a fresh ember in the space between the nine brilliantly glowing rings. This flicker of heat, thin as a candle’s flame, began to rise steadily, carving out its own territory with quiet persistence.
'The existing rings... they've slowed down.'
Raon felt the tempo of the nine rings dip and he let out a sharp breath.
'No, that’s not it. The rings are moving as they always do, but my familiarity with them has sharpened.'
Upon closer inspection, the rings hadn't lost any speed. If anything, they were rotating faster than ever. However, because he had kept them spinning without pause for so long, he had achieved a level of synchronization that made their movements easy to read.
'If I can't do it now, I never will...'
Raon mapped out the trajectories of the nine roaring rings with prophetic clarity, weaving the tenth ring into existence without a single error. Whaaaaaaa!
The construction of the tenth ring crossed the midway point in a heartbeat. The original nine rings accelerated as if trying to disrupt the newcomer, but he anticipated every shift, calling upon a deeper, golden fire to finalize the remaining structure.
'Just the final touch... wait.'
The pace of progress was staggering compared to his training sessions in Zieghart.
He felt the surge of impending success, with only a final quarter of the ring left to form in the time it had taken to create the first half.
Chiiiiiiik! Suddenly, Derus Robert’s massive, freezing soul tore through his defenses and bore down on his core.
'How is he this fast?'
While the tenth Ring of Fire was progressing better than he could have hoped, Derus Robert’s spiritual power was far more formidable than he had gauged. It appeared the villain had reached a new level of strength in the short time since their last encounter.
'What's the move?'
If he had even a few more seconds, he was certain he could finalize the tenth ring. But at this rate, Derus would unmask the artificial soul maintained by the nine rings before the tenth could be completed.
'Damn it! I just need a heartbeat more time...'
The sheer weight of Derus Robert’s encroaching soul began to rattle his focus. For a split second, the movement of the tenth ring faltered and stiffened.
'The timing is off, but I have to force it...'
-Haah...
Just as Raon prepared to throw every ounce of his willpower into a desperate gamble, he heard the heavy sigh of Wrath.
-Honestly, you’re helpless without me.
The spirit shook his head in mock disappointment.
-I intended to stay on the sidelines, but I really can't stand the sight of that man.
Wrath glared at Derus Robert, his expression souring.
-I’m giving you a hand one last time!
The moment the declaration was made, time stretched even further. The advance of Derus’s soul was cut down to half its already sluggish speed.
-D-do it now!
Even for a being like the Monarch of Wrath, interfering with another soul while in a phantom state was an immense strain; beads of spiritual sweat began to pour down the guy’s face.
'I owe you one.'
Raon sent a quick pulse of gratitude toward Wrath and redirected every bit of his attention back to the ring. Utilizing the precious seconds his companion had bought him, he stabilized the flickering flame and threw himself into the final stage of creation. Chiaaaaang! The nine rings spun like razor-edged saws, forming a desperate last line of resistance against the integration of the tenth.
'I’m not stopping.'
He couldn't afford to waste the opportunity Wrath had provided. He identified a gap narrower than a needle's point, thinner than a single hair, and drove the spiral of flame through it. Paaaang! The duration of Wrath's interference expired, and Derus Robert’s soul lunged toward his own. Chaaaaa!
Simultaneously, the nine rings flared with a violent red light, fighting to the very last to keep the tenth ring from joining the circuit.
'I can see the way.'
Reaching a level of focus he had never before achieved, Raon fused the start and the end of the tenth ring, finally reaching the destination that had always been out of sight. Woooooong! As the tenth ring locked into place, an internal shockwave akin to the dawn of a new galaxy erupted within his soul.
'Hmm...'
Derus Robert narrowed his gaze as he scrutinized the essence of Zilfen.
'Envy, a thirst for vengeance, an obsession with power. And a deep-seated dread of being looked down upon?'
The man known as Zilfen appeared exactly as Shrude’s reports had described: a rough, unrefined warrior who had been discarded in his youth, leaving him with a singular focus on strength.
'Yet, why does something feel off?'
There had been nothing overtly suspicious in Shrude's briefings, yet he had felt a nagging sensation—a faint echo of the feeling he had when Raon Zieghart had bested him. He had come here to verify things personally, but even now, he found nothing out of the ordinary.
'I thought I noticed a momentary glitch in the flow of time, but...'
During the process of mapping Zilfen’s soul, there had been a fleeting sensation of a temporal disconnect. However, such minor distortions were common when projecting his consciousness through a cloned vessel.
'Should I perform a deeper scan?'
He made one more sweep of Zilfen’s spiritual makeup just to be certain, but the results were consistent. Well, not entirely unremarkable.
'His hunger for power is staggering.'
Of all the mortals who had ascended to Heaven thus far, Zilfen’s drive for strength and retribution was unparalleled. Even in this moment, his soul was practically screaming with a demand for more power to fuel his revenge. With such explosive emotions, it made sense that he had managed to progress so rapidly and dominate the divine beings.
'He could be a valuable asset.'
By manipulating Zilfen’s obsession with strength, his hatred for humanity, and his sheer greed, Derus might be able to manufacture a new Transcendent for his own ranks.
'Of course, his shelf life will be short.'
Forcing a human to become a Transcendent was a brutal process that would incinerate their soul and life force in short order. Still, as long as he functioned until the war concluded, he would serve his purpose.
"You possess a soul of remarkable clarity and purpose."
Derus Robert gave a slow, approving nod to Zilfen, a deceptive smile on his face.
"Your plea has climbed the heights of the Tower of Babel and found its way to the Divine land."
He claimed that Zilfen’s desires had reached the ears of the heavens and pressed his palms together.
"So, when does this Archangel actually show up?"
Zilfen bit his lip aggressively, his voice thick with impatient irritation. Witnessing this display of unrefined arrogance—which perfectly matched the soul he had just inspected—Derus felt the last of his doubts evaporate.
"The Divine has acknowledged your request. The Archangel shall descend shortly. I ask for just a bit more of your patience."
Derus Robert’s smile widened, urging the man to remain calm.
"I'm sick of all the waiting in this place!"
Zilfen scowled and kicked at the ground with the frustration of a common thug.
"My fellow believer."
Derus Robert effortlessly repaired the cracked floor beneath Zilfen’s feet, his expression turning fatherly.
"I have a proposition that might interest you."
"A proposition?"
Raon's brow furrowed as he stared back at Derus Robert.
"What kind of proposition?"
He spoke while looking toward the summit of the tower where it pierced the clouds, acting as if he were barely paying attention. In reality, his heart was drumming against his ribs with incredible intensity.
'I succeeded by a hair's breadth.'
Raon curled his fingers into a fist, feeling the silent, effortless rotation of the Ring of Fire. Chiaaaaang! Ten rings. The ten Ring of Fire he had chased for so long were now spinning in perfect unison, birthing a miniature sun above his heart.
The heat was breathtaking, radiating a golden light that felt as though it could illuminate not just his inner self, but the entire world around him.
'Even Derus couldn't see past it.'
The cold, oppressive spiritual weight of Derus Robert—the same presence that had once paralyzed Darkan—had failed to pierce the ten rings. It had merely skimmed over the surface of the false persona Raon had constructed.
As he had hoped, the 10-star Ring of Fire possessed such overwhelming power that even a man like Derus Robert was left blind to the truth.
'I feel a surge of absolute strength.'
Raon felt a torrent of energy rushing through his veins and allowed a small smirk to play on his lips.
'I feel like I'm capable of anything now.'
His physical strength, his internal aura, and the power of his soul all felt sharper and more defined. It seemed that he could finally manifest the advanced techniques he had previously only been able to visualize.
-Heeek...
Wrath flickered into view, looking gaunt and hollowed out, as if he hadn't eaten in an eternity.
-Y-you better be grateful! Without my intervention, you’d be a corpse right now!
The spirit grumbled, making it clear that Raon’s survival was his doing.
'You're right.'
Raon offered a subtle, appreciative nod.
'Thank you, my friend.'
The window of time Wrath had provided was minuscule—nothing more than a heartbeat. But in such a high-stakes moment, that sliver of time was the difference between life and death. He sent a wave of sincere gratitude to the companion who always stepped up when it mattered most, asking for nothing in return.
-K-kek!
Wrath let out a dry, hacking cough, clearly drained of energy.
-Whatever! Consider it payment for all that food you let me have.
The spirit huffed, claiming that his assistance was just a way to settle the tab for the meals he’d enjoyed in the Land of Clouds and Heaven.
'Is that so?'
Raon felt a pang of amusement. It seemed Wrath didn't want to make him feel indebted after Raon had referred to him as a friend. Once this ordeal was over, he resolved to buy the guy every delicacy he could find.
"How would you feel about serving Heaven once your vengeance is satisfied?"
Derus Robert tilted his head slightly, inviting him into the fold.
"Every luxury and power you seek will be yours to command."
He wore a bright, welcoming smile, looking for all the world like a man who could grant any wish.
"Hmm."
Raon squinted, pretending to weigh the offer.
'He wants to turn me into a tool.'
It was obvious that Derus didn't just want Zilfen as a one-off Transcendent; he wanted a permanent weapon to unleash in the coming war within the year. And, of course, once the war was won, he would be thrown away.
"Everything I seek..."
Raon ran his tongue over his teeth, playing the role of the power-hungry Zilfen to perfection.
"I’ll speak with the Archangel first, then I’ll decide! That’s my only priority right now!"
He spat out the kind of impatient words Zilfen would use and turned his gaze back to the heavens.
"As you wish."
Derus Robert gave a calm, measured nod, signaling his willingness to wait. Whooooosh! As if on cue with his gesture, a magnificent, shimmering light erupted from the heavens above.
'And now...'
Raon tightened his grip, a cold, sharp smile hidden beneath his mask. He projected an aura of frantic anticipation, but his internal resolve was focused on a very different outcome.
'The true battle begins.'
