Chapter 1229
Glenn launched himself from the jagged, narrow summit of North Grave Mountain, a place where a single lapse in concentration would send anyone plummeting to their death. He sliced through the vast atmosphere as if possessed of eight spectral wings, rapidly approaching the North Sea where frothing white crests collided.
To a commoner, this trek would have required days of relentless travel, yet for Glenn, the duration it took to consume a single cup of tea was more than enough to bridge the distance.
Glenn descended upon the ocean where violent, surging tides roiled. The waves, which had been thrashing with wild abandon, instantly smoothed into a glassy surface—resembling the tranquil pond at the annex building—the moment his feet made contact with the brine.
Historically, the North Sea was deemed uninhabitable. The freezing temperatures were lethal, and the swells were so monstrous that even the most veteran mariners refused to launch their vessels.
Glenn, however, did not merely walk upon these turbulent waters; he ground them beneath his heel as he strode toward the horizon where crimson energy began to bleed into the currents. This was a display of martial dominance perfectly befitting the title of the Destructive King. With every stride Glenn took, his form blurred across distances so vast they defied the tracking of the human eye.
The Supreme Harmony Steps, a technique of his own creation that he had imparted to Raon, functioned so seamlessly that one could easily mistake them for instantaneous teleportation.
It wasn't long before Glenn reached the boundary of the North Sea, standing before a stretch of water that exhaled red mists. Despite the pressure he exerted to subdue the ocean, violent whirlpools continued to churn defiantly at this specific coordinate.
"So, this is where you’ve been lurking?"
Glenn offered a dry scoff as he peered into the depths where dark, sanguine currents spiraled.
"Stop stalling. Reveal yourself."
With a sharp motion of his hand, he commanded the presence to emerge. Suddenly, the surface before him—indeed, the entire North Sea—shuddered violently. Colossal waterspouts erupted from every direction. Kwaaaaaa! Accompanied by a staggering surge of raw power, the immense northern ocean split down the middle. From the abyss, a figure wreathed in dark red energy ascended.
The newcomer wore a crimson dragon helm, adorned with ten horns of varying dimensions protruding from his skull. His stature was so gargantuan it evoked the image of an ancient mountain or a massive tree granted life and motion.
While his sheer scale was enough to command any room, it was the eyes burning behind the visor that held the most weight. Within those pupils—a shifting blend of obsidian and scarlet—the essence of a "Destructive King" seemed to vibrate without a word.
"Heavenly Demon."
Glenn felt a slight sting on his skin from the pressure of the Heavenly Demon's aura, causing him to press his lips thin.
'As I suspected, he is in a different league.'
This man had stepped into the same transcendent territory as himself. Derus Robert, whom he had encountered not long ago, was undeniably a powerhouse, yet he had not yet breached the threshold of the absolute realm. To face such a foe, one would normally need to prepare for ascension mid-battle, but Glenn knew that if he caught even a minor lapse, he could execute the Heavenly Demon.
However, against the Heavenly Demon standing before him now, Glenn could not guarantee a favorable outcome even at full strength. The margin between them was razor-thin. Victory or defeat would likely be dictated by nothing more than a momentary shift in physical condition or a stroke of luck.
'It is somewhat ironic.'
Both the Heavenly Demon and Derus Robert were defying the natural cycle of heaven by relying on inhuman entities. Because their path differed from his—since he rejected the heavens using nothing but his own cultivated strength—he felt a flicker of something akin to envy toward them.
'It wasn't about seeking more power or further evolution... I simply wished for more time with the children.'
His hunger for martial advancement had vanished. His only remaining motivation was his profound devotion to Zieghart.
'I do not believe I would falter now.'
Having hardened a heart that once wavered, he felt certain he would not fall even to the Heavenly Demon, his true peer.
"Glenn Zieghart."
The Heavenly Demon gave a slow, heavy nod as he locked eyes with Glenn.
"I did not anticipate a summons from you."
A faint curl of his lips suggested he found the situation amusing. His very posture radiated the core of his formidable personality.
"There is no decree stating you are the only one permitted to initiate a meeting, is there?"
Glenn let out a soft laugh and made a dismissive gesture.
"I called for you because I have words to share. Though, I must admit, I didn't realize you were nested quite so close."
He squinted at the reddened North Sea where his counterpart stood.
'I cannot tell if he has been here the entire time, or if he arrived just now.'
Even for one who had touched the heavens, it was impossible to discern if the Heavenly Demon had been entrenched here or if he had utilized the sorcery of Eden to relocate in an instant.
'I truly need to settle things with this individual swiftly.'
The fact that he could manifest so suddenly to threaten Zieghart meant that the safest course of action was for Glenn to eliminate the Heavenly Demon personally.
"Speak your mind."
The Heavenly Demon nodded with a calm air, signaling his readiness to listen.
"You are aware that Derus Robert has met his end, I assume?"
Glenn watched the flickers of light within the other man's helmet closely.
"......"
The Heavenly Demon remained silent, his expression unreadable. Whether the news was fresh or known, he seemed utterly indifferent to the fate of Derus Robert.
"And?"
He narrowed his gaze, prompting Glenn to get to the point.
"The Five Demons. No, counting Derus Robert, you are the only one of the original Six Demons of Eden who remains relevant. Conversely..."
Glenn gestured toward the horizon.
"The Six Kings still have five members standing. Even if Eden possesses the most formidable individual combatant, you are now vastly outnumbered."
He calmly folded his fingers one by one, implying the conflict was decided before the first blow was struck.
"And?"
The Heavenly Demon nodded again, urging him to continue his logic.
"I am offering you a singular opportunity."
Glenn mimicked the Heavenly Demon’s heavy nod.
"A chance for a final, decisive duel against me."
Glenn proposed a one-on-one confrontation against Eden's ultimate power. He raised his hand, and though his palm was empty, a lethal, razor-sharp aura ignited as if he gripped a physical blade.
"An opportunity..."
The Heavenly Demon closed his eyes briefly before reopening them.
"Glenn Zieghart. You are dabbling in transparent manipulation."
He let out a blunt, mocking laugh, turning his head slightly.
"Do you truly believe a warrior who has spent his life chasing the path of ruin can suddenly deceive me with such amateurish schemes?"
The Heavenly Demon’s gaze remained unnervingly steady, as if he were reading the very ink on Glenn's soul. He did not look like a commander whose back was against the wall. In fact, in this moment, it felt as though Glenn was the one struggling for ground.
"What do you mean?"
Glenn’s brow twitched as he fought to keep his inner agitation from surfacing.
"Glenn Zieghart."
The Heavenly Demon spoke with newfound gravity.
"The primary reason you are suggesting this duel isn't to test our limits as warriors. It is because you are desperate to shield what you love, isn't it?"
He challenged Glenn, asking if the request was born of martial pride or merely a desire to safeguard the peace of Zieghart.
"Hmm..."
Glenn was momentarily silenced, a low rumble of a groan escaping his throat.
"If Derus Robert is truly gone, our position is indeed compromised. But what of it?"
The Heavenly Demon crossed his massive arms with an air of supreme confidence.
"Instead of this theater, why not simply track Eden down and eradicate us? You have the advantage in both manpower and collective strength."
He rubbed his chin, acknowledging that Glenn’s earlier point about crushing them with numbers was technically viable.
"Glenn Zieghart. What you truly fear is the chaos of an unpredictable war. Even a cornered prey will tear at a predator; there is no predicting the devastation Eden's ghosts might wrought if they are truly unleashed."
Having dissected a psychological truth that Glenn hadn't fully admitted to himself, the Heavenly Demon’s lips twisted into a smirk.
"That is..."
Glenn felt a cold shiver settle in his chest.
'Was that truly my underlying motive...?'
Watching Raon's struggle, he had convinced himself he wanted a grand finale as a warrior. But the Heavenly Demon had exposed the truth: Glenn was more concerned with the future of the children of Zieghart than his own legacy.
'He is correct...'
The monster’s assessment was flawless. Seeing Raon collapse in exhaustion after the victory over Derus Robert, Glenn had sought to end the Heavenly Demon to ensure the younger generation would never have to bleed again. If he could remove the head, Eden would fall into disarray.
But it was a flawed strategy.
'If I had engaged the Heavenly Demon with this mindset...'
Glenn bit his lip as he calculated the outcome of an immediate battle.
'I likely would have been defeated.'
Moments ago, he had felt invincible, yet he hadn't even grasped the conflict within his own heart.
They stood at the same peak and followed the same path of destruction. However, if one warrior was distracted by sentiment while the other fought purely to validate his existence through combat, the scale was already tipped.
"I don't mind, though."
The Heavenly Demon gave a stoic nod.
"Pardon...?"
Glenn looked up sharply.
"I will play along with your transparent plan. I, too, have a point to prove by shattering the Destructive King of the North."
The Heavenly Demon agreed to the one-on-one death match Glenn had proposed. In that moment, he looked like the living avatar of the path of destruction that every warrior aspired to reach.
"However, the timeline remains unchanged."
The Heavenly Demon uncrossed his arms, raising a hand. The massive, corded muscles of his limbs rippled with unnatural power.
"I have spent my existence aligning my spirit, body, and technique for the specific day I would strike you down."
He revealed that he had been honing his essence purely for the date originally set by Derus.
"What is your answer?"
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes, presenting his terms.
"......"
Glenn stared into those eyes, which burned with the feral intensity of a predator, and slowly nodded.
"Very well. Let us settle everything on that day."
"The question of who stands at the absolute pinnacle of this continent shall be answered before the eyes of the world."
The Heavenly Demon tightened his fist, his fingers as thick and gnarled as ancient roots. The sheer force of the gesture caused the North Sea to boil and retreat in fear.
"As you wish, the ghosts of Eden shall remain dormant until that hour. However..."
The Heavenly Demon began to turn, preparing to descend back into the depths.
"I will not be held responsible for the rogues already abroad."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"The rogues abroad?"
"A few of my subordinates wandered off without my leave while I was deep in my meditations."
The Heavenly Demon snorted, noting that spirits wearing the masks of monsters rarely obeyed perfectly.
"Then, we shall meet on the appointed day."
With those final words, he erupted into dark crimson flames and vanished into the biting mists of the North Sea.
"Hmm..."
Glenn stood in the silence, ruminating on the exchange.
'He has been preparing his entire being for that specific moment...'
The Heavenly Demon was refining everything—mind, body, and soul—for their clash. He was so focused on that singularity that he didn't even care to reign in his subordinates. It was the antithesis of Glenn’s own path, which had become focused on nurturing and protecting successors like Raon.
"It isn't just that the advantage was his..."
Glenn ground his teeth, gripping his hands until his knuckles turned white.
"It was a path toward certain failure."
The Heavenly Demon had sacrificed everything for this one fight. Glenn had felt the raw, desperate hunger for victory in the man's gaze. Had he walked into that duel without this realization, he would have naturally been overwhelmed. The Heavenly Demon had provided a warning—not out of kindness, but because he refused to accept a hollow victory.
"Phew..."
Just as Glenn was contemplating the terrifying path of destruction the Heavenly Demon embodied—Whoooooosh! A pillar of brilliant golden flame roared into the sky from the direction of the Zieghart Annex Building. It was his grandson’s signature style, the Azure Sky Sword, painting the firmament with the strength of the heavens.
"Is that your way of cheering me on?"
Raon seemed to sense the weight of the encounter and had unleashed his swordsmanship as a beacon of support.
"Indeed."
Glenn’s hands trembled, his pride stung but his resolve renewed.
"I simply need to begin again. But I will not abandon the heart I have chosen."
He rested his hand lightly on the hilt of the Heavenly Tremor at his side, a serene smile touching his face.
"I must return to my roots. To those very distant, original intentions."
