"Hmm."
Raon was just beginning to narrow his gaze to inspect the translucent notification for his latest achievement.
-I am truly losing my mind!
Wrath was currently more incensed than during his confrontation with Pride, thick plumes of white vapor erupting from his head.
-Why must rewards be granted every single time I open my mouth!
The small King of Essence slammed his fist down in a rage, convinced the system was spying on this location specifically to humiliate him.
-This cursed mechanism!
Wrath ground his porcelain-white teeth while glaring up at the empty air.
-If you are lurking there, show yourself this instant! If you plead for mercy now, I might actually consider showing leniency!
Despite his claims of offering a chance, the demon’s hands shook with a violence that suggested he would pummel the system into oblivion the moment it manifested.
-Reveal yourself!
Finally reaching his limit, Wrath let out a roar.
He threw a frantic flurry of punches at the empty void. Perhaps because the Heavenly Demon had displayed such absolute, world-shaking martial arts moments prior, the Demon King’s current swings appeared pathetically hollow and feeble.
'That is enough already.'
Raon let out a weary breath and reached out to steady the flailing Wrath.
-It is easy for you to say, as you simply consume everything provided! I am the one suffering here!
Wrath lowered his pudgy, rounded hand and took a sharp breath.
-There is hardly anything remaining of my original form!
The little demon knit his brows, complaining that between all these various rewards, his true body would soon be reduced to nothing but bone.
'You have no reason to fret over that.'
Raon shook his head with a calm expression, observing the agitated Wrath.
-It is not your concern...
'It will be alright.'
Raon gently stroked the angry Wrath’s head, whispering for him to remain at ease.
'I mean it.'
Once the Great War of the Continent concluded with the triumph of the Five Kings and peace was restored, he intended to compensate Wrath for every bit of power he had borrowed, with interest added.
When the world finally found its balance, Raon planned to relinquish the Authorities of the other Demon Kings and challenge the zenith of the martial world relying solely on his own blade.
-Mmm...
Wrath appeared caught off guard by the sudden intensity in Raon’s eyes and scrunched up his nose.
-Hmph! I cannot fathom what is crossing your mind, but as the generous King of Essence, I shall exercise a bit of patience!
The demon didn't quite grasp the sentiment, yet he exhaled a sigh as if choosing to place his trust in the boy.
'Is that so.'
Raon gave a soft laugh and pulled his hand away from Wrath’s head.
"Haah!"
Burren released a sigh so heavy it felt as though the earth might sink, then pulled himself to his feet.
"I genuinely believed my life was over..."
He stared at the hand he had used to brace himself against the ground, his fingers still twitching from the shock of witnessing the Heavenly Demon’s techniques at such a close distance.
"That man is a monster."
Martha let out a dry, incredulous laugh and squeezed her hand into a tight fist.
"A total fanatic of the martial path! How is it possible to deliver a strike of that magnitude?"
She looked completely captivated by the Heavenly Demon’s display, her face flushed as she bit her lip in thought.
'......'
Raon shifted his gaze between Burren and Martha, his eyes narrowing.
'The barrier is cracking.'
The towering wall that had been obstructing the progress of Burren and Martha was beginning to fail. He could sense that the boundary known as Transcendence was vibrating violently. It seemed the sheer pressure generated by the Heavenly Demon’s strikes had acted like a whetstone, thinning the obstacles standing before both of them.
'Furthermore...'
Burren stood to gain something even more profound.
A dim flicker of radiance was beginning to take an elongated shape within Burren’s chest. This indicated that his Mental Image and his very soul had reached the precipice of manifesting a Sword Domain.
'I am curious.'
He wondered what kind of landscape that man’s Sword Domain would reveal.
Raon felt a spontaneous smile touch his lips, eager to see what would happen once Burren utilized the Authority of Pride, stepped into the realm of Transcendence, and finally unleashed his Domain.
"Phew."
In contrast to the visible agitation of Burren and Martha, Runaan merely let out a brief puff of air and flicked the grime and residue off the blade of Snow Flower.
'Runaan was clearly affected by the shock as well.'
Raon gave a small nod as he met Runaan’s eyes.
'She is going to grow even more formidable after today.'
Because Runaan had already crossed into Transcendence, her internal walls didn't fracture like the others. However, the depth of her realization seemed even more significant; a delicate shimmer of light and Frost was beginning to emanate from the tip of her sword.
"Even the members of The Fallen were forced to submit before the Heavenly Demon..."
Evelyn’s lips curled into a smile as she moved to stand beside Raon.
"But Raon didn't flinch, even in the presence of the arrogant Heavenly Demon! Just as I expected from our Raon! You were absolutely magnificent!"
She pressed her hands to her glowing cheeks, acting as though she had ignored everything else just to watch him, and leaned her shoulder slightly toward his.
"In this moment, I represent the House of Zieghart as its head."
Raon shook his head, his hands trembling slightly as he returned Heavenly Drive to its scabbard.
"When I carry the weight of my family name on my shoulders, I cannot allow myself to be defeated by anyone."
Having been forged within Zieghart and understanding the immense weight that name carried, he refused to bow even to the Heavenly Demon. To break before bending—that was the resolve of the family head he had always respected.
"I adore that quality about you even more!"
Evelyn suddenly lunged forward as if she couldn't contain herself, trying to tackle Raon.
"Where exactly do you think you're going!"
"Raon. Exhausted."
Martha and Runaan moved in instantly, as if they had predicted this move, seizing Evelyn by her limbs.
"Let go of me! You pests!"
Evelyn thrashed about, begging for just one embrace, but Martha and Runaan held her fast.
"Phew."
Raon offered a silent look of gratitude to Martha and Runaan before turning his back.
"Raon."
Burren stepped forward, blocking his path as if he had been waiting for the right moment.
"I am grateful to you for allowing me to witness the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon."
He pressed a shaking palm against his heart, admitting that the experience had deeply moved him.
"The world you revealed to me today is something I will carry in my memory forever, and I will labor to become a warrior who is no less great than he."
Burren unsheathed his blade and offered Raon a formal warrior's salute. This was not the gesture of a friend or a subordinate, but a mark of respect from Burren the swordsman.
"I shall be watching for it."
Instead of dismissing the gratitude, Raon fanned the flames of Burren’s ambition by telling him he expected great things.
-Those mortals...
Wrath smacked his lips while observing Burren, Martha, and Runaan.
-It appears they will undergo another significant transformation because of what transpired here.
'That is likely true.'
Raon agreed with Wrath’s assessment, then shifted his attention back to the surroundings.
'However...'
He knit his brows while staring at the patch of dirt where the Silent Serpent Swordsman had been kneeling before vanishing without leaving a single trace behind.
'Where did that fellow go?'
"That was quite surprising."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman sat with his fingers laced behind his head, a smirk playing on his lips.
"I truly anticipated that you would shatter Raon Zieghart’s skull."
He gave a soft chuckle while looking at the man whose back felt as vast and unyielding as the sea.
"Raon Zieghart. He proved himself to be a man worthy of carrying a blade."
The Heavenly Demon—the individual who had just demonstrated the pinnacle of combat—slowly turned and gave a curt nod.
"I see him not merely as the grandson of Glenn Zieghart, but as the Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart. He is a warrior whose future is worth observing."
The Heavenly Demon’s mouth quirked up, clearly finding the martial artist named Raon to be to his liking.
"You certainly seem fond of him."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman slowly rubbed his chin in thought.
"Well, humans like that are rare. Possessing a spiritual realm that outstrips his physical techniques, yet being neither a celestial being nor a creature of the abyss."
He furrowed his brow, as if the very existence of the person named Raon was a puzzle.
"Still, there is one detail I cannot quite grasp."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman stared at the Heavenly Demon’s right arm, which was fractured and hanging limply.
"Even if this was about settling a debt of blood, there was no necessity for you to push yourself to such an extreme."
He shook his head, unable to find the logic in the sacrifice no matter how much he analyzed it.
"My actions were never intended to meet with your comprehension."
The Heavenly Demon closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, indifferent to the opinions of others.
"I simply follow the trail I have blazed for myself."
Despite carrying wounds so catastrophic that they should have made movement impossible, he stepped into the shadows with a gait so composed it was as if he were unharmed.
"Is that how martial artists understand one another?"
The Silent Serpent Swordsman frowned slightly, thinking about the eerie similarities between Raon’s techniques and those of the Heavenly Demon.
"I suspect I may never understand it in this lifetime."
He dropped his hands, deciding it was best to stop trying to decipher the Heavenly Demon’s motives.
"Why were you positioned at Raon Zieghart’s side?"
The Heavenly Demon turned his head slightly, peering at the Silent Serpent Swordsman as if curious about his presence there.
"Were you attempting to squeeze secrets out of the boy?"
"Hardly."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman gave a dismissive shrug.
"It just seemed like it would be entertaining. Who else would dare to slay the Sphinx, the guardian beast of Eden, just to gain entry? And to solve the puzzle on top of that!"
He smirked, admitting his fascination with Raon Zieghart had simply been too great to ignore.
"And you didn't even bother to ask about the Death Sword Spirit."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman watched the Heavenly Demon’s retreating back once more.
"As long as Pride remains, her life is not in danger."
The Heavenly Demon nodded with certainty, as if he possessed a complete understanding of Eden’s inner workings without needing to see them.
"You really are a cold man."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman let out a long sigh, noting that the Heavenly Demon was quite dull to talk to.
"You haven't forgotten, have you?"
The Heavenly Demon halted. He looked back at the Silent Serpent Swordsman, a crimson glow flickering behind the slit of his helmet.
"The freedom you currently enjoy is your final life."
His voice turned icy, sounding like a grim prophecy of the man’s fate.
"You would be wise to accomplish your goals before you are transformed into something else entirely."
The words could have been interpreted as a piece of advice, or perhaps a direct threat.
"I will keep that in mind. But..."
The Silent Serpent Swordsman gave a confident thumbs-up, pointing it back at his own chest.
"That isn't going to happen."
He chuckled softly, declaring he intended to survive until the very end to witness the war's conclusion.
"Because I simply refuse to die."
Raon forced his battered body—so drained he felt he might fall into a deep sleep the moment he stopped—back toward the walls of Cameloon where the portal to Eden had first appeared.
"Oh, you've returned!"
Dorian sprang to his feet and sprinted toward Raon.
"I-I was terrified! I really should have gone with you!"
He clutched Raon’s sleeve, sounding as though he was on the verge of tears, explaining that all the warriors of the Light Wind Palace had collapsed and he had been panicking about potential enemy attacks.
"Truly unbelievable."
Martha gave a short, dry laugh and dropped to the ground in exhaustion.
"This guy doesn't change a bit, even after claiming a Demon King's power and nearing Transcendence."
She shook her head, seemingly convinced that Dorian was a hopeless case.
"Even so, it was thanks to Dorian finding his nerve that we were able to see the Heavenly Demon’s skills."
Burren shot her a look, suggesting she should be showing Dorian gratitude rather than mocking him.
"Mm."
Runaan also stared at Martha with a blank expression, clearly siding with Burren.
"Th-that is true. I witnessed a spectacle that I will likely never see again."
Martha sighed and walked over to Dorian.
"Thank you. Because of you, I had an experience that is unique in this world. Actually, I might have taken that experience from you. I apologize."
She offered both her thanks and an apology, bowing her head toward the startled Dorian.
"N-no, please!"
Dorian waved his hands frantically in the air.
"I would have just passed out if I had gone anyway!"
He swallowed hard, noting that only people with the mental strength of Burren, Martha, and Runaan could have survived that encounter. No matter how much his strength grew, he had no desire to ever cross paths with the Heavenly Demon.
"Dorian. Help wake the others."
Raon’s voice was strained and rasping as he called out.
"It is true that this area remains a threat, so we should head back as soon as..."
He was just about to instruct them to gather the unconscious swordsmen for the return trip to Zieghart when he was interrupted.
"Raon Zieghart. No, Lord Raon Zieghart!"
The Bear Fire Demon suddenly charged forward and threw himself onto his knees before Raon.
"I beg of you, help me!"
He pressed his forehead against the dirt, pleading for assistance.
"No, please save my son!"
"What? What is the meaning of this?"
Raon frowned, completely baffled by the demon’s sudden outburst.
"I have no reason to offer you aid. I don't care who your son is..."
"The Silent Serpent Swordsman! That man is my son. And if he dies..."
The Bear Fire Demon looked up, his eyes wide and trembling with a frantic intensity.
"The entire world will be destroyed!"
