Chapter 1291
Raon concluded the grueling drain sessions at the Light Wind Palace and descended North Grave Mountain to once again step into the head of house's great training ground.
"Gasp!"
"Urgh..."
The martial artists who had lingered at the primary drill hall to observe the Light Wind Palace’s ordeal ceased their breathing, shuddering as if a specter had materialized before them the moment he arrived.
Thud.
Raon marched through the oppressive stillness of the training grounds, which had grown as hushed as a mausoleum, and ascended the dais.
"Did you find the viewing educational?"
He lifted a hand, gesturing toward the flickering projections suspended in the air.
"Ah..."
"Th-that..."
The warriors were unable to formulate a response, merely gulping down thick saliva. It was a natural reaction, given that the dozen or so displays depicted the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace collapsed and unconscious, tears leaking from their eyes and froth bubbling at their lips.
Furthermore, since Burren and Martha—who were the final ones to fall—and even the Transcendent Runaan had all hit the dirt in identical, death-like poses, sheer terror began to manifest in the onlookers' gazes.
"Silence, I see."
Raon knit his brows slightly, projecting a shadow of irritation.
"N-no!"
"We observed intently!"
"It was a flawless demonstration of discipline!"
The warriors, vividly remembering the mangled state of Krein’s face after his initial encounter with Raon’s discipline, shrieked at the top of their lungs.
-You absolute lunatic...
Wrath shifted his jaw, appearing completely baffled.
-After witnessing a horror show like that, who in their right mind would dare object!
He gestured toward Krein, who lay sprawled with his tongue lolling out and his pupils vanished into his skull, scowling deeply.
'It is cultivation.'
Raon shook his head with a calm demeanor.
'And it is a specialized regimen whose efficacy I have personally verified.'
He had managed to elevate the mastery of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier to reach a superior plane specifically because of the exhaustion training he was currently overseeing.
If he could facilitate that same breakthrough for the other warriors, it would serve as a massive catalyst for their evolution.
-No...
Wrath released a heavy breath and slammed a palm against his own forehead.
-That only works because you are a freak of nature!
He flailed his arms wildly in a fit of exasperation.
-How many mortals on this planet possess the capacity to expend their physical reserves and mental fortitude until they literally black out!
Wrath gnashed his teeth, imploring him to exercise some logic.
'Hardly any. You could likely count them on one hand.'
-Then...
'Which is precisely why I have taken charge.'
Raon allowed a frigid smirk to form and applied pressure to his fingertips.
'Since the warriors find it impossible to push themselves to that brink, I am providing the necessary assistance.'
Acknowledging this truth, he affirmed his direct involvement and squeezed his hand into a fist.
Craaack.
The mere act of Raon tightening his grip caused a suffocating aura to plummet onto the head of house's great training ground.
"Grk!"
"Urgh..."
"I can't... breathe..."
The swordsmen clenched their teeth, finding it a struggle just to survive the passive weight Raon was emitting.
-They don't exactly look like they're enjoying your "assistance"...
Wrath looked back and forth between the comatose Light Wind Palace members and the warriors whose complexions had turned a sickly yellow, as if they were awaiting the guillotine.
'Grown-ups often have to endure things they find unpleasant.'
Raon dismissed the sentiment and shoved Wrath aside mentally.
"As the Light Wind Palace has just demonstrated, the goal is simply to exhaust every ounce of your sword technique, physical stamina, and spiritual strength. It is a straightforward task."
He instructed the assembly in the great training ground to replicate the performance of the Light Wind Palace and gave a steady nod.
"Exactly like that...?"
"I... I really don't want to..."
"I'd take a front-line war over this right now..."
The gathered fighters peered at the motionless forms of the Light Wind Palace members, who showed no signs of waking, and wiped their noses nervously.
"In that case..."
Raon rubbed his chin, casting his shadow over the ranks of swordsmen.
"Gasp!"
"Ahhhhh..."
"Have mercy..."
The warriors avoided Raon’s line of sight, staring desperately at the dirt or the clouds, terrified of being the first one singled out.
"No."
Raon shut his eyes briefly, then reopened them and tilted his head.
"Let everyone ascend together."
Without a moment's hesitation, he commanded the entire collective currently present in the great training ground to march up North Grave Mountain.
"A-all of us?"
"Every single person here...?"
"No, that's impossible..."
The warriors stared at him, mouths agape in total shock.
"Lurking and waiting in dread for your turn also drains a significant amount of energy and focus. That internal tension is a form of cultivation in its own right."
Raon finalized the plan in his mind and struck the platform with his heel.
"Everyone, move out."
He issued the direct mandate to climb North Grave Mountain and tapped the sheath of Heavenly Drive.
"Um, if I may..."
Edgar shifted his gaze nervously and slowly poked a hand into the air.
"Does that include us? I mean... we don't have to go, do we?"
He started with his usual casual tone but pivoted sharply to formal respect halfway through.
"Naturally."
Raon locked eyes with the group that had studied martial arts at the annex building and nodded.
"Anyone who has walked the path of the blade must undergo this training. There are no exemptions."
He clarified that not just Sylvia, Sia, and Edgar, but even the domestic staff learning martial arts were required to take part before he turned away.
"Ugh! This is why you should have kept your mouth shut!"
Sylvia smacked Edgar on the back, frustrated that he had asked such a redundant question.
"Is Papa a dummy?"
Sia also scowled in disbelief, delivering a light kick to Edgar’s shin with her small foot.
"I-is there no such thing as a father-son pass or a husband-wife pass!?"
Edgar clutched his head, looking miserable at the prospect of joining the collapse-inducing training.
"Master Edgar. Such things are only applicable when the Young Master seeks a favor from you or Lady Sylvia in return."
Judiel shook her head slowly, suggesting he face reality.
"Move it! Stop making our son ashamed of you!"
Sylvia kicked Edgar’s backside to get him moving, forcing him toward the mountain.
"Is Papa really that stupid?"
Sia mirrored Sylvia’s energy, shoving Edgar along as they began the trek up North Grave Mountain.
"Ahhhhh!"
"We're finished..."
"Today might actually be our funeral..."
The warriors wailed as they watched Raon’s own kin from the annex building head toward the training without protest.
They glanced one last time at the still-unconscious Light Wind Palace members and began a sluggish crawl toward North Grave Mountain, their feet feeling as heavy as leaden weights.
A few seemed ready to curse or resist internally, but with Raon standing right there, no one was foolish enough to act on it.
"And now..."
Raon gave a crisp clap of his hands in the now-vacated great training ground.
"I must request your aid once more."
He bowed respectfully as he asked Roenn, Sheryl, the Blade Queen, the Warlord, and Alice to help push the swordsmen to their limits.
"Hehehe. As you wish."
"We shall provide it with pleasure!"
Roenn offered a soft, compliant chuckle, indicating he would follow Raon’s lead, while Sheryl raised a fist with a predatory grin, clearly finding the situation amusing.
"I was worried I was being too harsh, but looking at the acting head of house, it seems I can actually turn up the heat?"
"No, show some restraint. If you push too hard, they will actually perish."
The Blade Queen licked her lips, eager to increase the intensity, while the Warlord gripped her shoulder, advising her to stick to the established pace.
"But of course! This is the perfect outlet for some stress!"
Alice Zieghart let out a wild, manic cackle, looking delighted as she bolted toward the peaks.
-The females in this clan seem even more deranged than the rest...
Wrath shook his head, lamenting the total lack of sanity surrounding Raon.
'Perhaps so.'
Raon thought of the women who personified the word "volatile" and finally began his own ascent of North Grave Mountain.
'Who should I break first? That is to say, who should I grant the gift of cultivation to first.'
-Break! You just said you'd break them! I knew it!
Wrath ground his teeth, feeling vindicated.
-You're just using this training to blow off your own steam...
Just then, he let out a sharp whistle and pointed.
Swoosh!
From a high branch at the mountain's base, a female warrior with vibrant crimson hair and eyes like deep blue pools dropped down.
"I request your instruction."
It was Serena, the leader of the Void Sword Division. Unlike the others, she hadn't attempted to hide; she had come forward to challenge him, desiring to receive training directly from his hand.
Swoooosh
Serena wasn't alone in her resolve, however. Behind her, other warriors emerged from the shadows, declaring their intent to fight rather than flee.
'You see.'
Raon sensed the burning spirit and resolve flickering in Serena’s blue eyes and let his lips curl upward.
'This is why I cannot abandon this method of cultivation.'
He noted that he could never fail the warriors who sought him out in their quest for strength, and he gripped the hilt of Heavenly Drive.
-Don't give me that nonsense...
Wrath waved a dismissive hand, tired of the excuses.
-Those kids from the Light Wind Palace used to be just as eager at the start, but after you thrashed them relentlessly, they're all running for the hills!
He gnashed his teeth, seeing right through him.
-This is entirely for your own amusement!
* * *
Two full nights of echoing screams passed by, and the exhaustion training finally drew to a close just as the third morning sun began to crest the horizon.
The martial artists who had entered with such fire and bravado were now slumped across the dirt, their eyes glazed over and drool trailing from their mouths.
Having spent every ounce of their being over the last seventy-two hours, they seemed to lack the basic motor skills to even mutter a word.
Thud.
Raon stood at the edge of the dais, his appearance as pristine and untouched as the moment he had first stepped into the head of house's great training ground.
"You have all performed admirably."
He swept his gaze over the broken warriors and gave a slight nod of approval.
"I am gratified that you saw this exhaustion training through to such an impressive conclusion."
Raon offered his thanks to the group for completing the regimen and allowed a soft smile to grace his face.
"Hurrgh..."
"Ehhhh..."
"N-no..."
Most of the fighters lacked the breath to speak, responding only with guttural groans. Those who managed to find their voices sounded more like confused toddlers.
"Take your rest today."
Raon suggested they disband and delivered a sharp, resonant clap.
"Ahhh..."
"Grrrung!"
"It's... finally over..."
Despite their shattered states, small flickers of relief appeared on their faces at the realization the nightmare was finished, and they fought to stand on trembling legs.
"Oh, one moment. The next session of exhaustion training will commence in ten days. This is not a singular event."
Raon informed the crowd that they would be repeating the process in a week and a half, raising a finger for emphasis.
"Eh..."
"Again?"
"He's insane. He’s a total madman..."
The warriors stared at Raon with blood-red eyes, looking as if they had just received a death sentence they hadn't expected.
Their expressions were so dark one might think they would assassinate their acting head of house on the spot if they had the strength to hold a blade.
"And you five, please remain. You are also required to undergo the exhaustion training."
Raon gestured to Roenn, Sheryl, the Blade Queen, the Warlord, and Alice behind him, his smile never wavering as he ignored the murderous glares of the subordinates below.
"U-us as well?"
"Heh. Heh. Heh?"
Sheryl and Roenn stuttered, caught completely off guard.
"What? Right... right now?"
"Huh..."
The Blade Queen took a frantic step back, clearly unwilling, and the Warlord broke into a nervous sweat, swallowing hard.
"I-I have urgent matters to attend to..."
Alice’s manic grin vanished, replaced by a cold, frozen mask as she tried to slip off the platform.
"No exceptions. Ascend North Grave Mountain immediately."
Raon pointed toward the peaks, demanding an immediate start. In the middle of the massive training ground filled with hundreds of people, he was the only individual who wasn't panicking, wasn't fuming, and was wearing a pleasant smile.
-This is the problem...
Wrath howled, claiming Raon was fundamentally incapable of understanding human emotion.
-You are a complete sociopath!
* * *
After Raon concluded the second wave of exhaustion training and made his way back to the Lord's Manor, Chad, the leader of the Shadow Agents, burst through the doors as if his life depended on it.
"H-Head of House!"
Chad, who had also been a victim of the exhaustion training, collapsed onto his knees in the center of the audience chamber, his limbs twitching uncontrollably.
"If this isn't an emergency, you should recover and we can speak later."
Raon waved him off, suggesting he find some composure.
"I-it is an emergency! It's a matter of absolute survival!"
Chad insisted it took precedence over everything else and frantically smoothed out a set of mangled documents.
"The Archangels, who have been dormant since the passing of Derus Robert, have resurfaced!"
