Chapter 1316
Within a desolate thicket far removed from the peak of Mount Melvin.
Woooooong!
A vibrant sapphire glow fractured the air, and Raon stepped out from the void with Darkan draped across his shoulders.
"Heoheok..."
Raon collapsed onto the soil before he could even find his footing, coughing up heavy breaths tinted with crimson.
'That was a genuine brush with death.'
The memory of Uriel's face, twisted in divine fury just as the teleportation circle ignited, flashed through his mind. Had the spell been delayed by even a heartbeat, the cataclysmic Apocalypse would have incinerated everything in its path. Fortunately, Evelyn’s enchantment took hold in the nick of time, whisking them to safety.
—Indeed.
Wrath stared toward the distant silhouette of Mount Melvin, where Uriel’s celestial might was still raining down in torrents.
—That lunatic. He was prepared to turn the entire region to ash without a second thought!
He scowled, noting that Uriel had intended to purge the very land itself.
'I sensed it as well.'
Raon brushed the blood from his lip and gave a weary nod.
'Without Evelyn's magic, I wouldn't have made it out.'
Evelyn had urged him to place his faith in her, and she had delivered a flawless escape route.
'I must express my gratitude once we return...'
Just as Raon resolved to thank Evelyn back at the family estate.
"You've arrived!"
Evelyn’s melodic voice rang out from above.
"I’ve been waiting for you!"
Complaining that his arrival took far too long, she glided down to the forest floor and pulled Raon into a sudden embrace.
"You—weren't you supposed to remain at the manor?"
Raon’s frame shuddered slightly as he pulled back to look at her.
"What are you doing here..."
They had specifically arranged for her to stay at the family estate to prevent any magical tracking, making her sudden appearance here baffling.
"Wherever Raon goes, I go! The thread always follows the needle!"
Evelyn swayed playfully, acting as if the answer should have been obvious.
"From this moment on, we are inseparable!"
"Ugh..."
Raon felt a migraine brewing that rivaled the exhaustion from his fight with Uriel.
—Groooan!
Wrath let out a pained moan as if he were the one suffering the most, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration.
"Well, regardless, I am grateful."
Raon offered a nod toward Evelyn.
"Because of you..."
He tried to finish his thanks and gently disentangle himself from her.
Hwaaaaaaa!
Colossal plumes of fire, vast enough to swallow the horizon, erupted from the sky above Mount Melvin. The flames fanned out like the majestic wings of an archangel before descending, coiling around the mountain like a serpent strangling a tree.
Kwaaaaaaaaa!
As the pillars of fire fused into a singular, blinding halo, a devastating blast of Crimson Flame detonated. When the white haze of the explosion finally cleared, the mountain that once pierced the clouds had vanished.
Gooooooo!
Under the weight of Uriel’s vengeance, the very bedrock of Mount Melvin disintegrated and liquefied, leaving nothing but a yawning, blackened abyss in the earth. The landmark itself had been erased from the map.
Swoooosh!
Uriel vanished into the ether immediately after purging the mountain and Azazel, seemingly unwilling to linger in such a "tainted" place for a second longer.
Gulp.
Raon swallowed hard, his hand trembling as he gripped Heavenly Drive.
'If I had been caught in that.'
I would be nothing but ash.
In his current battered state—no, even at the peak of his power—withstanding such a strike was impossible. Short of invoking Wrath through the Descent of the Demon King, certain death would have been the only outcome.
—That wretch Uriel certainly lost his temper!
Wrath let out a dark giggle, clearly amused by the archangel's loss of composure.
—It seems Azazel has been extinguished as well.
He snorted, sensing that Uriel’s flames had scoured Azazel’s very soul from existence.
'Azazel is of no consequence.'
Raon gave a cold nod.
'It's far better she met her end here than survived to cause chaos elsewhere.'
Though their encounter was brief, he had seen through her mask. She was a sociopathic deceiver who would sacrifice the world for her own gain. It was a cleaner resolution for her to fall by Uriel’s hand than to resurface as a wild card during a future conflict.
—You lack social grace, but your intuition regarding people is sharp.
Wrath chuckled, sounding genuinely impressed.
"Raon!"
Evelyn latched onto him again, pressing her cheek against his chest.
"You didn't finish! What comes after 'because of you'? Tell me!"
She seemed entirely indifferent to the fact that a mountain had just been deleted, focusing only on his unfinished sentence.
"It was... 'I managed to survive.'"
Raon managed to say it, though his eyes twitched at her relentless energy.
"No trouble at all! Just ask whenever you need help!"
Evelyn shrugged her shoulders, acting as if the ordeal was a minor errand.
"I’ve achieved my goal."
Raon nodded solemnly.
"I have everything I came for."
The primary objective of the Mount Melvin mission was to find a vulnerability in Uriel. Since a direct victory was impossible with his current strength, sabotaging the temple to sever Uriel's power source was the priority—and he had succeeded.
'The sanctuary is gone and the tether to the heavens is cut. Uriel can no longer manifest his full celestial authority.'
The breaking of Azazel’s seal confirmed the connection was severed. While other archangels already present in the realm might be unaffected, Uriel would find himself unable to replenish his divine essence.
'Furthermore, Uriel wasted a massive amount of power fighting me and Darkan.'
With the heavenly link broken, recovering that spent energy would be an arduous process for the archangel.
'And with Azazel dead, one more chaotic variable is gone.'
The fallen angel was a master of manipulation. Had she regained her full strength, the resulting damage would have been catastrophic. Having Uriel "clean house" was the ideal outcome.
'Finally, my own progress is undeniable.'
The battle had tempered his traits, significantly boosting his Divine Power Resistance and the potency of his Blade that Cuts Divine Power. Witnessing the transcendent swordplay of the heavens had pushed his own martial understanding to a new height, sharpening the edge of his Soul Sword.
He felt a surge of confidence; should they meet again, the fight would not be so one-sided. Despite the harrowing nature of the battle and his lingering wounds, the gains were worth the risk.
—That is true.
Wrath nodded in agreement.
—However, keuheup!
A mocking grin spread across his face.
—You failed to back up your big talk!
'Big talk? What do you mean?'
Raon tilted his head, looking at the sin of wrath.
—Puhuhup! You barked at Uriel: "I foresee it. You will die here!" And yet, he is very much alive, isn't he?'
Wrath sneered, relishing the chance to poke a hole in Raon's cool demeanor.
'Ah, that.'
Raon calmly raised a finger.
'Then I shall simply revise the prophecy. Instead of "you will die here," I will say "you will die by my blade."'
He spoke with such calm certainty that he might as well have been stating a fact of nature.
—No, no! When you say something that dramatic and fail, you’re supposed to be embarrassed!
Wrath ground his teeth, annoyed by Raon's lack of shame.
'What use is shame? I was weaker, so I was pushed back. It is what it is.'
Raon shrugged, admitting his current limits without hesitation.
—Grrrr!
Wrath glared at him, his lip curling.
—From this day forth, you are officially "The Weakling"! A pathetic, feeble guy!
When Raon didn't rise to the bait, Wrath began to taunt him like a petulant child.
—A loser who talks a big game but runs away with his tail between his legs...
As Wrath continued his childish tirade, a familiar notification flickered in Raon's vision.
[You have engaged in a desperate struggle against an archangel of superior martial rank and fulfilled your objectives.]
[A significant feat has been recorded.]
[All Basic Attributes have increased by 60 points.]
[Traits...]
The system acknowledged his tactical victory over the overwhelming power of Archangel Uriel.
—Wait... what?
Wrath’s jaw dropped as he scanned the text.
—How is this a reward?! You didn't even win!
He couldn't fathom how such a massive bounty could be granted for a retreat.
'I didn't kill him, but...'
Raon smirked, gesturing toward the notification.
'I survived a prolonged engagement with a superior foe. This is the world telling me to get stronger so I can finish the job next time.'
He glanced back at Wrath.
'Especially since I’m so "weak."'
—Grrrrrrr!
The sound of Wrath grinding his teeth was audible as he stared at the glowing blue words.
'Thank you. This is your doing.'
Raon nodded, teasing the demon.
'I must have received such a generous boost because you kept calling me weak. The system felt sorry for me.'
—Shut your mouth!
Chiiiiiiik!
Raon withdrew his palm from Darkan’s chest and took a step back.
'He was at death's door.'
Darkan’s condition had been critical. Clashing repeatedly with Uriel while his Mental Image was still fractured had pushed his physical and spiritual form to the breaking point.
'But the recovery should be total.'
Because Darkan hadn't flinched or turned his back, meeting Uriel’s strikes head-on, the wounds were direct and "honest." There were no jagged spiritual tears from cowardice, which made the healing process more straightforward.
'Still, Uriel's residual energy is stubborn.'
The archangel’s divine aura was so concentrated that even Raon's specialized darkness couldn't fully purge it. To fully restore Darkan, they would need the expertise of the Ragged Saint, Federick, back at the Zieghart estate.
"Regardless, I owe you my life."
Raon smiled and placed a hand on Darkan’s shoulder.
"Thank you."
Without Darkan’s frontline defense, Raon would never have been able to complete his objectives; he would have been forced to flee instantly.
"Don't thank me!"
Darkan snapped his eyes open, shaking his head.
"I should be thanking you for the chance to cross blades with a monster like that!"
He let out a bloodied grin, clearly exhilarated by the encounter.
"You..."
Raon stared at him in disbelief.
"How are you..."
By all rights, Darkan should have been unconscious for days, if not dead. Seeing him wake up and speak as if he’d just taken a nap was staggering.
"My eyes opened, so I got up."
Darkan rolled his shoulders, though the movement was stiff.
"Actually, I think I’m done with sleeping for a while."
He used his sword as a crutch to heave himself upright, his expression turning intensely focused.
"What are you saying..."
Raon watched him, stunned.
"The moment has finally arrived."
A wide, predatory smile split Darkan’s blood-stained face.
"The path to fully restoring my Mental Image is right in front of me!"
He tightened his grip on his sword, his hand trembling not from weakness, but from the thrill of reclaiming what Derus Robert had stolen from him.
"Watch closely, kid."
Darkan hoisted the dark blade and looked toward the horizon.
"This is a sight you won't want to miss."
Would you like me to continue paraphrasing the next chapter, or should I help you analyze the growth of Raon's traits following this battle?
