Chapter 1314
"Don't stop."
Raon seized the moment of hesitation in Uriel’s movements, immediately transitioning into a ferocious combination of the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art.
'The opening is there.'
By remaining in the epicenter of the divine radiance clashing between Uriel and Darkan, his Divine Power Resistance had climbed to rank 8, while his Blade that Cuts Divine Power had reached rank 5. Both attributes had seen a staggering surge in power and mastery within this single battlefield.
While rank 8 in Divine Power Resistance was a natural progression for an ability he had possessed for some time, the leap to rank 5 for the relatively new Blade that Cuts Divine Power was startling even to him.
'A simple skill has evolved into something monstrous.'
With his Blade that Cuts Divine Power at a 5-star level and his Divine Power Resistance active, alongside the liberated hidden authorities of the demon kings, he was now fully capable of dealing lethal blows to Uriel.
Crackle!
Caught in the increasingly violent and precision-focused currents of the Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art, Uriel began to suffer lacerations across his arms and legs.
"How dare a mere mortal!"
Uriel’s pride shattered at the sight of his own blood drawn by a human hand, and he gnashed his teeth in a fit of pique.
Whoosh!
Observing the deepening glow in Uriel’s sapphire eyes, Raon accelerated his assault.
'He’s losing his composure.'
Up until this point, Uriel had remained stoic, even while handling both Raon and Darkan simultaneously. However, the unexpected wounds had caused his calm facade to crack, replaced by a simmering, explosive fury. His vanity had been struck a heavy blow.
'This is the moment.'
Raon bit his lip, glancing at his dual blades—the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword—as they trailed embers and frost. With the duration of his Divine-Demonic Harmony reaching its limit, he had to pour every ounce of his remaining vitality into this strike.
"Be reduced to cinders!"
Uriel roared, swinging Apocalypse with murderous intent. The blood-red edge whistled toward Raon’s throat at a velocity that defied the eye.
'Exactly where I predicted!'
Having studied the combat patterns of these two supreme beings, Raon had grown accustomed to Uriel's offensive rhythm. The trajectory of this strike was one he had already mapped out in his mind.
Kiaaaang!
Raon parried the blow by angling his Demonic Sword upward, then lunged forward with his left leg. Closing the distance until he could feel the heat of Uriel’s breath, he orchestrated a simultaneous strike: the Divine Sword rising from below and the Demonic Sword descending from above.
The Raon Zieghart Style.
6th Form Divine-Demonic Harmony: Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
Kwaaaaaaaaa!
Raon clamped his jaw shut, crossing the Divine and Demonic Swords in a lethal X-pattern. Spiraling pillars of fire and ice entwined around the twin blades, shredding through the defenses of Apocalypse and the flame of judgment to carve deep into Uriel’s powerful frame.
Paaaaaash!
The strike tore through Uriel’s shoulder and torso, resulting in a spray of divine ichor. Had he been any lesser being, the sheer volume of blood lost would have been fatal instantly.
"Haa."
Yet, Uriel seemed indifferent to the carnage inflicted upon his body, letting out a heavy, controlled breath.
'I can’t let up now!'
Exploiting the vulnerability caused by the deepening gashes, Raon utilized the Supreme Harmony Steps once more, thrusting Heavenly Drive forward.
Kyaaaang!
Despite his injuries, Uriel intercepted the thrust with Apocalypse, his bleeding arm steady as he denied the follow-up.
"I see."
Uriel’s blood-stained lips curled into a grimace as their blades remained locked.
"You are indeed wielding that cursed demon king’s power."
He appeared convinced that Raon had bypassed his flame of judgment solely through Wrath’s influence. While it was true that the demonic authorities countered divine energy, it was Raon's specialized traits that allowed him to actually cut through Uriel's physical form.
'This plays into my hands.'
Uriel’s focus on the demonic authorities was an unintended benefit. The more the Archangel fixated on that power, the more Raon's internal traits would sharpen in response. The prospect of actually defeating Archangel Uriel in this encounter had become a tangible reality.
—Arghhhh...
Wrath’s jaw clicked together in sheer disbelief.
—This is nonsense! How can your trait levels skyrocket at this speed!
The demon king howled in protest at the impossibility of it.
'He is an Archangel, after all.'
Raon calmed his racing heart and shook his head internally.
'An entity that radiates the most concentrated divine energy in existence. By engaging him directly, taking hits, and refining my swordsmanship by cutting through that very energy...'
He dismissed the floating notifications regarding his trait progression and allowed a small smile to form.
'This rate of growth is perfectly logical under these conditions.'
He kept the realization to himself, but he had unlocked the secret to rapid trait evolution. Given enough time and the right pressure, he might even push Divine Power Resistance and Blade that Cuts Divine Power to their absolute peak here.
'However...'
Raon braced himself as Uriel began a series of devastating overhead swings.
'He isn't going to make it easy.'
Uriel was now employing a style of swordsmanship so lethal it seemed to vibrate against Raon's very soul. Had he not spent the earlier part of the fight observing Uriel’s duel with Darkan, he likely would have been dismembered by now.
"Don't overlook me!"
Darkan lunged back into the fray, his obsidian blade whistling as it descended toward Uriel.
"Make this even more exhilarating!"
The demon grinned with a manic light in his eyes, having somehow neutralized the lingering sea of Crimson Flame Uriel had previously unleashed.
"I have forgotten neither of you. Not the demon, nor the puppet of the demon kings."
Uriel’s eyes burned with a focused, icy wrath.
"And yet, I allowed that corruption to slip past my guard."
He frowned, seemingly more irritated by his own perceived lapse in vigilance than by Raon’s prowess. It was a fury born of self-reproach.
"Haaaaaah..."
As Uriel centered himself, a localized sun of heat began to radiate from Apocalypse.
Whooooosh!
With eyes devoid of mercy, Uriel swept Apocalypse in a wide arc targeting both his opponents.
Craaaaaack!
Raon and Darkan threw up their strongest defenses, but the sheer kinetic force and blistering temperature of the sword sent them both reeling backward.
Whoooosh!
Uriel raised his weapon higher as the heat intensified to an unbearable degree.
"Not even your ashes shall remain..."
Responding to his command, the physical blade of Apocalypse dissolved, replaced by a towering pillar of brilliant crimson fire.
"I shall purge everything in flame."
Uriel leveled the flaming weapon directly at Raon’s chest. The flame of judgment, fueled by his righteous indignation, began to swirl and roar with new life.
[Kkeuk!]
Azazel’s panicked voice echoed in Raon’s mind.
[That is the second stage of Apocalypse! To touch that flame is to be utterly consumed!]
She screamed out a desperate warning.
—That looks genuinely problematic...
Wrath’s expression soured.
—It seems Uriel is finally taking this seriously.
He cautioned Raon to be on high alert.
'I can feel it...'
Raon nodded, the searing heat from the unleashed Apocalypse washing over him.
'This isn't something I can just shrug off.'
If he tried to tank these flames as he had before, the damage would likely bypass even his high Divine Power Resistance. This was no longer a training exercise; it was a desperate struggle for survival.
"Now it gets interesting!"
Darkan laughed, his excitement rising alongside Uriel’s power level.
"Excellent! Let us dance until our hearts stop!"
He flooded his dark blade with even more aura, ready to resume the slaughter.
"...."
Uriel had regained his cold, detached focus. Without a word, he swung the flaming Apocalypse toward Darkan.
Whooooosh!
The Crimson Flame blazed with a terrifying intensity as it fell.
"Kuhahahaha!"
Darkan’s laughter turned feral as he met the strike with his own dark energy.
Kwaaaaaang!
The collision between the flaming holy sword and the dark blade sent shockwaves through the air. Massive cyclones of water spiraled down from the clouds, and the very foundation of Mount Melvin began to fracture.
"Keup!"
Darkan’s constant smirk faltered as his body buckled. The impact alone seemed to rattle his very core, and he coughed up a spray of dark blood.
"Such power in a single blade..."
Darkan’s legs shook as he used his sword as a crutch, staring at Uriel in disbelief.
"Apocalypse is the bane of all that is foul. So long as sin resides in your heart, you can never hope to withstand its judgment."
Uriel looked down at him, explaining that the sword didn't just break the body—it shattered the spirit.
"Ridiculous!"
Raon scoffed, using the Celestial Thunder Arts to deflect a thrust from the flaming blade.
'Huk!'
The moment Heavenly Drive met Apocalypse, a jolt of pure agony lanced through Raon’s physical and spiritual form. His hands cramped around his hilt as if his internal organs were being toasted and his very essence was evaporating.
'What kind of power is this?'
He could barely comprehend a force that could threaten his consciousness through a simple clash of steel.
But Raon wasn't the only one in shock.
"You... how are you still standing?"
Uriel’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. He had expected Raon to be incapacitated instantly.
"Your tainted soul should be howling in agony!"
His jaw tightened, unable to process the lack of a reaction.
—The second release of Apocalypse judges the sins of the living.
Wrath stared at Uriel, his expression grim.
—Uriel perceives your transgressions and inflicts pain proportional to your guilt. It’s a wretched ability that allows him to judge 'evil' by his own subjective standard!
He grumbled about the Archangel’s unfair advantage on top of his already master-class swordsmanship.
'Then why am I holding up better than Darkan?'
Raon looked over at the struggling demon.
—It’s because your soul is...
Wrath met Raon’s gaze, his teeth bared.
—Disgustingly massive! It’s on a scale comparable to Archangels or the demon kings themselves!
He explained that with such a profound spiritual presence, the 'judgment' of Apocalypse was significantly mitigated.
'Is that so? Maybe I should test the Soul Sword.'
Raon let a confident smirk play on his lips as he watched Uriel’s growing frustration.
'I might not be able to finish him, but I can certainly leave a mark...'
—Don't bother.
Wrath shot the idea down immediately.
—That judgment flame protects him from mental interference as well as physical. Your fledgling Soul Sword would be snuffed out before it even touched him!
He advised Raon to stick to direct combat for now and save the Soul Sword for a final, desperate opening.
"Impossible. This cannot be."
Uriel, refusing to accept the result, swung the second-stage Apocalypse once more.
Craaaaaack!
Raon combined the Sky-Piercing Thunder technique with his Wooden Ring Sword to stall the descending flame.
"Kkeuk..."
A faint sound escaped his lips. The internal impact was severe, and he felt the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat. He forced himself to swallow it, maintaining his mask of indifference.
"How..."
Uriel’s lips trembled. He had anticipated Raon collapsing in a heap of blood and broken will.
"Keep it coming."
Raon nodded, mocking the Archangel’s power.
"I can take whatever you've got."
He knew he was at his limit, but he projected an aura of total invulnerability, beckoning Uriel forward while searching for a counter-attack.
"Then I'm not hurt either!"
Darkan, refusing to be outdone by Raon, wiped the blood from his mouth and stepped back into a fighting stance.
"Our deal to stop this Archangel still stands, doesn't it?"
Raon glanced toward the demon.
"Of course! I wouldn't dream of missing the end of this show!"
Darkan raised his sword, his resolve renewed.
"In that case..."
Just as Raon and Darkan prepared for a joint charge.
[Hey! You! Human!]
Azazel, who had been lurking behind cover and observing the chaos, reached out via a mental link.
[I’ve found a way to strip Uriel of his strength!]
