"Sigh..."
Raon drew in a deep breath, tightening his grip on the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword.
'I’m putting everything on the line from the start.'
According to Azazel, Uriel was currently far from his peak condition. To be honest, if this wasn't his maximum output, Raon struggled to imagine what his full power would even look like, but dwelling on that was useless.
'I just have to hold my ground.'
Even if Uriel’s strength was diminished, a single moment of carelessness would result in his head being severed. His primary goal was to survive the initial onslaught with everything he had, force Uriel to waste his energy, secure his objective, and then make a quick exit.
[Raon!]
Evelyn's voice rang out with such intensity that the vessel holding her spirit seemed ready to crack.
[You can retreat! I've got this!]
She gestured with the doll's wooden hands, insisting she could carve out a path for them to escape Uriel's reach immediately.
-He’s right!
Wrath slammed his palms together.
-You dragged that lunative along precisely for a crisis like this!
He wagged his tail frantically, urging Raon to flee while he still could.
'Not yet.'
Raon glanced toward Azazel and gave a resolute shake of his head.
'I didn’t come all this way just to tuck tail and run without a prize.'
Retreating now meant losing the chance to weaken Uriel or identify his vulnerabilities. Furthermore, it would mean abandoning Azazel, a potential future asset. He couldn't afford to leave empty-handed.
[Understood! Just signal me the moment you need help!]
Evelyn pumped a fist into the air, choosing to place her confidence in Raon.
-You absolute lunatic...
Wrath’s jaw hung open in sheer disbelief.
-Your common sense must have leaked out of your ears long ago!
He gnashed his teeth, unable to comprehend Raon's stubbornness.
Whoooooosh!
Uriel leveled his blade, which surged with the heat of Crimson Flame, toward Raon's chest as if his patience had finally evaporated.
"Perish."
At that command, the Crimson Flame erupted from the blade like a tidal wave, crashing down toward Raon.
Whooooooosh!
Darkan suddenly blurred into motion, positioning himself in front of Raon with his torso low. He popped the blade from its scabbard with his left thumb and wrapped his right hand around the grip.
"Kahahahaha!"
Darkan whipped the sword out with violent speed just as the crimson inferno reached them. It was a draw-and-strike technique—the swiftest move in a warrior's repertoire since the dawn of time—perfected by a blind man who had reached the pinnacle of existence.
Shaaaaaash!
The dark blade hummed with black energy, slicing clean through the Crimson Flame Uriel had unleashed.
"What exquisite Sword Aura!"
Darkan’s lips curled into a wide, jagged grin, clearly relishing the quality of Uriel's power.
"I thought I detected the scent of a true master's blade!"
He licked his lips, claiming he could smell a refined fragrance coming from Uriel's swordsmanship.
"You're clearly no ordinary fighter, and that makes this even better!"
Resting his sword on his shoulder—still smoking from the remnants of the Crimson Flame—he tilted his head up to face Uriel for the first time.
"Do it again."
Despite his lack of sight, Darkan’s smile suggested he could see Uriel perfectly. He made a dismissive flick of his fingers, treating the Archangel as if he were just another opponent.
"The vermin barks loudly."
Uriel lifted his weapon with icy composure, his lack of emotion highlighting his status as a celestial being.
Swoooooosh!
As his blade descended with an airy, weightless grace, the very fabric of reality—no, the world itself—seemed to rupture.
Craaaaaack!
The reality of Mount Melvin was stripped away. In its place, a realm dominated by Crimson Flame manifested, turning the entire horizon into a brilliant, burning red. It was a localized hell of Crimson Flame, designed to incinerate all existence.
"Kehehehe!"
Darkan chuckled, seemingly unfazed by Uriel's reality-warping divine power. He gripped his obsidian blade with both hands, cloaking the metal in absolute shadows before thrusting it straight into the heart of Uriel’s fiery domain.
Craaaaaack!
It appeared Darkan had done more than just reclaim the Mental Image stolen by Derus Robert; he had ascended to a higher plane. With a single thrust, his dark sword bored a hole through Uriel's infernal landscape.
"Ha..."
Raon could only manage a dry, stunned laugh as he witnessed the collision between Uriel and Darkan.
'This is insane.'
He had sensed Uriel's overwhelming aura and expected a god-tier fight, but he hadn't anticipated Darkan would be able to trade blows while laughing. The man was a constant source of shock.
-He’s just an idiot.
Wrath wrinkled his nose in annoyance.
-That moron is treatng this like a festival because Uriel is using a sword!
He scowled, noting that Darkan was becoming too intoxicated by the battle to properly regulate his output.
'It certainly looks that way.'
Raon noted the way Darkan was haphazardly hacking through the Crimson Flame.
'He still hasn't managed to manifest his Soul Sword either.'
Darkan’s Soul Sword had been destroyed when Derus Robert consumed his Mental Image. While his raw physical combat skill had reached new heights, his spiritual blade remained absent.
'I have to join in. I can't let him do this alone.'
Raon steadied his pulse. He pulled the Divine Sword back over his left shoulder and tucked the Demonic Sword near his right hip.
Kugugugugu!
Capitalizing on the moment Darkan cleaved through the flames, Raon executed the Supreme Harmony Step at breakneck speed.
Paaaaaaang!
He seemed to vanish and reappear, crossing the distance in an instant to stand directly before Uriel.
"You..."
Before Uriel could even shift his gaze, Raon unleashed both swords in a synchronized, lethal cross-cut.
Shaaaaaaang!
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation - Crimson Slash combined with Revolving Sky. He struck with golden fire that surpassed the density of the Crimson Flame, targeting Uriel's throat and vitals simultaneously.
Yet, the edges of both the Divine and Demonic swords stopped short of Uriel’s skin.
Sizzzzzzle!
A halo of fire resting upon Uriel’s shoulders flared up instinctively, forming a barrier that caught both blades.
"Grrr..."
Raon ground his teeth, pouring every ounce of strength into his arms, but the protective ring surrounding Uriel didn't yield so much as a millimeter.
'What kind of trick is this?'
He felt a surge of disbelief. A strike delivered with his absolute maximum power couldn't even scratch the surface.
-That is the Flame of Retribution.
Wrath stared at the fire shielding Uriel with a dark expression.
-It acts as an autonomous guardian for its master, intercepting threats even Uriel himself might miss. Though, to be honest, there isn't much that guy actually misses.
He clicked his tongue, implying that Uriel had likely seen the attack coming but chose to let the barrier handle it out of pure arrogance.
"Pathetic."
Uriel projected a shard of Crimson Flame, his eyes cold and distant as if he were staring at a bug.
"The person who is going to end you..."
Raon let out a sharp snort and leaped backward.
"Isn't someone you need to worry about yet!"
He relaxed his posture as if falling toward the earth to evade the flame, only to kick off the air with the Supreme Harmony Step once more, surging back toward Uriel.
"Hmm."
Uriel’s brow furrowed slightly, surprised by Raon’s immediate counter-charge. He brought his own flaming blade down in a heavy arc.
Chiaaaaaaang!
Raon utilized the Third Step of the Supreme Harmony in mid-flight. Moving with the fluid elegance of a mountain stream, he slipped past the Crimson Flame and drove both blades toward the Archangel.
Kyaaaaaaang!
Again, the Flame of Retribution shifted from Uriel's shoulders to intercept the Divine and Demonic swords.
"Let’s see how many of these you can stop."
Raon’s mouth twisted into a smirk as he began to swing both weapons in rapid succession. This time, the two blades moved independently, following two completely different rhythms. Fangs of Insanity blended with the Blizzard Sword Art. These weren't rigid, practiced forms, but a fluid, instinctual style that reacted to the environment, striking out like the jaws of a predator.
Kyakyakyakyakyakyang!
The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword collided with the Flame of Retribution hundreds of times, the sound of the impacts resembling the screech of grinding metal. Despite the unpredictable nature of his strikes, the protective fire remained an impassable wall.
"How truly miserable."
Uriel thrust his Crimson Flame blade forward, his expression showing a hint of genuine annoyance. Just as a pillar of fire threatened to swallow Raon whole, a thunderous shout erupted from below.
"Don't act like I'm not here!"
Darkan ascended into the sky with a manic roar, bringing his dark sword—shrouded in the blackness of a moonless night—crashing down on Uriel.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The fire Uriel had aimed at Raon was smashed aside by Darkan's heavy strike, dissipating into sparks.
Chiaaaaaaang!
Raon seized the opening. He poured his focus entirely into the Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art. The two styles, stripped of decorative form and reduced to pure lethality, grew more ferocious and swift with every passing second, like a beast gaining strength as it hunts.
Sizzzzle!
The Flame of Retribution, which had been handling the transition easily, finally began to struggle against the shifting tempo.
'Right now!'
As the protective fire lunged to block a heavy blow from his Demonic Sword, Raon spotted the gap. Pivoting on his left foot, he drove the Divine Sword forward. The red blade, carrying the raw essence of a wild predator, bypassed the barrier and bit into Uriel's shoulder.
Paaaaaaaa!
However, even while occupied with Darkan, Uriel had never truly ignored Raon. He spun his own blade, catching Raon's surprise attack in a vortex of Crimson Flame.
"I..."
Uriel held both Raon and Darkan at bay with a single weapon, tilting his head back in a display of supreme confidence.
"Did you honestly think I was a simple mortal who relied solely on the art of the blade?"
His eyes grew sharp and frigid, revealing that his previous swordplay had been mere child's play.
"The swordsmanship of humans can never reach the heights of the divine."
Uriel gave his sword a sharp flick, blasting Raon and Darkan backward as he prepared to show them the true martial arts of the heavens.
Chiiiiiiiik!
Uriel held his sword vertically before his face like a holy knight. The massive, roaring Crimson Flame that had filled the air suddenly vanished, leaving only a faint, pulsing red glow on the metal. The fire was gone, but the atmosphere felt infinitely more lethal.
"Marvelous!"
Darkan grinned even wider, his excitement reaching a fever pitch.
"Now you're someone I can truly enjoy killing!"
He stomped the air, declaring his intent to shatter Uriel right then and there.
-Stay alert.
Wrath let out a heavy, worried breath as he stared at the glowing red metal.
-That blade is called Apocalypse. It is far more deadly when it conceals its teeth like this than when it is wreathed in flames. And... actually, never mind.
He started to say something else but bit his tongue, deciding some things were better left unsaid.
'I'm aware.'
Raon gave a small, grim smile and nodded.
'This isn't going to be easy.'
He flexed his trembling fingers, acknowledging the terrifying combination of Uriel's physical skill and divine mysteries.
'God-like combat skill paired with powers I don't even understand yet. This really is like fighting a legend.'
He had clashed with other Archangels, but this was the first time he felt the cold hand of death so close. Uriel was a monster that lived up to the title.
-Then leave now.
Wrath’s expression softened into one of genuine concern.
-You aren't strong enough to deal with him yet! You should let this King take over—
'No.'
Raon shook his head firmly and took a step forward.
'I might be outclassed in raw skill, but I have my own tricks that can rival an Archangel.'
He watched Uriel’s cold fury and let a smirk play on his lips.
'I think I've figured out how I need to fight this guy.'
