Raon couldn't hold back and flicked Wrath on the head.
Thud!
With a sound like a rock breaking, Wrath's face was smashed into the ground.
-How dare you! I am the King….
"Be grateful I'm not eating you alive!"
He snarled fiercely at the trembling Wrath.
-Urgh!
Wrath, looking shocked, rubbed his face and quickly stepped back.
"Hoo…."
Raon sighed and looked at the Fire Spirit King that Wrath had spat out. Unlike when he first saw it, there was almost no fire energy left.
"It's too much to kill it right after it's born."
-I warned it continuously. Back off. That brat didn't listen to the King's words!
Wrath shook his head, claiming he was not at fault.
"Even so, you could have just beaten it moderately and sent it back. Did you have to go this far?"
-At first, I just intended to show it a little taste.
"But?"
-The color of the shrunken fire brat was shining like bead ice cream. It looked too tasty…
He smacked his lips, saying he couldn't resist.
-Anyway, it's not the King's fault! That brat dared to challenge a boulder with an egg, so I educated him...
"If you don't want to eat Nadine bread for the rest of your life, shut your mouth."
-Hmph!
Wrath clasped his hands over his mouth and bowed his head. How could food threats work better than mental pressure on the King of Wrath?
'What should I do about this…?'
If it was discovered that the Fire Spirit King was killed by being eaten, all the merit of saving the elves would be erased, and I might be chased as an enemy for life. That had to be prevented.
'I would do anything if there's a possibility of saving it... hmm?'
Biting his lip, he observed the Fire Spirit King and saw the dying embers flicker slightly.
'Is it not dead yet?'
Though faint, a small flame began to flicker again inside the orb.
Raon reached out to the orb that had been the Fire Spirit King. He could feel a slight warmth.
'With this, I can save it.'
The Fire Spirit King didn't come to me for a contract but instinctively felt the energy of its ancestors.
If I use the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire, I can definitely save it.
Woooong!
He purified the flame of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation with the Ring of Fire to condense the purest flame. Carefully, he held the Fire Spirit King and ignited the flames between his fingers.
Whoooosh!
A pale golden flame seeped around the Fire Spirit King, creating a glow like noon sunlight meeting the evening twilight.
Raon swallowed as he watched the Fire Spirit King breathing faintly.
'It's coming back to life.'
The Fire Spirit King, which was the size of a candy, gradually grew larger as it absorbed the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Even though it had been beaten by Wrath, its dignity as a king remained, and the Fire Spirit King quickly grew to the size of a child.
'It looks different.'
The Fire Spirit King, unlike the lizard helmet worn by the Crimson Flame Demon, had the appearance of a human male.
He was extremely handsome, but his sharp, downward eyebrows gave him a fierce impression.
"Hmmm…"
The Fire Spirit King slowly opened his eyes. Unlike a human, unlike a reptile, his fierce, split eyes moved toward this direction.
"Haah…"
Raon sighed in relief and stroked his chest.
'It's alive.'
The aura of the Fire Spirit King also returned to its original state. It was a relief not to become the enemy of the elves and spirits.
"Are you conscious?"
"Hu…man?"
The Fire Spirit King blinked blankly as if he still didn't grasp the situation. It wasn't strange, having survived being eaten by the Demon King.
"A strangely familiar energy…"
He met Raon's eyes and raised his upper body.
"Yes. I followed that energy to find you."
The Fire Spirit King nodded, saying he was instinctively drawn to Raon. The informal speech was irritating, but he was a Spirit King and still disoriented, so Raon let it slide.
"But there was a monster inside you. An evil, immense power that even a born king like me couldn't handle. All I could do was struggle."
He hung his head, saying he fought to save Raon but was defeated.
-I am not a monster!
Wrath, who had been squashed, suddenly stood up.
-The ruler of the De... hmph!
Raon hurriedly ran over and covered Wrath's mouth.
"..."
But the Fire Spirit King's eyes were already on Wrath.
"Waaaah!"
The Fire Spirit King, trembling like a deer facing a predator, hastily retreated.
"That guy! That guy! Why is that monster here!"
Unlike a Fire Spirit King, his face turned pale. He seemed to sense Wrath's aura rather than his appearance.
"Don't worry about it."
Raon flicked Wrath away like a ball and shook his head.
"He can't do anything right now."
-He can't do anything? Don't underestimate the King….
"Nadine bread."
-Hmph!
As soon as the name Nadine bread was mentioned, Wrath shut his mouth again.
"Huh…?"
The Fire Spirit King widened his eyes, seeing Wrath unable to move in Raon's grip.
'What, what…?'
Why is that monster staying still?
"Don't mind this guy."
Raon pushed Wrath aside and shook his head.
"Are you alright?"
"Nadine bread?"
The Fire Spirit King repeated the word Raon had just said, "Nadine bread."
-Huhhh?
Wrath furrowed his brows, sticking his face over Raon's shoulder.
-Hey! You fire brat! Do you really want to die? If it weren't for this sneaky guy, you'd have been eaten by the King!
"Waaaah!"
The Fire Spirit King, remembering being eaten by Wrath, curled his limbs and fell back.
-I'll even pick your bones...
"Nadine bread."
Wrath flew towards the Fire Spirit King as if to eat him again but stopped mid-air when Raon shouted "Nadine bread."
The power of Nadine bread ignored even inertia.
-Damn it….
"I told you to stay still."
Raon grabbed Wrath's tail, threw him back, and approached the Fire Spirit King.
"As I said, don't mind him…"
"Who, who are you?"
The Fire Spirit King, unlike before, spoke more formally and straightened his posture.
"What?"
"You're definitely human, but how did you tame that monster?"
-Tame? Has he gone mad? Nothing can tame the King…
"Sss!"
-Nng…
As Raon clicked his tongue, Wrath shut his mouth again.
"Hah…"
The Fire Spirit King, mouth agape, hung his head. He seemed to feel not just shock but fear.
"I am Raon Zieghart, a normal human."
"Normal?"
"Yes."
Raon nodded calmly.
"You captured a monster with greater cold energy than the Water Spirit King born with you, how can you call yourself normal!"
The Fire Spirit King shook his head, saying that even though he hadn't been born for long, he had common sense of this dimension.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the Fire Spirit King's trembling chin.
'Fortunately, he doesn't know about Wrath.'
Even if he was born with common sense, he seemed unaware of Wrath's identity due to lack of experience.
"Please tell me. How did you subdue that monster?"
"It was a battle of wills."
Raon clicked his tongue shortly and tapped Wrath's head.
"I endured the cold energy this guy attacked with and won with my willpower."
"How could you endure that…."
The Fire Spirit King, with his mouth agape, asked how Raon could endure the pain that seemed to shatter the soul.
"If you have a secret method, please tell me!"
"You just endure it. What other method is there?"
Raon waved his hand as if it were nothing special.
-Hmph! That human is the toughest of the tough! You can't do it even if you die and come back!
Wrath snorted, telling him not to waste his effort.
"Oh…"
The Fire Spirit King stared at Raon for a long time, then placed his trembling hand on the ground and bowed his head.
"I will follow you!"
-Huh?
Wrath screamed as if to ask what he was talking about.
"I read that humans call someone worthy of respect 'big brother.' From now on, I will serve you as my big brother!"
The Fire Spirit King bowed his head again, asking to be accepted.
"Hah…"
Raon let out a chuckle, looking at the trembling back of the Fire Spirit King's head.
It seemed Wrath had made himself a fool again.
* * *
After calming the Fire Spirit King, Raon patted his shoulder.
"I am not someone worthy of a king's follow."
The Fire Spirit King said he fought to the end, thinking Raon was being overpowered by Wrath. He seemed like a decent Spirit King, so Raon didn't want to lie to him.
"No! Just for pulling me out of that demon's jaws, you are worth following!"
It seemed this Spirit King had gotten off to a very wrong start.
"My name is Ifrit! I will follow you forever, Raon Hyung!"
"Ifrit?"
Raon frowned upon hearing the Fire Spirit King's name.
"The previous Fire Spirit King's name was also Ifrit…"
"Ifrit is the name that signifies the Fire Spirit King itself. You have to inherit that name to wield the power of fire."
Ifrit nodded, saying that's how Spirit Kings are born.
"Hm…"
Raon, who had been stroking his chin, extended his hand and ignited the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
"Do you remember anything when you see this flame?"
"It feels nostalgic. The reason I followed you was because of that feeling."
Ifrit smiled faintly, saying it felt strange. As expected, he felt my flame as something ancestral and followed it.
"It seems we are connected from a past life."
It was curious to hear him talk about nostalgia and past lives despite being newly born.
"First, stop calling me Hyung…"
"I will give you a small gift, Hyung."
A small flame flew from Ifrit's raised finger and touched my chest.
Whoooosh!
The warm flames spread throughout my body without any resistance and seeped into my mana circuits.
"This is…"
"It's the Silver Flame used to nurture contractors."
"Silver Flame?"
"If you make that flame yours, Raon Hyung's flames will reach a new realm."
"What do you mean by that…"
"If I say more, the effect will diminish. You must realize it yourself to achieve its true purpose."
Ifrit shook his head, saying it wouldn't be effective if he explained everything.
"I want to stay with you, Hyung, but the spirit realm keeps calling me. A lot seems to have collapsed during the time Ellem and I were absent."
"Ah…"
Sterin, Erian, and Rimmer said that the balance of the spirit realm was disturbed due to the disappearance of the two Spirit Kings. It seemed that the other Spirit Kings were constantly calling Ifrit.
"We will see each other again soon."
Ifrit bowed politely and disappeared into a small flame.
"Hoo…"
Raon sighed and fell back as soon as Ifrit disappeared.
'It's been a hectic day.'
The Demon King had eaten the Fire Spirit King, and the barely revived Spirit King declared to serve me as his Hyung. This situation felt like a dream.
-Hmm…
Wrath squinted his eyes and approached, tapping his hand.
-You know it's all thanks to the King, right? When would someone like you become the Hyung of such a fire brat?
He raised his nose, telling Raon to be grateful.
"..."
Without a word, Raon grabbed Wrath's head and tail and stretched him like wringing laundry.
-Screeech!
"When are you going to stop causing trouble!"
-I was just trying to protect my home!
He shook his head, saying he just pushed away the trespassing Fire Spirit King.
"Hm…"
Raon let go of Wrath and nodded.
'He's not entirely wrong.'
From Wrath's perspective, the Fire Spirit King suddenly intervened, so he seemed to have tried to save himself and Raon. Of course, trying to eat the Spirit King was insane.
-And.
Wrath glared at Raon.
-You should stop messing with the King now.
'Huh?'
-The King has now gained new power.
'New power?'
-Usually, I wouldn't have even looked at it, but to beat you, I accepted that fire brat's energy!
With those words, red flames rose from Wrath's pudgy hand.
-The King now commands not only cold energy but also flames...
'Haa…'
Raon massaged his temples, looking at Wrath's confident face.
'What are you going to do with flames that are weaker than your cold energy?'
-Huh…?
'Besides, I have a high fire resistance. Want to try?'
Raon gestured with his finger, daring him to come.
Psshh…
The flames on Wrath's hand were extinguished. He trembled and sat down.
-Damn it…
While Raon was laughing in disbelief, the ground shook and then collapsed, and a baby fox covered in dirt popped out.
-Wah! The crazy fox!
Wrath, startled, quickly stepped back.
"Merlin!"
"You're safe!"
Merlin smiled brightly and wiggled her front paw. Her voice was more energetic than the last time Raon saw her, indicating she had recovered.
"I was really worried."
She mumbled an apology, saying she couldn't step forward because she had no strength.
"No, I told you not to move."
It was a fight with Eden, and someone else might have been watching from another place, so Raon had firmly told Merlin not to intervene.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine after resting."
Merlin blushed, saying she was full of energy now.
"How's Eden? Have they all retreated?"
"It was originally a plan for the Crimson Flame Demon, but since he died, it's all over."
She nodded, saying this was all to make the Crimson Flame Demon grow.
"Then the Fallen must be really angry."
"Seems like it. He's frowning right now."
"He's frowning right now?"
"Yes."
Merlin smiled brightly and scratched the ground with her paw.
"They're in a conference right now."
* * *
The sky over the blue coast, where the red sun always shone, was darkening.
The Fallen, sitting at an antique wooden desk, turned his eyes to the right.
"…So they all died? To Raon Zieghart?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The Green Eye Demon, wearing a mask with green eyes drawn on it, nodded.
"..."
The Fallen said nothing and tapped the desk with his fingers. The mask with the face of an impossibly handsome young man shimmered with a strange light.
"The Red Demon Swordsman went as the person in charge, so his martial prowess wasn't high, which makes his death understandable. But Cassandra is a Grandmaster, and the Crimson Flame Demon goes without saying."
He continued, brushing back his disheveled hair.
"The Crimson Flame Demon, who absorbed the World Tree's barrier, must have reached high-level Grandmaster. It's hard to believe Raon Zieghart defeated him."
"Raon Zieghart wasn't the only one fighting. The High Elf Siyana, whom we thought was useless, summoned the Water Spirit King."
"A newly born Spirit King wouldn't be able to think properly. So, in the end, it means Raon Zieghart ruined everything."
The Fallen smiled faintly, hiding his murderous intent.
"Hm, now that you mention it, there was something strange."
"Something strange?"
"Raon Zieghart went to Sepia as a guest, but he did his own reconnaissance and appeared on the battlefield faster than any other Guardian."
The Green Eye Demon bowed his head, saying it was a bit strange.
"..."
The Fallen stroked his chin and turned his gaze to the right.
"Merlin."
His gaze landed on Merlin, lying on the sandy beach as if sunbathing.
"Do you know anything about this?"
Merlin's eyelids naturally lifted under the probing gaze.