Clang! Raon deflected the sword strike shot by the Green
King and turned his gaze to Wrath.
'What do you mean by that? A similar scent to mine?'
Raon thought Wrath was quietly pondering the dinner menu,
but he was taken aback when Wrath suddenly said
something strange.
-It means exactly what I said.
Wrath jerked his chin towards the Green King.
-I sense a similar disposition from that fake king as from
you.
He muttered that he was certain, furrowing his brow.
'Disposition? Does that mean she has a similar talent to
mine?'
Raon licked his lips as he watched the Green King take her
stance again.
'That's not good.'
If she truly possessed the ability to grow stronger while
fighting like himself, the battle with her would undoubtedly
become more arduous than expected.
-To be precise, her innate talent itself is superior.
Wrath nodded, saying that even he had to acknowledge the
Green King's talent. Kya-a-a-ang! Raon sliced through the
Green King's arrow-like, elastic slash and furrowed his brow.
'To that extent?'
Wrath doesn't easily acknowledge others. If it was talent
that he recognized, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it
was the best on the continent.
'It's certainly a bit different.'
The Green King kept changing the attributes of her
swordsmanship as if trying to find Raon's weakness. Seeing
her targeting the enemy's weakness rather than relying on a
single confident swordsmanship style, he felt that she was
truly similar to himself.
-However, what I want to say is not about talent or such.
Wrath calmly shook his head.
'Then?'
-I mean the scent of your innate beings is similar. Simply
put, as if you came from the same womb.
He wrinkled his nose, saying it was a strange thing.
'I don't know what innate disposition or scent means, but...'
Raon swung his Heavenly Drive sword while looking down at
the Green King.
'Right now, defeating her is the priority.'
The Green King is strong. If he faced her while thinking
about other things, not only would he be in danger, but the
Light Wind division and the swordsmen of House Arianne
behind him would also be harmed. He needed to focus on
the battle. Ku-u-u-u! The Green King shot out another
massive blade of fighting spirit. She was aiming at the left
side of the castle wall, which was shaking as if about to
collapse.
Chwa-a-a-ak! Raon unleashed Frost Snap to freeze the
Green King's sword strike that was digging into the castle
wall. However, due to the intense shockwave, the right side
of the castle wall eventually collapsed. Kua-a-a-a-a! Ogres
and trolls, as if they had been waiting, kicked off the ground
and leaped onto the collapsed castle wall.
Of course, Raon didn't need to move. Mark Goetun split all
the monsters climbing the castle wall with his lightningwrapped sword strike, as if welcoming them. Tsk. The Green
King clicked her tongue as if displeased and pointed her
sword towards the right castle wall. It seemed like she was
trying to execute a feint attack.
"Huu."
Raon let out a short sigh as he watched this.
'I guess I have no choice but to go down.'
The Green King didn't need to protect the monsters, but
since he had to protect the people inside the castle, it
seemed better to go down and engage in battle.
"You can go."
When he looked back, Rimmer beat his chest as if to say to
trust him.
"I don't trust you, though."
Raon chuckled and kicked off the castle wall, leaping down
to the plain. Chi-i-i-ing! The Green King, as if she had
anticipated this, stepped forward with her footwork and
thrust her sword towards Raon's heart. She was aiming for
the moment when he couldn't move in mid-air.
"Unfortunately..."
Raon twisted his lips as he stepped on the air as if it were
solid ground.
"I overcame that a long time ago."
He swung his sword down towards the neck of the Green
King who had rushed in. The Green King hastily raised her
sword to defend, but she was pushed back five steps by the
force. She exerted strength on her trembling sword and
flashed an even more chilling gaze.
"What are you thinking?"
Raon tilted his chin as he watched the Green King lean her
upper body forward.
"There's no treasure you want in that castle."
"..."
The Green King said nothing. As if fighting was her only
purpose, she instantly crossed the space between them and
thrust in a fierce sword strike.
"I said it's useless... huh?"
Raon widened his eyes as he watched the swordsmanship
displayed by the Green King. The sword that was thinly
digging in split into two streams, aiming for his neck and
heart.
'Frost Snap?'
The subtlety of the Frost Snap technique he had used on the
castle wall earlier was now present in the Green King's swordsmanship.
'She's copying it after seeing it just once?'
Whether it was the power of the black orc helmet or her own
talent, it was mind-boggling.
'Even so...'
It's still crude. Frost Snap requires adjusting the time
difference between sword strikes depending on the
opponent, but the Green King was just swinging rapidly. Jeoeo-eong!
Raon blocked the two streams of sword strikes
simultaneously with the Fangs of Insanity, then unleashed
the Ten Thousand Flames Revolving Sky. The rotating flames
like a saw blade roughly pushed back the Green King who
was trying to stick close.
"..."
Despite receiving a severe impact, the Green King didn't let
out even a groan and raised her sword again. It was as if
she was proving that she was truly the king of warriors.
"If you don't want to talk..."
Raon spread the Heavenly Drive to the right. The moment
the red lines engraved on the blade darkened, hundreds of
flower petals covered the plain.
"Die as a mute."
He engulfed the Green King in a storm of flames using the
Ten Thousand Flames Fire Spirit. The Green King, seeming to
realize the danger of the Fire Spirit, raised as many Astral
Rings as there were flower petals to subdue the flames.
Without giving her a moment's rest, Raon unleashed the
Thirty-Six Crimson Slashes, targeting vital points all over the
Green King's body.
Realizing she couldn't block all the sword paths, the Green
King only exposed her left waist while deflecting all the
strikes aimed at her vital points.
"As expected..."
Raon slowly nodded as he recalled the swordsmanship
displayed by the Green King.
'She's mastering the Ten Thousand Swords.'
The Green King was a practitioner learning the Ten
Thousand Swords, just like himself.
'On top of that...'
She's growing while fighting. Like himself utilizing the Ring
of Fire, the Green King was using her opponent's martial arts
to develop her own martial prowess. He might not
understand the innate disposition Wrath mentioned, but he
could see why Wrath said they were similar.
The Green King charged forward without even stopping her
bleeding, as if determined to go all the way.
Judging by her calm gaze, she seemed confident in her
victory.
'This is interesting.'
Raon twisted his lips as he looked at the Green King. He had
no intention of losing to anyone when it came to growing by
consuming the enemy. He activated the Ring of Fire once
more and raised the Fire Spirit again. Faster and more
powerful fragments of flames engulfed the Green King.
The Green King deployed the same number of Astral Rings
as the flower petals to block the Fire Spirit, just like before,
but she seemed unable to block it completely and suffered
burns all over her body.
She widened her eyes as if she couldn't believe the Fire
Spirit's power had increased in such a short time.
"Let's keep going."
Raon wiggled his finger at the Green King.
"Let's see who devours whom."
* * *
"That guy's at it again."
Martha shook her head as she watched Raon's back.
"He'll come back stronger this time too. It's tiresome. So
tiresome."
She frowned as she cut down an ogre climbing the castle
wall.
"Today might be a bit different."
Burren narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Green King.
"The Green King seems to be getting stronger while fighting
too."
He frowned slightly as if worried.
"It's alright."
Unlike Martha and Burren, Runaan focused solely on the
battle at the castle wall.
"Handsome Raon will win."
She didn't even look down, seemingly trusting Raon
completely.
"R-right. Lord Raon's sword must have gotten stronger too.
He definitely won't lose!"
Dorian shook his clenched fist, saying that while he wasn't
confident in himself, he absolutely believed in Raon. The
Light Wind division also showed their trust in Raon as they
focused all their attention on their own battles.
"Ha."
Wendy let out a hollow laugh as she watched Raon and the Light Wind division showing perfect trust in each other. She
still couldn't believe those young ones had grown so much
and come back like this.
"What kind of training did they do..."
"Raon taught them everything."
Rimmer wiggled his finger, saying it was all Raon's work.
"The swordsmen of House Arianne could become like that
too if they did the same training. Of course, some might die
before that."
He chuckled without taking his eyes off Raon's battle.
"Um, excuse me..."
Wendy approached Rimmer and lowered her gaze.
"Are you not going to move, Lord Rimmer?"
Rimmer was just standing there, neither helping Raon nor
supporting the Light Wind division. Wendy wondered what
he was thinking.
"Standing here is..."
Rimmer shook his head without taking his eyes off Raon's back.
"My duty."
* * *
"It looks even, but..."
The Twin-Headed Demon lowered his chin slightly as he
watched the Green King being pushed back.
"It seems Raon Zieghart's talent is superior."
Both Raon and the Green King had the talent to grow while
fighting, but there seemed to be a difference in the level of
that talent. While the Green King's martial talent was rare
even on the entire continent, Raon's combat talent and
sense seemed to be on a historical level.
"It's tempting."
It seemed that if Raon wore a top-tier helmet, he could
immediately break through the wall of transcendence and
soar. A good helmet had just been made, so the timing and
situation were perfect.
'It's different from before.'
Raon had overcome the power of a helmet before, but at
that time, Merlin's greed had been excessive. If it was a
helmet made by The Fallen, it would surely be able to
devour that guy's mind.
"What do you think? Don't you want to join that guy too?"
The Twin-Headed Demon shrugged his shoulders towards
the Severing Sword.
"..."
The Severing Sword watched the battle between Raon and
the Green King with his heels raised, ready to move at any
moment.
"I see. You agree too, then?"
The Twin-Headed Demon muttered that he had even
received permission, drawing a sinister smile.
'It will end soon.'
Raon and the Green King were preparing decisive blows that
could kill their opponent without revealing their full power
yet. It seemed like the outcome would be decided within a
few minutes.
'Should I make the first move?'
No, there was a better way. The Twin-Headed Demon smiled
as he looked at the trembling Severing Sword.
"You can move if it looks like it's getting dangerous."
He raised his finger, pointing at Raon and the Green King
who were causing a storm of Astral Rings.
"For either side, that is."
"..."
The Severing Sword seemed to understand those words and
slowly moved forward, gripping his sword hilt tightly. The
Twin-Headed Demon curled his lips into a long smile as he
watched the Severing Sword's back.
* * *
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the Green King being
repelled, unable to completely block the Crimson Slash.
'She's almost at her limit.'
The Green King had the talent to grow through battle, but Raon's ability with the Ring of Fire was a step above. She too was letting out low groans as if she couldn't believe this situation. The Green King, seeming to realize she was at a disadvantage the more she fought, gripped the Lion Sword with both hands.
A faint moonlight welled up from her earrings, and an
overwhelmingly powerful aura surged, making it difficult to
breathe.
'That's...'
Raon bit his lip as he felt the massive fighting spirit
condensing around the Green King.
'A hidden power, huh.'
He thought she was hiding something ominous, but it was a
power beyond his imagination. If hit directly by that fighting
spirit, it seemed like House Arianne itself would crumble.
'I have no choice but to block it head-on.'
Raon tilted the Heavenly Drive below his waist and drew the
Blade of Requiem with his left hand. Lion's Boundless EarthShattering.
The Lion Sword held by the Green King raised an
enormous fighting spirit as if it would reach the sky. The
blazing fighting spirit, as if turned into flames, poured down
as if to split heaven and earth.
It wasn't just the overwhelming power; the sword strike
itself contained the subtleties of the Ten Thousand Swords,
making it certain death if one tried to block it clumsily.
'I can't block it like this.'
Raising the Heavenly Drive upwards and lowering the Blade
of Requiem, he opened the mental world. Sword Domain -
Divine-Demonic Harmony. Raon drew out the Divine Sword
and Demonic Sword from within the solemnly burning
flames and frost. With the two swords containing different
skies, he stood against the slash drawn down by the Green
King.
As the strikes imbued with the Ten Thousand Swords
collided, black cracks appeared on the ground, and a
shockwave that seemed to split space itself swept through
the surroundings.
However, there was a difference even in their hidden
powers. Raon's Divine Sword and Demonic Sword generated
increasingly powerful firepower, completely shattering the
Green King's sword strike. Her pupils trembled violently as if
filled with shock.
"It's over."
Just as Raon was about to behead the Green King with his
Demonic Sword, a sharp sound of air being cut came from
the left. The Severing Sword. The monster he had seen at
Eden's branch in the past was flying in at a terrifying speed.
But there was no need to look at the Severing Sword.
Rimmer, who had descended on the wind, blocked the
Severing Sword's blade.
'What I need to watch is...'
Raon swiftly turned around and brought down his Divine
Sword towards the ground that was suddenly bulging.
"Huh?"
The helmeted man who burst out of the ground along with
dust widened his eyes at the sight of the Divine Sword. He
reacted quickly to block the Divine Sword, but couldn't hide
the confusion in his eyes.
"How did you know?"
The helmeted man let out a hollow laugh amidst the yellow
dust, as if dumbfounded.
"It was obvious."
Raon shook his chin lightly. He had expected an ambush
when the Green King was in danger, since prey is most
vulnerable when eating.
"No matter what you do..."
Raon's lips trembled as he saw the man's helmet while the
dust was settling.
"Twin-Headed Demon...?!"
The Ghost of Eden, who had caused the greatest sorrow and
pain to Sylvia and had killed his father and older sister, was
smiling with his eyes.
"You know me? Well, I suppose you couldn't not know."
The Twin-Headed Demon curled his lips into a long smile.
"You must have heard that I'm the enemy who killed your
father and older sister..."
"That doesn't matter. Just..."
A chilling frost blazed over Raon's red pupils.
"Die."