Thud! Raon planted his right foot heavily. As he raised the
Heavenly Drive to finish off the first staggering Twin-Headed
Demon, his body suddenly felt heavy.
'Is this the backlash...?'
Despite his mind's quick assessment, his arms and legs
moved agonizingly slow. The Sword Control technique he
had used unconsciously seemed to have overloaded his
energy center and body.
'I still have to keep going.'
Raon bit his lip and forced himself to thrust the sword. Just
as the tip of the Heavenly Drive was about to pierce the first
Twin-Headed Demon's neck, a greatsword flew in from the
right. The second Twin-Headed Demon. Its powerful fighting
spirit sent Raon sliding back five steps.
"Urgh!"
In that moment, the first Twin-Headed Demon regained its
senses and clutched its chest wound. It glared at Raon with
eyes full of intense killing intent.
"Hah..."
Raon didn't move immediately, instead steadying his
breathing. As long as the two Twin-Headed Demons were
together, any half-hearted attack would be meaningless.
-A wise decision.
Wrath nodded approvingly at Raon's good judgment.
-Your body and mind are not in their normal state right now.
'It's not too serious though.'
Raon licked his lips briefly, feeling that a short rest would
improve his condition.
-To gain enlightenment and act in such a dangerous
moment, you are an increasingly incomprehensible human.
Wrath frowned, saying he was now sick of it.
'Thanks for the compliment.'
-It wasn't a compliment, I said I'm sick of it!
'Okay.'
Raon waved Wrath off and looked at the second TwinHeaded Demon with the greatsword resting on its shoulder.
'An old man?'
Unlike the first Twin-Headed Demon who looked like a child,
the second one's skin was covered in liver spots and
wrinkles. It seemed to have the body of an elderly person.
'But still strong.'
The second Twin-Headed Demon was also a monster that
had reached the peak of Grandmaster, just like the first.
While facing two peak Grandmasters at once was worrying,
it was also exciting.
"W-wait, there were two Twin-Headed Demons?"
Rimmer's eyes widened, apparently unaware there had
been two of them.
"Raon! That was Sword Control, wasn't it? As expected,
you're amazing!"
Merlin waved her hand at Raon, seemingly uninterested in
the fact there were two Twin-Headed Demons.
"R-Raon, are you okay?"
Sylvia showed a worried look while keeping her distance
from the Severing Sword.
"I'm fine."
Raon smiled reassuringly at Sylvia before turning back to
face the two Twin-Headed Demons.
"You said you could catch him for sure! But you didn't!"
The elderly Twin-Headed Demon glared at the younger one
with furrowed brows.
"How was I supposed to know he could use Sword Control?"
The younger Twin-Headed Demon shrugged, apparently also
taken aback.
"He's more dangerous than I expected."
He twisted his lips into a grimace while staunching the
wound on his chest.
"If we can't take him with us, we need to kill him here for
certain."
"Take who where? Kill who?"
Merlin's piercing scream was accompanied by flames and
lightning raining down on the two Twin-Headed Demons'
heads.
"You brats and old geezers! If you do that... No, I'll kill you
just for breathing!"
While sweating as she struggled to restrain the Green King
without hurting her, Merlin displayed intense killing intent
towards the Twin-Headed Demons.
"Urgh!"
The Green King, oblivious to Merlin's feelings, continued to
unleash powerful sword strikes.
"Miss! Please stay still for a moment! No, wait, what should I
call my husband's sister?"
Merlin muttered about not knowing the proper term of
address while deflecting the Green King's sword strikes. She
truly was an extraordinary woman.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Raon stabilized his breathing before simultaneously
employing the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier
techniques.
"I'm tired of being kidnapped. Let's end this with your
deaths here."
As he spoke, he stretched out his arm, and the Blade of
Requiem that was still floating in the air flew into his hand of
its own accord.
"Arrogant brat!"
The elderly Twin-Headed Demon raised his greatsword
above his shoulder with a furrowed brow.
"It's a shame, but we have no choice."
The younger Twin-Headed Demon sighed as he lifted his
broken club. Even broken, it still looked five times the size of
the Heavenly Drive.
"Raon. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help..."
Rimmer bit his lip as he swung his sword, crackling with
lightning. He seemed to be struggling to block the Severing
Sword even with Sylvia's support.
'Of course.'
The Severing Sword possessed power beyond that of the
young Twin-Headed Demon, and now that its identity as
Edgar had been revealed, they couldn't kill it. Rimmer was
fulfilling his role just by holding out.
"Don't worry. I'll finish this."
Raon nodded calmly. Though he had used the Divine-
Demonic Harmony and suffered internal injuries, leaving
him in a poor state, he could still fight sufficiently thanks to
the enlightenment that had elevated him to the peak of
Grandmaster. The two Twin-Headed Demons charged
forward, shattering the ground beneath them.
The elderly Twin-Headed Demon swung his greatsword as he
rushed in from the right, while the younger one dove in from
the left, bringing down his broken club.
The Twin-Headed Demons, who had been suspicious of each
other earlier, now displayed exquisite joint techniques as if
sharing one body. Raon raised the Blade of Requiem to form
a Fire Wall, blocking the attacks of both Twin-Headed
Demons.
Unlike when he had faced just one of them, the impact
reverberated to his very bones. He could feel his internal
injuries worsening, but he didn't show it. Instead, he
unleashed the Mystic Soul Sword's Middle Soul Palace
technique with the Heavenly Drive.
A blue Astral Ring bloomed from the darkness, cutting
through the crimson fighting spirit and slashing the demons'
shoulders and chests.
"Hmm!"
"How...?"
The elderly Twin-Headed Demon's eyes widened as he
looked at his wound, while the younger one swallowed hard
as he stared at Raon.
"Is that all you've got?"
Raon looked down at the two Twin-Headed Demons with his
red eyes, chin raised.
"Having two heads doesn't seem to mean much."
He sneered, flicking his finger.
"You bastard!"
"We'll tear that mouth of yours first!"
The two Twin-Headed Demons charged forward, their eyes
filled with deadly intent. Raon felt a terrifying storm of
energy envelop his entire body.
"You two..."
Raon bit his lip, recalling Sylvia's despairing eyes and once
again stoking his anger. He unleashed the Flame Dragon
Strike with all his might, surrounding himself with killing
intent and energy waves no less powerful than those of the
two Twin-Headed Demons.
"I won't give you an easy death."
* * *
Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he deflected the Severing
Sword's strike.
'What's going on with this one?'
The being that had been relentlessly attacking him with
chilling demonic energy had become strangely quiet.
'Was it when Raon used Sword Control? No, it started when
Sylvia intervened.'
While the Severing Sword had begun to hesitate more
noticeably after seeing Raon's Sword Control, even before
that it had been oddly reluctant to attack Sylvia.
'Could it be...?'
Did it really retain memories from the past? If the Severing
Sword still possessed Edgar's memories and soul, it would
explain the current situation.
"Sylvia. It looks like Raon might be right after all."
Rimmer whispered quietly as he moved next to Sylvia.
"Is there any swordsmanship or words your husband might
remember?"
"Swordsmanship he might remember..."
Sylvia bit her lip as she looked at the Severing Sword, then
her eyes widened. In front of her, Raon's sword, which had
been filled with a hazy darkness, now fell quietly.
'The Mystic Soul Sword!'
Come to think of it... Edgar had frozen like a statue for a
while after seeing the Mystic Soul Sword that Raon had
unleashed with Sword Control, and his movements had
become even stiffer afterward.
'It's clear now.'
Before this mission, when she saw Raon performing the
Mystic Soul Sword by the lake, she had felt her heart sink.
While she had been both happy and saddened to see father
and son learning the same swordsmanship, it seemed their
fates were indeed connected.
"Edgar! You forced me to learn the Mystic Soul Sword!"
Sylvia charged towards Edgar without Rimmer's assistance.
"Don't you dare say something about your awkward posture
again!"
She unleashed a clumsy version of the Mystic Soul Sword,
drawing upon memories over 20 years old.
* * *
Edgar slowly opened his eyelids.
'It's dark.'
Everything he could see was pitch black, as if he had fallen
into an ocean of darkness. It hadn't always been this way.
Even after donning the Death Knight's helmet, he had
managed to maintain some semblance of sanity, but as The
Fallen's influence grew stronger, his sense of self began to
fade.
However, that being hadn't completely erased him, claiming
it was for an experiment. Instead, it had tucked him away in
a corner of his own body.
Just as he was beginning to forget who he was, a child
named Raon was brought into Eden's branch. Upon hearing
that he was Sylvia's son, Edgar realized Raon was his own
child. He wanted to immediately free him and help him
escape, but all he could do was watch.
All he was given was the ability to observe the world from
within the darkness.
Fortunately, thanks to Zieghart's attack, Raon was able to
escape from Eden's branch. Unlike the rumors he had heard,
it seemed Glenn genuinely cared for Raon, which was a
relief. Just as Edgar thought he could die without regrets, he
encountered the Green King.
The moment he saw her, he instantly recognized her as Sia,
the daughter he had failed to protect.
For the first time, he overcame the Death Knight's soul and
took control of his body. Just as he was about to escape
Eden with Sia, The Fallen appeared as if it had been waiting
for this moment.
[Now it will finally be complete.]
The Fallen smiled with apparent joy as it subdued Edgar and
pushed his soul deeper into the darkness. The sensation of
having his soul manipulated by another was beyond pain.
He screamed in agony, wishing for death thousands of times
a day. Afterward, even his vision was filled with darkness,
and he could barely see anything.
Despair for himself, regret for his children, and longing for
Sylvia were the only pillars sustaining his soul. Just as he
was desperately trying to hold on with the determination to
at least protect his daughter, a small spark of light
appeared.
That light followed the flow of the Mystic Soul Sword he had
practiced his entire life, cutting through the darkness before
his eyes. As the Mystic Soul Sword's forms flashed a few
more times, the darkness obscuring his vision began to
fade, and he could once again see the world.
"Edgar!"
Sylvia, her face unchanged, called out his name as she
performed the Mystic Soul Sword.
'It's clumsy.'
It seemed she hadn't practiced at all since he had taught
her; the sword's movements and aura flow were a mess.
However, it conveyed a warmth deeper and more intense
than any other swordsmanship in the world.
"Wake up already, you chatterbox!"
Seeing the tearful Sylvia and the battles raging all around,
Edgar instantly grasped the situation.
'Sylvia.'
As he gazed at Sylvia, overwhelmed with indescribable
emotions, his body, as if not recognizing her, unleashed a cold sword strike.
'No! Not now... Argh!'
Edgar screamed as he tried to control his body's
movements. He managed to prevent Sylvia's death, but a
pain like his soul being torn to shreds assailed him. Yet his
body, indifferent to his soul's agony, tried to strike Sylvia
again with its sword.
'I said no! Gah!'
Edgar once again raised his soul to stop his body's
movements. This time, he felt a pain like his flesh being
chewed by a beast's teeth. Though he had experienced
much pain as a swordsman of the Holy Sword Alliance, this
was unlike anything he had felt before.
'I-I can't keep stopping it like this.'
No matter how strong his will, it would be impossible to
endure this pain indefinitely. He needed to find a way to
stop the battle entirely. As Edgar took deep breaths to
overcome the pain, a faint voice echoed in his mind.
[Fight there for a while, then aim for Raon Zieghart.]
It was the voice of the young Twin-Headed Demon who
could control his body.
'Raon.'
Edgar shifted his gaze. He saw Raon fighting against the two
Twin-Headed Demons without giving an inch. It seemed the
Twin-Headed Demons wanted to use him to kill Raon for
certain.
'If I could use this in reverse... Urgh!'
As soon as he thought about defying the Twin-Headed
Demon's order, the most intense pain yet crushed his soul.
It felt like he would disappear at this rate.
'No. Absolutely not...'
This was his only chance to act as a father. Edgar endured
the increasingly intense pain and pushed what little
remained of his soul into the Severing Sword - no, into his
own body. He felt as if his soul was being scraped away by
thousands of blades. It was difficult to move even a finger.
'Ugh...'
It hurt, yet it didn't hurt. Compared to being trapped in
darkness and unable to do anything, this level of pain was
entirely bearable. If he could save everyone, he didn't mind
dying here.
'Raon...'
Edgar kept his gaze fixed on his son's back even as he
swung his sword at his wife.
'Just hold on a little longer.'
* * *
Raon gritted his teeth as he blocked the fighting spirit
unleashed by the two Twin-Headed Demons.
'Damn it...'
They're incredibly strong. At first, he thought he could win,
but the perfect joint techniques of the two Twin-Headed
Demons made the battle far from easy. It felt like facing a
single Transcendent Warrior rather than two Grandmasters.
"Are you starting to regret it now?"
The younger Twin-Headed Demon sneered as he brought his
wooden club down on Raon's shoulder.
"Don't think about capturing him. Kill him without fail."
The elderly Twin-Headed Demon furrowed his brow as he
raised his greatsword. Raon felt a chill run down his spine as
lightning-fast fighting spirit pressed in from above and
below simultaneously.
'I need to block and counter.'
Continuing to defend alone wouldn't lead to a solution. He
had to counterattack somehow. Raon unleashed the Mystic
Soul Sword's Severing technique with the Blade of Requiem
and the Azure Sky Sword's Advancing Formless
Transformation with the Heavenly Drive.
The frost-imbued blade froze the Twin-Headed Demons'
fighting spirit, while the flames from the Heavenly Drive
rode the wind to slash across both demons' abdomens.
"Ugh..."
"Hmm..."
The two Twin-Headed Demons groaned as if they had taken
a significant hit, but they charged forward without
regenerating their wounds. They seemed to realize they
needed to end this now while Raon was exhausted.
Raon focused on defense, repeatedly unleashing the Fangs
of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art techniques, but he
gradually began to be pushed back by the Twin-Headed
Demons' ruthless offensive.
'My internal injuries are worsening...'
His hands and feet moved increasingly slower than he
calculated. His body wasn't responding properly due to the
internal injuries and mental exhaustion.
'I guess I have no choice now.'
There didn't seem to be time to wait for an opportunity to
finish them both at once. Though he had been pretending
not to notice, he could sense the Severing Sword
approaching from behind, apparently acting on the TwinHeaded Demons' orders to target him.
'Even if I can't kill them in one go, I'll have to use the Sword
Domain.'
Using Heaven's Rift after fully employing the DivineDemonic Harmony would drain all the strength from his body, but there was no other option now.
'Hah...'
Just as Raon was about to make his final move after
steadying his breath, he heard a voice in his mind.
[...Raon?]
A deep yet somehow light voice echoed in his head. It was a
voice he had never heard before.
'Who...'
[My name is Edgar. I'm your f-father.]
Edgar's voice trembled uncontrollably as he said the word
"father.".
'Have you regained your senses?'
Raon resisted the urge to turn around and only moved his
eyes. He could see the Severing Sword fiercely deflecting
Rimmer and Sylvia's swords.
[Yes. That's me. The monster called the Severing Sword,
wearing the Death Knight's helmet. Thanks to you, I've
managed to regain some control over my body. I saw a
shining sword in the darkness, and it was my sword. How
did you learn the Mystic Soul Sword? Did your mother... I
mean, did Sylvia teach you? Unlike your mother, you're
using it properly. I'm truly moved...]
'...'
He talks a lot. It was disconcerting to have his father speak
to him so casually after more than 20 years, as if they had
met just yesterday.
[I couldn't do anything, but I was always proud of you in my
heart, Raon.]
The trembling and tension in Edgar's voice seemed to strike
Raon's heart.
[I have so much I want to say, but I haven't fully regained
my senses yet. I've only awakened for a brief moment
thanks to you and Sylvia.]
'Not yet...'
[It might be hard to believe the words of a fool who couldn't
be a father for over 20 years, but please trust me this once
as we fight. Even if my body is destroyed, I'll create an
opportunity for you. It's something I should have done from
the beginning, but I've only just gotten this brief chance
now, so all I can do is ask you to believe me. What a foolish
father I am, right? I said I wouldn't be like my own father,
but I ended up being even worse...]
His words continued uninterrupted. It was amusing how
different he was from the silent Severing Sword up until
now, which made it impossible not to trust him.
[Trust me and move forward, Raon.]
Edgar's final words were short but resolute.
-Do you believe those words?
Wrath furrowed his brow, as if asking if it was okay.
'I believe him.'
Sylvia had said that Edgar talked a lot and was good with
words. Right now, Raon was trusting his mother's words, not
his father's. Raon unleashed the Frost Snap and Flame Strike
techniques with the Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem.
For the first time, it was an all-out attack that disregarded
defense.
The two charging Twin-Headed Demons were pushed back
by sheer force. As this happened, Raon sensed a powerful
demonic energy surging behind him.
It was the Severing Sword. He had charged forward, taking
Rimmer and Sylvia's sword strikes with his bare body.
"It's over."
"Don't think we're being cowardly."
The two Twin-Headed Demons' smiles deepened. Their
expressions showed they expected the Severing Sword to
attack Raon. Raon bit his lip as he faced the monsters'
sneers.
'Can I really trust this?'
Could this whole situation be a lie? He felt his spine growing
cold with foreboding and anxiety. He wanted to retreat right
now. As he struggled with his final decision, he caught a
glimpse inside the approaching Severing Sword's helmet.
The eyes that had always been filled with darkness were
now shimmering with a clear light. That gaze was strikingly
similar to Sylvia's eyes behind him.
Raon clenched his molars.
'I believe.'
He looked forward again. The two Twin-Headed Demons
added more force to their wooden club and greatsword, as if
determined not to let him go. Just as Raon raised his full
aura, calming his mind, the Severing Sword's blade brushed
past his hair and extended towards the two Twin-Headed
Demons' necks.
"You crazy bastard!"
"Severing Sword! You!"
The two Twin-Headed Demons blocked the Severing Sword's
strike with wide eyes, but their hasty defense was imperfect
due to their surprise.
"Go!"
Hearing Edgar's shout, Raon once again opened the mental
world. The Ten Thousand Swords, which had deepened
further since reaching the peak of Grandmaster, sprouted
golden buds on the silver blade. Sword Domain: Heaven's
Rift. Raon's willpower, now imbued with an even more
intense radiance, erased the red fighting spirit and drew a
single line cutting across the horizon.
The world shook.