Raon swallowed hard as he watched the demonic energy in
the Soul Stone, which had been raging as if about to
explode, suddenly subside.
'Did he suppress the demonic energy with Willpower?'
Seeing the Soul Stone's explosion stop, it seemed Rector
had crushed the demonic energy with his transcendent
Willpower.
-That Soul Stone contains demonic energy that even most
Transcendent Warriors would struggle to withstand....
Wrath licked his lips as he looked at Rector.
-That old geezer seems to have grown quite a bit.
He chuckled, saying old men grow well too.
'Grown?'
Come to think of it, Rector's aura seemed much sharper
now. It was like seeing Glenn from before.
"W-What..."
The Twin-Headed Demon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sword Demon! Why are you here? And how did you stop
the explosion?"
He shouted at Rector with the mocking laugh wiped from his
face.
"..."
Rector glared at the Twin-Headed Demon with cold eyes
without answering.
"Grrr! This can't be! You all must die here!"
The Twin-Headed Demon raised his tattered arm, contorting
his face. He seemed to be trying to detonate the Soul Stone
remotely using Fighting Spirit. Raon forcibly drew up his
depleted aura and stepped into the Supreme Harmony
Steps. He advanced straight towards the Twin-Headed
Demon and swung down the Blade of Requiem he was
holding in reverse grip.
The blade, flickering with Demonic Energy, cut through the
Twin-Headed Demon's Fighting Spirit and pierced his neck.
"Kuhak!"
The Twin-Headed Demon tried to detonate the Soul Stone
even if it meant his own death, but he couldn't move a
finger due to the Demonic Energy emanating from the Blade
of Requiem.
"R-Raon Zieghart. You interfere until the end..."
He gritted his teeth, raising his bloodshot eyes.
"Now that you're about to die, that annoying smile of yours
is gone."
Raon nodded, looking at the Twin-Headed Demon's viciously
contorted expression.
"I-If you kill me, the Soul Stone will explode immediately!
Don't pull out the sword..."
"Your lies are clumsy."
Raon sneered, looking down at the Twin-Headed Demon.
"If that stone would explode with your death, you would
have committed suicide earlier."
The Twin-Headed Demon wanted everyone here to
disappear even if he died. The fact that he didn't take his
own life and tried to detonate the Soul Stone remotely
clearly showed that the explosion triggered by suicide had
also been blocked by Rector.
"W-Wait! No! Listen to me! I..."
"Now it's your turn to be mocked by death."
Raon shook his head firmly and sliced down the Blade of
Requiem stuck in the Twin-Headed Demon's neck. The
demon's head fell from his neck and rolled on the ground.
"Damn it..."
The evil spirit who had mocked human life and fate died in
despair.
"Phew..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he looked at the Twin-Headed
Demon who had died with his eyes wide open. Seeing the
one who had toyed with others' lives die wailing felt
refreshing, as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.
'I want to collapse right here, but...'
There's still work to be done. He painfully raised his head
and turned his gaze to Rector and Edgar. They too were
silently looking this way.
'Did he say father?'
Edgar had called Rector father earlier. That meant Rector
was his grandfather.
-To think that old geezer is your real grandfather....
Wrath licked his lips as he examined Rector.
-As expected, your blood is not ordinary.
He frowned, saying he knew from the first meeting that
Raon was extraordinary.
'You knew Rector was here all along, didn't you?'
-Of course.
Wrath snorted, telling him to ask what he needed to ask.
'Then why didn't you tell me?
-That old geezer has been watching over you more than
once or twice. I thought he would stay quiet this time too
since he never showed up before.
He shook his head, saying he thought Rector's hobby was
voyeurism.
"F-Father, how did you..."
Edgar swallowed dryly, as if he couldn't believe Rector had
come.
"I got a call from that one while tracking Eden's
movements."
Rector pointed at Merlin.
"It seemed unbelievable, but I came just in case, and I'm
glad I wasn't too late."
He nodded at Merlin gratefully.
"This girl greets grandfather."
Merlin gently lifted her tattered skirt like an old umbrella
and bowed her head. She seemed to lack any sense of
embarrassment.
"G-Grandfather...?"
Rector's eyes shook roughly. He looked around at Raon and
Sylvia as if he didn't understand the situation, but no one
could open their mouths.
"I called the other side too, but it'll take a while since it's
late."
Merlin smiled brightly as if telling him not to worry.
"W-Well done..."
Rector nodded, answering roughly as if he didn't want to
talk more with Merlin.
"Yes!"
Merlin smiled brightly, muttering that grandfather had
praised her.
"Father. I..."
Edgar couldn't look straight at Rector and turned his gaze
away.
"Shut your mouth."
Rector shook his head as he staunched the blood still
flowing from Edgar's left chest.
"I'm sorry..."
Edgar couldn't raise his bowed head, as if he was ashamed.
"I left the Holy Sword Alliance shouting that I didn't want to live like my father, but I've become a worm who couldn't
even protect his family..."
He trembled as if his heart hurt more than the wound on his
chest.
"I'm truly sorry..."
"No, no!"
Sylvia ran out and held Edgar's trembling hand.
"Eden came after me, not him! It's all my fault!"
She shook her head, crying out that Eden's attack was
because of her.
"Hmm..."
Rector turned his head after looking at Sylvia's tear-filled
eyes. He didn't say anything because he understood Sylvia's
pain better than anyone.
"Ah! I'm sorry. I'll greet you again."
Sylvia knelt before Rector while holding Edgar's hand.
"I'm Sylvia Zieghart. Father."
She called Rector father and bowed her head deeply.
"You seem to have known already."
Rector shook his chin as he directly lifted Sylvia up.
"They look so alike, as if stamped, I couldn't not know."
Sylvia smiled faintly, saying Edgar and Rector looked too
similar.
'Indeed...'
Raon nodded as he looked back and forth between Edgar
and Rector. As Sylvia said, the two had very similar
appearances and auras, only differing in hair color.
"Raon."
Sylvia turned her head and called Raon's name.
"You should greet your grandfather."
She waved her hand, telling him to come over.
"Ah, yes."
Raon nodded and stood up. Though his body was powerless,
he had to greet properly as Sylvia said.
"Um, well..."
But standing before Rector, his mind suddenly felt blank. He
couldn't say the word grandfather.
"Greetings can wait. Let's deal with this first."
Rector also seemed embarrassed as he exhaled lowly and
carefully lifted the Soul Stone connected to Edgar's heart.
"Can you endure it?"
"Of course."
Edgar didn't even groan despite feeling intense pain,
holding Sylvia's hand.
"Right. You shouldn't show an unsightly appearance in front
of your child."
Rector smiled faintly as he examined the still churning Soul
Stone. After a moment, he frowned as if frustrated.
"If we cut the blood vessels like this, the demonic energy
might explode or your life could be in danger. We'll need a
doctor after all."
Rector exhaled a murky breath, saying they needed a skilled
priest and doctor.
"The Ragged Saint is in Zieghart now."
Raon pointed in the direction of Zieghart. The Ragged Saint
Federick possessed both holy power and excellent medical
skills. He would surely be able to solve this. (E/N: I don't
remember Federick possessing holy/divine power; maybe a
figure of speech)
"Y-Yes. Let's go to Zieghart."
Sylvia nodded quickly.
"Federick will surely help us!"
"Going to Zieghart is difficult."
Edgar lowered his gaze, unable to look straight into Sylvia's
eyes.
"What? Why?"
"I was an executive of Eden, and father became the Leader
of the Holy Sword Alliance. How could we go to Zieghart?"
He bit his lip, saying he didn't want to cause trouble for
Sylvia and Raon.
"It doesn't matter."
Rector shook his head calmly.
"The name of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance is not
heavier than your life."
"F-Father?"
"The reason I became the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance
was to protect Raon and Sylvia from the Five Demons."
He revealed his steadfast eyes, saying that was the only
reason.
"Father..."
"Father..."
Edgar and Sylvia trembled with pale lips, as if feeling
Rector's sincerity.
"Since you failed to be a father, I should at least do it."
Rector smiled faintly, saying he was just paying the price for
raising a bad son.
"Ah..."
Raon clenched his fist tightly as he looked at Rector's calm
eyes. Recalling his words just now and Wrath's testimony
that he had been watching over him, all the questions that
had piled up were resolved at once. It seemed all of Rector's
strange actions until now were to protect him.
His heart ached as if wrapped in thorny vines with gratitude
and regret towards him.
"I'm sorry."
Edgar also seemed to feel Rector's heart as he bowed his
head deeply.
"I truly have nothing to say to you, father."
"I told you to stop apologizing."
Rector calmly waved his hand.
"Before being your wife, son and daughter, they are also my
daughter-in-law and grandchildren."
He snorted, saying it was only natural for him to move.
"..."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Rector's face that
seemed to have brightened a bit.
'He seems to have returned.'
It felt like seeing Rector competing with Glenn in sword
training when he came to Zieghart. The gentleness from
that time was blooming in him.
"Well, anyway, it means you're not an enemy."
Rimmer lowered his sword, seeming relieved at last.
"That shy old man will have to be nervous."
He shrugged as if an interesting thought had occurred to
him.
"It seems support will come from Zieghart, but let's get out
of here first."
Rector turned around, saying to return to House Arianne as
he held Edgar's shoulder.
"I-I'm sorry."
Edgar exhaled lowly as he received Rector's support.
"After decades, all you say is sorry."
Rector shook his head as if telling him to stop.
"That's not something you say in front of your children."
He glanced at Raon and waved his hand as if telling him to
stop.
"Ah, yes."
Edgar nodded after glancing at Raon and Sylvia.
"I'll carry Sia."
Sylvia picked up Sia herself, as if not wanting to entrust her
daughter she met after 20 years to someone else.
"This feels nice."
She smiled brightly as she approached Rector and Edgar
with tears still in her eyes.
"Nice, you're truly peculiar..."
Rector was about to speak but urgently raised his head.
-He's here!
Wrath also shouted in surprise.
"What..."
As Raon raised his gaze, the air fluttered like a curtain and a
long darkness arose. A sacred light burst forth from the
darkness undulating like waves. It was The Fallen, the leader
of Eden, wrapped in light and darkness.
"...So it has come to this."
The Fallen nodded calmly, as if he had grasped the entire
situation just by lowering his gaze.
"The Fallen..."
Rector stepped forward to protect the others.
"It seems you had other thoughts after all."
The Fallen smiled faintly, as if he had expected this.
"I will never forgive you!"
Rector revealed a face like an evil spirit, as if he would kill
The Fallen who had inflicted indelible wounds on his son and
granddaughter.
"Do as you wish. Of course, after my experiment is over."
As The Fallen smiled and snapped his fingers, the Soul Stone
in Rector's grasp, which hadn't moved at all, began to
vibrate violently. The subsided demonic energy surged up
instantly, and deep cracks appeared on the Soul Stone.
"Get back!"
Rector pulled the Soul Stone from Edgar's heart and pushed
everyone else back.
"Rector!"
The moment Raon called Rector's name, the Soul Stone
shattered and an enormous amount of demonic energy
exploded as if to engulf the whole world. Raon was flung
back like a kicked stone and rolled on the ground countless
times.
His vision turned pure white, and only a ringing sound could
be heard in his ears. His limbs had no strength, and he
couldn't feel anything as if all his senses had been erased.
"Kuhak!"
After a long time of not being able to regain consciousness,
he coughed up blood due to the intense pain that arose in
his abdomen. Thanks to the pain, his mind slowly returned
and he began to see the plain where black smoke was
rising.
'Mom, Dad, Grandfather...'
He turned his head, but no one else was visible besides
himself. His heart began to beat violently as if it would burst
out right away.
"Ugh..."
Raon crawled on his knees towards the smoke. Though his
arms and legs wouldn't move, he couldn't just stay still. Just
as he barely reached the black smoke, wind blew from the
air and pushed away all the dust and smoke covered in
demonic energy.
"Ah..."
Rimmer and Merlin had collapsed, coughing up blood as if
they had tried to protect him, and next to them were Edgar
and Sylvia, limp while embracing Sia. Raon turned his
trembling gaze to look ahead. Rector was standing alone in
front of a rift in the earth that seemed to open into an
abyss.
He felt empty, as if he had poured out all his energy to stop
the Soul Stone's explosion.
"Uh..."
Whether his senses were distorted or this was reality,
everyone's breath seemed to have disappeared. Seeing the
people lying soaked in blood, the anger buried at the
bottom of his soul rose like a wildfire. An uncontrollable
impulse of rage began to spread to his fingertips.
-Stop! Do you really want to kill everyone?
Wrath waved his arms, blocking the front.
-How many times do I have to tell you that if I directly
descend into your body, you'll go berserk! Still...
The demon was saying something, but Raon couldn't hear
properly. His mind was already filled with anger, making it
difficult to regain his senses.
"If you hadn't protected these useless things, you wouldn't
have ended up like that."
The Fallen nodded as he looked at Rector, who had finally
fallen to his knees and lowered his head.
"Still, it was worth the effort I put in."
He smiled as if satisfied with the experiment. At that
moment, a line snapped in Raon's mind. Raon no longer
resisted and gave himself over to the anger. The mind he
had cultivated with the sword began to freeze silver.
-Damn it!
Wrath gritted his teeth as he was sucked into Raon's mind.
Having lived as a spirit unable to dominate a body, he was
bound to cause a rampage even if it was himself. That
masked bastard would surely escape, and only the others
would die.
-You stupid fool, just hold on a little longer!
As he was shouting and trying to endure somehow, the ring
of the heart that had lost its master's control began to
rotate rapidly, unfolding wings burning with flames.
* * *
"Is he broken?"
The Fallen reached out towards Raon, who had frozen in
place.
"His mental strength is weaker than I thought."
Just as the blade of darkness he raised was about to pierce
Raon's heart and neck, a blue light burst forth from the split
earth and enveloped Raon. The blade of darkness raised by
The Fallen was torn like paper and melted away.
Black horns sprouted on Raon's forehead, and a huge moon
flickering silver rose behind his back.
The World Tree of frost that grew under that noble moonlight
subdued The Fallen's light and darkness. The sky froze pure
white, and the earth twisted black. Raon standing in the
blue light revealed a noble appearance as if he had the
whole world at his feet.
Causality. An anomaly that overturned the principles of the
world had descended upon a human body.
"T-This is..."
The Fallen's eyes rippled with doubt and fear. He raised
intense walls of light and darkness to protect himself. Raon,
wrapped in the demon king's energy and revealing red eyes,
swung down the Heavenly Drive.
The light and darkness
split, and crimson blood spurted from The Fallen's abdomen.