A heavy silence fell over the crowded marketplace at Raon's provocation.
"H-he's insane..."
Charlie couldn't find words as he stared at Raon, who had finally caused trouble.
"Why is he really acting like that!"
He clutched his head and cried out that they were doomed, already thinking he was in the same boat as Raon.
"Huh?"
"Kahahahahaha!"
"A crazy newcomer has arrived."
"He's the most insane human since Heaven opened, isn't he?"
"I like him. We need guys like that to make a living!"
The people who came to their senses at Charlie's cry looked at Raon and scoffed in disbelief. Some showed positive reactions, saying his spirit was good, but most sneered as they imagined the newcomer who would soon die.
-That's what this king says every day.
Wrath chuckled as he listened to the people's words.
-It seems you're destined to be called crazy wherever you go.
He nodded gently, thinking it wasn't him who was strange, but Raon.
"Charlie! What did you say to the newcomer?"
"If he wants to die, he should die alone, not drag the newcomer into it."
"If you think about it, that Charlie guy is the most vicious, isn't he?"
"Exactly! What did he whisper to make him act like that!"
The people gathered in the marketplace seemed to think Charlie was toying with Raon, curling their lips.
"I-I didn't do anything!"
Charlie waved both hands frantically.
"He was like that from the beginning!"
He shouted with a red face that Raon's desire was insanely strong.
"How strong can a newcomer who arrived yesterday be?"
"Right. How strong could a dog that only ate feed given by its master be!"
"Charlie had all his desire stolen a few days ago, so he must have completely lost his mind?"
The residents of Heaven naturally didn't believe Charlie's words and were only focused on mocking him.
"Damn it! I'm telling you I got beaten up!"
Charlie ground his teeth while pointing to his two black eyes.
"Ah, you got beaten by the newcomer? Now I understand!"
"If it's Charlie, it wouldn't be strange for him to get beaten by a newcomer."
"Right. The only reason Charlie is still alive is because murder is forbidden in Heaven."
"Hey, newbie! Charlie's the weakest in Heaven! You should run away while you still can!"
The people seemed to think Charlie lost to Raon because he was weak, hurling even greater ridicule and mockery.
"Haaaam."
Raon yawned long with a bored expression.
"Are there only cowards here? Stop flapping your mouths and come at me with a duel to the death, will you?"
He flicked his finger provocatively at the people who had been focused on Charlie.
"Huh...?"
"That guy is seriously insane, isn't he?"
"Still can't read the atmosphere? He won't live long."
"He'll only come to his senses after getting beaten."
The residents of Heaven frowned deeply at Raon's figure maintaining his boldness to the end. Now everyone began to focus on Raon, not Charlie.
"Whatever. If you won't fight, I'm leaving."
Raon picked up the gold coin pouch that had fallen to the ground and slung it over his shoulder. As he turned to leave with a mocking smile, an old man blocked his path. His back was hunched, making him appear very short, but his clothes and accessories looked quite expensive.
"Good. I'll deal with this puppy myself."
The hunched old man smacked his dry lips and rubbed his hands together like a fly.
-Ahh...
Wrath sighed as he looked at the hunched old man.
-Another prey has been caught in this crazy bastard's web.
He shook his head as if the old man's future was obvious.
"Want to try?"
Raon looked down at the old man and twisted his lips.
"If you lose everything you have in your old age, your bones will ache, won't they?"
He provoked once more and lifted his chin to ensure the hunched old man couldn't escape.
"You're really a brat who'll only come to his senses after dying."
The hunched old man furrowed his brow and spread both hands. He was thoroughly angry, as all traces of laughter had been erased from his lips.
"This crazy..."
Charlie gaped at the old man.
"That old man is Pisir! He's a known powerhouse in this lower level!"
He grabbed Raon's sleeve and shook it, telling him to apologize now.
"Apology? Do you think such a thing will work on me now?"
The old man named Pisir stamped his foot violently.
"I'll take your desire too for not properly teaching the newcomer!"
He ground his teeth fiercely as if he would steal Charlie's desire as well.
"Try it."
Raon drew a faint smile even as he looked at the furious Pisir.
"Let's see how spicy this old man's touch is."
He arrogantly raised his finger, saying he would take him on however much he wanted.
"You bastard!"
Pisir ground his teeth and stood before Raon. A black mist-like aura rose from his back and enveloped Raon.
"Accept it! This is the duel to the death you so wanted!"
Pisir snorted, saying the duel to the death would proceed only if he accepted the mist he had released.
"I know."
Raon entrusted his body to the mist Pisir had released without losing his composure. The black aura was absorbed through all his pores and he felt it subtly stimulating his soul. This seemed to be the signal that he had accepted the duel to the death.
'Is it awakening desire?'
The black aura seemed to stimulate not his soul itself, but the true desire dwelling within his soul. His desire to kill Derus began to burn like dying embers.
'No.'
Raon operated the Ring of Fire to suppress the desire that was trying to force its way out.
'If I make a mistake, I could be found out.'
His desire to kill Derus was so large and intense that if he carelessly revealed it in this place, he might be caught by the Archangels' barrier. Now was the time to suppress that desire.
"Ha!"
Pisir let out a hollow laugh as if incredulous.
"A brat who can't even properly control his desire dares to be arrogant!"
He shot out demon-like eyes, thinking Raon was a weakling who didn't even know how to draw out his desire.
"I knew this would happen."
"Charlie, you've been in Heaven since the early days, but you lost to a mere kid like that?"
"This won't even be worth watching."
"There are always guys like that. Pathetic."
The spectators poured even greater ridicule on Raon and Charlie than before.
"Now it's ready."
Raon paid no attention to Pisir or the people. He focused solely on suppressing his desire to kill Derus and stabilized his mind.
"Ready for what! You're finished as you are!"
Pisir let out a battle cry and shot forth black mist that felt eerie. Unlike before, this wasn't a greeting for the duel to the death, but he unleashed enormous malice as if to devour Raon with his own desire.
"Finished?"
Raon twisted his lips upward and raised his gaze. Blue flames blazed as an eerily unmatched desire burst forth from the gap reflected in his blue eyes.
"Huh...?"
Pisir trembled his lips as if he had just realized something was wrong.
"W-wait a moment!"
His complexion turned pale yellow as he watched the blue aura pushing relentlessly through his desire. But the emotions of the demon kings that Raon released devoured Pisir himself while unleashing absolute desire that humans could never reach.
"Gaaaaahhh!"
Pisir let out a tearing scream and collapsed like dried kindling. His hunched back straightened from the immense pain, though whether he would like or dislike that was unclear.
"C-crazy..."
Charlie sat down on the spot and trembled his jaw, having never expected Raon to easily overwhelm Pisir.
"Huh...?"
"P-Pisir lost?"
"The newcomer killer was devoured by a newcomer..."
"I-impossible! It must be cheating!"
"Has there ever been anything like this before?"
The residents of Heaven in the marketplace witnessed an unimaginable scene and froze like statues with their mocking expressions still drawn.
"Finished? No."
Raon swept his gaze over the panicked prey one by one and curled his lips upward.
"This is just the beginning."
***
"Ooh!"
Vayph exclaimed in admiration as he watched Raon overwhelm and finish the first desire duel.
"As expected, he doesn't disappoint."
He drew a deep smile, amazed by results that exceeded his expectations.
"Humans with such desire from the beginning aren't common, so it was good to bring him after all."
Vayph smacked his lips long in satisfaction with choosing Raon.
"Huh? And he's going to continue right away?"
He whistled as he watched Raon immediately prepare for the second duel to the death.
"His provocation skills are also top-notch."
This time too, Raon found his second prey just by wagging his tongue. He freely used the desire of his first victim, Pisir, to devour the desire of the second person who attacked him.
"Interesting."
Vayph giggled and nodded at Raon's figure crushing two residents of Heaven in an instant.
"I don't know where they found such a guy."
He was a talent worth counting among the humans he had seen so far. Rather than raising him as livestock to squeeze out desire in this place, it wouldn't be bad to develop him as a proper vessel.
"I should give Kuanyu a reward too."
Recently, Kuanyu had sent various talents besides that human called Zilfen, so it seemed good to make him one of the administrators of this Heaven.
"Vayph."
When Vayph was smiling satisfactorily while watching Raon, someone called his name from behind.
"Hmm."
Vayph frowned and turned around. He wrinkled his forehead as he looked at a woman with pure white skin who had blazing red hair and blue eyes.
"What is it, Karipen."
Vayph lowered his voice heavily as if he didn't like the woman named Karipen.
"That human."
Karipen raised her finger and pointed at Raon, who had finished the second duel to the death. She also seemed to be an Angel like Vayph, with white wings sprouting from her back.
"You properly verified his identity, right?"
Karipen narrowed her eyes as if she found Raon suspicious.
"You're talking nonsense."
Vayph looked down at Karipen and twisted his lips upward.
"As you know, the lands of clouds spread across the entire continent all have that person's barrier installed. Not trusting my barrier is one thing, but not trusting that person is clear insubordination."
He wrinkled his nose bridge as if asking whether she was serious about what she just said.
"Hmm..."
Karipen frowned as if slightly flustered by Vayph's warning.
"Ah? Could it be that?"
Vayph drew such a deep smile that it felt greasy.
"Seeing the livestock you brought get devoured by my toy must have annoyed you."
He clapped his hands as if he understood the reason Karipen had suddenly come.
"That's not it."
Karipen shook her head calmly as if that absolutely wasn't the case.
"Not it, my ass. Haven't you always been jealous of me receiving that person's trust?"
Vayph snorted, telling her not to hide her obvious intentions.
"There's no getting through to you."
Karipen let out a short sigh.
"It doesn't matter as long as the verification was done properly. That person's barrier wouldn't be wrong."
She nodded as if her doubts were resolved and disappeared in a white light.
"You'd better choose your words carefully from now on."
Vayph clicked his tongue as he watched the white feather falling to the ground after Karipen disappeared.
"Because you and I won't be standing in the same place anymore."
He looked down at the earth and curled his lips as if Raon was the tool that would help him achieve that wish.
***
"Not bad."
Raon smacked his lips satisfactorily after devouring five people's desires in just one day.
"Uhh..."
Charlie still couldn't believe the current situation and blinked blankly at Raon.
"W-who exactly are you?"
He swallowed dry saliva repeatedly as if he thought Raon wasn't an ordinary person.
"Are you perhaps an Angel hiding your identity?"
He lowered his eyebrows, saying it wouldn't make sense otherwise.
-This place called Heaven will be ruined in a few days.
Wrath breathed heavily as he looked at the human desires held in Raon's hands.
-To think this king would feel sorry for the Angels...
He squeezed his eyes shut as if he could see the future of the Angels who had opened Heaven's gates without knowing his true identity.
"Without needing a name or status..."
Raon arrogantly lifted his chin as he looked at the mansions and towers that soared high into the sky.
"Just remember me as the person who will be the first to reach that sky."