The sky collapses, and the earth rises.
It seemed as if the axis of the continent was twisting due to the manifestation of power by the Transcendent beings in the sky.
Rumble!
When a bizarre light whirlwind poured out from the endless crack in the sky, the six Transcendents lowered their hands as if by agreement.
"It's indeed a well-tempered sword."
The leader of the Holy Sword Alliance smacked his lips in satisfaction.
"Show me properly. How much can you cut?"
He looked down at the Demonblade and the Queen of Swords with eyes filled with desire.
"Pervert…."
The Queen of Swords bit her lips as if repulsed by the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's gaze.
Whoosh.
The Thespian Emperor, who had been shrouded in a colorless aura, let it flow away as she looked at the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
"Aren't you worried about your disciple?"
"You mean Cloud?"
The leader of the Holy Sword Alliance stroked his beardless chin and shook his head.
"I taught that child. No matter how great the continent's greatest talent is, he won't lose to a Master."
He answered nonchalantly, as if he had no doubt about his disciple's victory.
"I'm not boasting about this…."
The Thespian Emperor dusted her hands off with a slight smile.
"If you underestimate Raon Zieghart, you'll regret it greatly."
"Is that from personal experience?"
"Yes, it's advice from a very vivid experience."
She nodded, looking at the crumbled castle wall.
"Shut up, all of you. Raon Zieghart is mine!"
The leader of the White Blood Religion split the air between the Thespian Emperor and the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance with a transparent bloody energy.
The Transcendents' lips uttered Raon's name, but it did not feel awkward.
"What a shame. Cloud should have heard that advice…."
The leader of the Holy Sword Alliance ignored the leader of the White Blood Religion's words and quickly turned his head.
As the others' gazes followed him, two streams of light soared from a distant place beyond their sensory reach.
Behind the pillars of red and blue radiance, a sun and moon of strange forms appeared.
"Ah…."
Sheryl trembled as she watched the scene.
'A sword domain! Raon has finally achieved the sword domain!'
The faint golden hue surrounding the pillars of light was clearly the manifestation of a sword domain.
"Rimmer!"
She called out to Rimmer, who was fighting nearby.
"Ughhhhh!"
But he did not hear her voice. He was clashing head-on with the Dragon Sword Master, his eyes filled with a red aura.
His entire body was covered in wounds as he fought against the overwhelming Aura, but he charged forward with a scream.
"You idiot!"
Sheryl kicked Rimmer in the side as he fought recklessly, falling for the Dragon Sword Master's provocation.
"Ugh! What are you doing…."
When Rimmer frowned, Sheryl pointed to the pillar of light.
"Huh?"
He stared at the sun in the night sky with his mouth wide open.
"Could it be…."
"It's Raon's sword domain. That guy finally did it!"
"Ha, ahahahaha!"
Rimmer brushed back his blood-soaked red hair and let out a refreshing laugh.
"Since that day, I haven't gained anything, but at least I kept one good disciple."
A scarlet thunderbolt flashed over his lowered shoulders.
"I was going to kill you and die here too, but that won't do."
"What?"
"I can't die without seeing my disciple's first sword domain."
Rimmer aimed his sword at the Dragon Sword Master, his lips twitching.
"Sword domain."
His heavy voice echoed as if it were spreading from the high heavens.
"The song of wind and lightning."
Raon raised both hands. The divine sword in his right hand burst into crimson flames, while the demonic sword in his left hand exuded blue frost.
The two swords forged and tempered in the mental world were summoned into reality, which he thought he could only see in his mind.
Neither cold nor hot. What he felt was immense power. It flowed through his grasp as if it would not falter, no matter who the opponent was.
'Moreover….'
The pain is gone too.
Whether it was due to excitement or the effect of this sword domain, the excruciating pain that crushed his intestines had vanished.
'No, it's because I desired it.'
Rimmer had said that a sword domain encapsulates a person's life.
From the moment he was born as Raon Zieghart, he vowed never to yield. He swore to overcome any hardship and pain and to cut off Derus Robert's head.
This sword domain seemed to encapsulate that vow and oath.
-A barrier? You created a sword domain?
Wrath trembled as he looked at the sun and moon in the sky.
-How can you use this! I thought you were far from it!
He muttered in disbelief, blinking his eyes.
-And that sword! Why do you have it!
'What is it?'
-No, that, um….
Wrath only mumbled, unable to give a proper answer, while staring at the blue demonic sword.
Thud.
As Raon narrowed his eyes at Wrath, he heard Cloud's footsteps.
"A-a sword domain?"
Cloud's eyes trembled violently like reeds in the wind.
"A Master using a sword domain? That makes no sense!"
The strong vibration of Cloud's Astral Ring, which hadn't wavered throughout the battle, now wobbled intensely.
Until a moment ago, there was no clear answer on how to break that Astral Ring, but now he didn't feel the slightest bit of unease.
"Whether it makes sense or not isn't for you to decide."
Raon shook his head as he aimed the divine sword at Cloud with a wistful gaze.
"From now on, it's real. It will be different from before."
"No matter how crude your methods are, nothing will change!"
Cloud's well-groomed hair became disheveled. As his distorted pupils descended, he swung his sword, swirling with the Astral Ring.
The ground was swept away in the path drawn by his sword. The power was terrifying.
'But….'
I don't feel like losing.
Raon didn't retreat. Trusting the senses of his body and mind, he moved forward. With a forward step on his left foot, he steadied the trembling ground and pressed down the divine sword in his hand.
Bang!
The clash between the divine sword and the Astral Ring. Neither side yielded. Intense lightning sparked between the swords, releasing fierce heat.
"Ugh…."
Cloud let out a low groan, feeling the heat, but he didn't back down.
However, he soon regretted his stubbornness.
Woosh!
The intense heat from the divine sword began to melt the Astral Ring on Cloud's sword.
"The Astral Ring is burning?"
Cloud's eyes bulged in shock. He quickly retreated, pulling back the melting Astral Ring.
"Where are you going?"
Raon lowered the divine sword and followed Cloud to his left. His body felt as light as a feather. It felt like a sparring session at the great training ground, not a tense duel.
"Shut up!"
Cloud took a backward step and extended his sword. Despite his soft footwork, the force of his swing aimed to crush Raon's entire body.
Screech!
Raon twisted his shoulder in midair, raising his left hand. The demonic sword, which scattered blue frost on the ground, collided with Cloud's Astral Ring.
Boom!
The impact was even greater than the first clash. The blue demonic sword didn't waver against the Astral Ring.
Sizzle!
The frosty demonic sword chilled Cloud's Astral Ring, peeling off his skin with a bone-chilling cold.
Crack!
Cloud's long robe froze and shattered in an instant. Trembling with blue lips, he struck the demonic sword and slid back.
Raon didn't follow Cloud but inspected the two swords. Despite facing the Astral Ring, there were no missing teeth or cracks. Instead, the flames and frost grew more intense.
It felt as if the resolve not to falter when forming the mental world continued seamlessly.
"The Astral Ring burns and freezes. What is this…."
Cloud gulped dryly, staring at his sword. He repeated the word "what" as if he had lost his words. The majesty of the divine and demonic swords seemed to have shocked him greatly.
"I can't believe it. No, I won't believe it!"
He shouted in astonishment and charged forward. The Astral Ring's aura surged from his sword with tremendous pressure.
Raon nodded calmly, watching Cloud charge with yellow madness in his eyes.
'I won't lose in strength anymore.'
Rather, he had gained enough strength to push back the Astral Ring.
Now, it was a matter of whose swordsmanship was superior.
It was time to decide whether it was him, who learned swordsmanship from Glenn Zieghart, Rimmer, Sheryl, and Rector, or Cloud, who inherited the Holy Sword Alliance's progress.
Rumble!
Raon accepted the pressure that pressed down on his skin and thrust the divine sword. The crimson blade, shooting like a spear from within his chest, contained the essence of the Fangs of Insanity.
Slash!
The ferocious bite-like sword attack cut through Cloud's sword, releasing intense heat.
But the offensive wasn't over. The demonic sword, rotating with his ankle, created a blue flash.
Woosh!
A cool wind surged, severing the sword attack Cloud tried to connect. It was the Silver Sea Snow Wind, refined from the Blizzard Sword Art.
Crash!
With just two clashes, the size of Cloud's Astral Ring noticeably diminished.
The heat from the divine sword and the cold from the demonic sword tore at his Aura. Even performing the techniques, their power and efficiency were astonishing.
"Not yet."
This time, Raon approached Cloud first. It wasn't even footwork, just a normal step forward, as he swung the divine sword down in a slashing motion.
The line of light became so thin it was barely visible, creating an incredibly sharp sword strike.
Crash!
Cloud was thrown back along with his sword. His hand was red-hot as if it had been burned.
The power of the slicing attack seemed to have increased, inflicting damage even on the transcendent body of a Grandmaster.
'Next…'
Raon charged at Cloud, utilizing the Frost Smoke technique with the demonic sword. The blue blade struck Cloud's sword, and the ensuing wave of frost swept across the ground.
Roar!
A mountain of ice, shaped like the wings of a fierce bird, surged from the trampled earth, surrounding Cloud.
Raon looked down at the divine and demonic swords and nodded heavily.
'As expected.'
Both the slashing and Frost Smoke techniques had become stronger than before. This sword domain seemed to amplify the power of both fire and water-based martial arts.
Crash!
Cloud shattered the icy mountain by bursting his Astral Ring and retreated.
Although he wasn't gravely injured, his shoulders and forearms were reddened from burns and frostbite.
"You call this a sword domain, and it's only this much?"
"Stop bluffing."
Raon lowered the divine and demonic swords and tilted his chin up.
"If you want to surrender, now's the time. If you kneel and bow your head, I'll forgive you."
"Nonsense!"
"Right, it's nonsense. I never intended to accept your surrender in the first place."
"You bastard!"
Cloud's eyes flared with crimson light. His sword, engulfed in the Astral Ring, swelled like a cloud, as if he wasn't thinking of the consequences.
'He's going all out.'
The immense energy emanating from the Astral Ring on Cloud's sword made Raon's hair stand on end. Indeed, even though he had achieved the sword domain, defeating a Grandmaster wouldn't be easy.
"A mere sword domain cannot defeat the Holy Sword Alliance's sword!"
Cloud's voice grew heavy like sinking mud as his sword burst with radiant light.
The dark flow of the sword transformed into dozens of blades, each descending like a meteor. The angle of the Astral Ring's sweep surpassed human limitations.
"Hmm…."
Raon bit his lip slightly. This was dangerous. A single mistake, and his body would be torn apart.
'Start with what I can do.'
With the divine sword in the Air of Twilight technique, he erased the subtleties of Cloud's Phantom Sword Art and Variable Sword Art.
The real Astral Ring was rushing in from the left, aiming for his heart. As Cloud's explosive sword move approached his shoulder, Raon drew the Blue Gale technique with the demonic sword.
Crash!
The blue blade, soaring with the wind, fiercely repelled Cloud's attack. The Astral Ring on his sword twisted as if it were about to split apart.
"Ugh!"
Cloud flipped his body in midair to endure the impact of the clash and struck again. The Astral Ring unleashed from his sword caused a massive explosion.
'I expected that.'
Raon had anticipated this attack as Cloud's movements had been subtly twisted when he flipped in midair.
As the explosive Aura surged, Raon simultaneously swung the divine and demonic swords. Cheryl's teachings, which harmonized the two swords, guided him.
Boom!
The combined force of flames and frost created a wave of energy that obliterated Cloud's explosive sword technique.
Screech!
But the battle wasn't over. Cloud broke through the aftermath of the explosion and charged again.
The Astral Ring that had burst from his sword was once again flaring up.
Even though the Astral Ring had exploded, the force it emitted was immense. The flow seemed to draw him in.
Raon planted his feet firmly on the ground and drew the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier to their extremes, resonating with the divine and demonic swords.
Boom!
The divine and demonic swords collided head-on with the Astral Ring.
The earth crumbled, and trees were uprooted. On the hellish ground, Raon and Cloud unleashed their full strength against each other.
The sword wrapped in the dark Astral Ring struck powerfully and flexibly, exhibiting supreme martial arts, but Raon's defense was impenetrable.
With the divine and demonic swords—two weapons that could not harmonize—Raon unleashed a performance of supreme martial arts, while Cloud, inflicted with burns and frostbite, was pushed back.
Whoosh!
As Cloud was pushed back, Raon made flowers bloom on both swords.
Red petals resembling cherry blossoms formed on the divine sword, while ice flowers bloomed on the demonic sword.
Fire Spirit.
The storm of red and blue flowers from the two swords spread to Cloud's left and right.
"Ugh!"
Cloud blocked the fragments of heat and cold with the Astral Ring-wrapped sword, but there were too many fragments to erase at once.
"Damn it!"
He drew on his Aura to the point where his energy center throbbed, unleashing the Devil's Wheel Out of Control technique of the Black Night Demonic Sword.
Boom!
The clash between Devil's Wheel Out of Control and Fire Spirit caused a massive whirlwind of Astral Energy to rise into the air.
"Huff…."
In the whirlwind that seemed to crush the earth and bring down the sky, Cloud bit his lip.
'What is he! Is he really human?'
Creating a sword domain to rival the power of the Astral Ring was something he could barely accept.
But his swordsmanship was even more bizarre.
Each of the Six Kings and the Five Demons had their own specialties.
While Zieghart used the sword domain and the Beast Alliance possessed the strongest bodies, the Holy Sword Alliance had to excel in swordsmanship, but this guy was different.
Even in the heat of this intense battle, his swordsmanship's flow and subtleties were evolving. This wasn't the ability of a sword domain. It was this guy's monstrous talent.
"This can't be."
Cloud shuddered, straightening his back.
'I can't let him live.'
It wasn't jealousy anymore; it was fear. The desire to kill him surged as he grabbed his sword with both hands.
'This is the only way.'
To overcome this disadvantage, the only method was to use the unfinished secret technique of the Black Night Demonic Sword.
Hum!
He gathered all the remaining Aura in his energy center. The Aura, wrapping his middle energy center, raced through his mana circuits, creating a storm of Astral Energy around his sword.
"This ends now!"
Dark fragments mixed into the storm on the sword's blade, and a great black light burst forth.
Boom!
The Black Night Demonic Sword's ultimate technique, Black Star Demonic Fire, dyed the sky black as it extended. It felt as if the whole world had turned into an abyss.
Maybe it was because he had grown through fighting Raon. For the first time, he was able to fully unleash the true meaning of Black Star Demonic Fire.
'I've got it!'
The moment Cloud was convinced of his victory, Raon let out a low breath and lifted his gaze.
Like his radiant eyes, the sun and moon shone solemnly in the darkness.
Thud.
Raon adjusted his grip on the two swords as he looked at Cloud.
'This is the last.'
Cloud had only a handful of energy left. If he could endure this attack, the battle would be over.
However, victory did not seem assured. Cloud's sword attack literally covered the sky.
Slowly, Raon closed his eyes. He felt the resonance of the divine and demonic swords in his hands and recalled the sword domain once more.
The more he fought, the more he understood.
The beginning of this sword domain wasn't flames or frost, but the sword itself.
The swordsmanship he learned from Rimmer blossomed into various techniques from different individuals.
Among them, the core was Glenn's sword. The first pillar supporting his world was the sword of the one who surpassed the Transcendents.
But Glenn and I are different. He pursued perfection and completeness that I cannot imitate. I only follow him as a guiding light.
Therefore, my colors are red and blue. Crimson and azure.
I vowed in my mental world never to yield.
Just as I declared to Rimmer and answered Vulcan's question about the sword I wanted to wield, I wanted to be an unbreakable swordsman.
Thus, I am invincible, never to be defeated by anyone.
Embracing the inspiration from the sword domain, Raon opened his eyes.
Watching Cloud's malevolent Astral Ring trying to erase his very existence, he drew back the divine and demonic swords.
Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship.
Form 6: Divine-Demonic Harmony Technique Linked Move, Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
The red and blue radiance that split the heavens cut through the darkened sky.
Slash!
Cloud's Astral Ring melted like foam, and his sword broke in half.
With a diagonal cut across his chest, Cloud fell to his knees. There was no scream. It was as if this defeat were a dream.
The divine and demonic swords descended like dying embers, and the dark night returned.
"I… you…."
As Raon looked down at Cloud, the majesty of the divine and demonic swords glowed in his eyes.
"No, Zieghart has defeated the Holy Sword Alliance."