Delphros removed his hands from the crystal ball the moment Raon cut down the Doppelganger King. The crystal ball, drained of mana, lost its light and sank into darkness.
"H-how."
Sabi slumped back as if his legs had given out.
"I had reinforced it with over thirty barriers…."
Despite having witnessed Raon directly confronting the Doppelganger King, he trembled his lips in disbelief.
"This doesn't make any sense!"
Unable to contain his anger, Sabi slammed his fist on the ground. Not being a martial artist, the skin on the back of his hand tore, and blood flowed.
"Huu..."
Delphros let out a short sigh as he looked at the darkened crystal ball.
"Ah..."
As if snapped back to reality by Delphros's sigh, Sabi forced himself up and bowed his head.
"I-I'm sorry. I did something unnecessary..."
"Your plan wasn't wrong."
Delphros shook his head calmly.
"The problem was that Raon Zieghart is a monster beyond your plan."
The martial prowess of the Doppelganger King, enhanced by Sabi, was formidable.
Though it would be difficult to maintain for a long time, it possessed enough power to kill most humans who entered this tomb.
The failure of this operation was all due to Raon Zieghart's preposterous talent.
'He's stronger than expected. No, more than that...'
He's rapidly growing stronger.
Sabi might not realize it, but right now, Raon Zieghart was increasing his own martial prowess while facing the Doppelganger King.
In this short time, he had compensated for his weaknesses and strengthened his advantages.
'He's truly a monster.'
He now understood why his master had paid attention to a rookie like Raon Zieghart.
"H-how about blocking the path now? It might be difficult for long, but we could block it until we finish our business..."
"No."
Delphros shook his head firmly.
"It's meaningless."
Raon Zieghart had descended to the fourth floor, breaking all the rules of each level. Rather than letting things unfold unseen, it was better to control it directly.
"It's the final floor anyway, I'll finish it myself."
From beneath Delphros's feet, a strong yet heavy aura rose, forming shapes like water droplets.
"And..."
As he was about to leave, he turned his gaze to the right corner. He lowered his eyebrows as he saw black eyes flickering in the gray fog.
"When the time comes, send that down."
"Understood."
Sabi simply bowed his head in compliance.
"It's time to end everything and make a new beginning."
Delphros displayed a smile that seemed to exude the scent of blood, then disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
Raon opened his eyes after arriving at the fifth floor.
'What is this place...'
It's a strange space.
As if a round light was shining from the sky, light only fell on the ground, while everything else was pitch black, with no visible exit.
The space itself wasn't very large, giving a feeling of being tightly enclosed like a sealed container.
Fortunately, there weren't many people. If it had been any narrower, it would have been suffocating.
Raon smacked his lips as he looked at the ground filled with fine sand, reminiscent of a training ground.
'The scent of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation has intensified.'
The aura of the Zieghart First Patriarch who created this training ground felt incredibly close.
If he could interpret the barrier left by the First Patriarch a bit more precisely, it seemed possible to remove the dark energy that Derus Robert had placed.
Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to heighten his concentration. He examined the people on the fifth floor while interpreting the barrier deeply embedded in the ground.
'The numbers aren't that high.'
Even though the space itself was narrow, there weren't even thirty people on the fifth floor.
"..."
Most of the martial artists had sustained injuries of varying degrees, and unlike the first floor where there was moderate restraint, they were showing extremely sharp aggression as if ready to fight at any moment.
Strangely, there were also quite a few corpses of those who had already died. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to have been dead for quite some time.
'Fortunately, our people aren't among them.'
Seeing the corpses, he began to worry about the Light Wind division. He was about to move first to search for the swordsmen when...
"Division Leader!"
Dorian's voice came from inside. When Raon turned towards the sound, he saw Dorian running towards him, shaking his stomach pouch.
-Ooh! My wallet! It's safe!
Wrath waved his round hands as if delighted.
"Dorian."
Raon smiled faintly at Dorian. Fortunately, he didn't seem to have sustained any injuries.
"D-Division Leader. Is it really you?"
Dorian cautiously moved his lips while glancing around.
'As expected...'
It seems Dorian had also been attacked by a doppelganger.
"I wandered through the snowfield all day and finally met someone, and it was you, Division Leader. I was so happy! So I greeted him, but..."
"But what?"
"He responded in a friendly manner! Isn't that strange?"
Is that strange? What have I been doing normally?
Tilting his head, Raon waved his hand for Dorian to continue.
"It was strange, but I let it pass. The fake Division Leader also suggested we should move."
Dorian smacked his lips.
"Just in case, I jokingly asked, 'I guess we don't need to train here, right?'"
He quickly continued, furrowing his brow.
"'Sure. It could be dangerous, so let's skip training here.' That's what he said! So I unconsciously slapped his face!"
"..."
Raon swallowed hard.
"The guy who got slapped was startled and suddenly ran away! I tried to catch him, but he was too fast and I lost him!"
"...You recognized him by that?"
"There's no way the Division Leader would spout nonsense about not training! It must be a fake!"
Dorian shook his head, insisting it was absolutely impossible.
"Ha..."
What does this guy think of me?
As he shook his head in disbelief, he heard someone falling behind him. Turning around, he saw Krein approaching with wide eyes.
"Division Leader! Is it really you?"
"..."
"No, the Division Leader wasn't training while walking! When I asked why not, he spouted nonsense about being worried about the others and needing to hurry! I immediately realized it was a fake and hit him on the back of the head!"
Krein grinned, saying he felt good even though it was a fake.
"You too?"
"Yes, me too!"
Dorian and Krein suddenly high-fived above their heads.
Thwack!
Raon grabbed his temples as he heard the crisp sound.
-Puhehehehe!
Wrath burst into laughter, holding his stomach.
-Didn't I tell you! There's no difference in image between you and those pointy ears!
'Shut up...'
Raon pushed away the mocking Wrath and bit his lip.
'What's happened to my reputation?'
As he sighed, more people entered the space. Among them was a familiar face. It was Martha, who would be a stunning beauty if she just kept her mouth shut.
"Martha."
"..."
Martha didn't approach immediately, but frowned and wiggled her finger. Judging by her reaction, it seemed Martha had also encountered a doppelganger.
"Did you see me too?"
"It was a very strange guy."
Martha nodded, biting her lip. She seemed so surprised that she even forgot to use honorifics.
"I was walking through the snowfield when you suddenly appeared. But..."
"But what?"
"As soon as we met, he started worrying about the others. It was a bit strange, but I thought it could happen, so I followed along. But he was just walking. No sword training, no footwork training, nothing!"
"...Why is that strange?"
"You always practice footwork or swordsmanship while walking!"
She bared her white teeth, exclaiming that it didn't make sense.
"It was so strange that I asked. 'Aren't you training?' Do you know what he said?"
"What did he say?"
"He said the others are more important right now! Does that make any sense? You training maniac!"
Martha twisted her lips, saying she immediately realized it was an enemy.
"So what did you do?"
"I stabbed him from behind with a knife!"
"S-stabbed?"
Raon swallowed hard. Worrying about others and getting stabbed, he suddenly felt sorry for that doppelganger.
"When I caught him, the path leading here opened up."
Martha dusted off her hands, saying she waited for a few hours before coming down through the door.
"As expected, you know the Division Leader well!"
"How could I not know! Honestly, he's a crazy guy!"
Raon squeezed his eyes shut as he listened to the conversation of the three.
'How exactly do I appear in their eyes?'
-Why are you even asking?
Wrath scratched his stomach and shook his head.
-You're a crazy guy.
"..."
* * *
After Martha, two more Light Wind division swordsmen came down, but no more than that.
"Could there be some problem?"
Dorian bit his lip anxiously.
"There's no way they'd be fooled by a fake Division Leader..."
Krein shook his head, saying it didn't make sense for Light Wind division members to be deceived by a fake Raon.
"Hmm..."
Raon leaned against the black wall with his arms crossed.
'It's not just us, the overall numbers are low.'
Not just the Light Wind division, but the numbers of other Six Kings and Five Demons, as well as neutral forces, were noticeably fewer.
Since it was unlikely that figures like the Demon Sword Master or the Sixth Apostle couldn't make it down here, it seemed the space must be divided.
"Let's wait for now. Surely something..."
As Raon was trying to reassure the anxious swordsmen, a new light suddenly turned on from the ceiling with a click.
Tadadadadak!
One by one, the magical lights came on in succession, revealing the previously dark spaces.
"Huh?"
"Division Leader!"
"Burren?"
"Vice Leader!"
"There are others over there too!"
Dozens of spaces identical to where we were staying lit up, forming one massive cavern.
It was larger than the Zieghart Grand Training Hall, but with so many people, it looked a bit cramped.
"Division Leader!"
"You're alive!"
"Division Leader! I saw that fake Division Leader!"
The Light Wind division approached with glad faces. Most of them frowned, saying they had seen a strange version of me.
"Me too!"
Rimmer nodded with surprised eyes.
"No, when I asked to borrow gambling money, he immediately said he'd lend it! He was crazy! It's a bit regrettable, but I knew it was a fake."
He sighed, saying he should have taken the money before killing him.
"Me too. The loser Raon said he didn't like mint chocolate."
Runaan smacked her lips, saying she cut down the fake Raon who disliked mint chocolate. (E/NT: but he actually hates mint chocolates lol)
"..."
Raon had a lot to say, but given the situation, he just kept his mouth shut.
-Isn't it fortunate though?
Wrath shook his head with his cheeks puffed up, as if unable to hold back his laughter.
-Thanks to your crazy personality, there are fewer injuries!
'...That's true.'
While most factions had corpses or severely injured members, the Light Wind division only had some minor injuries. It seemed they wouldn't have major issues even if a battle broke out.
'Two of the Five Demons are also intact.'
Unlike the Black Tower they encountered in the third floor maze, the Demon Sword Master and Sixth Apostle were uninjured. It seemed the doppelganger's attacks didn't work on them either.
However, the two who were previously allies were now glaring at each other as if ready to kill.
'Then the Void Sword division... Hm?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Void Sword division gathering in the northwest. Serena's waist was covered in blood. It seemed she had been badly hurt.
"Oh no!"
Raon ran towards Serena.
"Void Sword Division Leader!"
"Do not approach!"
The Void Sword division's Vice Leader, who seemed to have been with Serena from the start, blocked the way with his hand on his sword hilt.
"..."
Serena remained silent, narrowing her eyes as she looked this way.
"Hmm..."
Raon let out a short breath as he met Serena's cold gaze.
'No way.'
Did they ambush her in my form?
Otherwise, there was no reason for Serena and the Void Sword division's Vice Leader to react so coldly.
"Light Wind Division Leader! Step back!"
The Void Sword division's Vice Leader pressed his lips with white teeth, as if prepared for battle.
"Enough."
Serena stepped forward and held back the Void Sword division's Vice Leader.
"Division Leader!"
"It's not him."
She shook her head with a sigh.
"I can tell by looking at his eyes. I understand now. That wasn't Raon."
"Did you encounter me?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Serena's wounds.
"Yes. I met someone who looked, acted, and sounded exactly like you."
Serena sighed, raising her eyes slightly.
"While I was moving to find an exit, you... or rather, it attacked me from behind."
"..."
"I barely avoided a vital spot and tried to counterattack, but it immediately fled."
She shook her head with a calm expression, as if she hadn't been injured.
"No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out your intention. But now I see. It wasn't you."
Serena gave a faint smile with eyes full of certainty.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I've known you since you were young."
She smiled softly.
"I told you, didn't I? I wanted to bring you into the Void Sword division from the beginning."
"Hmm..."
"And look over there."
Serena pointed to the opposite wall. The magicians from the Balkar Kingdom were glaring at them with murderous intent.
"I thought it was strange that they've been glaring at us like mortal enemies since we arrived here, but now it's starting to make sense."
"Hmm..."
"It's the same. They were probably attacked by those wearing our appearances."
After hearing her words, Raon looked around the entire area again.
"You ungrateful sons of bitches!"
"Look who's talking! You dare to attack from behind?"
"Who attacked who?!"
"The sword marks left on our Vice Leader's corpse! That's your Paerang Sect's swordsmanship!"
"Resorting to sneak attacks! You cowards!"
Forces that were originally allies or had cooperative relationships were now showing intense killing intent as if ready to fight each other.
While some people, like Serena, found this situation strange, most seemed caught up in the atmosphere and were openly displaying their emotions.
Raon bit his lip as he sensed the increasingly chilly atmosphere of the fifth floor.
'Was this their aim?'
He had thought their goal was to kill people using doppelgangers, but now it seemed their true intention was to create division between the factions.
'I wondered why there were corpses...'
It had seemed strange that there were corpses in a place where only the living could descend, but now there was a reason.
'Because masters can tell who killed someone just by looking at the corpse.'
It was clearly a plan to use the marks left on the corpses to more quickly divide the allied forces.
To cause division like this, Derus's wickedness was almost admirable.
Raon clenched his fist at the increasingly tense atmosphere among the people.
'But the division here can't be his final goal. What Derus really wants is...'
War, probably.
If they manipulate and send out the corpses of everyone who entered here, the Six Kings, the Five Demons, and all the neutral forces will be engulfed in the flames of war.
Derus's goal seemed clearly to be a continental war.
"Alright! Fine! I'll kill you lot first!"
"That's my line!"
The neutral forces, the White Eye Sword Family and the Blue Blade Sect, pointed their weapons at each other.
"Kill them!"
"Slaughter them all!"
"Wait."
Raon stepped between the two forces that were about to charge at each other. The only one who could stop this situation was himself, who had directly caught the doppelganger.
"Please listen to what I have to say."
"Who do you think you are!"
"Can't you open your eyes properly! It's the Dragon Slayer Raon Zieghart!"
The middle-aged man who seemed to be the head of the White Eye Sword Family spat out curses at the Blue Blade Sect leader.
"Hmm, I've heard much about the Light Wind Division Leader's reputation. I'd like to exchange greetings, but now is not a good time."
The White Eye Sword Family head shook his head and gripped his glowing red sword.
"That's right. We also need to behead those swindlers, so get out of the way!"
The Blue Blade Sect leader also bared his teeth and raised a blue aura on his sword.
"That's exactly why."
Raon infused his voice with aura so everyone could hear. His low voice pierced through the chilly atmosphere and spread throughout the entire cavern.
"In the snowfield on the fourth floor, I..."
He was about to explain what had happened so far when a magic lamp lit up in the northern area that had been in darkness, and a space opened up.
Atop a golden chair that rose like an emperor's throne, a middle-aged man in white ceremonial robes appeared. His short golden hair exuded nobility and military discipline.
'That guy...'
Raon bit his lip as he watched the middle-aged man elegantly lift a teacup.
'Is that Delphros?'
His face had aged a bit, but that noble impression remained the same.
Unlike the Shadow who handled assassinations, information gathering, and thievery, this was clearly Delphros, one of Derus Robert's Assault Unit Leaders who directly exercised force.
'So he was in charge here.'
As Raon was looking at Delphros, the man also narrowed his eyes in Raon's direction.
"Who are you!"
"What are you doing!"
"Come down at once!"
The martial artists and magicians raised their voices first, as if feeling pressured by Delphros.
"I am the owner of this tomb."
Delphros nodded lightly.
"O-owner of the tomb?"
"Are you saying you're the Sword Saint?"
"Such nonsense..."
"Ah, let me explain again. I mean I'm the owner who first found the Sword Saint's tomb."
He gave a faint smile.
"You expect us to believe that..."
"Will this make you believe?"
Delphros pulled out two thick books from thin air.
The reddish book was titled "Demon Soldier Swordsmanship," and the one gleaming with blue light was engraved with "True Demonic Sword Technique."
Both were written in a font that seemed ready to soar into the sky.
"I-if those are the Demon Soldier Blade and True Demon Sword..."
"They're the Sword Saint's martial arts!"
"S-so it really was the Sword Saint's tomb..."
"If we just had those..."
The martial artists who had been showing hostility towards each other swallowed hard as they looked at the martial arts manuals in Delphros's hands.
"Do you want these?"
No one answered Delphros's question, but everyone's eyes filled with greed and desire. It was a deep, intense longing that if they just had those, they too could reach the same level as the Sword Saint.
"Alright. I'll give them."
He smirked as he waved the books.
"G-give them?"
"Those martial arts manuals?"
"But there's a condition."
Delphros's chilling gaze landed on Raon.
"I'll hand over both of these books to whoever kills that guy."
At that moment, hundreds of gazes in the fifth floor turned towards Raon. It was as if a swarm of fireflies by a dark lakeside had suddenly taken flight.
"H-how do we know those are real!"
"That's right! We can see through your scheme just by the fact that you've lured us here!"
The heads of the White Eye Sword Family and Blue Blade Sect, who had been fighting each other, shouted simultaneously.
"You there."
Delphros gestured to a middle-aged man in scholar's attire standing at the far left. He was a martial artist from the Owen Knights who had arrived late.
"You're Krasel, the All-Knowing Sword Master, right?"
"...That's correct."
Krasel nodded, raising his gaze.
"You, who claim to be unmatched in the history and interpretation of martial arts, should see for yourself."
"..."
Krasel glanced at his companions before slowly ascending to the platform where Delphros stood.
"Take it."
Delphros confidently tossed the Demon Soldier Swordsmanship manual to him.
"Hmm..."
Krasel opened the Demon Soldier Swordsmanship manual on the spot and rapidly moved his eyes over it. Gradually, his expression hardened, and cold sweat began to trickle down his cheeks.
"I-it's real..."
Krasel nodded, unable to take his eyes off the manual.
"The book itself is hundreds of years old, and there are no signs of alterations. The content also shows no strange parts!"
He trembled his lips, saying that even though he couldn't read it all, it seemed to be the real Demon Soldier Swordsmanship.
"I suppose that's proof enough."
With a flick of Delphros's finger, the Demon Soldier Swordsmanship manual in Krasel's hands was sucked back into his own.
"Whoever kills that guy will be the new Sword Saint!"
As Delphros threw the Demon Soldier Swordsmanship and True Demonic Sword Technique manuals, a round barrier of aura formed, suspending the two books in mid-air.
"Hmm..."
"Ahem!"
The heads of the White Eye Sword Family and Blue Blade Sect stepped back slightly while readjusting their grips on their weapons. Their cold gazes suggested they were ready to attack at any moment.
"Hah..."
Raon caressed the hilt of his Heavenly Drive sword as he looked around.
'This is the first time I've received such attention.'
The pressure from hundreds of people possessed by the demon of desire constricted his heart.
An even greater tension than when surrounded by the Five Demons filled his entire body.
However, he wasn't afraid. This was Zieghart's land, and the will of the ancestors who built this land was with him.
"They say when the master is away, the dogs will play."
Raon curled up the corners of his mouth and tilted his chin.
"Looks like I need to tighten the leash again."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Delphros leaned forward, furrowing his brow.
"I'm telling you not to act like the master on my land, you son of a bitch."
"Your land?"
He burst into laughter, placing his hand on his forehead.
"Since when did this place become Zieghart's land! This is..."
"Since the moment I arrived."
Raon stomped his left foot. With a thud, the ground split open.
Golden flames that seemed to contain starlight spread in all directions, drawing elegant arcs.
Whoosh!
The flames, burning with thick heat haze, formed a fiery sword that resembled Zieghart's emblem on the yellow earth.
"W-what is this!"
"What kind of flame is that!"
"Ugh! The a-aura is burning!"
"Step back!"
The slaves of desire who seemed ready to charge forward recoiled in shock.
"Light Wind division. Clear a path."
"We obey your command!"
The Light Wind division members wordlessly took positions to Raon's left and right.
The martial artists swallowed hard and pulled back their weapons in the face of the Light Wind division's frost-like aura.
"Come down, you son of a bitch."
A red gleam formed in Raon's eyes. Standing on the ground of desire, he looked up at the throne and sneered.
"That's not your place."