Raon ascended the blackened stairs, feeling the powerful resonance rising from the floors below.
'Those two should be able to win.'
Saintess Olga, though hiding it, had already far surpassed Priest Piron's martial prowess, and Rimmer's swordsmanship was at a level that could easily overwhelm Royal Guard Captain Danieff.
Moreover, since Piron and Danieff harbored hesitation and guilt in their hearts, Raon couldn't even imagine a scenario where Olga and Rimmer would lose.
-The scent of demonic energy is getting stronger.
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling made of demonic energy.
-It means we're almost there.
'Indeed.'
Raon nodded calmly. As Wrath said, the stench of demonic energy was intensifying. It was clear that King Bauren, who had made a pact with the demons, was right above.
'What is the level of martial prowess of the demon contracted by the king?'
-Weak.
Wrath answered without the slightest hesitation.
-When the king snaps his fingers, he will burst and die.
He shook his head, saying the word "martial prowess" itself was wasted on such a being.
"Sigh..."
Raon sighed as he patted Wrath's cotton candy-like hair.
'Not you, I mean at my level.'
Though he didn't want to admit it, Wrath's martial prowess was outstanding even among Transcendent Warriors.
Considering he had brought the Flame Demon General, another Transcendent Warrior, to the brink of death with a single blow, this guy's definition of "weak" wasn't much of a reference.
-At your level, it won't be easy to win.
Wrath looked down at Raon and tilted his chin.
-One small mistake and your head will fly off.
He sneered, calling it a pathetic level.
'Is that so.'
The level of demonic energy King Bauren had revealed was very high, so it was natural for the demon's martial prowess to be strong.
But he wasn't particularly worried. According to his thoughts, dealing with the demon would be much easier than dealing with King Bauren.
-You don't need to worry so much. What's up there is not a demon yet, but that foolish king.
Wrath waved his plump hand, telling Raon not to worry as if he had misunderstood.
'I know. But still, just in case.'
Raon smiled slightly as he climbed the eerie stairs that seemed to be lined with blood vessels.
As he reached the final floor made of demonic energy, an unexpected sight greeted his eyes.
Goooooo!
A black cocoon formed by demonic energy twisted like thin threads floated in the air, and four high-ranking priests stood at the four cardinal points, pushing holy power into the cocoon.
It wasn't just the priests' aura, but the holy power and demonic energy spread throughout the entire kingdom were seeping into the cocoon.
'Bauren is inside that.'
Raon could sense Bauren's presence inside the pulsating black cocoon, which throbbed like a living heart. It seemed he was accumulating power in there.
"W-What!"
"Why is the Dragon Slayer here!"
"D-Don't tell me Priest Piron and Lord Danieff have been defeated!"
The high priests trembled, unable to believe Raon was here.
"What a mess."
Raon uttered a curse often used by Saintess Olga as he approached the demonic energy cocoon where Bauren had hidden himself.
"W-Wait!"
"Stop!"
"If you attack now, the cocoon might burst! The entire kingdom could be blown away..."
"That's not for you to worry about."
Even if a demon emerged from that cocoon instead of Bauren, he could handle it, so he proceeded without hesitation.
Tsuruururuk!
Raon placed his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive. The moment he set his will to strike, the blade of the Heavenly Drive became like the Specter's scythe, falling towards the priests' necks.
"B-Block it!"
"Kuuugh!"
The priests standing in the north and east, though flustered, raised shields infused with demonic energy.
Chwaaak!
But the blade, imbued with the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, shattered the walls of demonic energy and slashed the priests' throats.
"Ugh..."
"What in the..."
The two priests collapsed with wide eyes, as if they couldn't believe their shields of shaped demonic energy could be split so easily.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"It's truly dangerous! If it goes out of control, everyone will die!"
The high-ranking priests standing in the south and west waved their hands frantically.
"You have the nerve to say that after reducing the kingdom to this state."
Raon sneered as he pointed the Heavenly Drive at the two priests.
"Attack!"
"Kyaaaah!"
Realizing that words were futile, the priests switched from defense to offense.
Concentrated demonic energy shot from the hands of the two priests, sharpened like spear blades.
The blades of demonic energy flew like a rain of arrows, but Raon had already moved from his spot.
Teoong!
Using the Supreme Harmony Steps, he roughly pushed off the ground and reached behind the priests.
"B-Behind us!"
"Huh!"
The priests sensed Raon's presence and turned around, but it was far too late.
Chwaaaak!
The silver-white blade, shimmering like frost, grazed past the necks of the corrupted ones.
"Uh..."
"Kuugh..."
Red lines appeared on the priests' necks, rapidly thickening as they spewed bright red blood.
Kururururuk!
But it wasn't over yet. The priests' bodies, as if already consumed by demonic energy, were regenerating even with their heads severed.
'Such regenerative power...'
Perhaps due to receiving power directly from Bauren, who had contracted with the Demonized Humans, the stench of demonic energy permeating the priests was unbearable.
'But it's still meaningless.'
Raon thrust the Heavenly Drive into the ground and drew out the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to their extreme.
Kuwaaaaa!
Pale golden flames erupted from the hole where the blade was thrust, completely erasing the priests' bodies and the fragments of demonic energy.
All that remained was black smoke and the cocoon of demonic energy still floating in the air.
Teuduk.
Raon stepped on the bare steel frame of the tower as he approached the increasingly pulsating cocoon of demonic energy.
He struck the center of the cocoon with the Heavenly Drive, now wreathed in the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Jyeoeoeoeok!
The black cocoon crumbled like an eggshell, its inside deeply hollowed out.
King Bauren was curled up with his eyes closed, like a child in its mother's womb.
Just as Raon was about to raise the lowered Heavenly Drive to strike, King Bauren's eyelids lifted.
Kuwung!
Black eyes, harboring darkness even deeper than demonic energy, gleamed.
"You..."
"Have you come to bless my rebirth?"
Darkness welled up along with the cold smile that bloomed on King Bauren's lips.
Kuwaaaaa!
* * *
Kiaaaa!
A demonic beast with a lion's head and a bull's body charged forward, crushing the ground beneath it.
"Hup!"
Hoppen didn't retreat. Instead, he leaped forward and brought down his blazing white sword.
Chwaaak!
The blade of holy power pushed back the demonic energy and split the demonic beast's body.
Kiiii.
Despite being cut in half, the demonic beast didn't die and thrust its sharp fangs forward.
Peoeoeoek!
As Hoppen crushed its head with his sword, the demonic beast melted into a putrid liquid.
"There are five more inside! Deal with them all before they escape!"
As he pointed towards the inner alley, the priests and Holy Knights waiting behind rushed in to purify the smaller demonic beasts inside.
"Phew..."
Hoppen wiped the sweat from his forehead as he walked out onto the main street.
'I'm getting tired.'
Although he had dealt with most of the demonic beasts using the Paladin's crest received from Kinier, their sheer number had left him so exhausted that he could barely stand.
However, there was no time to sit down and rest. There was still a mountain of work to be done.
'The most dangerous thing right now is...'
The Light Wind division.
The Light Wind division, which had to fight demons while protecting Kinier, was the most worrying.
Having dealt with all the large demonic beasts, he left the cleanup to his subordinates and rushed towards the tower.
As soon as he arrived, what caught his eye was a single wind created by the Light Wind division.
Kwaaaaa!
The blade of blue wind tore through the massive demonic energy and mercilessly shredded the demon's body. The demon vanished without leaving a trace of demonic energy.
"Huh..."
Hoppen let out a sigh of relief as he watched the Light Wind division erase the demon.
'They really won...'
The demons have an aura that crushes human souls.
It was hard to believe that these swordsmen, still considered young, had broken through their weaknesses and defeated the demon.
The most surprising thing was that not a single one had died. There were some seriously injured, but no one had received fatal wounds.
'...'
Even after defeating the demon, the Light Wind division didn't completely relax. They only began to sit down one by one after confirming that the demonic energy had completely disappeared.
'They're so different...'
He couldn't imagine what kind of training and real combat experience they had gone through to gain such martial prowess and mental fortitude. More than envy, he felt awe.
"Hmm..."
Hoppen followed the gaze of the Light Wind division as they looked up at the tower where Raon was supposed to be.
'Now only that place remains.'
Having dealt with those outside, all that remained were Priest Piron, Sir Danieff, and his father in that tower.
'Please...'
It was then that he clasped his hands together and prayed for this to end without any more deaths.
Kuuuung!
The tower. No, with a massive shockwave that seemed to twist the entire kingdom, the demonic energy enveloping the tower surged up and covered the sky.
Above the pitch-black night sky, a man with two pairs of wings appeared.
He was a handsome man with a toned body without an ounce of fat, skin as white as a child's, and sharp features with a well-defined nose and jawline.
He wore a black crown on his head, with heat haze-like distortions burning around it due to the demonic energy.
"N-No way..."
Hoppen's jaw trembled as he looked at the man with a cold smile.
"Father?"
He resembled him. The young man's face was identical to his father's portrait from 20 years ago—no, from long before he was even born.
Above all else, the black crown he wore was identical in shape to the white Holy Crown, Suphren's national treasure and symbol of kingship. It was unmistakable.
"Kugh..."
Hoppen felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Bauren smirk while looking down upon the entire kingdom.
His father, who had tampered with the forbidden, had become a monster consumed by demonic energy. What Hoppen sensed from him was not benevolence and holiness, but only foul-smelling demonic energy and wickedness.
However, the intense demonic energy emanating from him didn't reach the ground.
Whaaaa!
Raon's flames, standing atop the tower, were burning away all the demonic energy.
'Please...'
Hoppen clasped his hands together as he looked at Raon. He knelt down, biting his lip.
'Please stop my father!'
* * *
"I feel free."
Bauren spread his arms wide and took a deep breath. The demonic energy flowing from his breath added saturation to the black sky.
"I feel like I can do anything."
"You've become younger?"
Raon tilted his head slightly as he looked at Bauren floating in the sky.
Perhaps due to accepting the demonic energy, Bauren's appearance and physique had become robust, as if he had returned to his twenties.
However, his blue hair, eyes, and the White Crown he wore on his head had been dyed black. He looked like a completely different person.
Of course, the biggest change was the demonic energy. It felt as if all the holy power spread throughout the kingdom had transformed into demonic energy, emanating from him in unimaginable quantities.
'I won't be able to win with the amount of aura I have.'
Raon had thought he possessed more aura compared to martial artists or magicians of the same level, but it was incomparable to the demonic energy Bauren now possessed.
"Raon Zieghart."
Bauren stroked his chin as he looked down. It seemed his habits hadn't changed despite his transformation.
"I have realized what it means to be a true king."
As he said this, he pointed to his blackened crown.
-"I"? How dare that mongrel! (E/N: just another case of using a very arrogant pronoun. I think it is the same that the one Wrath usually use when boasting.)
Wrath shouted in displeasure, shaking his fist.
"You've become arrogant. Have you decided to drop the honorifics now?"
"I am the king, the only one true king. Why should I use honorifics with anyone?"
Whether it was his true personality that he had been hiding, or if his personality had completely changed after receiving the demonic energy, Bauren's way of speaking had become irritatingly arrogant.
"What makes a true king then?"
Raon raised an eyebrow as he looked up at Bauren.
"Power. This martial prowess."
Bauren clenched both his fists tightly.
"Only one who possesses the power to protect the kingdom and annihilate enemies can become a true king!"
"Martial prowess? As expected."
Raon sneered, waving his hand dismissively.
"Does a true king gain power by sacrificing his people? That's not a king, but a mass murderer. You're worse than a foolish monarch who can't stop giving to others."
Bauren claimed he now understood what a true king was, but to Raon, he looked like a butcher, not a king.
-A monarch who gives without restraint? To think such an idiotic person exists! Who on earth is that!
'...'
Wrath shook his head, saying that someone who only gives has no qualification to be a monarch.
"It's a blessing to become my flesh and blood. The citizens who died should rather be rejoicing."
Bauren, seemingly having lost his mind, stroked his rejuvenated body with a warm smile.
"You're beyond help."
Raon beckoned with his finger at Bauren.
"Let me show you how insignificant that precious martial prowess of yours is."
"Very well. The Dragon Slayer should be a fitting first opponent to spread my name."
Bauren raised his right hand. The demonic energy burning in his grasp shot out as black rays of light.
There was almost no delay. The moment the light flashed, the demonic energy was already right in front of Raon's face.
Whaaaa!
Raon lowered his stance deeply. With the Heavenly Drive tilted downward, he slashed upward with a Crimson Slash towards the approaching sphere of demonic energy. It was quite heavy, but not impossible to cut.
Chwaaak!
The bright red heat line cut through the demonic energy, leaving a distinct trajectory in the air.
"Is that all?"
Raon tilted his head as he waved the red-hot blade.
"Of course not."
Bauren smiled faintly as he raised his hand again. Countless spheres of demonic energy, like the one Raon had just cut with his Crimson Slash, appeared.
"I just wanted to play a little."
As he flicked his finger, the spheres of demonic energy filling the sky poured down like a sudden downpour.
Whaaaa!
Raon drew a undulating wave with the Heavenly Drive.
Above the sword's trajectory, flower petals tinged with crimson bloomed. Fragments of petals, as if having experienced all four seasons, filled the air thickly.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation - Heavenly Drive.
Fire Spirit.
The fragments of the Astral Ring blocked the shower of demonic energy, causing countless explosions in the sky.
Kwaaaang!
As black smoke covered the sky and earth, a black shadow rushed in from the right. Its speed was so tremendous that it was difficult to react.
However, because the movement was so fast, it wasn't hard to predict its direction.
Teong!
The moment he stepped on the slightly bent rebar with the Supreme Harmony's Third Step, Bauren thrust his blackened fist. The power was so strong that the surroundings seemed to warp.
Raon used the flow of the Supreme Harmony's Third Step, as if swimming through clouds, to deflect Bauren's fist strike, then drew a Frost Snap with the Heavenly Drive.
Chwaaak!
The real sword and the frost sword extended one after another.
But Bauren, seemingly with increased reaction speed, easily dodged both sword strikes by leaning back, then counterattacked with his left fist.
Raon avoided Bauren's fist by tilting his head to the right. Although the force of the punch caused his cheek to bleed, he paid it no mind.
'Because I predicted all of this.'
Biting his lip slightly, Raon drew the Blade of Requiem, which was raging against Bauren's demonic energy. Bright yellow demonic energy surged from the red blade, tearing apart the demonic energy Bauren was emitting.
Jyeoeoeoek!
Though Bauren's forehead was slightly split, he stepped back leisurely.
"As expected, you're quite impressive."
He nodded as if satisfied.
"You said you were the true king, right?"
Raon tilted his chin as he looked at Bauren.
"That's right. I am the true king who can protect the Suphren Kingdom."
"Is there such a thing as a king without a crown?"
"What do you..."
Just as Bauren was about to furrow his brow, the gleaming black crown on his head split in half and fell to the ground.
"That was bothering me."
Raon smiled faintly as he tossed and caught the Blade of Requiem.
"What suits a mass murderer is a noose around the neck, not a crown."
"You bastard!"
An inhuman roar burst from Bauren's throat. His wings spread wide as an enormous amount of demonic energy flared up, making it difficult to breathe.
"I'll kill you!"
"Try it if you can."
Raon thrust both the Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem into the ground.
"Sword Domain - Divine-Demonic Harmony."
A clear resonance twisted the world. Above the pitch-black night sky filled with demonic energy, a golden sun and a silver moon rose.
The sticky demonic energy seemed to cower before the noble light, retreating to the corners.
"From you..."
Raon revealed a fierce gaze as he raised the divine sword and demonic sword that seemed forged from the sun and moon.
"I'll take away your title of king."