"You just..."
Darkan tilted his head sideways in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'll receive your swordsmanship from now on."
Raon stood in front of Darkan, placing his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive.
"Hahaha!"
Darkan burst into laughter, brushing back his red hair. After laughing for a while, he abruptly stopped and slowly lowered his head.
"The meal your grandfather prepared today was quite satisfying. Don't ruin my appetite unnecessarily."
Darkan gestured with his chin for Raon to step back, saying he enjoyed the match with Rector.
"Wouldn't that be a shame?"
Raon wiggled his finger, ignoring Darkan's warning.
"Your thirst hasn't been quenched yet."
He curled his lips while looking at the black eye patch covering Darkan's eyes.
"Ha, are you saying you can satisfy that thirst?"
Darkan slowly lowered his head. His gaze felt as if it was squeezing Raon's heart, as if his eyes had come back to life.
"A mere brat like you?"
Darkan stared at Raon with a thick killing intent, as if this was no joke.
-Are you out of your mind?
Wrath grabbed Raon by the collar, incredulous.
-Cancel it right now!
He shook his head vigorously, saying there was no way Raon could block him.
"Of course, not right now. But..."
Raon shook his head, barely withstanding Darkan's killing intent.
"In the not-too-distant future, I'll be able to satisfy your desire. With a new swordsmanship that no one has ever seen."
As he said this, he tightly gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Drive.
"I wondered what nonsense you were spouting..."
Darkan nodded as if he understood.
"You were trying to buy time."
He chuckled, looking at Rector behind Raon.
"Unfortunately, Rector can no longer fight. I've cut away his very will."
Darkan lowered his hand, saying it was meaningless to buy time.
"Raon Zieghart. It's true that I'm interested in you, but not because of your current strength, but because of your talent. Once I've confirmed that, your body will be nothing more than bait to lure out Glenn."
He raised a chilling aura, saying he could kill Raon right now if he wanted to. It seemed his thoughts had changed from before, perhaps because he had seen the Soul Sword.
"Then test it. My potential."
Raon straightened his back proudly, not crushed by Darkan's aura.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
Though he was pretending to be fine, Darkan's powerful aura made him feel like his entire body was being crushed. It took all his mental strength just to endure.
"Are you perhaps scared?"
Raon looked at Darkan with a faint smile.
'Darkan is different from the other Five Demons.'
Although Darkan belonged to the Five Demons, he was neither good nor evil. He was just an eccentric whose soul was filled with a passion for swordsmanship, so Raon's provocation would surely work.
'Just looking at his fight with grandfather, I can tell his personality.'
Except for the final Soul Sword, Darkan never used his full strength. Even Rector's final technique, which he could have blocked or dodged, Darkan took head-on, saying he wanted to feel a new sword. Though it looked like an even fight, in reality, there was an uncrossable river flowing between Rector and Darkan.
'Because he's such a madman, my provocation will work.'
Both Glenn and Rector had said that his sword was the true path of Ten Thousand Swords that no one had walked before. If he showed the possibility of a new swordsmanship, Darkan would surely let him go.
"R-Raon. You can't..."
Rector grasped his fallen sword again, even as he coughed up black blood.
"I... I will fight."
He forced himself to stand up, telling Raon to step back.
"Huh?"
Darkan lowered his eyebrows, looking at Rector who said he would fight to the end.
"How were you able to stand up?"
He exhaled in disbelief.
"The world doesn't revolve solely around the realm of swordsmanship."
Raon shook his head, feeling Rector's warmth from behind.
"Tsk..."
Darkan clicked his tongue after looking into Rector's eyes.
"You've merely stood up. You can't fight."
"...I can fight."
Rector moved forward with slow steps and stood in front of Raon.
"Even if my life is broken, my will is not."
He raised his sword, overcoming the fear weighing on his heart. Though he was in no condition to even cut a bug, his determination to protect his grandson was palpable.
"Hmm..."
Darkan pressed his lips tightly, observing this scene.
"It's okay, grandfather."
Raon shook his head, embracing Rector whose arms and legs were trembling.
"Leave this to me."
He sat Rector down behind him, telling him not to worry.
"It's touching. However..."
"You don't have to do it if you're scared."
Raon turned to Darkan and wiggled his finger.
"What?"
A vein popped on Darkan's smooth forehead.
"What did you just..."
"Seeing your tongue wagging like that, it seems you're afraid of my future. So, you can kill me now if you want."
Raon spread his arms, telling Darkan to do as he pleased.
"You... Have you really gone mad?"
Darkan deeply furrowed his brows.
"When someone who's said to be obsessed with swords says they'll be shown a new swordsmanship, if you dislike it, I can only think you're scared."
Raon shrugged his shoulders, accepting Darkan's killing intent.
"...Are you really saying you can show the possibility of a new swordsmanship?"
Darkan's lips trembled slightly, as if he was about to fall for the provocation.
"Yes. If it's just swordsmanship, I can show you."
"Just swordsmanship?"
"If you reveal your transcendent power as is, I won't be able to block even a single strike."
Raon tapped his temple with his finger, telling Darkan to think carefully.
"..."
Darkan closed his mouth, sending a heavy gaze from behind his black eye patch as if trying to grasp Raon's intentions.
"..."
Raon too, with his arms crossed, did not avoid Darkan's gaze.
"Fine. But if you show a disappointing performance..."
Darkan's chin dropped sharply like a blade.
"I'll kill those behind you and make you my disciple. I'll turn you into a puppet that moves according to my taste."
He ground his teeth finely, as if making a vow.
"Alright."
Raon nodded and stood in front of Darkan.
-T-This works?
Wrath widened his eyes, looking at Darkan.
-Hasn't that guy's head exploded? How...
'It's not just provocation.'
-Huh?
'There's the title.'
He had the title
-Urgh! In the end, this king helped you again...
Wrath ground his teeth as if frustrated.
-B-But he surely won't keep his promise!
'No, he will.'
Darkan's passion for swords was something that neither he nor even Glenn could match. To the extent of gouging out his own eyeballs to see the Soul Sword, if shown the possibility of a new sword, he would withdraw without any interference.
"R-Raon!"
"You don't need to! It's too dangerous!"
Lawrence and Zalek shook their heads, saying it shouldn't be done.
"Raon..."
Rector bit his lip, looking at Raon as if feeling his own powerlessness. However, Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Dorian nodded calmly as if they believed in him.
"Don't worry."
Raon nodded calmly after making eye contact with all those people.
"Nothing will happen."
* * *
Raon faced Darkan in front of the Holy Sword Alliance's courtyard where the mansion and houses had been blown away.
"Just three times."
Darkan held up three fingers.
"I'll unleash three sword strikes adjusted to your strength, so if you disappoint me even once, it's over right there."
"If I satisfy you?"
Raon lowered his chin, looking at Darkan's fingers.
"If you really show the possibility of a new swordsmanship as you say..."
Darkan slowly nodded.
"I won't touch anyone here and will disappear."
He thumped his own chest as if making a promise.
"Good."
Raon nodded and drew the Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem. Unlike Darkan, he had to go all out from the start, so he immediately opened the Divine-Demonic Harmony. The ring of fire resonated as he held the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword in both hands. He prepared himself fully, operating the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Perception of the Snow Flower.
"Let's begin if you're ready."
Darkan gently grasped Zalek's sword and swung it down. It looked like a simple downward strike, but within it was a sword path honed to the extreme. It was a swordsmanship that contained the life of a transcendent who had trained for a lifetime. (E/N: reminder that he 'stole ' Zalek's sword as soon as he appeared)
'Ordinary swordsmanship won't work!'
It seemed that no swordsmanship he knew could block that downward strike. Contrary to expectations, it looked like he would have to reveal his full strength from the beginning. The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword crossed diagonally as Raon stepped into a stance. Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship.
Form 6 Divine-Demonic Harmony Linked Technique: Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
The Invincible Azure-Red Sword is a swordsmanship that pours all the remaining energy from the Divine-Demonic Harmony to cut down the opponent with overwhelming power. But this time, he imbued not just power, but the principles he had built up into the two swords blazing with flames and frost.
In the Divine Sword, he condensed speed, lightness, change, illusion, and spirit, while in the Demonic Sword, he concentrated slowness, heaviness, accuracy, solemnity, and loftiness.
The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, different in color and texture, emitted a deep radiance and clashed with Darkan's downward strike. A thunderous sound erupted, not like the clash of swords, but as if a mountain had collapsed.
Though Darkan had controlled his strength, the clash of such powerful auras caused the ground to sink and cracks to appear in the sky as if it had been torn.
"Huk..."
Raon exhaled a turbid breath, retreating ten steps back.
"It's clearly a swordsmanship I've felt before, but it feels like I'm seeing it for the first time."
Darkan twisted his lips upward as if excited.
"Not bad."
He gave an honest evaluation, befitting a man obsessed with swords.
"We haven't even started yet."
Raon shook his head, quickly regulating his breathing.
'It feels like my arms and legs are about to break.'
Despite his outwardly fine appearance, his insides were not good. His physical strength was drained, and his energy center was greatly shaken, causing severe shock. Darkan had indeed controlled his strength, but it seemed he had no intention of adjusting it to Raon's level.
'So this is a true transcendent,'
From Darkan's perspective, he had greatly reduced his strength, but to cause this much shock, the wall of transcendence was indeed high and towering.
"Then for the second time. This will be a bit different."
Darkan dropped the sword he was holding, his cheeks flushed. Sword Control. It seemed he had no intention of going easy, only adjusting his energy.
His Sword Control bent at an angle impossible for a person to achieve and rushed towards Raon's neck. The energy contained in the Sword Control was not something that could be easily blocked, let alone the technique.
'Heaven's Rift?'
No. Not now. He had to save Heaven's Rift, which could contain all of himself, for the third time. He had to block it somehow in this state.
'I have no choice but to gamble.'
There was only one way to block that Sword Control without Heaven's Rift, even though it was an incomplete martial art. Raon's mind rotated rapidly as if struck by lightning, segmenting the mantras of the Reverse Wave Arts and the Fierce Wave Arts.
The Reverse Wave Arts that erase the form of swordsmanship and the Fierce Wave Arts that penetrate the opponent's aura. The flow of these two mystical martial arts connected like a puzzle, drawing a new martial arts flow.
The power of insight, albeit weakly opened, became the connecting rope between the Reverse Wave Arts and the Fierce Wave Arts, balancing the two chaotic martial arts. The Divine Sword with its fire extinguishing and the Demonic Sword with its cold energy fading raised a purple light like the dawn mist.
The incomplete swordsmanship, not yet even named, erased the sword path contained in Darkan's Sword Control and extinguished the powerful force dwelling within it.
Unlike the first clash, there was no shockwave or thunderous sound. But the impact conveyed to the people was even greater.
"H-How could he so easily...? Even if he controlled his strength, that was Sword Control."
Rector widened his eyes in disbelief.
"...Is that my Reverse Wave Arts?"
Lawrence's lips trembled as he saw Raon's martial art mixed with his own Reverse Wave Arts.
"He finally opened a gap in the Mind's Eye."
Zalek too couldn't hide his surprise and swallowed dry saliva. The others also couldn't close their gaping mouths as they saw the Sword Control simply subside.
"Cough..."
Raon finally couldn't hold back and coughed up blood. It was good to create a new martial art, but he ended up with internal injuries due to the power of the Sword Control.
"You created a new swordsmanship using breaking techniques. It seems the Beast King's Fierce Wave Arts is mixed in too. Marvelous."
Darkan nodded largely, as if satisfied this time as well.
"Not bad, taking an ugly tearing technique and turning it into something new and promising."
He curled up the corners of his mouth lengthily, as if enjoying this time.
"But there's still one move left. If you disappoint me here, it's all over."
"I know."
Raon nodded, wiping the blood flowing from his mouth.
"Then prepare yourself."
Darkan jerked his chin, as if giving time to breathe for a moment.
"Whew..."
Raon closed his eyes, gripping the Heavenly Drive whose fire had gone out.
'I barely have enough strength left to use Heaven's Rift.'
Heaven's Rift, the Sword Domain that grows with his life. Thanks to the training and meditation at the Holy Sword Alliance, it had grown further, so it should be able to show potential even to the picky Darkan.
"I'm ready."
Raon nodded after calming his turbid breath.
"Then let's start the final move."
As Darkan flicked his finger, the Sword Control dropped and a pitch-black light sword sprang from his grasp.
'Huh...?'
Raon swallowed dry saliva as he saw the darkness sword burning like flames.
'Soul Sword?'
He thought these three confrontations were just a test, but it seemed not for that madman. Even if he controlled his strength, Raon never expected him to draw out the Soul Sword.
'Damn it!'
It was the second time seeing the Soul Sword, but he had never thought about how to block it. His mind seemed to melt white like white paint had been poured over it.
'No, it's the same in the end.'
Even if the Soul Sword was a sword that pierced through everything and cut the soul, what he had to show was still swordsmanship. He resonated the ring of fire to its extreme and drew out the anger in his soul to the maximum. He opened the Sword Domain, hardening his soul to the point where even the sharpest sword couldn't cut it.
A golden light net spread over the blade of the Heavenly Drive, condensing the sword principles he had built up in the mental world. Within a single light, ten thousand sword paths were reflected, raising a grand wave of swordsmanship.
His swordsmanship, imbued with his everything, clashed with the Soul Sword. It should have been impossible originally, but it seemed Darkan had deliberately matched it against Heaven's Rift to see through him. The light of Heaven's Rift was erased within the darkness of the Soul Sword. But the swordsmanship he had honed struggled to the last, biting into the sword of darkness.
'I held on!'
Raon bit his lip tightly. He hadn't pushed back the Soul Sword, but he had weakened its power. Thinking he could now endure, he raised his soul's realm even higher.
"Good!"
But Darkan didn't seem to intend to end it here. Laughing loudly as if satisfied, he raised the blade of the Soul Sword thicker. That madman seemed to want to conduct a new test since he was satisfied with the previous one. Darkan's Soul Sword digs in to cut Raon's soul, surpassing his physical body.
Just as the black blade was about to cut Raon's soul...Something no one had expected happened. Another existence touching Raon's soul. The soul of the Monarch of Wrath faced that blade.
-You worm.