Raon gathered anger in his fist and lowered his gaze. He planned to unleash his wrath immediately if Darkan became endangered while watching the duel from here.
-Ah, you mustn't!
Wrath grabbed Raon's wrist with his round hand.
-Even your silver tongue won't work on that lunatic!
'Don't worry. Even if persuasion fails, we have an escape route.'
Raon calmly shook his head.
-That won't work, I tell you!
Wrath pounded his own chest in frustration.
-That stalker won't listen to reason! She'll knock you out and drag you to Devildom!
He gritted his teeth as he turned his gaze to Lust.
-Just look at them talking to that moth! Is that a conversation between rational beings? They're just beasts!
Wrath furrowed his brow, saying that individuals like Darkan and Lust were uncontrollable.
'I told you it's fine.'
Raon gently patted Wrath's protruding head.
-Well, you're no less crazy than those two! I thought you'd gone mad when you suddenly started looking for a flower, but you really have lost it!
Wrath snorted as he looked at the red flower planted by the ancestor.
-Hmm, but this flower. It's a bit unusual.
He narrowed his eyes as he examined the ancestor's flower closely.
-It's been living longer than even elves. It seems to share its vitality and absorb the vitality of other living things.
Wrath licked his lips, saying that the ancestor's flower was purifying the vitality of this land.
-How did you find this spirit beast?
'Because Zieghart's ancestor planted it.'
Raon answered Wrath and then looked up at the sky above the Holy Sword Alliance. The barrier that Lust had broken through was slowly mending itself. It seemed to be another effect of this flower.
'Just what was that person...'
What was he fighting against? Zieghart's ancestor said this place should become the final stronghold and planted this flower. I don't understand what he wanted.
'Is the battle already over? Or...'
Raon furrowed his brow as he recalled the red eyes of Zieghart's ancestor that he had seen last. Since a river of a thousand years flowed between his time and his own, everything might have already ended. But if his plan was still continuing until now, there was also a possibility that a big event could occur in the future.
'The way to find out about this is...'
-Hey!
While Raon was thinking about the ancestor, Wrath flicked his forehead.
-What are you doing! That moth guy is about to collapse! Run away quickly!
Wrath pleaded to escape, shaking his tail. It felt like watching a frightened cat.
-If Lust catches you, I might be ripped out of your body alive!
'I told you there's no need to worry.'
Raon lowered his hand with a faint smile.
'If everything goes according to my plan, it will end well. Probably.'
-Probably? Prooooobably?
Wrath shook his head, saying not to talk nonsense.
-My life is at stake here!
'That's fortunate.'
Raon grinned as he raised his fist filled with anger.
'Because I've bet my life too.'
* * *
With a thunderous crash, Darkan was pushed back by Lust's sword strike and bit his lip.
'I'm starting to feel suffocated.'
While physical wounds could be endured with mental strength, soul wounds inflicted in the mental world couldn't be withstood even with a strong will. He felt his strength draining gradually.
'What a shame.'
The swordswoman before him was one of the strongest martial artists he had ever met. It was deeply regrettable that he couldn't fight in his best condition against someone who had clearly honed her swordsmanship for an immeasurably long time.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Lust tilted her chin towards Darkan.
"Tell me. Where is Wrath?"
She raised her blue eyes, saying she would let him go if he just told her that.
"Wrath. Wrath..."
Darkan briefly licked his lips, recalling the blue being he had met in the mental world.
'That must be Wrath.'
Considering the Dragon Lord's reaction to Wrath, and the enormous soul he had seen today, Wrath was clearly a demon king. And the swordswoman before him must be a similar being. Most humans would be surprised and bewildered, or spread rumors, but he wasn't particularly interested.
All that mattered was whether their swordsmanship was strong or not.
Even if the demons ruined the world, he would be satisfied as long as he could see new swordsmanship techniques.
'But...'
Not now. Raon Zieghart. That child was different from any martial artist he had ever seen. It seemed that even Glenn Zieghart, who was closest to being a sword god, the Heavenly Demon who had displayed absolute power, and the blue demon king with an enormous soul, couldn't reach that child's limits.
'That's why I want to save him.'
The obsession he sensed from this swordswoman was no less than his own passion for the sword, so he felt that if Raon were captured, it wouldn't lead to a good outcome.
"Not yet."
Darkan shook his head and straightened his back. Blood welled up in his throat due to his soul wounds and internal injuries, but he swallowed it back with a smile.
"I haven't seen the end of your sword yet."
"You're persistent. You could be at ease if you just told me Wrath's location."
"I'm not the type who likes to take it easy."
"Fine. I'll leave you alive just enough to say your last words. You'll surely die after that though."
Lust's eyes flashed coldly as she gripped her elongated curved sword. With a roar, her sword extended endlessly, covering the entire sky. It seemed as if the whole Holy Sword Alliance was placed on the edge of her blade.
"Excellent!"
Darkan burst into hearty laughter as he saw Lust's sword strike that seemed about to tear through his flesh and bones. Despite the chilling killing intent approaching, he first marveled at the sword technique that had reached its peak.
'The pinnacle of phantom sword and variable sword. I can't even guess how many times she must have swung her sword.'
This woman's sword talent wasn't particularly special. But her effort seemed to surpass even his own or Glenn's.
'It's beautiful swordsmanship. However...'
What he wanted to see lay beyond that. With a thunderous roar, Darkan broke the connection of his Sword Control and focused on his mental image. He drew the soul sword he had forged in his mind and advanced towards the barrage of sword strikes raining down.
'It's the same.'
Just like the blue demon king he had met in the mental world, he sensed an immeasurably vast soul from this swordswoman. As expected, she too was a demon king.
'This time as well...'
Darkan didn't lose his smile even when faced with the thick soul that couldn't be cut by his soul sword.
'It's a challenge!'
Considering himself a challenger, he swung his soul sword with the will to fight to the end. A black flash of light burst from Darkan's hand. His further refined soul sword pierced through Lust's solid body and mind, revealing its sharp blade towards her soul. With a thunderous crash!
Darkan swung his soul sword until the end, even as his entire body was being sliced by the flexible sword.
With a sharp sound, his soul sword, injured by soul wounds, was too weak to cut the demon king's soul. But thanks to his refusal to give up until the very end, Lust also seemed to have received a great shock and was thrown backwards. With a crackling sound, although there were no wounds on Lust's body, pink mist rose from behind her.
It was a completely different color from the aura she had been using until now.
'Hmm?'
Darkan swallowed dry saliva as he observed Lust's strange appearance.
'What is this...?'
While pink usually evokes warmth and loveliness, the pink emanating from this woman was filled only with eeriness and chills. With a whoosh, Lust's blue hair turned light pink, and an enormous malice began to rise throughout the Holy Sword Alliance.
"Human..."
Lust exhaled sharply, revealing her white fangs.
"You've touched something you shouldn't have."
She let out a sticky voice without mentioning Wrath's name for the first time. Though her voice was cold, strangely, he wanted to keep listening to it.
"I'll make you a slave who can't escape even death... Huh?"
Lust suddenly turned her gaze as she was about to take off her robe. She looked up at the mountain outside the city and trembled her lips.
"Wrath. It's Wrath!"
Lust forgot that she had been angry and erased her pink energy, running towards the mountain.
"That, that place!"
Rector widened his eyes. The place where that bizarre being was heading was the mountain Raon had climbed earlier.
"Damn it!"
He painfully turned his body to follow after Lust.
"No need to go."
Darkan shook his head as he sat down on the spot.
"Neither you nor I would be of any help if we went."
He lowered his hand, saying it would be meaningless.
"Your grandson deliberately lured that monster. It means he can handle it sufficiently."
Darkan smiled faintly, saying there was no need to worry.
"Even so..."
Rector clenched his fist as he looked at the mountain where Raon was.
"I must go. Because he's my grandson."
He pressed his lips tightly and walked towards the mountain.
"You speak just like Raon's grandfather should."
Martha curled her lips as she supported Rector from behind.
"We'll go too."
Burren nodded, saying he would join as well.
"Until the end."
Runaan, unusually, raised her voice and took the lead.
"L-Lord Raon didn't seem to particularly need us though..."
Dorian rolled his eyes, but eventually followed behind Rector.
"I see."
Darkan laughed weakly as he lay spread-eagled.
"I know too little besides the sword."
He licked his lips as he closed his eyes.
"Well, that's comfortable though."
* * *
With a whoosh, Raon swallowed dry saliva as he saw Lust who had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
'Has she regained her senses?'
Just earlier, Lust was about to reveal her true form after being hit by Darkan's soul sword, but as soon as she sensed Wrath's anger, she came flying here, having regained her composure. It was an obsession to a terrible degree.
"Wrath?"
Lust trembled her lips slightly as she looked at Raon.
"Is it really you...?"
Her eyes held both doubt and joy simultaneously.
"You've finally come here."
Raon put his hands behind his back, wrapped in a faint anger like the Wrath he had seen in the mental world.
-Wh-when did you see that pose!
Wrath opened his mouth wide as if dumbfounded.
"Something felt off from the first time I saw you. It was the first time I was drawn to a human without realizing it."
Lust spoke about the situation where her eyes met Raon's during the duel, tightly gripping the back of her own hand.
"Is it really you, Wrath?
"Judge for yourself based on what you feel."
Raon spoke in Wrath's manner with dry eyes, as if it didn't matter whether she believed him or not.
-Urgh...
Wrath's hands trembled.
-This damn guy is acting like me again! But...
He shook his head with a twisted smile.
-It won't work on that lunatic!
Wrath giggled, saying Raon was underestimating Lust's obsession too much.
"Why are you in human form?"
Lust's gaze sank sharply. She seemed ready to grab him whether he was Wrath or not.
'This is dangerous.'
Raon took a shallow breath, suppressing his violently throbbing heart. He had to create a situation where he wouldn't be caught by Lust while acting as Wrath.
"This body is my subordinate."
Raon nodded slightly, placing his hand on his own chest.
-I won't accept a madman like you as a subordinate!
Wrath shook his chin as if absolutely refusing.
"Subordinate? You came to the human world for such a young human?"
Lust narrowed her eyes.
"Does the king's care for his subordinates depend on race or age?"
Raon raised cold eyes, recalling Wrath when he was serious.
"Right. You were that kind of king..."
Lust smiled slightly, seeming to recall the past. It seemed she was starting to believe he was Wrath, if only a little. At the same time, a deep desire began to fill her eyes.
-Huh?
Wrath blinked blankly.
-Sh-she's falling for this?
He opened his mouth in a round shape with a dumbfounded expression.
-No, wait! She shouldn't fall for it!
Wrath trembled his chin, saying they'd end up getting caught at this rate.
"Wrath. I..."
Lust lowered her gaze, moving her red lips. It felt like looking at a young animal caught in the rain. A strange heat began to rise throughout his body, making him want to stroke and embrace her.
'Is this lust?'
Wrath said Lust hates using the demon king's authority, so it seemed a very weak authority had been activated without her realizing it. As he resonated the Ring of Fire, the heat constricting his body subsided, and his mind began to clear again.
-You fool!
Wrath furrowed his brow as if exasperated.
-You're in that state when she didn't even properly spread her lust! Get a grip!
He shook his head, saying they'd all die if Raon got caught.
'Thanks for the support.'
-It's not support! It's all over if you get caught!
'Anyway.'
Raon slowly regulated his breathing and composed himself.
"Did you follow me all the way here?"
"Yes. Only to find you."
Lust nodded, saying that was all.
"As I searched all over Devildom, I eventually came up to the human world. I found traces of you in a dungeon by chance and was certain you were here. I guess we're bound by fate after all."
She sparkled her eyes filled with joy as she spat out a long sentence in one breath.
'Hmm...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he pondered Lust's words.
'She really seems to have no sense of direction.'
Lust didn't speak as if she knew Wrath was in the human world and chased after him, but as if she had come here by chance. It seemed she really got lost and wandered here.
'But if it's a dungeon...'
Is it Roengreen's dungeon? Both the past Wrath's and the present Wrath's anger remained there, so it seemed she found traces there.
"Wrath. Let's go back together."
Lust reached out her snow-white hand towards Raon.
"If I have you..."
"I have things to do."
Raon shook his head, acting as Wrath again.
"I'll return when everything is over, so don't rush me."
"Everything? What's that?"
Lust's gaze sank coldly. Looking at her clouded eyes, it seemed she would subdue him by force no matter what he said.
-I told you!
Wrath shook his head, trembling his shoulders.
-Words don't work on that lunatic! She's not asking for an answer!
He wailed and pounded the ground, saying it was all over.
"Why do you chase after me?"
Raon calmly lowered his chin.
"That's..."
Lust stopped in her tracks, poised to pounce.
"It must be because I said what you wanted to hear."
Raon slowly turned his gaze.
'The answer is already there.'
Wrath said Lust hates her own power, and that she follows him because of something he said. Thinking about it in reverse, he could roughly guess what conversation had taken place between the two demon kings.
"That's right..."
Lust nodded heavily.
"You told me to become myself, not lust."
She nodded, saying Wrath's words had been a great comfort to her.
"That's why I want us to go together! Just as you comforted me, this time I'll comfort you! I can even give you all of Devildom!"
Lust clasped her hands, saying she could do anything for him. Her eyes began to spin like whirlpools. She seemed to be getting overly excited and about to move her body first.
'She's starting to lose her reason again.'
Looking at Lust's eyes, it seemed she would soon be in a state where words wouldn't get through. He had to end this situation as quickly as possible.
-I told you! You can't go either!
Wrath shook his sleeve, asking what Raon was going to do.
"Do you think I would be satisfied with such trivial matters?"
Raon shook his head briefly, pushing Wrath away.
"It's okay if you don't want Devildom! I can do anything you want!"
Lust bit her lip.
"And now, even if I want to hold back, I can't anymore. I'll take you by force if I have to!"
She trembled her neck, crying out that she was at her limit. With a whoosh, Lust's eyes and hair color began to turn pink. From her light pink eyes that should be warm and lovely, he felt a desire that made his soul tremble. It seemed the true authority of the Monarch of Lust was being revealed.
"When do you think this flower was planted?"
Raon spun the Ring of Fire to its extreme. Enduring Lust's aura that seemed about to burst his heart, he pointed to the flower planted by the ancestor.
"..."
For the first time, Lust's gaze left Raon. She tilted her head as she looked at the red petals.
"I don't know. It seems very old, but I'm not interested."
Lust shook her head, seeming uninterested even though she noticed the ancestor's flower was different from ordinary plants.
"I planted this flower the year I first met you."
Raon looked at the red flower with gentle eyes.
"Ah..."
As soon as she heard those words, Lust suppressed the authority of lust blooming throughout her body. Her eyes sparkled blue again.
"Is, is that true?"
"Can't you tell by looking?"
Raon didn't show even the slightest change in expression as he blatantly lied. He didn't move his eyes or the corners of his mouth, as if he were really telling the truth.
"For, for me..."
Lust covered her mouth with the hand she had been about to attack with, as if deeply moved.
-Wh-what nonsense is this!
Wrath trembled his cheeks in disbelief.
-Your ancestor planted it!
'The ancestor will forgive me.'
Raon winked one eye as he looked up at the sky. Since it was to escape from a demon king, he would surely understand.
-You trash! Selling out your ancestor? You'll receive divine punishment someday. No, demonic punishment!
Wrath grabbed his own head, saying he was going crazy and about to jump.
"At first, this place was desolate and dark like your heart. It took a really long time to regain this vitality."
He lowered his eyebrows, recalling the pitch-black mountain he had seen in the ancestor's memories.
"You and I still need time."
Raon lowered his eyes, saying now was not the time.
"When that day comes, I will seek you out first, so wait for me."
He shook his head heavily, telling her to wait.
-Yaaaaaaah!
Wrath screamed.
-What nonsense are you spouting! I absolutely won't go! I'd rather die!
He shook Raon by the collar, asking why he made such a promise.
"..."
Lust trembled her shoulders as she looked at the red flower and the mountain full of vitality. She seemed to be pondering many things.
"...How can I believe that? You've always just run away!"
She bit her lip, saying it felt like this chance would never come again.
"You need trust..."
Raon lowered his gaze with a faint smile.
"Then let's do this."
He extended his wrist with Wrath's ice flower bracelet towards Lust.
"Give me your authority. I'll take it as a token of our promise."
He raised his chin proudly as he asked for her authority.
"Ah..."
As soon as she heard the request for her authority, Lust clasped her hands and her eyes welled up with tears. It seemed she was finally starting to trust him.
'It worked.'
Raon clenched his fist tightly. He had managed to prevent her from taking Wrath away and was about to obtain the authority of lust. It was a perfect result, even better than planned.
-Th-this is how it turns out?
Wrath trembled his entire body as he looked at Raon's calm face.
-I-I'm scared! There was an even bigger lunatic here than Lust!