"Haah..."
Rensia slumped to the ground, seemingly drained of energy from the relief that her part was now over.
"You really held out well."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"That's right. Even Chamber said that your endurance was the most important part."
Martha hugged Rensia tightly, saying how truly impressive she was.
"You were stunning..."
Runaan stroked Rensia's hair with a smile that had become more natural. It seemed she was now using terms like "handsome" and "stunning" as simple compliments.
"Shall we take a look then?"
Raon tilted his chin towards Rensia.
"Huh? Look at what?"
"Don't you want to see the results of your efforts with your own eyes?"
"What do you mean... Oh!
He grabbed the waist of the startled Rensia and kicked off the fountain. They ascended into the air as if climbing invisible stairs to view the panorama of Montiro. Whoosh! The path of flames that started from the fountain met with five silver orbs, forming a red five-pointed star formation.
The crimson flames, not content with just forming the five-pointed star, drew a grand circle encompassing the entirety of Montiro.
The magnificent sight of five red stars shining within the massive circle was the true form of the "Lantern that Awakens Darkness."
"It's beautiful..."
Rensia clasped her hands together as she gazed at the five-pointed star formation enveloping all of Montiro.
"This is the magic called 'Lantern that Awakens Darkness.' Your role was the most crucial."
Raon pointed down at the flames forming the five-pointed star.
"...Did I really help that much?"
Having been trapped under the Black Tower's influence her entire life, Rensia still didn't realize how significant her contribution had been.
"Yes. Without you, this magic wouldn't have been possible."
Raon nodded, telling her she had done exceptionally well.
"Ah..."
Rensia clasped her hands together with a faint smile, as if relieved.
"And the effect of that magic starts now."
As Raon snapped his fingers, the gem on Rensia's necklace shattered, and the flames forming the five-pointed star began to change to a blue hue. A deafening sound erupted.
At that moment, with a sound like thousands—no, tens of thousands of glass windows shattering simultaneously, a pitch-black magical formation in the shape of a five-pointed star began to rise from beneath Montiro's ground.
The magical formation, which had concealed the demonic energy and demonized humans and hidden the existence of the Black Tower, emitted a sticky and repulsive energy like filth.
-As disgusting as those creatures.
Wrath frowned in revulsion.
-I want to freeze that energy right away.
He waved his hand, urging to destroy the magical formation quickly.
"That's the barrier that's been binding your arms and legs."
Raon bit his lip slightly.
"Ah..."
Rensia's eyes trembled violently with fear.
"You don't need to be afraid anymore. It's about to disappear now."
Following Raon's gesture, the "Lantern that Awakens Darkness" descended and clashed with the Black Tower's magical formation. A shockwave erupted as if the land and sea of Montiro were completely collapsing as the magical formations of different colors and textures collided.
The blue flames and black demonic energy pushed against each other in a fierce competition, but soon cracks began to appear in the Black Tower's magical formation as the black energy was consumed by the blue flames.
'Of course.'
The barrier installed in Montiro wasn't for combat, but to conceal the Black Tower and gather demonic energy. On the other hand, the "Lantern that Awakens Darkness" was a magic created specifically to quickly erase the Black Tower's barrier, so it was obvious which would win. Another thunderous sound erupted.
Finally, the black five-pointed star barrier that had dominated Montiro melted away in the blue flames, completely shattering the Black Tower's barrier.
As the Black Tower's magical formation broke, the clear sky began to darken. Demonic energy that writhed like worms rose from the earth, and the emerald sea turned black like sewage. It seemed as though breaking the Black Tower's barrier had turned the once beautiful land into hell.
"Ah...?"
Rensia's jaw trembled in disbelief.
"How did this..."
"As I said at the beginning, we can't always be happy. This is the true face of Montiro, which was full of laughter and happiness."
Raon shook his head as he looked at the darkness of Montiro, now buried in what seemed like hell.
"I see..."
Rensia only bit her lip, not turning her eyes away from the now hideously transformed Montiro.
"You've changed quite a bit too. In the past, you would have blamed yourself."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked into Rensia's eyes.
"It's thanks to you, Raon, and the others."
Rensia pointed to herself, Martha, and Runaan.
"Thanks to the swordsmen, I realized it's not my fault, but the Black Tower's, and that I should always have courage."
She nodded calmly, saying she had learned a lot through this experience.
-What a spirited child!
Wrath exhaled sharply as he looked at Rensia.
-You're much better than yourself or the others! This king would even like to raise you!
He waved his hand in the air as if proud of Rensia.
'I feel the same way.'
Rensia was a child who thought of others before herself, even while living in this hell. As Wrath said, she seemed to have stronger mental fortitude than himself or the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
-What a shame. If that child were a bit younger, she could have become great as either a martial artist or a magician.
Wrath clicked his tongue as if regretful.
'It might not be too late for magic.'
As Raon shook his head with a smile, the ground beneath the fountain began to split very slowly. It wasn't simply the ground collapsing, but a black dimension opening up beneath it.
-Hmm...
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at the slowly opening dimension.
-Though it's been corrupted, its source seems to be real demonic energy.
He licked his lips, saying he could feel the energy of the demon realm from the thinly opened crack.
'Real demonic energy...'
Raon clenched his fingertips as he descended back to the ground.
'The battles ahead won't be easy either.'
* * *
When Raon landed on the ground with Rensia, the dimensional crack had opened about the size of a pinky nail. The demonic energy inside that dimension seemed so strong that it would take a long time for the door to fully open.
"Raon!"
Trevin waved his hand as he ran over with the Warring Steel Division swordsmen. Though they looked battered all over, suggesting they had been through quite an ordeal, they were returning victorious and more grown.
"Good work."
Raon bowed his head to Trevin.
"It was tough. No, it was very dangerous. A high-ranking Floor Master suddenly appeared."
Trevin exhaled deeply, saying it had been an almost even fight, but they managed to gain the upper hand little by little and win.
"That's why I trusted you with it."
Raon smiled, saying he never doubted them.
"Palace Master."
The second to return was Mark Goetun.
"Fortunately, I was able to keep my life."
He carefully bowed at the waist. Unlike the Warring Steel Division, he looked unscathed, but seemed more mentally exhausted.
"Did you have a one-strike duel?"
"As expected, you can tell."
Mark Goetun nodded, saying he was correct.
"I was lucky. My opponent was less patient than me."
"When it comes to sword-drawing duels, you can't win by luck alone."
Raon grabbed Mark Goetun's shoulder, telling him he won by skill.
"Huff... huff..."
"Heh... heh..."
The third to arrive were Dorian, Krein, and the Light Wind Palace swordsmen who had been sent with them. They all sat down on the ground, panting so heavily it wouldn't have been strange if they died right there.
"Why did you send us towards the statue!"
"We really thought we were going to die!"
Dorian and Krein glared at him with resentful eyes.
"It, it was really tough!"
"We caught the spirit magician Foreshon, then demonized humans came, and when we caught them, endless demonic beasts swarmed us!"
The other Light Wind Palace swordsmen also closed their eyes tightly, saying it was too difficult.
"But you did it, didn't you?"
Raon tilted his head as if asking what the problem was.
"Huh?"
"Uh..."
"W-well, we did..."
The swordsmen blinked blankly, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Not one of you died, and you all came back having grown a bit, right?"
"W-well, that's true..."
Dorian lowered his chin, blinking his eyes.
"Then that's fine, isn't it?"
"Yes..."
He turned his gaze away, as if too scared to argue further.
"Hey! We agreed to complain together!"
Krein shook his head as if feeling betrayed.
"Complain together, you say..."
Raon approached Krein with a chilling smile.
"Krein, you've grown quite bold, haven't you?"
"Ah, no..."
"We'll talk about this when we get back."
"I'm sorry!"
Krein immediately bowed his head, realizing he had made a mistake, but Raon's eerie smile didn't fade.
"Everyone's already here, I see."
Burren, the fourth to arrive, waved his blood-caked hand.
"Burren. You..."
Raon widened his eyes as he looked at Burren.
"Did you reach Grandmaster?"
He was so surprised that Burren had reached Grandmaster after Martha and Runaan that his mouth fell open without him realizing it.
"I was lucky. I was able to have a breakthrough at the end."
Burren showed a modest demeanor and smiled faintly.
"A breakthrough..."
"Rensia gave me inspiration. It seems that breaking through walls is really about imagery."
He raised his chin towards Martha and Runaan, mentioning Rensia's story. Though he pretended to be humble, it seemed he wanted to show off to the two who had always been ahead of him.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Raon stepped back behind Martha and Runaan, shaking his head.
"Martha and Runaan have also reached Grandmaster."
He pushed the two forward, telling him to take a good look.
"Huh...?"
Burren inhaled sharply as he sensed the aura from Martha and Runaan, identical to his own.
"Oh my! Did you think you were the only one who had a breakthrough? How cute, our little brother."
Martha chuckled and patted Burren's head as if she could see right through him.
"Always last..."
Runaan also wiggled her finger up and down, finding Burren's boasting cute.
"Urgh..."
Burren let out a low groan, his face turning bright red as if embarrassed by his own behavior just moments ago.
"You shouldn't end up like that."
Raon chuckled as he told Rensia not to become like Burren.
"W-wait! So we have three Grandmasters now?"
Dorian exhaled in disbelief.
"No, four. Don't forget about the Warring Steel Leader."
Krein shook his head, saying there were now four Grandmasters belonging to the Light Wind Palace.
"Even for a palace, isn't one Transcendent and four Grandmasters a bit excessive?"
Trevin shook his head in amazement.
"At this rate, even if we're outnumbered, our combat strength shouldn't lose to the Five Divine Orders."
Mark Goetun also smiled, saying that the current Light Wind Palace's military power was unmatched anywhere.
"Hmm, Mark, aren't you disappointed?"
Burren took a short breath as he looked at Mark Goetun.
"The time when I would envy others or resent myself for not reaching that position has long passed. Now, I only want to congratulate you all."
Mark Goetun applauded Burren, Martha, and Runaan, congratulating them on reaching Grandmaster.
"Ahem!"
Morel Kazan of Balkar, the last to arrive, cleared his throat as he approached the fountain. He seemed to have performed well, as he tilted his chin without a single hair out of place.
"Good work."
Raon smiled and bowed his head.
"The lantern has been lit properly. The Light Wind Palace Master has worked hard as well."
He nodded, speaking more respectfully than before.
"Now we just need that door to open."
"Yes. It seems it will take some time, so please rest."
Raon finished greeting Morel Kazan and turned around.
"You all should take some medicine and recover your strength too."
He narrowed his eyes, pointing at the slowly opening dimension.
"The real war begins when this door opens."
* * *
With a thunderous sound, the ground was torn apart as if a giant had inserted its fingers to twist open a gate, revealing a dimension swirling with dark red energy. Unlike the cracks that had opened until now, the dimension revealed by the "Lantern that Awakens Darkness" was on a different scale. Even this massive city of Montiro seemed to be less than half the size of the dimension where the Black Tower existed.
A tidal wave of dark red demonic energy surged from within the massive dimensional gate that split Montiro in half. It was so potent that just smelling it made the aura in one's energy center fluctuate.
-It's been a while since I've smelled true demonic energy.
Wrath rolled his blue eyes as he took a deep breath.
'True demonic energy?'
-I thought they were just imitating demons, but now I see their demonic energy is genuine. They'll be different from those we fought outside.
He licked his lips, saying the power of those coming out of that dimension would be different. The ground of Montiro, stretching all the way to the sea, was completely torn apart, and the dimension connected to the Black Tower fully opened. The endless surge of dark red demonic energy covered the sky, creating an even more ominous atmosphere.
"Whew."
Raon approached the edge of the split dimension and looked down. With a roaring sound, the dimension opened by the lantern was connected to Montiro's land like a mirror image. Unlike the white ground on this side, pitch-black earth with red lava flowing over it stretched out, and at its end stood an impossibly tall tower, rising upside down.
"So that's the Black Tower."
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the black tower standing upside down. The tower itself was spewing demonic energy as if it were a living creature, and around it, giant demonic beasts were spreading their wings and howling. A deep rumbling sound echoed.
As Raon took a breath, observing the demonic energy of the Black Tower, a sound like the sky and earth shaking reverberated as the first floor of the Black Tower opened.
With a creaking sound, a gate large enough for giants to pass through opened, and an uncountable number of demonic beasts poured out. Another thunderous roar sounded.
Demonic beasts resembling animals, those in human form, and those shaped like demons from stories—the entire view was filled with demonic beasts flashing red eyes.
With a crackling sound, as the demonic beasts took their positions in front of the tower, the second floor opened, and demonized humans wielding dark red weapons walked out. They stood behind the demonic beasts, glaring at this side. A shrill cry pierced the air.
One of the upper floors of the Black Tower opened, and a black knight riding a dark dragon flew out. As the dragon he was riding let out a roar, the demonic beasts and demonized humans began to charge towards this side.
"The, the numbers are quite overwhelming..."
Burren frowned, seemingly giving up on counting the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"Just defeating all of them would drain all our energy."
Martha shook her head, blowing air from her mouth.
"They're tough..."
Runaan let out a short sigh as she observed the demonic energy surrounding the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"C-can we really stop all of this...?"
Dorian's jaw trembled as he watched the demonized humans pouring in like a flood.
"Urgh..."
Rensia swallowed hard as she looked at the demonic beasts and demonized humans surging in like a black sea. She seemed shocked to see an even more challenging situation after thinking everything was over.
"Don't worry."
Raon shook his head calmly while watching the influx of demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"This fight isn't ours alone."
As if his words were a spell, dozens of magic circles bloomed in the black sky above Montiro. With a resonating sound, the magic circles opened with a blue light, and silver knights bearing a lion emblem walked out.
"Unite!"
At the command of Greer De Owen, the third prince of Owen standing at the center of the knights, the elite knights simultaneously drew their swords and cut down the incoming demonic beasts.
"It's been a while."
Greer gave a knight's salute with his hand on his chest.
"You've become a swordsman worthy of more than just respect."
Duke Tartan, who walked out of the adjacent magic circle, grinned with his sword resting on his shoulder. With a roar, the demonic beasts and demonized humans from the Black Tower, seemingly flustered by the momentum of Owen's knights, turned to enter from the left side. But blue magic circles were already blooming in front of them as well.
"Burn them."
As Jayna, the princess of Balkar, raised her chin arrogantly, the magic battalion ignited dozens of pre-prepared spells. With a tremendous wave, all the incoming demonic beasts turned to ash and settled.
"..."
Jayna carefully bowed her head, as if to say "good job."
"..."
Raon slightly nodded his chin, accepting her greeting. After seeing her change over the past month, he felt she could now be treated as a princess. With a roar, the black dragon knight spread his wings, seemingly enraged. He held up a black burning spear and plummeted towards Raon like lightning.
With a flash, just as the dragon knight was about to rush at Raon and detonate the demonic energy imbued in his spear, a coldly fierce sword strike shot out from the magic circle on the right.
"Vermin."
It was Karoon. With the sword he swung upon his entrance, the heads of both the black dragon and the knight riding it fell simultaneously. The elites of the Central Martial Palace who came with him drew their swords without the slightest hesitation and began to cut down the demonic beasts and demonized humans.
"Well done."
Karoon gave only a brief greeting before crossing into the dimension without hesitation.
"So this is the Black Tower."
Turning around at the clear voice, Chamber was grinning as she looked at the Black Tower.
"It's dirtier than I thought."
Chamber licked her lips as she stood beside him.
"Should we do some cleaning?"
"That's right."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"Good."
The moment Chamber smiled and clapped her hands, the lower floors of the Black Tower and the demonized humans and demonic beasts waiting around it were torn from space as if cut by scissors. With a thunderous sound, dozens of demonized humans were erased by magic without even a chant being uttered.
"That feels good!"
Chamber smiled contentedly as she put a lollipop in her mouth.
"Let's go. We need to clean that entire tower today."
She calmly bit into her lollipop, seemingly without the slightest fear.
"All these people..."
Rensia's jaw trembled as she looked at the numerous people standing before her.
"I told you. It's not me who's strong, but us."
Raon smiled as he grabbed Rensia's shoulder.
"Today, that tower will disappear from this world."