"Ra, Raon..."
Rector raised his bleeding left arm and gestured toward Raon. His eyes reflected both the joy of a miraculous reunion and bitter concern at the same time.
"Lord Raon?"
"Yes, how did you get here..."
Mustan and Lawrence also stood with their bloodied mouths hanging open, having never imagined Raon's appearance.
"Thanks to having good friends."
Raon closed his eyes then opened them again, remembering Evelyn who had teleported him with just a letter, and the swallow that had guided him here.
"I'll fight from now on, so the three of you should rest."
After telling Rector, Mustan, and Lawrence to stay back, he turned his head toward Ramiel. The Archangel Ramiel attached his severed head to his bleeding neck, and blue lightning flashed as his wound began to heal. It was the regenerative ability unique to Angels, utilizing divine power.
'As expected...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Ramiel regenerate by reattaching his severed head to his neck.
'So he doesn't die just from having his head cut off?'
To save Rector, he had swung his flames at high speed to behead Ramiel and even caused the cross-section to explode, but the creature was now restoring his original form as if nothing had happened. In that moment, it truly hit him that the being he was about to fight was not human.
"So it's you."
Ramiel slowly turned his neck and twisted his lips upward.
"One of the humans he warned us about, Raon Zieghart."
He nodded fiercely, recognizing him immediately.
"However, I don't sense the martial prowess worth being cautious about. The old man over there is better. Though that human ended up in that pitiful state as well."
Ramiel lowered his finger to point at the collapsed Rector. He let out a childish sneer, saying the struggle of these insects had been entertaining to watch.
"Come. I'll burn that body of yours to a crisp."
When Ramiel stomped his foot, yellowish lightning rose from the cracked earth and spread in all directions. With a thunderous rumble! Each strand of lightning was equivalent to the technique of a martial artist who had achieved transcendence. Just touching the lightning seemed enough to melt bone and flesh.
-That ugly face...
Wrath wrinkled the bridge of his nose as he looked Ramiel up and down.
-So it's truly you, Ramiel, that brat who thinks he's better than everyone else!
He ground his teeth as if just looking at Ramiel's face made his anger rise. With a slashing sound! Raon swung his Heavenly Drive sword to cut down the lightning approaching Rector, Lawrence, and Mustan, while turning his eyes back.
'Is Grandfather alright?'
Despite pouring all of his Divinity Born from Darkness into healing, he couldn't completely treat him. Too much divine power had been embedded in Rector's body, so even after using all of his Divinity Born from Darkness, he couldn't erase all of his wounds. Moreover, Rector had lost his right arm—the lifeblood of a swordsman—making Raon's fingertips ache with worry.
-There's no need to worry.
Wrath examined Rector's condition and gently shook his head.
-Your healing ability is special, so it has some effect even on holy power and demonic energy. Someone of your grandfather's caliber will get up on his own.
He jutted his chin, telling Raon to focus on Ramiel in front of him rather than Rector. Hearing such confident words from the Demon King somewhat eased his worries.
'Alright. I'll focus on that damn Archangel.'
Raon nodded while gripping the Heavenly Drive sword.
'It'll be difficult to win, but I have to hold out as long as possible.'
The aura emanating from Ramiel's lightning was a level above Rector's. He worried about how long he, who had not yet reached the level of the Five Kings, could fight against such a monster.
-Don't just endure, crush his heart.
Wrath furrowed his brow, telling him not to admit defeat before even fighting.
-That guy. Even though he looks fine, he's not in a normal state.
'What do you mean?'
Raon turned only his eyes to look at Wrath.
-Your beheading had some effect, but it seems your grandfather nearly succeeded in crushing that damn bastard's heart.
Wrath narrowed his eyes to thread-like thinness, saying that Rector had collapsed and Ramiel had survived by the narrowest of margins.
-He's currently regenerating his exploded heart, so he can't use his true power. In other words...
He raised his hand to point at Ramiel's chest, where flesh was regenerating.
-Right now, Ramiel cannot exert his full power!
Wrath swung his fist vigorously, saying they must not miss this moment.
'So he's putting on an act right now?'
Raon bit his lip as he looked at Ramiel, who was casually surrounding himself with lightning.
'To recover his wounds and strength?'
After emanating killing intent as if he would crush and kill him, Ramiel hadn't moved from his spot. Raon had thought he was being leisurely, but after hearing Wrath's words, it seemed he was buying time to recover from the wounds inflicted by Rector.
-Correct.
Wrath twisted his lips upward as he looked at Ramiel.
-He's forcibly squeezing out his power to summon those lightning bolts. Inwardly, he's definitely praying you won't charge at him!
He clicked his tongue, saying Ramiel's thoughts were transparent.
-If Ramiel were prepared to die, things would be quite different, but for now, it's important to push him to that point.
Wrath clenched his jaw, saying they needed to fight right now.
'Got it.'
Raon steadied his breathing while raising his Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier to their peak. He dug his heel into the ground, vowing to avenge Rector even if he died here.
-Didn't I tell you?
Wrath clapped his hands loudly while looking at Rector.
-Your grandfathers are strong!
He spread his hands, telling Raon not to miss the opportunity Rector had created.
'Grandfather.'
Raon looked back. Despite being exhausted from pain and fatigue, Rector should have collapsed long ago, yet somehow he had maintained consciousness and was watching him. His wavering gaze conveyed both worry and pride simultaneously.
"Please wait just a little longer."
As soon as Raon turned his back to Rector, he drew the Wooden Ring Sword and plunged it into the ground alongside the Heavenly Drive.
"Sword Domain."
He pressed the two swords into the ground that had melted from lightning, opening a fortified mental world. As the willpower built up through his swords connected with reality, red and blue pillars rose as if linking heaven and earth.
"Divine-Demonic Harmony."
The lightning Ramiel had summoned burned in raging flames and froze before the cold frost. A golden sun and blue moon rose above the cloudy sky, as Raon summoned two swords forged from his own flesh.
Raon bent his left knee forward while grasping the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword forged from the sun and moon in both hands. The earth trembled as countless rock fragments rose into the air.
"Hmm!"
Feeling Raon's aura suddenly strengthen, Ramiel created a wall of lightning and stepped back. Raon used the Supreme Harmony Step to move behind Ramiel, then thrust the golden-burning Divine Sword toward his chest. It wasn't a full-power strike, but a probing attack to gauge his opponent's skill.
Ramiel stared directly at the Divine Sword and extended his lightning-wrapped fist. The air twisted as if compressed and then exploded by his swift yet powerful force. As the Divine Sword and Ramiel's fist collided head-on, flames and lightning spread in all directions.
Raon swung upward with the Demonic Sword, which he had been holding low, aiming for Ramiel's neck along with the lightning.
"Hmph!"
Ramiel struck down with his left elbow, where lightning was rippling, to hit the Demonic Sword. The powerful counter-force bent the sword's trajectory to the right.
"Is this all you've got!"
He extended his lightning-burning hand as if now it was his turn to attack. His movements were filled with killing intent, as if he would tear off Raon's arm. Raon calmly nodded as he parried Ramiel's hand that had struck like lightning.
'You were right.'
Right now, he's not at Archangel level. Just as Wrath had said, Ramiel's current martial prowess wasn't significantly different from his own. He needed to finish him off definitively before he could recover.
'And...'
If lightning is what he uses, that's even more advantageous for me. Raon charged forward while raising his aura to its peak. He advanced as if piercing through space itself, aiming for Ramiel's back.
"You wretch!"
Ramiel read his trajectory and threw a lightning-imbued punch. It wasn't a simple punch but contained the proper flow of martial arts.
'It's clearly a transcendent movement, but I can see through it all.'
Raon twisted the wrist holding his Divine Sword. The red blade advanced flexibly like a snake's tail, piercing through the lightning and digging into Ramiel's chest. It was the harmony achieved through the insight formed by the Ring of Fire and his own growth.
He could vividly feel the Divine Sword breaking through Ramiel's skin and bones, penetrating into his chest.
"Nnnngh!"
Ramiel bent over, spitting blood. He emitted lightning from inside his body to push away the Divine Sword that was about to burn his heart. The counter-force was so powerful that Raon's body was pushed back.
Raon stepped back with his Divine Sword and observed the wound he had inflicted on Ramiel. Black blood that had died long ago flowed from the wound where flesh had been burned away.
'So this is the wound Grandfather inflicted.'
As Wrath had said, Ramiel hadn't fully recovered from the wounds Rector had inflicted. He needed to keep pressing the attack now. Raon stepped with the Supreme Harmony's Third Step, which embodied the subtleties of the Fluid Sword. Moving forward like ripples on a calm lake, he struck down with both the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword simultaneously at Ramiel's waist and shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Ramiel raised lightning over the back of his hand, trying to block both swords simultaneously. Seeing Ramiel's hand moving faster than himself, Raon instead slowed the speed of his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword. It was the subtlety of a slow sword overpowering a quick sword.
"Huh...?"
The moment Ramiel's lightning missed his swords and struck empty air, Raon converted his slow sword to a quick sword and thrust both the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword toward the enemy's thigh and chest. The combination of Frost Snap and Revolving Sky flowed as smoothly as silk, creating long sword wounds on Ramiel's thigh and chest, from which bright red blood splattered.
"How dare trash like you!"
With flesh freezing and burning in pain, Ramiel's eyes seemed to roll back as he emitted powerful lightning from his fingertips. Rather than rushing in rashly, Raon took a step back and deflected the lightning Ramiel had shot.
But the lightning Ramiel had summoned followed him as if it had eyes, blocking even the space for him to escape.
"Die!"
Ramiel added powerful divine power to his lightning as if determined to kill him with this attack. White energy infused the lightning, creating intense pressure like iron bars of a prison.
'This is definitely different.'
Though Ramiel's main body had weakened, the lightning he summoned still boasted tremendous power. It seemed better to stick close to him in close combat.
Raon initiated the Flame and Ice Unification with two strokes, tilting the Divine Sword upward and the Demonic Sword downward. The two blades wrapped in flames and frost cut through the incoming lightning from all directions as if reading its flow.
Not satisfied with just blocking Ramiel's offensive, Raon stepped forward with the Supreme Harmony Steps and carved deep wounds on his arms and legs. Flesh cooked by heat and cold fell from Ramiel's arms and legs as blood spurted out like a fountain.
"You fly-like pest!"
He let out a roar and brought down nine whips of lightning. Each streak was larger than a building, leaving no visible space to dodge. Raon deployed the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques with his Divine Sword and raised the Fire Wall with his Demonic Sword, simultaneously attacking and defending.
A massive shield made of frost redirected the lightning streaks to the ground, while thirty-six directional thrusts made of flames struck Ramiel's entire body.
With multiple bursting sounds! Ramiel erected a wall of lightning, but the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques advanced in curves like longbows, mercilessly shattering his skin and bones.
"Gaaaaaah!"
Unable to endure the pain erupting throughout his body, he finally knelt on the ground he himself had destroyed.
"To think an Archangel would kneel before a human..."
Raon looked down at Ramiel and raised his chin.
"Isn't this a disgrace to the angels? You'll probably be cast out by Derus."
He waved his hand dismissively with a sneer, trying to provoke Ramiel.
"You insect!"
Ramiel clenched his fist while violently exhaling breath mixed with the scent of blood.
"I'll kill you without leaving a trace!"
As he stomped his foot and reached toward the sky, massive lightning emerged, tearing through the dark clouds. It was lightning of such enormous size that it could cover the entire surroundings and more.
'That looks a bit dangerous.'
Raon stepped forward with all his might, using the Supreme Harmony Step, and thrust the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's Crimson Flash into the air. A red dot pierced the void, and the right arm of Ramiël, who had been summoning the lightning, exploded. However, the lightning he had summoned did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more intense.
"Y-you fool! The lightning I summon never disappears."
Ramiel twisted his lips, saying that even if his head was blown off, not just his arm, the lightning wouldn't disappear. Along with his sneer, the lightning covering the sky fell down upon Raon's head.
"Then I'll just cut it down."
Raon raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword toward the pouring lightning. The two swords blended as if they were one, drawing red and blue arcs. Azure Sky Sword, Azure Sky Drive. Celestial Thunder Arts, Supreme Celestial Thunder. The Divine Sword opened the red sky, and the Demonic Sword summoned blue lightning.
The technique of Sky-Piercing Thunder, containing the true thunder of heaven, split in half the massive lightning Ramiel had summoned.
"Wh-what is this..."
Ramiel's jaw trembled as if he couldn't believe his eyes, watching the lightning split like paper and fade away.
"This makes no sense! With your martial prowess, you shouldn't be able to cut that lightning!"
He screamed like a child throwing a tantrum, claiming it was impossible.
'Now's the time.'
Raon sensed that as Ramiel's emotions intensified, the lightning circling inside his body had weakened, and so he stepped forward with the Supreme Harmony Steps.
"What kind of trick... Guhk!"
As Ramiel ground his teeth and stomped his foot, Raon silently penetrated his defenses and plunged both the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword into his chest.
"Nnnngh! You..."
Ramiel blocked the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword with his lightning-wrapped hand to prevent them from moving further.
"I learned swordsmanship from the true master of lightning."
Raon shook his head, remembering the sword of Glenn, the king of lightning who was far stronger than Ramiel.
"I won't lose to a fake."
Bending his knee and leaning his upper body forward, he exploded the aura dwelling in the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
Sixth Form, Divine-Demonic Harmony linked technique: Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
The two lights that bloomed from the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword harmonized together, completely exploding Ramiel's chest.