"Grandfather?"
Raon frowned as he looked at Glenn's eyes, which seemed detached from life.
"Are you really alright?"
Unlike when he was being pressured by Derus's schemes, Glenn was now supporting Rector in a relaxed manner. He wore a calm smile, as if all his worries and concerns had been resolved.
'He feels like he might disappear soon, but it's different from before.'
Glenn had been enveloped in a strange atmosphere before, as if he might be erased from the world. It had been so lonely and cold that just looking at him had made one's heart ache.
But the current Glenn was a bit different. The air around him still felt like he might vanish at any moment, but the emotions emanating from him, unlike before, were warm and gentle, giving a comforting feeling.
"How many times must I say it? I'm fine."
Glenn waved his hand dismissively as he said he was fine.
"Thanks to you, I feel at ease."
He smiled softly, as if everything had been resolved.
"Thanks to me?"
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at the smiling Glenn.
"What do you mean? What did I do..."
"You did something important that I couldn't do."
Glenn nodded his head grandly, as if impressed.
"Hmm..."
Raon couldn't understand Glenn's words and tilted his head.
"Could you explain it properly?"
"Just accept my words as they are."
Glenn just smiled, as if he had no intention of answering his question.
"Could it be because I brought back Archangel Ramiel's corpse?"
Raon blinked as he looked at Ramiel's corpse still impaled on the Heavenly Drive.
"That did serve as motivation."
Glenn gently shook his head, as if he had no intention of saying anything more.
"Mmm..."
Raon scratched his head as he looked at Glenn's smile, which seemed to be enjoying the situation.
-This king understands what it is.
Wrath nodded slightly as if understanding Glenn's words and actions.
'What is it?'
-If he doesn't say it himself, this king has no reason to tell you.
He waved his hand, indicating he had no intention of explaining if Glenn wouldn't speak up.
-It's natural to become more mischievous with age. Think about it carefully.
'I don't understand even if I think about it carefully.'
Raon glared at Wrath, but he had apparently already made up his mind and said nothing.
"Alright. I'll think about this part on my own."
Raon sighed briefly and approached Glenn's side.
"Grandfather, do you believe everything Derus Robert said?"
He clenched his fist as he recalled what Derus had said.
"What do you mean by that?"
Glenn nodded as if telling him to speak if he had something to say.
"Not just one year, but one year and one month—that timing is a bit strange. He must be preparing for something other than war."
Derus had declared that he would start a war in the trading city of Cameloon one year and one month later. One year would be one year, two years would be two years, but adding one month to one year was strange no matter who looked at it.
"Rather than something happening after thirteen months, there's a possibility he might attack before then."
Raon bit his lip as he recalled Derus's empty gaze.
"Derus Robert is the kind of person who would discard public promises like old shoes if it serves his purpose."
He spat out the resentment remaining in his chest, saying Derus was a swindler who could break even his own declaration of war.
"I think so too."
Glenn closed his eyes and opened them again as if in agreement.
"As you say, we can't just believe Derus Robert's words, so we'll need to conduct a large-scale investigation to find him and Eden's headquarters."
He nodded, saying he would mobilize all the intelligence resources of the Five Kings and the Black Market to locate the two forces.
"That's a good decision."
Raon brought his hands together, saying he had the same thought as Glenn.
"Now that the Holy Sword Alliance is with us too, we can overwhelm them in terms of overall forces."
Glenn tensed his fingertips as he looked at Rector, who had not yet awakened.
"Actually, if we only look at the scale of forces, even just our Five Kings without the Holy Sword Alliance would have crushed them."
Raon nodded, saying that just the neutral forces allied with the Five Kings occupied about half of the continent.
"That's right. In numbers, they can't match us. But..."
Glenn shook his chin as he exhaled heavily.
"Masters. Specifically, we lack the number of supreme masters who have reached upper Transcendence."
He placed his hand heavily on the Heavenly Tremor, saying that was why he couldn't kill Derus.
"Derus Robert, the Heavenly Demon, the seven Archangels, and the Transcendents they've hidden. There aren't many among the Five Kings who can face them."
Glenn continued in a calm tone.
"Me, my in-law, Beast King Ogram, Mage Tower Master Larian, the Blade Queen, the Warlord, and you—that's about it."
He nodded as he named the Transcendents remaining among the Five Kings.
"But even among them, only I can face Derus and the Heavenly Demon."
Glenn furrowed his brows deeply, saying only he could stop those two.
"That's true..."
Raon let out a brief sigh.
'Because Grandfather, the Heavenly Demon, and Derus are in a completely different realm.'
Though all were Transcendents, those three stood in a dimension of absoluteness different from others. When even heaven interfered with their martial arts training, it was no exaggeration to say they had transcended human boundaries.
-It wouldn't be strange for all three to be called monsters. However...
Wrath lowered his chin as he looked at Glenn.
-Your old man, who reached and maintained that level without any backing, must be considered the craziest of them all.
He nodded significantly, saying he had no choice but to truly acknowledge Glenn.
"I don't know about the Heavenly Demon and Derus, but there are some friends who can stop the Archangels."
Raon smiled faintly as he thought of Sloth and Gluttony.
"If you say so, I can believe it."
Glenn nodded calmly, as if he knew whom Raon would call.
"However, since this is a war Derus Robert is preparing for, no matter what we do, it won't be enough. So..."
He sighed softly and grabbed his own shoulder again.
"As soon as you return to the family, gather those with exceptional talent and bring them to me."
Glenn made a rough gesture toward Raon.
"So that you can rise beyond Transcendence to the absolute, and others can reach Transcendence..."
A red lightning flashed across his pupils.
"I'll train you all personally."
***
Swoosh! A door flickering with white light opened, and Derus Robert walked out. He walked with a serene expression as if he had just returned from drinking tea and sat down on the office sofa.
"You've returned."
Kubara, who was standing in front of the fireplace, bowed her head respectfully to Derus.
"..."
Derus stroked his chin without responding to Kubara's words, as if lost in deep thought.
"Glenn Zieghart is truly formidable as expected."
Archangel Raphael clicked her tongue as she recalled Glenn's noble figure.
"His martial prowess has become even more monstrous than before. I don't understand how a human could accumulate such sword aura."
She frowned, saying she never expected to feel that way towards a human.
"Well, that's how it is."
Derus nodded calmly, as if he had expected Glenn's power.
"You weren't even defeated by Glenn, so why didn't you retrieve Ramiel's corpse?"
Raphael tilted her chin, asking why he had done such a stupid thing.
"It's not that I didn't retrieve it; I couldn't."
Derus sneered as he looked at Raphael.
"Raon Zieghart should be so weak that he'd struggle to block even a single strike from you, right?"
Raphael fixed him with an icy stare, as if asking what nonsense he was talking about.
"Literally, he's no match for me. But that guy..."
Derus ground his teeth as he recalled the fantastic trajectory drawn by Raon's sword.
"He copied my Moon Transcendence Art in an instant and turned it against me. It wouldn't be strange to say he took all my insights just by seeing it once."
He waved his hand, saying he was so shocked by Raon that he couldn't defend properly.
"The moment Glenn intervened, Ramiel's death was already determined. Since we can resurrect him if we have his corpse, it wasn't a big problem."
Derus twitched his finger as if today's events had been decided from before.
"However, Raon Zieghart taking Ramiel's corpse was unexpected."
He frowned, saying he didn't act because reality had twisted differently from his prediction.
"It's regrettable that we couldn't retrieve Ramiel's corpse, but it's an unnecessary concern."
Raphael shook her head as she opened the golden book she was holding.
"Heaven's Flow doesn't change. Everything is already decided."
She arrogantly raised her chin, saying heaven had already determined the outcome.
"Yes. I know that well. But..."
Derus Robert removed his pitch-black leather gloves, his eyes gleaming coldly.
"In this world, there are also beings who defy Heaven's Flow."
He twisted his lips as he watched the sticky blood flowing down the back of his hand.
"Hmm..."
Archangel Raphael let out a low groan as she looked at Derus's wound, which couldn't be removed even with her healing.
"To kill beings who can change Heaven's Flow, I too must rise to a higher place."
Derus slowly rose to his feet.
"Open the training room."
He gestured to Kubara as he removed his long robe.
"I must surpass Glenn Zieghart."
***
After Evelyn's mana recovered, Raon returned to Zieghart with everyone through the Dimensional Gate.
"Ah, Father? Father!"
As soon as Edgar saw Rector who had lost his arm, he came running, breaking the ground beneath him. His usual playfulness completely gone, his eyes burning with deep anger and concern as he examined Rector.
"Wh-what happened!"
Sylvia also trembled visibly, seemingly shocked. She looked at Raon and Glenn, begging for an answer.
"He was injured by an Archangel. Grandfather..."
Raon explained to Sylvia and Edgar why Rector had come to Zieghart in such a state.
"This foolish old man!"
As soon as Edgar learned all the facts, he gritted his teeth at Rector.
"Father..."
Sylvia realized that Rector had done something dangerous because of Raon. She bit her lip as her eyes reddened.
"His condition isn't critical, but I think it would be best to get him treated first."
Raon motioned for Edgar and Sylvia, who were holding Rector's shoulder and sleeve, to step back.
"I'll take care of Father."
"Yes. You should go rest too."
Edgar and Sylvia shook their heads, saying they would personally take Rector to the Ragged Saint Federick's mansion.
"Hmm, alright."
After handing Rector over to Edgar and Sylvia, Raon gestured to Lawrence and Mustan who were hanging back.
"You two should also go get treated. Your injuries aren't serious, but there might be aftereffects from being hit by divine power."
He pointed to Federick's mansion, telling Mustan and Lawrence to go get treated as well.
"...Understood."
"Okay. Let's talk later."
Mustan and Lawrence headed to Federick's mansion without a word, seeming more concerned about Rector's condition than their own injuries.
"You've worked hard. Let's disperse now."
Raon clapped his hands as he looked at Evelyn, Dorian, and Martha.
"Ah, I didn't do anything. Really, I did nothing!"
Martha pounded her fists together, as if regretting that she hadn't been helpful.
"Th-that's a good thing!"
Dorian placed a finger on his lips, telling her not to say ominous things.
"Raon. You remember what you need to do for me, right?"
Evelyn placed a finger on her forehead, telling him to remember well.
"Y-yeah. I'll come find you later."
Raon nodded with difficulty, saying he remembered everything.
"Hehe, then I'll be waiting."
Evelyn waved her hand and disappeared, as if saying she'd see him after resting. Judging by her expression, she seemed quite tired too.
-Rest is good, but let's eat first!
Wrath rubbed his sunken belly.
-Since all this trouble happened when it was time to eat, I'm starving to death!
He perched on Raon's shoulder, saying he was so hungry his stomach hurt.
'That's not a bad idea. However...'
Raon lowered his chin as he looked at Wrath.
'There's something else I need to take care of first.'
-Huh? There's something like that? Then let's do it right away!
Wrath waved his hand, urging Raon to hurry.
'Well...'
Raon was waiting for the system message that would obviously appear soon, but... Whoosh! Black flames rose before his eyes as the world changed. It was the same phenomenon as when entering the First Patriarch of Zieghart's memories, but something was different.
Seeing how violently his soul was trembling for unknown reasons, it seemed like memories belonging to someone other than his ancestor.
Whoosh! Raon stared at the black flames rising before his eyes and widened them in shock. The black flame wasn't burning with heat, but with the death aura that he knew all too well.
'Could this be...'