Glenn's red blade, embodying the culmination of his martial arts and life, shattered the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's black sword. The gray flames, which had arisen with the sword technique, melted away without a trace, and the shattered blade sank into the cold lake.
The invisible sword supporting the Holy Sword technique also couldn't withstand the sharpness of the red blade. The bright, sun-like aura turned into a faint mirage and dissipated.
Even though the ultimate harmony of the Holy Sword technique and the invisible sword was broken, Glenn's sword did not stop.
To bring an end to this battle, he raised a furious light toward the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
"Is this the swordsmanship you've built up?"
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance smiled in exhilaration, spreading his blood-soaked arms.
"If I die to such swordsmanship, it would be an honor! Come, Glenn Zieghart!"
He did not run away. Instead, he took a step forward, eyes wide open as if to say, 'Kill me'. A monster more focused on the sword than on life. Saying he was obsessed with swordsmanship wasn't an exaggeration.
Glenn did not care about the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's intentions. Maintaining a calm mind as when he started the fight, he extended his Lightning Sword.
Rumble!
As the red lightning within the sword strike exploded, trying to erase everything, a massive wave of mana surged from the left hill and the sky.
The figures were the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Dragon Lord.
The Leader of the White Blood Religion attacked, pouring out blood-filled weapons, and the Dragon Lord used draconic words to disperse the force, as if trying to reduce the impact of the sword strike.
'Hmm…'
Ignoring them, Glenn narrowed his eyes.
'Is there another?'
A colossal demonic energy surged from behind the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
While the movements of the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Dragon Lord were expected, he hadn't anticipated the presence approaching from behind the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
Seeing the massive demonic energy, it was clear it was the Black Tower Master who had attacked Cameloon.
"It doesn't matter if you interfere. I'll cut them all down."
Biting his lip, he unleashed the ultimate technique of his unnamed sword.
Boom!
Even though the force of the sword strike had been reduced by the dragon's words, a tremendous explosion occurred.
The lake's water evaporated, and the ground twisted violently.
The endless gray smoke connected the sky and the earth, and an earthquake seemed to overturn the land.
In this hellish scene, Glenn lowered his Lightning Sword. The powerful impact of the sword strike was so immense that the torn space could not be sealed, causing strange light fractures.
Looking beyond the fracture, there was nothing. The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, the Black Tower Master who tried to protect him, and the Leader of the White Blood Religion who had ambushed him were all gone.
"..."
Taking a breath, Glenn lowered his gaze. The ground, stark white from the devastation, was soaked with the blood of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
'I cut him for sure.'
Even though the force had been reduced by the dragon's words, he had certainly cut through the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's chest.
Before the explosion, the demonic robe had enveloped the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, but even for the Black Tower Master, it was impossible to absorb all that shock.
'But I must have missed the other two.'
Since the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Black Tower Master were behind the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, they likely used their arts to escape.
Clicking his tongue briefly, Glenn lowered the Lightning Sword. The red lightning dissipated, revealing the original Heavenly Tremor. For the first time, the sword felt heavy.
'I used too much power.'
Even without the recent enlightenment, if he had focused solely on the Heavenly Sword, he might have defeated the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
However, he didn't want to let go of the enlightenment he had gained thanks to Raon. He organized his thoughts, planning to teach it to Raon one day.
'Even if I'm exhausted, I have to finish the remaining tasks.'
Glenn raised his head and squinted his eyes. The massive dragon's eyes shimmered under the moonlight.
"Come down."
[Hmm…]
The Dragon Lord, groaning softly, transformed into a human and stepped onto the ground.
"Are you siding with the Five Demons?"
At Glenn's cold gaze, the Dragon Lord shivered.
"No, that's not it!"
The Dragon Lord hastily shook his head.
"We don't care about human factions!"
He pointed his staff at the still twisted space fracture.
"Destructive King of the North. Your sword just now was too dangerous. If I hadn't reduced its power, that fracture could have spread endlessly."
"..."
Glenn silently turned his gaze. As the Dragon Lord said, the torn space gap had not closed. Sparks continued to burst, gradually widening.
[Close.]
Only after the Dragon Lord spoke the dragon words did the torn space mend, returning to its original form. The sparks that had spread ceased.
"Your power is dangerous. It's becoming terrifying."
There was an unfamiliar fear in his eyes.
"The time you have is now even shorter, but that's…"
"Lord."
At Glenn's dry tone, the Dragon Lord closed his mouth.
"As I said before, I handle my own affairs. I will bear all the sins and karma, so you don't need to worry. And…"
He raised the Heavenly Tremor before the Dragon Lord's trembling pupils.
"This is your last warning. If you interfere again, I will take it as a declaration of war."
"What, what does that…"
The Dragon Lord gasped in disbelief.
"You're saying you'll wage war against us dragons?"
"Do you think I can't?"
"Hmm…"
The Dragon Lord couldn't answer. Glenn's eyes gleamed with a chilling light, showing he was serious.
'Now, perhaps…'
Anyone could see that Glenn was exhausted, and perhaps now was the time to kill him. Unconsciously, his fingers twitched.
'If the two of us do it, maybe…'
As he hesitated on whether to move, Glenn sneered.
"Do you want to try now? I don't mind."
Glenn generated red lightning above the sword as if daring him to come.
The Dragon Lord swallowed dryly. Despite being exhausted, recalling the swordsmanship he had seen earlier, which even the strongest dragon weapon, Breath, could not reach, made cold sweat trickle down his spine.
"I don't intend to. But understand this. We are just doing what we must."
"It would have been better if that wasn't just a double standard favorable to you."
"Hmm…"
With no more to say, he groaned and disappeared into a golden light.
"Phew…"
As Glenn exhaled a breath he had been holding, Archmage Chamber of Eternal Flame appeared in a blue light.
"The Black Tower Master was here, right?"
Chamber was in bad shape. Her robe was torn in many places, blood trickling down, and her enormous mana was nearly depleted. Even her iconic large hat was nowhere to be seen.
"You were badly hurt."
"He got Freya's Robe."
"Freya's Robe?"
"Yes. It was hidden in the Black Market, but he got it."
She twisted her lips, saying she lost something undesirable.
"Freya's Robe…"
Glenn stroked his chin, lowering his eyes.
'Was it that earlier?'
The demonic robe that had enveloped the dying Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance seemed to be Freya's Robe.
"Sorry. I should have stopped him…"
Chamber frowned, saying she had no way to stop the fleeing Black Tower Master.
"It's fine."
Glenn lightly patted Chamber's shoulder, which lacked composure. Considering the Black Tower Master had gained a new artifact, enduring so far was impressive.
Thanks to her, the Light Wind division survived, so he didn't want to criticize her.
"Oh?"
Chamber seemed surprised by his reaction, holding her shoulder with wide eyes. He thought of asking her to teleport him, but seeing her depleted mana and stamina, he decided against it.
"I'll be going."
The most important thing now was the survival of Raon and the Light Wind division. Pouring the aura that had filled up momentarily into his legs' mana circuits, he took the Supreme Harmony Steps.
After running at full speed, he soon saw the Owen Kingdom. As he was about to leap over the castle wall, he noticed Roenn standing in front of the gate.
"Roenn?"
"I was waiting."
Roenn bowed his head, seemingly having trusted Glenn without a word.
"What's going on? How are Raon and the Light Wind division?"
"The Light Wind division has recovered to the point where they can move. Most of them won't have aftereffects."
"What…"
"In fact…"
He quickly reported the events that had occurred.
"So Raon hasn't been found yet."
"Well…"
For the first time, Roenn hesitated, lowering his head.
"What happened?"
"There's a message from the main family."
"The main family?"
"Yes."
He approached Glenn with trembling eyes.
"Someone came to take Raon, and that person is…"
After hearing the whole story, Glenn's forehead veins bulged.
"Hmm…"
Raon felt a chilly wind tightening around his heart as he opened his eyes.
An endless white ceiling came into view. It wasn't reality. It was the world of his mind, where he had endlessly examined to achieve the sword realm.
The space where the sword sprouted like flowers, where fire and cold were in harmony and conflict, had changed significantly.
"I expected it, but it's severe."
It was too much.
A black hole was drilled in the center of the world of his mind, where cold and heat flared.
From the invisible hole, an extreme cold that could freeze even bones was rising.
However, the hole wasn't expanding anymore, probably due to the sea-blue aura surrounding it.
'What is this aura?'
As he squinted at the aura encircling the hole, he heard a familiar scream from behind.
"It's not working!"
Turning his head, he saw Wrath sitting at the annex's dining table. He wasn't in his cotton candy form. He was in his original form, clutching his head.
'What are you… Ah.'
Seeing the skewers, pizza, bread, and ice cream scattered on the table, he understood why Wrath was acting that way.
Wrath seemed to have been craving the foods he couldn't eat because his body had changed, trying to taste them in this world. Of course, it was meaningless.
"Damn it! There's no taste at all!"
Wrath cried, shoving food into his mouth with teary eyes.
'It's definitely Wrath.'
Raon chuckled. Despite his vivid memory of Wrath overwhelming the Transcendents, seeing him fuss over fake food brought back the familiar Wrath.
"Wrath."
Shaking his head, he sat across from Wrath.
"I'm so frustrated!"
Wrath slammed the table, grinding his teeth.
"I can't forget! The things I couldn't eat keep rolling around in my head!"
After saying that, he ate more food, only to spit it out, saying it had no taste.
"I told you to eat it quickly."
"When would I get such an opportunity again! I had to eat while I could!"
"Yeah. And then you missed it all."
"Grr…"
Wrath, with no words to say, buried his head in the table and whimpered.
"Wrath. More than that, is that hole where my mind got cut off?"
Raon tapped Wrath's head and pointed to the black hole in the center.
"Why ask the obvious? That's your mind and the realm of your soul melting away."
"I knew it, but seeing it in person, it's too big…"
Raon bit his lip, looking at the hole. He had been prepared, but the fracture was bigger than expected. Wrath's words about losing a lot stung sharply.
"It stopped midway."
"Stopped?"
"Yes. Thanks to someone infusing your upper energy center with Willpower and Aura from outside, it temporarily stopped."
Wrath pointed to the sea-blue aura surrounding the hole.
"Hmm…"
Raon examined the aura, biting his lip. If someone had infused Willpower and Aura into his upper energy center, it must be a Grandmaster or a Transcendent, but he couldn't identify whose aura it was.
"I guess I'll have to wake up to find out."
Sighing, he looked at the hole again.
'It feels a bit bitter.'
Having the world of his mind cut away felt like a meticulously tended field being ruined by a wild boar.
While it might not affect his abilities and physical body, it hurt more because it meant the realm of his soul, built with so much effort, had been chipped away.
"Do you regret it?"
Wrath asked, throwing away a pizza crust.
"Not at all."
Raon shook his head calmly.
"I never regret."
Orgoth was a tenacious guy. If he had survived, he would have followed the Light Wind division to the end.
If it weren't Wrath but another demon king's power, it had to end there.
"I just have to build a new realm."
"You say it easily."
"It won't take that long."
Raon smiled faintly at Wrath.
'Thanks to you, I learned a lot.'
By closely observing Wrath's battle, he learned new ways to control the cold. He also familiarized himself with the martial arts of the Transcendents, gaining more than he lost.
Though he might be weaker now, he could reach higher in the future.
"Hmm, maybe because you woke up, I'm disappearing too."
Wrath pointed at his fading body, frowning.
"Ah! Don't forget! Three weeks! Remember it!"
He waved his hand, emphasizing not to forget, before disappearing into bubbles.
Raon chuckled, looking around the world of his mind where Wrath had vanished.
There were still many swords, but the divine and demonic swords were nowhere to be seen. They probably disappeared because of the hole.
'I don't know when I'll wake up, so I might as well fill that hole.'
The world of his mind was like his life. He closed his eyes to tidy the disordered space through meditation and the Ring of Fire.
As he organized the world of his mind and gradually filled the hole, he heard someone's voice.
-Wake up!
Who is it?
-Wake up!
As he focused, the voice grew louder.
-Get up already!
Following the voice, the view brightened.
"Uh…?"
Raon blinked, seeing the world of his mind disappear, replaced by a worn, damp-looking wooden ceiling.
Wrath's floating head appeared above him.
-You finally wake up, you useless idiot!
Wrath grumbled, calling him a sloth-like sleeper, and hit his head.
'What are you talking about? We just met.'
-What do you mean? You've been lying down for over two weeks!
'Two weeks?'
Raon checked his condition, chuckling. It seemed he had lost track of time while focusing in the world of his mind.
It was understandable, considering he had used so much energy and received high levels of Wrath.
-You broke your promise again…
'I know.'
Raon knew why Wrath was angry. It was because of the promise to let him eat whatever he wanted for three weeks.
'I'll extend it.'
-It's useless now!
'What do you mean?'
Wrath, who he expected to be pleased, frowned even more.
-There's nothing here. We're on the sea!
'What?'
-How should I know!
Raon looked around. The flood swayed slightly, indicating they were indeed on a ship. There was no sight of the Requiem Sword or Heavenly Drive.
'Who took my swords? And the sea…'
Licking his dry lips, he left the room. There were several small rooms ahead.
Climbing the central stairs, he saw the blue sky and the equally blue sea.
There was no land in sight. It was truly a vast ocean.
"I'm really at sea…"
"Finally awake?"
A rough female voice sounded from behind. Turning, he saw a woman with sunset-colored hair and brown skin.
"Who are you? No, why am I here?"
"Why? Because…"
She smiled and pointed her finger at him.
"You were kidnapped."
"Kidnapped?"
Raon stepped back, scrutinizing the woman. Despite her attractive features, what mattered was her immense power, surpassing even a Grandmaster.
"Who are you?"
"Who do you think?"
She smiled, twirling her finger.
"If I get your ransom from Zieghart…"
"Enough with the jokes, Alice Zieghart."
A familiar voice came from the right as she mumbled about living off his ransom for life.
A muscular old man, mismatched with his frail white hair, squinted his eyes.
"Kuberad?"
It was Kuberad, the continental master craftsman who made the Requiem Sword. He nodded lightly, as if greeting him after a long time.
"Wait, what?"
Raon hastily turned to look at the woman with sunset-colored hair again.
"Alice Zieghart? That Alice?"
The woman was Glenn's eldest daughter, whom he had never seen since being born in Zieghart.