Chapter 629

The first head of Zieghart’s back appeared behind the remnant of the golden flame as it was fading away. The surrounding area was blurry, as if he was gazing into a deep well, and only his ancestor looked clear, as if another layer had been added. His back looked familiar at that point because of how often Raon had been seeing him.

His ancestor wasn’t fighting against anyone. He wasn’t even wielding his sword. Instead, he was talking to people who seemed to be his companions with a smile on his face.

‘This is different from the other times.’

Whenever Raon saw the first head’s memory, he was always fighting against someone, and his expression had been serious. However, his ancestor was examining the hole under the zelkova tree that had guided him in that world, a small smile on his face. It was quite different from the other memories he’d seen before.

‘The forest is extremely bright, too.’

The terrain was still a forest, but it was as bright as day and there were no monsters in sight.

His ancestor stood up after making a rectangular hole. He gave out instructions while walking around the forest, and the magicians and sorcerers started to draw geometric magic circles and sorcery arrays.

The small woman that he’d seen before in the cave where he’d obtained the Ocean Soul was among the magicians wearing robes.

After his ancestor gave out instructions to everyone, he stood at the center of the forest and started to draw something on the ground with his sword.

Is he carving a formation with his sword?

Since Zieghart’s swordsmen could use the Sword Field Creation, Raon thought he might be carving a sword formation with mana just like magicians and sorcerers.

Everyone, including his ancestor, was smiling faintly. They almost looked like they were looking forward to something.

Whir!

He was quietly watching his ancestor’s sword formation, and his heart suddenly pounded loudly.

The eight rings of fire naturally resonated with each other and started to engrave his ancestor’s formation into his brain. The flame emerging from his ancestor’s blade wasn’t simply delivering its intense heat to the land, but also to his mental world.

The moment his ancestor completed the boundary and took the sword off the ground, a golden flame blazed in his vision once again. That implied that it was time to return.

Raon furrowed his brow while watching the storming flame devour his vision.

‘Even the end is different.’

His ancestor had always looked at him at the end of the memories, but he had turned his back towards Raon instead and was returning to his companions.

As he’d guessed in the beginning, the memory he was watching was different from the other ones.

Raon closed his eyes while thinking about his ancestor’s sword formation.

* * *

Raon calmly opened his eyes. The flame wasn’t emerging from the white hole anymore.

Where did you go this time?!

Wrath furrowed his brow, asking what he’s been doing.

Where were you even running around after leaving your body behind?

‘I just went to see my ancestor.’

Ancestor? Was your ancestor a tourist? Why are you claiming you’ve seen him everywhere we’ve been?

‘He must’ve had some wanderlust.’

Raon casually shook his hand and glanced inside the white hole.

‘Judging from the flame’s memory, the first head and his companions must’ve created this place.’

It was uncertain whether the Sword and Saber Sovereign had used it as his grave, but Zieghart’s first head was the one who’d created that land.

Zieghart’s ancestor must’ve been the warrior the Sword and Saber Sovereign looked up to, the one that Liston had mentioned.

‘However… They shouldn’t have lived in the same timeline.’

Raon wasn’t too sure how long Zieghart’s first head had lived, but the Sword and Saber Sovereign was born a long time after his time. He couldn’t really understand how they became related.

“Why aren’t you entering?” Burren came up behind him and tilted his head.

“We need to go back.”

“What? After coming all the way here?” Krein’s eyes widened, unable to understand his decision.

“I have something to confirm.”

Raon shook the dirt off his hand and headed towards the location where his ancestor had carved the boundary in his memory. The forest was still dark, but the vivid memory allowed him to find the location without much difficulty.

‘The boundary is nowhere to be seen.’

He lit up the area with the torch, but the boundary that his ancestor had drawn with his sword was completely gone. Well, it would’ve actually been funny if it remained.

Raon placed his hand on the ground and activated the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He unleashed a pure flame and drew the exact same sword formation that his ancestor had carved.

Whir!

He could feel a resonance in his chest. His heart was pounding just like when he’d seen the ancestor’s boundary. His ancestor’s sword formation was still alive under the land.

‘However… It has changed.’

His ancestor’s sword formation had a different flow than when he’d first engraved it. Since a long time had passed, it was possible for the boundary to disappear or the flow of mana to be distorted, but it was different from those cases.

A completely different energy was mixed into his ancestor’s boundary.

‘Could it be the Sword and Saber Sovereign…?’

‘No.’

‘This can’t be the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s energy.’

Only people who’ve been living as a shadow would’ve noticed that the energy was full of malice. It was a sinister mana that Raon understood better than anyone else.

Raon bit his lip while taking his hand off the darkened land.

‘Is it you again?’

Derus Robert.

* * *

In a space covered in gray fog…

A middle-aged man holding a teacup covered in golden ornamentation lifted a book with his left hand. When he carefully opened the book, a warrior wearing a black night traveling outfit surged from the shadows.

“Sir Delpros.”

The warrior in a night traveling outfit hurriedly lowered his head.

“We’ve got a problem.”

“Calm down.” The man called Delpros casually shook his hand. “Speak more calmly, Shadowed Serpent Division Leader.

“Ah, yes.” The Shadowed Serpent division leader nodded his head and straightened his back.

“What’s the issue?”

“The important people have all reached the second floor according to the plan. However, one of them is showing slightly strange movements.”

“One of them?”

Delpros lowered his book slightly. His eyes rose from the letters, gazing down on the Shadowed Serpent Division leader.

“I-it’s the Light Wind Division from Zieghart.”

The Shadowed Serpent division leader swallowed nervously, unable to meet Delpros’s eyes.

“Even the Void Sword Division went down to the second floor, but they are still on the first floor.”

“What’s the reason?”

“I don’t understand. And…” He continued while biting his lip. “Not a single one of them is injured.”

“Not just Raon Zieghart, but none of them?”

“Yes…”

“Do you think that makes any sense?” Delpros lowered the book and lifted his gaze.

The first floor of the grave was designed to exhaust their aura and stamina while inflicting small injuries. He couldn’t believe that not a single one of them was injured when countless monsters and traps were laid out.

“I-it’s true.” The Shadowed Serpent Division leader shook his head with trembling eyes. “To be precise, they were injured, but it was meaningless because they treated themselves right away.”

“But there should’ve been Bella’s flower or Lemphan’s poison among the traps, so how…?”

“They had the antidote for the poison.”

“Impossible, did they actually have the Pelen and Roseren’s leaves?”

“They had a large amount and even shared with other injured people…”

“Bullshit!”

“I-I don’t want to believe it either, but it’s true.” He bit his lip and leaned forward.

“Haa…”

Delpros extended his hand and grasped the teacup. The cup vibrated violently, as if it was going to be smashed.

“But aura and stamina consumption should’ve been inevitable since they’ve been fighting against monsters and avoiding traps in the darkness. Their mental fatigue should’ve increased too, so if they get attacked further on the second floor…”

“About that…” The Shadowed Serpent Division leader licked his lip and raised his gaze. “It looked like they were barely getting tired.”

“What do you mean…?”

“On top of fighting the monsters that were coming at them, the Light Wind Division even went ahead and looked for monsters to fight. S-some of them were even smiling while fighting…” he gasped, saying that they looked like mad dogs who were crazy for battle.

“There are many groups that are more powerful than them, but I’ve never seen madness like that…”

“Were they looking for monsters to fight? Are they really mad dogs?” Delpros furrowed his brow while sweeping his hair back.

Darkness, enhanced monsters, traps, snares, and poison. Every single layer was designed to exhaust the mind and body.

Even the powerful warriors, famous all around the continent, were bound to be stressed by it. It was ridiculous to think that they’d been having fun fighting.

Moreover, he couldn’t understand why they went to look for monsters, since they should’ve been after the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s legacy. He really started to wonder if they had rabies or something.

“Wh-what should we do?”

The Shadowed Serpent Division leader licked his lips, showing that it was too much to handle for him.

“Send them to the ‘red spot’ on the second floor.”

“Red spot? But Raon Zieghart should be highly resistant to flames…”

“It’s fine.”

Delpros regained his composure and made an evil grin while picking up his teacup.

“Because it will be pointless no matter how resistant he is to flames.”

* * *

Glenn was looking up at the quiet flow in the sky, standing at the open space at the entrance to North Grave Mountain, where he had sparred with Raon.

“My lord.” Chad approached him from behind and bowed. “We’ve detected the Light Wind Division’s movements.”

“Hmm, what are they doing?”

Glenn calmly turned around. He was pretending to be composed as much as possible, but his eyes were trembling faintly.

“They saved villages that were being attacked by warriors who were looking for the grave, then headed to the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave.”

Chad slightly lowered his chin, while looking into Glenn’s eyes.

“They saved villages?”

“Yes. We thought they would immediately head to the Master of the Abyssal Sword, who had the map for the grave, but they must’ve prioritized saving people’s lives. They helped them even though they were outside Zieghart’s domain.”

He lowered his head with a faint smile on his face, showing that he was happy about Raon’s actions.

“Thanks to that, the Light Wind Division’s name is being praised in the villages around Zieghart.”

“I guessed it wrong. I thought he was obviously going for the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave when he took the mission.” Sheryl’s eyes widened as she looked at Chad.

“Young Master Raon should be indeed going for the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave. However…” Roenn peacefully shook his head. “His mission was to scout Zieghart’s domain. He simply saved people first, according to the mission.”

He smiled gently, showing that he was proud of Raon’s actions.

“The Sword and Saber Sovereign makes even me a bit greedy. He is such a mysterious man for making his priorities clear in such a situation.” Sheryl curled her lips while also showing her admiration. They were flicking their eyes over to observe Glenn as they spoke.

“Hmmph!” Glenn cleared his throat and turned halfway around. He shook his head, his lips extending like a rubber band. “It’s only natural to do so with their mission. It’s not even a big deal.”

Despite saying that it wasn’t a big deal, Glenn’s face had turned completely red from excitement and satisfaction.

“Huhu.”

Sheryl and Roenn couldn’t hide their smiles, entertained by Glenn’s reaction.

“Erm, by the way…” Chad slowly raised his hand. “Those who entered the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave are way more powerful than normal. Even after the young master Raon entered the grave, not only the Six Kings and Five Demons but even a huge number of powerful warriors from the previous generation made their entrance. I’m worried about their safety.”

He furrowed his brow, saying that he was also worried about the Void Sword Division in addition to the Light Wind Division.

“Indeed, I could recognize some names among them.” Sheryl nodded in agreement with Chad.

“Should I go there?”

“You don’t need to.” Glenn firmly shook his head.

“But…”

“It will be dangerous. Whether it’s because of traps or the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave, it would’ve been stranger if there was no danger. However, Raon was fully aware of the danger when he decided to go.”

Raon had been in plenty of dangerous situations before, but they were mostly sudden occurrences. Since he’d gone there while being fully aware of the danger this time, he had to overcome it by himself.

“We can’t help him all the time. Let’s just watch him this time.”

Glenn crossed his arms, showing that he had no intention of dispatching anyone. However, the intense trembling of his shoulders showed how worried he was.

“I understand.”

Roenn and Sheryl quietly nodded upon seeing that fact.

On the other hand, Chad was clenching his fist tightly in his sleeve.

‘This is my chance. It’s an opportunity to gain the future lord’s favor!’

* * *

Raon placed his hand on the left side of his chest, where the Ring of Fire was rotating. Gladness and wrath were blazing in his heart, pounding with the flames.

‘So it was a trap, as expected.’

It’d become clear that they weren’t in the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave.

It must’ve been created by Zieghart’s ancestor at first, but Derus Robert had turned it into a space with an unknown objective.

‘Objective… I can’t tell Derus Robert’s goal.’

He had some guesses, but he couldn’t be sure because of how crazy he was.

‘But regardless of the case… It won’t go according to your plan.’

It would’ve been a different story if he didn’t know about it, but since he learned that the grave was part of Derus’s plan, he had no intention of leaving it alone.

Whether the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s legacy existed or not, he was going to ruin his plans by any means necessary.

“Let’s go back.” Raon shook his hand at the Light Wind Division behind him.

“You are looking a bit different.” Rimmer came up next to him with a faint smile surfacing on his face. “You look more excited than when we first arrived.”

“Yes. It’s getting more fun. By the way…” Raon nodded and looked at Rimmer. “Why have you been so quiet recently?”

“Quiet?”

“You’ve been simply watching from the back without interfering at all.”

“Because you are the division leader.” Rimmer shrugged his shoulders. “I’m simply obeying the division leader’s orders as the vice division leader.”

He smiled, saying that he was only doing his job.

“Don’t make me laugh!” Martha shook her head. “You are just staying in the rear because you can’t be bothered!”

“Ah, did you figure me out?” Rimmer smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Rimmer’s behavior.

‘He is acting unusual.’

Rimmer was talking with a serious gaze instead of a playful one.

He seemed to really trust him as the division leader rather than because he couldn’t be bothered as Martha had claimed.

‘I feel a bit of pressure.’

With even Rimmer showing his unhindered trust in addition to the Light Wind Division, a warm sensation started to return to his heart, which was raging in vengeance. He could finally feel his trust for what it was instead of being pressured by it.

‘Yes, this isn’t the time to be excited.’

Raon calmed himself down and turned around. He shook his head while pointing at the entrance to the second floor, which was shining under the zelkova tree.

“We don’t know what’s waiting for us underneath this hole.” He created a thick aura barrier to prevent any sound from leaking out as he spoke. “Consider this place as the enemy base rather than the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave from now on. Be cautious of everything that approaches you, even if it’s another member of the Light Wind Division.”

Rimmer had given him the courage to properly lead everyone. He told them exactly what he was thinking.

“What do you even mean…?” Burren frowned, unable to understand.

“Understood.”

“Yeah.”

Martha and Runaan didn’t ask any questions. They simply nodded, showing their determination to follow his orders regardless of what it was.

“It’s too complicated to explain. One thing I’ll tell you for now is that this place isn’t a grave but was corrupted by an outsider. You should think of it as a dungeon full of malice.”

Raon briefly explained and turned around again.

“Keep that in mind and follow me.”

He briefly caught his breath and jumped into the white hole.

Whir!

His body weight disappeared and he fell into an endless space, just like when he entered the grave. The only difference from the first time was that the surrounding area was bright instead of dark.

After some time, Raon could feel the sensation of his feet touching the ground. The ground was hard, unlike the first floor. It almost felt like he was stepping on a large boulder or lump of steel.

The first thing he saw after opening his eyes was roiling waves of lava, bubbling and surging. The atmosphere was filled with bloody winds of flame, and heat hazes emerging from the extreme temperature.

It was a lava field, a land of scorching heat with blazing heat on top of that.

“Wh-what?!” Burren furrowed his brow while looking around.

“We were just in a dark forest, and now it’s a lava field?”

He shook his head at the ridiculous sight.

“Haa… I guess I like how bright it is, at least.” Martha ground her teeth while wiping the sweat from her forehead despite saying that she liked it.

“Eeh…” Runaan poked her tongue out with a suddenly exhausted expression. “I don’t like when it’s hot…”

She used her coldness to create ice and rubbed it on her cheek, but the round ice melted in no time and became warm water instead.

“L-lava?”

“Why is there even a volcano underground?”

“I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“I’m already getting tired. What the hell is the Sword and Saber Sovereign?!”

Both the warriors who’d entered before the Light Wind Division and those who followed them dropped their jaws upon seeing the lava field.

“We’ll first analyze the terrain before we move. Focus on finding a route where we can safely travel rather than finding the path leading to the lower floor…”

Raon was trying to tell the Light Wind Division about their objective.

Rumble!

The lava pit, as vast as a lake, rumbled as if an earthquake had struck and culminated into a massive explosion.

Whaam!

The lava surged like a tidal wave, and majestic wings emerged from it, as if it was torn from one side of the world tree.

At the center of the endless wings, eyes glimmered with piercing blue light, and a golden beak engulfed in flames let out a majestic roar that tightened the very core of one's heart.

It was a phoenix. The mythical and divine creature that supposedly lived for eternity inside flames had cleared the lava away to reveal its huge and imposing appearance.

“Aah…”

Everyone’s eyes were filled with astonishment upon seeing the way the phoenix even melted the lava with its flames.

“A-a phoenix!”

“Moreover, it’s not any ordinary phoenix…”

“It’s practically a dragon!”

“R-run away!”

The warriors who’d arrived before and those who were behind started to withdraw in panic.

“Huh…?”

“Is that really a phoenix? Are you sure it’s not a red dragon?”

“Th-this is insane…”

“How are we even supposed to kill it…?”

Even the Light Wind Division was flustered, their pale lips shaking in fear.

However, one person was different.

Raon curled his lips into a smile while watching the raging phoenix spouting the bloody flames.

‘I’ve been looking for you so hard, and I finally found you… My heated food.’

Wrath jumped into the air while Raon was licking his lips.

Roasted phoenix! You finally came to appreciate the taste!

‘......’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]