Chapter 671

Raon climbed the dark stairs, feeling the powerful resonance emanating from below.

‘Those two should be able to win.’

Saintess Olga had far surpassed Father Firn’s prowess, having been hiding her strength, while Rimmer’s swordsmanship could easily crush Royal Knight Captain Danief’s. Moreover, Firn and Danief had hesitation and guilt in their minds, making it impossible for him to imagine Olga and Rimmer’s defeat.

The scent of demonic energy is becoming thicker.

Wrath narrowed his eyes, looking up to the ceiling made of demonic energy.

We’re almost there.

‘Yes.’

Raon nodded nonchalantly. As Wrath had said, the demonic energy’s stench was getting intense. King Baorn and his contracted demon were likely right above him.

‘How powerful is the demon who made a contract with the king?’

Weak.

Wrath responded without the slightest hesitation.

The King of Essence only needs to twitch his finger and he will implode.

He shook his head, saying that the word ‘power’ was wasted on him.

“Haa…” Raon sighed while tapping on Wrath’s cotton candy head.

‘By my standards, not yours.’

He didn’t want to admit it, but Wrath was exceptionally powerful even among the Transcenders.

The Demonic Monarch of the Azure Flame was driven to the verge of death in a single strike from Wrath despite also being a Transcender himself. That was why it didn’t help at all if the demon was weak by Wrath’s standards.

By your standards, it won’t be an easy win.

Wrath nodded while gazing down at Raon.

Your head is going to roll the moment you let your guard down.

He sneered, laughing at his pathetic level.

‘I see.’

It was only natural that the demon was powerful. After all, the demonic energy that King Baorn had shown was extremely strong.

However, Raon wasn’t exactly worried. If what he was thinking was right, then it was going to be a lot easier to deal with the demon than King Baorn.

Don’t worry about it so much. The one above us isn’t a demon yet. It’s just that idiot king.

Wrath misunderstood Raon’s reaction and shook his plump hand, telling him not to worry about it.

‘I know, but just in case.’

Raon chuckled and climbed the grotesque stairs, which resembled protruding veins. He reached the highest floor, which was filled with demonic energy, and witnessed an unexpected scene.

Whir!

A black cocoon made of thin threads of demonic energy was floating in the air. The four high priests were standing in four directions, north, south, east, and west, shoving their holy power into the cocoon.

It wasn’t just the energy of the priests. The holy power and demonic energy spread throughout the kingdom and were being absorbed into the cocoon.

‘Baorn is in there.’

Raon could sense Baorn’s presence inside the black cocoon, throbbing like a beating heart. He assumed that Baorn was accumulating his power inside.

“Wh-what?!”

“Why is the Dragon Slayer here?!”

“N-no! Were Father Firn and Sir Danief defeated?!”

The high priests shouted with trembling lips, unable to believe Raon’s presence.

“Screw that shit.”

Using the swear word that Saintess Olga often used, Raon walked toward the cocoon of demonic energy that King Baorn was hiding inside.

“W-wait!”

“Stop!”

“The cocoon might explode if you attack right now! The entire kingdom will be blown up if you do—”

“It’s not your place to butt in.”

Raon advanced without hesitation. He could deal with whatever emerged from the cocoon, even if it was the demon instead of Baorn.

Swoosh!

Raon placed his hand on Heavenly Drive’s hilt. The moment his will to cut them down was formed, Heavenly Drive’s blade became the death god’s scythe falling toward the priests’ necks.

“Bl-block it!”

“Kuh!”

The priests standing in the north and east managed to create a shield by shoving the demonic energy into it despite being surprised.

Slash!

However, the blade incorporating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s fire destroyed the wall of demonic energy and beheaded the priests.

“Ugh…”

“What just happened…?”

The two priests collapsed with wide eyes, surprised by the fact that the shield formed by demonic energy was cut down so easily.

“D-don’t approach us!”

“It’s really dangerous! We are all going to die if it explodes!”

The high priests standing at the south and west frantically shook their hands.

“To think that you can still say that after turning the kingdom into this.” Raon sneered and pointed Heavenly Drive at the two priests.

“Attack him!”

“Gaaah!”

The priests realized that they couldn’t negotiate with him and started attacking instead of defending. The demonic energy concentrating in their hands sharpened like a spearhead before they fired them at Raon. The blades of demonic energy rushed toward him like a rain of arrows, but Raon was already gone from the spot.

Thud!

He pushed the land violently with the Supreme Harmony Steps and reached behind the priests.

“B-behind us!”

“Huff!”

The priests sensed Raon’s presence and turned around, but it was already too late.

Slash!

The silver-white blade wrapped in the dimming light of frost brushed past the necks of the corrupt priests.

“Err…”

“Kuh…”

Red blood gushed from the priests' mouths, the red lines appearing on their necks growing thicker.

Gurgle!

However, it wasn’t over yet. The priests were still regenerating after losing their heads, suggesting that their bodies had already been taken over by the demonic energy.

‘Such a high regeneration rate…’

The stench of demonic energy inside the priests was intense, probably because they’d received their power from Baorn, who had made a contract with a demon.

‘It’s still meaningless though.’

Raon embedded Heavenly Drive into the ground and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s fire to the maximum output.

Whaaam!

A faint golden flame burst from the hole where the blade was embedded, completely eradicating the bodies of the priests and the pieces of demonic energy. All that was left was the dark smoke and the cocoon made of demonic energy, which was still floating in the air.

Tap.

Raon stepped on the floor, of which only the steel frame of the tower remained, and walked up to the cocoon of demonic energy. The throbbing was growing more and more powerful.

He slashed the center of the cocoon, saturating Heavenly Drive with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s fire.

Crack!

The black cocoon crumbled like an eggshell, the blade digging deeply into its interior. King Baorn was there with his eyes closed, his limbs curled in like those of a baby in its mother’s womb.

Just as Raon was about to slash upward with Heavenly Drive, King Baorn opened his eyes.

Wham!

His black eyes sparkled, a darkness even deeper than the demonic energy dwelling inside.

“You—”

“Have you come to celebrate the king’s rebirth?”

Darkness engulfed the space alongside the evil smile that unfurled across King Baorn’s lips.

Whaaam!

* * *

Kieeeh!

A monster with a lion’s head and a bull’s body was crushing the land as it charged.

“Haap!”

Hopen didn’t step back. He leaped forward instead, executing a downward slash with his blazing white blade.

Slaaash!

The holy power enchanted blade drove away the demonic energy and severed the monster’s body.

Kieee.

Even though the monster’s body was cut in half, it still didn’t perish—instead, it bared its sharp fangs.

Whaack!

Hopen smashed its head with his sword, and the demonic beast melted down into filthy water.

“There are five more of them inside! Eliminate them all before they escape!” He pointed inside the alley, and the priests and the holy knights waiting behind him rushed in to purify the small monsters inside.

“Haa…”

Hopen went out to the street while wiping away the sweat flowing from his forehead.

‘This is exhausting.’

He’d managed to eliminate most of the monsters using the paladin emblem given to him by Kinnear, but he was so exhausted that he didn’t even have any strength left to stand anymore because of how many there were.

However, he had no time to sit down and rest. He still had a lot of work left to do.

‘Those who are in the biggest danger right now are… The Light Wind Division.’

He was the most worried about the Light Wind Division, as they had to fight against a demon while protecting Kinnear at the spire.

Since they’d already eliminated all the large groups of monsters, he left the aftermath to his adjutant and ran towards the spire.

The first thing he saw after his arrival was a single wind created by the Light Wind Division.

Whaaam!

The blue wind blade cut through the vast demonic energy and ruthlessly destroyed the demon’s body. The demon was annihilated from existence, with not even a single thread of demonic energy remaining.

“Huh…” Hopen gasped while looking at the backs of the Light Wind Division, who had managed to destroy the demon.

‘They really won…’

Demons could crush a human’s soul by their very nature. He couldn’t believe the fact that swordsmen who were still so young managed to defeat a demon, shattering that inherent disadvantage.

The most surprising thing was that not a single one of them had died. Some of them were severely injured, but none of them had any fatal wounds on them.

“......”

The Light Wind Division didn’t let their guards down even after defeating the demon. They sank to the ground one after the other only after they’d confirmed that the demonic energy was completely gone.

‘They are so different…’

He couldn’t imagine what kind of training and battles they’d experienced to gain such prowess and willpower. He was filled with admiration rather than envy.

“Hmm…” Hopen raised his eyes, following the Light Wind Division’s gaze to where it was directed to the top of the spire—where Raon should’ve been located.

‘That’s the only one left now.’

Since they’ve eliminated the demon and the monsters, Father Firn, Sir Danief, and his father were the only enemies left.

‘Please…’

He put his hands together to pray that the incident would end without any more deaths.

Whaaam!

With a huge shockwave that made it feel like the spire—or, rather, the entire kingdom—was being twisted, the demonic energy surrounding the tower soared into the air, covering the sky.

A man with two pairs of wings floated into the pitch-black sky. He was a handsome man with a well-toned body that lacked any excess fat. His skin was as flawless and pale as a child’s, and he possessed sharp, angular features—more specifically, his tightly defined nose bridge and jawline. He was wearing a black crown on his head, and something similar to a heat haze was rising around him because of his demonic energy.

“N-no…” Hopen’s chin trembled as he witnessed the man’s evil smile. “Father?”

He looked just like him. The young man in front of him had the exact same appearance as his father twenty years ago. No—he actually looked as young as the image in his father’s portrait, the one that was drawn long before he was even born.

Regardless of all that, the black crown he was wearing had the exact same shape as the white holy crown, a treasure of Schper that symbolized the king. There was no way he wouldn’t recognize him.

“Kuh…”

A chill ran down Hopen’s spine as he saw Baorn’s lips curling into a smile as he gazed down upon the entire kingdom.

After breaking the taboo, his father had become a monster, devoured by demonic energy. Kindness and holiness couldn’t be sensed from him anymore—only the demonic energy’s evil stench existed.

However, the nasty demonic energy emanating from him didn’t reach the ground.

Whap!

Raon’s flames at the top of the tower were completely incinerating the demonic energy.

‘Please…’

Hopen put his hands together while watching Raon. He fell on his knees while biting his lip tightly.

‘Please stop my father!’

* * *

“So liberating.”

Baorn spread his arms and took a deep breath. The demonic energy leaking from his breath further intensified the color of the sky.

“I feel like I can do anything. What an omnipotent sensation.”

“You’ve gotten younger.” Raon casually rolled his neck, looking at Baorn as he floated in the sky.

Baorn’s body had a robust, youthful build, as if he’d returned to his twenties—likely a result of absorbing the demonic energy. However, his blue hair, blue eyes, and the white crown on his head had turned black. He looked like a completely different person.

Of course, the presence of the demonic energy was the biggest change. An unimaginable amount of demonic energy could be sensed from him, as if the holy power spread throughout the kingdom had turned into demonic energy.

‘I won’t be able to win in terms of aura quantity.’

Raon had considered himself to have more aura than a warrior or magician of the same realm, but it was incomparable to Baorn’s demonic energy.

“Raon Zieghart.” Baorn stroked his chin while gazing downwards. His habit seemed to remain despite all the changes. “This king has realized what it means to be a true king.”

He declared and pointed at his black crown.

‘This king’? How dare a mongrel like him refer to himself that way!

Wrath shook his fist, shouting in displeasure.

“You’ve become haughty. Did you drop the respect in your speech?”

“I am the king. Why would I use respectful speech to anyone?”

It was unsure if he’d been hiding his personality or if the demonic energy had changed his character, but Baorn’s manner of speech had become unbearably arrogant.

“So, what does it mean to be the true king?” Raon curled his lips into a smile as he gazed up at Baorn.

“Might. This power is the answer.” Baorn clenched both of his fists. “The ones with the power to protect the kingdom and annihilate its enemies are the only ones who can become a true king!”

“Power? That’s what I expected from you.” Raon shook his hand with a sneer. “What kind of true king sacrifices their people to obtain power? That is not a king, that’s just a murderer. It’s even worse than the foolish monarch who can’t stop giving everything to others.”

Baorn was claiming that he’d finally realized what it meant to be a true king, but Raon could only see him as a murderer.

A giving monarch? How could an idiot like that exist in this world? Who could that be?!

‘…’

Wrath shook his head, saying that someone who just gave everything to others didn’t deserve to be a monarch.

“Becoming a king’s blood and flesh is a blessing. The dead will rejoice.” Baorn smiled gently while stroking his youthful body. He looked like he was already out of his mind.

“You’re rotten.” Raon waved his finger at Baorn. “I’ll show you how meaningless that power you’re so proud of really is.”

“Alright. The Dragon Slayer won’t be too bad as the first opponent to announce the king’s name.”

Baorn raised his right hand. The demonic energy blazing from his hand became a dark ray rushing at Raon. There was almost no delay in his attack. The demonic energy was already right under his nose the moment the light sparked.

Whaap!

Raon lowered his posture deeply. Using Heavenly Drive, which was pointing downwards, he executed an upward Crimson Slash toward the sphere of demonic energy approaching him. It was quite heavy, but it wasn’t impossible to cut down.

Slash!

The crimson line of heat severed the demonic energy, leaving a cloudy trace in the air.

“Is that all?” Raon nodded at him, shaking the blade that had turned red from the heat.

“Of course not.”

Baorn smiled faintly and raised his hand again. Countless spheres of demonic energy floated into the air, the same as the one that the Crimson Slash had cut down a moment ago.

"The king was just in the mood for some fun."

He gestured with his finger, and the spheres of demonic energy filling the sky rained down like a meteor shower.

Whaap!

An undulating wave was drawn from Raon’s Heavenly Drive.

Glowing red flower petals unfurled along the blade's trajectory. The petals fluttered as if caught in the dance of the four seasons, drifting densely to fill the space with their vibrant presence.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Thousand Flames.

Flame Spirit.

The pieces of astral sphere blocked the showering demonic energy, creating countless explosions in the sky.

Whaaam!

While a black smoke covered both the sky and the land, a dark shadow rushed at him from the right side. Its speed was tremendous, to the point that it was difficult to react.

However, it wasn’t difficult to predict the direction, as it was moving far too quickly.

Thud!

The moment Raon executed the Supreme Harmony’s Third Step on the slightly curved steel frame, Baorn extended his dark fist. The area around it looked distorted because of how powerful it was.

Raon used the Supreme Harmony’s Third Step’s flow, which was akin to swimming in the clouds, to dodge Baorn’s punch. Then, he executed Frost Pond with Heavenly Drive.

Slash!

The metallic blade and the blade of frost advanced one after the other. However, it looked like Baorn’s reaction speed had also increased, as he easily dodged the two slashes by leaning backwards, then he connected into a counterattack with his left fist.

Raon tilted his head to the right to dodge Baorn’s punch. Blood gushed from his cheek because of the wind that followed the punch, but he didn’t pay any attention to it.

‘This is all according to my prediction.’

He bit his lip slightly and unsheathed the Blade of Requiem, which was infuriated by Baorn’s demonic energy. The yellow ghastly energy bursting from the red blade shattered Baorn’s demonic energy into pieces.

Swoosh!

The front hem of Baorn’s outfit was severed slightly, but he leisurely stepped back.

“As expected, you are pretty good.” He nodded in satisfaction.

“You said you were the true king, didn’t you?” Raon pointed at Baorn with his chin.

“Yes. I am the true king, capable of protecting the kingdom of Schper.”

"What kind of king exists without a crown?"

“What are you talking about…?”

Baorn’s brow began to furrow, but the glowing black crown on his head was split in half and fell to the ground.

“It’s been getting on my nerves.” Raon smiled faintly, throwing the Blade of Requiem in the air and catching it. “Because a rope is more suitable for a murderer than a crown.”

“You bastard!”

An inhuman shout erupted from Baorn’s throat. His wings unfurled to their full span, a suffocating amount of demonic energy blazing from him.

“I’ll kill you!”

“Try it if you can.” Raon embedded Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem into the ground. “Sword Field Creation, Divine and Demonic Harmony.”

A clear resonance twisted the world. A golden sun and a silver moon rose into the dark sky that was brimming with demonic energy. The sticky demonic energy was pushed back to the corner, as if it were terrified by their noble light.

“I’ll take…”

A deadly glow radiated from Raon’s eyes as he raised the divine and demonic swords that seemed to be crafted from the sun and moon.

“…the title of king from you.”

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Harley]