Raon’s lips curved into a smile as he watched Merlin walking in front of him.
‘She looks happy.’
Her feather-light steps made it look like she was brimming with anticipation for what he would become after he wore the helmet.
‘She must be looking forward to meeting the one inside the helmet.’
Merlin had to have been hoping for the soul inside the helmet to take over his body, but that simply couldn’t happen. Raon wasn’t going to lose in terms of willpower no matter who he faced.
“How are you feeling? Are you nervous?”
Merlin stopped walking and turned around, probably because she noticed he was staring at her. Desire was glowing from the eyes behind her mask.
“A little.”
He nodded honestly, since he did feel very slightly nervous.
“You don’t need to be so nervous. You just need to give yourself to the helmet.”
Merlin smiled, telling him that he just needed to fall into a comfortable sleep after putting on the helmet.
“What’s up with him?”
Raon pointed at Soul Severing Sword. He never used to enter the building, so he found it strange for him to follow them all of the way there.
“You will be defenseless once you wear the helmet. I asked him to come with us in order to protect you.”
Merlin didn’t even look at Soul Severing Sword, instead continuing to stare at Raon while sweeping her lips with her hand.
“I won’t allow the smallest trouble in your Soul Offering Ceremony.”
She called the helmet wearing event the Soul Offering Ceremony.
“Hmm…”
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Soul Severing Sword’s eyes, which were burning with a golden light.
‘He seems different somehow.’
Unlike the Eden warriors he’d met so far, combative energy wasn’t the only thing he could feel from Soul Severing Sword. He could also smell some indescribable stench of death.
It almost looked like they made a dead person wear a helmet.
‘None of them are normal.’
Raon shook his head and stopped in front of Merlin’s log cabin. However, Merlin kept walking forward, implying that it wasn’t their destination.
“Your Soul Offering Ceremony will happen in another room. You’re special, after all.”
Merlin bobbed her long finger, asking him to follow. She kept walking for a while after that until she reached the wall at the end of the building.
Whir!
Merlin tapped the gray wall and a passage formed in the middle of it, a white light spreading from it. A black haze was crawling out of the passage.
“Let’s go.”
Merlin smiled with her eyes and went ahead into the passage.
Hmm…
Wrath frowned while looking at the energy flowing out from the wall.
‘What’s wrong?’
Nothing.
Despite what he said, his eyes were full of irritation as he continued staring at the passage on the wall.
‘He’s actually the strongest one among them.’
Raon smiled faintly and entered the passage. He couldn’t open his eyes fully because of the dazzling light, and he found a large square space at the end of it.
Pentagram-shaped magic circles with different patterns were drawn on the four walls and the ceiling in addition to the floor inside the grand room.
Haa.
The black haze he saw earlier was rising from the magic circles like smoke. However, he couldn’t feel any evil energy from them. Instead, they seemed to be pure mana.
So, it must be him after all.
Wrath clicked his tongue while looking at the energy flowing from the magic circles.
‘Him?’
You don’t need to know. He’s an extremely stupid guy.
He closed his mouth after that. He apparently didn’t want to talk about him.
“Sit down over there.”
Just as Raon was about to ask about him again, Merlin pointed at the gray chair placed in the center of the magic circle.
“……”
Raon stared into Soul Severing Sword’s emotionless eyes for a while before going to the spot Merlin pointed at, sitting on the chair.
“It’s really nice that you are a smart boy.”
Merlin walked up to him and extended her hand. The dragon helmet he saw the day before floated up from her hand.
The blade-sharp scales and light blue mane that was brimming with vitality made the helmet look like a living dragon.
“Haa.”
Raon briefly exhaled and took the helmet with two hands. Unlike its appearance, the helmet was as light as paper and as elastic as rubber. It looked like it would fit on anyone, regardless of their head’s size.
“Wait a moment please.”
Merlin’s eyes shifted into a crescent shape, and she put her hands together. Six magic circles emerged from her hands. They had the same shape as the magic circles in the room.
Whir!
The magic circles in the walls and the ceiling started to vibrate as if they were resonating with her mana, and a dark light spread from them.
“Raon.”
Merlin nodded, signaling for him to put on the helmet.
Raon closed his eyes and opened them before putting on the dragon helmet. Even though the helmet was slightly bigger than his head, it shrunk to perfectly fit him and a strange energy started flowing inside his body.
“Have a nice trip.”
Merlin raised her mask slightly. Her mouth curved into a thin smile as she kissed the helmet’s mouth with her red lips.
“Everything will be over by the time you wake up.”
That was the last thing he heard before his vision darkened.
* * *
Zieghart
Lord’s Manor, Audience Chamber
Even though all of the officers and the heads of vassal houses were gathered in one place, the audience chamber was as cold as ice.
The officers’ expressions were completely dreary, and it was because of one person’s presence.
Glenn Zieghart. He was sitting on the throne of Northern Destruction, and the tremendous amount of powerful energy spreading from him was making everyone nervous.
“My lord, everyone’s gathered.”
Roenn stepped up next to him and bowed.
Tap, tap.
Glenn lightly tapped on the throne while looking down on the officers and the heads of houses.
“Zieghart’s steps have been stopped for quite a long time now.”
“Hmm…”
The Radiance Palace squad leader’s shoulders trembled upon hearing his cold voice.
“I thought we didn’t need to shed any more blood because we’ve proven that Zieghart is capable of taking over half the continent.”
Glenn’s cold gaze turned to the right.
“We stopped our steps on our own. Zieghart needed the rest, and I don’t regret that decision.”
Sheryl slowly nodded, standing next to the pillar on the right.
“However, it looks like others’ opinions differ.”
Glenn’s eyes started glowing with a bloody light.
“You must be all aware of the kidnapping of Raon Zieghart and Dorian Sephia.”
The officers and the heads of houses nodded heavily.
“I wouldn’t have summoned you if the White Blood Religion and Eden killed the Light Wind squad on the spot. I would’ve made Rimmer lead a squad to avenge them.”
He was right about that. Zieghart had never gathered everyone before because of the annihilation of a squad or a division.
“However, they dared to kidnap the swordsmen bearing Zieghart’s name. What does this imply, in your opinion?”
Glenn’s eyes moved around the room. A deadly glare sparked from the eyes of the swordsmen, who used to be trembling in fear because of him.
“They’ve underestimated the Zieghart.”
Sheryl responded to represent everyone’s thoughts and clenched her fists.
“That’s exactly what it means. Kidnapping a swordsman under Zieghart’s name signifies that they are treating us like random warriors. That means they have no fear of our swords.”
His powerful pressure subsided as he continued speaking. However, that only meant that he was truly angry, from the bottom of his heart.
Whir!
On the other hand, the pressures coming from Zieghart’s officers and the heads of the vassal families intensified gradually. The lord’s manor started to tremble from everyone’s pressures.
“I’m sure some of you dislike Raon or the Light Wind squad. I respect that, regardless of the reason. However, this incident isn’t an internal matter, but an external matter. You shall think about Zieghart’s name instead of Raon.”
Glenn raised himself up. Even though there wasn’t the slightest pressure around him, his presence grew as large as a great mountain.
“The search has already begun. Find Raon Zieghart and Dorian Sephia alongside the Black Market. It doesn’t matter whether the Five Demons or the Six Kings lie at the end of that path. Destroy everyone related to the kidnapping of the children.”
“Yes!”
The entire lord’s manor pounded violently, as if it had turned into a single heart.
“Do not fear, regardless of our enemies.”
Glenn stood at the edge of the platform. His red gaze was boiling like the sun that covered the entire world.
“I’ll be taking the lead.”
* * *
* * *
When Raon opened his eyes, he could see the dark sky. It was an endless ceiling.
“Hmm…”
Raon raised himself up and turned his head to the right.
He could see the frozen land beyond the small dark space. There was a palace even bigger than Zieghart’s domain that was completely frozen with silver frost.
‘That coldness…’
There was no way he wouldn’t recognize the familiar energy. It was Glacier’s coldness.
‘This is Lohengreen’s doing.’
Considering the fact that it was frozen from Glacier’s coldness, it must’ve been Merlin’s castle from the stories. The palace—which appeared to have been abandoned for a long time—looked lonely, even eerie at that point.
“Hmm?”
Raon was about to stand up after seeing the palace, but he had to frown.
‘What’s going on?’
Something was different from the usual. He noticed that his eye level was slightly different because he was perfectly accustomed to his body.
He examined his hands and clothes. He couldn’t see the ice flower bracelet that could never be removed, and he was wearing a night traveling outfit instead of the Light Wind squad’s uniform.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Raon looked at his reflection on the white frozen ground. His blond hair and red eyes, which had been with him for almost twenty years, were gone. Instead, a young man clad in darkness with black hair and black eyes was staring at him with widened eyes.
“It’s me…”
It wasn’t his current self, but his previous life. It was the appearance of the assassin Raon, who’d lived as Derus Robert’s dog for his entire life.
Tap.
He stepped backwards and he stumbled on something. He looked down and he found a small dagger and a longsword placed next to each other.
‘This is…’
There was no mistake. It was the dagger and the longsword he’d used in his previous life. They were the weapons that stayed with him until Derus Robert killed him.
“Was this what she meant when she said I would face my own soul?”
Considering the fact that he had his previous life’s appearance instead of that of Raon Zieghart, he really must’ve been facing his own soul.
‘That’s why I couldn’t find Wrath either.’
He was wondering why he wasn’t talking at all despite how noisy he usually was, and it must’ve been because the dimension had separated them.
Raon picked up the weapons of his previous life, which he hadn’t used in a long time, with a faint smile on his face.
“So…”
When is my food coming to make me healthier?
As soon as he finished that thought, the entire place started to tremble.
Rumble!
The palace collapsed, and a huge dragon’s neck—covered in sharp blue scales—burst out. The blue gaze sparking from his eyes made it seem like he was enraged at the world.
Roar!
The ice covering the entire palace shattered like glass, and the majestic roar of the dragon echoed throughout the world.
Wham!
Once his wings—as huge as the horizon—spread out, the entire palace collapsed.
Raon could see a small log cabin that didn’t seem to belong to that space in the midst of raining rubble and ice, but it soon disappeared, buried beneath the dust.
Whoosh!
The blue dragon kicked the frozen land and soared into the sky. The dragon violently floated around the endless sky for a while before falling down like lightning upon noticing Raon’s presence.
Slam!
The blue dragon’s descent crushed the white land. Raon could feel a tremendous pressure from its eyes, diverging like a snake’s tongue.
Raon clenched his teeth and met the blue dragon’s vicious gaze.
Whir!
White light emerged from the blue dragon’s body, and its huge body gradually reduced to the size of a human.
A young man walked out of the majestic light. The handsome man with ocean blue eyes was clad in knight’s armor. He was handsome enough for Encia to immediately shout ‘damn handsome’ upon seeing him.
“I don’t understand.”
The blue-haired man furrowed his brows slightly.
“According to the princess, the wall of your mind should’ve already collapsed, and this world should’ve never taken place. How come you are standing in front of me right now?”
He tilted his head at the strange course of the event.
‘So that was why she gave me the Soul Nullifying Water.’
Judging from what he said, if the Soul Nullifying Water managed to destroy the wall of his mind, that space would’ve never been created, and the dragon’s soul would’ve destroyed his own without extra steps.
‘But did he just call her ‘princess’?’
There was no way he was referring to someone else. He must’ve been talking about Merlin when he said ‘princess’.
“Is Merlin a princess?”
“Did you not know?”
The dragon lowered his eyebrows, asking him how ignorant he could be.
“I guess you were simply abducted by the princess.”
He briefly clicked his tongue while looking down on him.
“You aren’t a dragon.”
Raon’s lips became twisted as he looked up at the blue-haired man.
‘There’s no way he’s a dragon.’
Dragons were the proudest creatures in the world, as they were the strongest race. It would’ve been a different story if they were disguising themselves, but if they had already revealed their true identity, there was no way they would call a human being ‘princess’.
‘Which means he is…’
Raon’s eyes sparked. If he wasn’t a dragon despite having a dragon shape with transformation ability, there was only one possibility.
Draconian.
‘Draconian’ designated dragons and their children with other races.
Although most of them were just stronger or had better mana affinities than their original races, there were rare occurrences of Draconians born with the ability to transform into the shape of a dragon, and that must’ve been the case for the man in front of him.
“Are you draconian?”
“Indeed.”
The blue-haired man nodded proudly.
“My name is Loctar Defort. I’m the son of the blue dragon Cronos Defort, and the captain of Sirken’s royal knights.”
Just like his appearance, as his armor and sword implied, he introduced himself as a knight.
“I have no animosity towards you. I’m a sinner who didn’t manage to protect the princess. I’ll pay for my sins after my death. I will make it painless if you just hand over your bod…”
“Fuck off.”
Raon smiled coldly. It was probably because he was in his previous life’s body that he immediately started insulting him, which he wouldn’t have done as Raon Zieghart.
“You kidnapped me against my will, and now you want to pay for your sin after your death? You should stop with your bullshit already.”
“It’s meaningless to resist.”
Loctar lowered his eyes. He was treating him as a pathetic man.
“Look below you.”
Raon looked down as he said. He could see the dark land in contrast to the white land that Loctar was standing on.
“That dark land is all you had in your life.”
“What?”
“There was nothing else than that land and those two swords engraved in your soul. On the other hand…”
Rockstar pointed behind him.
“My world came to a stop in this frozen castle, but its size and firmness is incomparable to yours.”
Coldness and despair from the experience of death emerged from his eyes.
“I can immediately destroy your small and narrow world if I wanted. I’m giving you one last chance. Step back, since I don’t want to use my power against a weakling.”
It wasn’t even funny that Loctar kept spouting bullshit. He must’ve believed that he was still a knight.
“It’s normal for a weak dog to bark louder.”
Raon snorted and bobbed his finger.
“Stop talking and come at me, you halfling lizard.”
“So you chose pain when I recommended another way out.”
A deadly spark radiated from Loctar’s eyes, and a wave of coldness was created on the frozen land he was standing on.
Swaaa!
The white tidal wave engulfed the dark land to expand its domain. The sensation of his mana circuits being frozen was a similar pain to Wrath’s attacks, which he’d experienced pretty much every day.
‘So this was the reason. This is why she called this a Soul Offering Ceremony.’
He could finally understand it. That space was the visualization of his everyday fight against Wrath, and Loctar’s soul had already taken over most of the space because his power was bigger than Raon’s.
Rumble!
Loctar’s coldness and despair intensified, and the dark space was being reduced extremely quickly.
With the entire space being frozen, the only space he had left was the handspan of land he was setting foot on.
“I told you.”
Loctar sneered at him blatantly. He was pretending to be a knight, but he was no different from Merlin.
“Whatever you do is meaningless. It’s impossible for you to win against me in this world.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m far more experienced than you. This must be your first time in this space, but I’ve always been fighting in this world ever since I was alive. I must’ve already had a hundred battles at least.”
“A hundred, huh?”
Raon rolled up his lips into a smile.
“That’s it?”
He unleashed the Ring of Fire and stomped on the ground. The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s flames spread out from his feet to engulf the frozen land.
Whap!
The crimson flame melted down the endless coldness and despair in an instant and started devouring the frozen land in return. Its speed was on a different level from Loctar’s coldness.
“Wh-What is this flame?!”
Raon smiled while looking at Loctar’s eyes, which had widened as far as they could.
“As for me, I’ve been harassed by an annoying cotton candy for half of my life. I’ve gone through battles like this at least a thousand times, rather than a hundred.”
With his cold smile contrasting with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat, he walked over the blazing land.
Step.
The sound of footsteps made with worn out shoes was engulfed by the flames that clearly turned solid. His black pants and top turned into the Light Wind squad’s uniform, which was brimming with softness, and his black hair burned up to turn into fluttering blond hair similar to molten gold.
Thud!
The nothingness filling his black eyes turned into a sun as his red eyes pierced through Loctar’s soul.
Whap!
The endless fire spread around, and the fifth training ground and Zieghart’s landscape appeared behind him.
The loneliness of the dark land was gradually filled with the connections he made during his life.
His world wasn’t empty anymore.
“Wh-What the hell are you? How can a human mind go through such a drastic change…?”
Loctar’s chin was trembling as he witnessed Raon transforming into a completely different person. The incomprehensible situation must’ve made him panic—terrified, even.
Whap!
Regardless of his surprise, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat melted down the frozen land and started to reach the palace that Loctar had destroyed.
“I’m an ordinary human.”
Raon grasped the hilt of his sword with a serious look in his eyes.
“A human released from his leash, who finally managed to gain the life of a human being.”
“What kind of bullshit is that?!”
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that you and your princess will never be able to get what you wanted from m… Hmm?”
“Huh?”
Raon stopped speaking and looked to the right. Loctar also turned his head around at the same time.
Swaaa!
Blue threads were tangling with each other to create a strange area on top of the ground burning from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
“Wh-What is that?! How come there’s an intruder in this space?!”
Loctar’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“You bastard! Who are you trying to summon?!”
“I’m not summoning anyone. He’s coming here by himself.”
Raon frowned while looking at the ice flower bracelet that appeared on his wrist.
“He’s an illegal tenant.”
