Raon lowered his gaze to read the messages that were appearing like stairs.
[The Blade of Requiem has finished absorbing the mana of darkness.]
[A new trait has been created.]
[The Trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has been created.]
The new trait’s name was rather strange. Raon wanted to check the contents, but there were still more messages to read over.
[The Blade of Requiem is offering the purified mana of darkness.]
[The Trait Adaptation to Ghastly Energy has ranked up.]
[All stats have increased by 8.]
The second set of messages said that the Blade of Requiem had given him the purified mana of darkness, which led to an increase in his trait and stats.
Wh-what?!
Wrath jumped in front of the message while pouting.
Why is this spending the King of Essence’s ability when that insignificant creature is giving you the energy? This is way too unreasonable!
He puffed up his round cheeks in extreme displeasure.
‘The world has always been unreasonable.’
Shut up! The King of Essence won’t overlook this matter! He will destroy that insignificant creature and reclaim his bright future!
‘But you’re a demon king…’
Priests were more likely to talk about a bright future. Raon laughed bitterly at how ridiculous it was for a demon king of wrath to desire a bright future.
‘Step aside please.’
Raon pushed Wrath away and examined the description of the new trait.
Divinity Blooming from the Underworld
This is a holy power of reversed flow created from a mixture of negative energies; ghastly energy, bloody energy, and demonic energy. It can be mixed with other types of energy.
“Huh?”
Raon’s jaw dropped upon reading the description.
‘Does that mean that mana and holy power can be combined?’
Mana and holy power couldn’t normally be combined.
Even if one has both types of energy, they had to store it in different spots and use it separately. However, the trait was saying that it was possible to achieve what should’ve been impossible.
Whir!
While Raon was reading the description once again, a secretive and auspicious energy seeped into his energy center from the Blade of Requiem.
‘Is this the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld? I’m really fine.’
Holy power would’ve normally caused a huge problem the moment it entered the energy center, but it really was a special type of holy power that could be mixed into his mana if it managed to enter without any issues.
However, the amount of holy power wasn’t too large. A single usage was enough to deplete it, and he could expect it to take a long time to replenish once he did.
‘It won’t be easy to accumulate it.’
It was necessary to increase the trait’s rank in order to increase its quantity and quality, which meant it required a large amount of time and effort.
H-holy power?! Impossible! Why are you getting holy power out of bloody, ghastly, and demonic energy?!
‘That’s why it says it bloomed from the underworld.’
This isn’t even the King of Essence’s trait! Why did this… Aha!
Wrath’s eyes briskly turned towards the Blade of Requiem.
It’s all because of that insignificant creature! Unforgivable!
Wrath couldn’t suppress his anger and unleashed his wrath and coldness, pouring them onto the Blade of Requiem.
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem created a wall of ghastly energy to take him on.
How arrogant!
Wrath unleashed the tremendous amount of wrath and coldness he’d been accumulating. He seemed to be seriously irritated.
Rumble!
Even though the Blade of Requiem had gotten stronger, the wall of ghastly energy was crushed in no time because of the original difference in power.
Whir…
The Blade of Requiem screamed in pain.
‘I should try it out.’
Raon unleashed the Blade of Requiem’s ghastly energy and the holy power dwelling deep inside his energy center to stop Wrath.
Whir!
The holy power sparkled silver and mingled into the ghastly energy to create a majestic wall capable of stopping Wrath’s attack.
Crack!
The wall of ghastly energy was fortified by the holy power, and it even managed to counterattack on top of perfectly fending off the attack.
Ack!
Wrath withdrew while shaking his hand as if he had burned it with boiling water.
How can you use the dirty and disgusting holy power?!
Wrath’s large eyes became teary from frustration.
‘How was it? Is it really holy power?’
Indeed! It doesn’t have the same stench, but it’s definitely that hateful holy power!
‘What a relief.’
He managed to confirm it was indeed the holy power because it worked against Wrath.
‘However…The amount is too small.’
The quantity was as small as an acorn. It was completely exhausted from fending off Wrath’s attack a single time.
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem gave out a small resonance to express its gratitude for saving it.
‘You don’t need to thank me.’
Raon smiled faintly and tapped on the Blade of Requiem.
It must be nice to be friends! Hmph!
Wrath briskly turned his head away and snorted like a bison.
‘I’ll also compliment you then.’
Raon chuckled and patted Wrath’s head as well.
‘But whose power is this divinity…?’
Dorian’s chin trembled as Raon thought about the trait while taking care of the Blade of Requiem and Wrath.
“Wh-why are you smiling right now?!”
“Hmm?”
“That evil smile! What are you plotting this time?”
“No, I just…”
“I really can’t do anything anymore! Kill me instead!”
Raon was just taking care of Wrath and the Blade of Requiem, but Dorian stepped back with terrified eyes and jumped under the rocky mountain.
“Hmm…”
Raon licked his lips while watching Dorian run down the mountain like a beast.
“Running down the cliff? It looks pretty good as a type of courage training if he’s forced to suppress his aura.”
Mark Goetten was sweating nervously upon hearing Raon’s playful voice.
‘I-is it really fine to follow this person…?’
* * *
Raon got ready for the departure and turned around.
Mark Goetten was standing straight behind him like a guard.
He seemed to have been released from the time he had spent as a mercenary and returned to being a knight.
“Did you finish the preparations for the journey?”
“Yes.”
Mark Goetten nodded.
“But you have no baggage with you.”
“I have nothing to bring with me since this weapon has always been the only thing I had.”
He tapped on the shabby saber hanging around his waist. He must’ve bought a cheap saber after the previous one was destroyed during the spar.
‘I should buy one for him pretty soon.’
Even though he wasn’t in great condition, Mark Goetten was still a Master. Raon wanted to buy him a weapon befitting his might.
Munch munch munch.
Raon looked at his right upon hearing the sound of a squirrel chewing on a leaf. Dorian was eating some snacks that he took from his belly pocket.
“Are you really leaving with me? Aren’t you going to take the successor education here?”
“The president told me that I should follow my vice squad leader no matter what and watch and learn all kinds of things. And…”
He took out a spherical bead from his belly pocket.
“He said he would give the education I need through this.”
Dorian smiled cheerfully. He seemed glad that he could leave with Raon.
“Are you planning to take the successor education on top of my training? You are brimming with passion.”
Raon looked down on Dorian with a grin on his face.
“Erm…”
Dorian’s shoulders trembled. He seemed to have finally remembered about the training.
“W-wasn’t I going to be exempt from the training?”
“No?”
“But I’m the successor of this company…”
“I’m your superior.”
Raon shrugged his shoulders, and Dorian’s face turned pale.
“I-I’ll stay here and complete the successor education before I retur—”
“Mark.”
“Yes!”
Mark Goetten grabbed Dorian by his neck as he stepped back. He was quick to understand the situation, probably because he’d been a knight and a mercenary in the past.
“Mister! We were comrades who climbed the mountain together! Are you already betraying me?!”
“I’m sorry.”
Dorian struggled with teary eyes, but Mark Goetten didn’t let him go.
Raon turned around and looked far up into the sky.
‘I’ll be twenty years old by the time I return to the house.’
He was finally out of his teens and was entering his twenties, but it didn’t exactly feel special. He was simply reminded that there were only two years left until the duel against the Axe King.
“Let’s go to Zieghart.”
“Yes…”
“Yes!”
Three people left the Sephia company with a weak voice and a loud shout.
* * *
Adis Sephia smiled while watching Raon and Dorian’s departure.
“They seem to be having fun even when leaving.”
“Are you sure it’s okay to let him go like this?”
Ligwin came next to him and quietly sighed.
“You’ve been wanting to see the young master Dorian all this time.”
“Being with him for a month and two weeks is good enough. I’d be greedy to desire more than that.”
“But you could make him stay by using the successor education as an excuse…”
“I’d like that boy to witness more in the world.”
Adis smiled faintly while watching Raon walk in front of Dorian.
The successor's education was important, but he had the feeling that growing while watching Raon’s back was more advantageous for Dorian and the Sephia company alike.
“Being acquainted with the White Sword Dragon is indeed a priceless experience. He even gave me great inspiration.”
Ligwin nodded while following Adis’s gaze.
“Yes. He’s an am…amazing fellow.”
Adis’s fist suddenly started to tremble.
“He’s all over money from head to toe! He’s bound to become bald in the future since he loves money so much at such a young age!”
“P-president?”
Ligwin’s eyes widened as Adis suddenly started to rampage.
“Please calm down!”
Adis’s eyes finally returned to normal after he grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him.
“M-my bad. I just lost too much to him.”
Adis shook his head and sighed.
‘It was an unexpected expense.’
Developing the area around Zieghart wasn’t the end of Raon’s request, but only the start.
He resolutely spoke of all of his detailed requests as if he were getting ready for a war.
Adis was getting a headache because he couldn’t even grasp how much money he would need to prepare all of it.
“He would’ve gotten big even if he didn’t become a warrior. And…”
Adis heavily nodded while watching Raon’s back as he moved further away. He then looked at Dorian, who was finally started walking on his own feet after getting dragged along for a while.
“That boy is also bound to gain more qualities while watching his back… but…”
“Huh?”
“I lost way too much! Raon Zieghart, you bastaaard!”
“P-president!”
* * *
* * *
It was a quiet beach.
A white portable bed was placed on the sandy beach, which was sparkling like gold.
“Hmm!”
The Fallen was lying on the bed with a faint smile on his face.
“It’s so peaceful.”
The Soul Severing Sword was standing at the coast and was staring far into the ocean without responding to him.
“Peace?”
The response came from the right side instead of the Soul Severing Sword.
“Such a thing doesn’t exist in the world.”
The man who shook his head was hiding his body with a robe that made it look like he was clad in darkness, and blue flames were burning inside the eyes of his skull mask.
“The colors are all fake, just like this beach.”
The man wearing a skull mask snapped his fingers. The blue ocean turned as dark as if squid ink had been released into it, and the golden sand turned into bloody lumps of flesh.
“Specter, why are you ruining my fun?”
The Fallen snapped his finger again and life returned to the hellish scenery of the beach.
“……”
Despite the extreme change, the Soul Severing Sword was simply staring at the faraway horizon while standing in front of the ocean.
“Specter. Did you confirm about ‘that matter’?”
“Yes, I found them.”
The flames inside the Specter’s eyes subsided upon hearing the Fallen’s question.
“There were exactly 1.65 times more than the information claimed. The entire area will be destroyed if it explodes.”
“Perfect. I leave it to you.”
“Understood.”
The specter stood up from his chair and bowed.
“Are you already leaving? You don’t have to be so hasty—the schedules are all connected to each other.”
“I have a lot of work to do since I have to make up for that idiot’s mistake.”
The Specter briefly clicked his tongue. A divergence suddenly appeared from the thin air and Merlin came out of it.
“Who are you calling an idiot?”
Merlin was wearing an old woman’s mask, and she stared at the Specter with a frightening smile.
“Idiots are bound to appear when they are called idiots.”
The flame inside Specter’s eyes intensified even further.
“Come on, stop fighting.”
The Fallen shook his hand with a smile. He stared at Merlin for a while before he clapped his hands. He seemed to have suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, did you hear about it? Raon Zieghart attacked the Black Tower.”
“……”
The Soul Severing Sword was the first one to react instead of Merlin. It was a small movement, but his head turned towards them.
The Fallen seemed to enjoy that reaction, as he rolled his lips into a smile and continued.
“Eden, the White Blood Religion, South-North Union, and now the Black Tower. It’s been a long time since someone made enemies with four out of the Five Demons.”
The Fallen narrowed his eyes slightly while looking at Merlin.
“Merlin, what do you think about this?”
“I don’t care.”
Merlin shook her hand and lay down on a portable bed.
“You don’t care? But your family is inside Raon Zieghart. You need to take revenge.”
“I would’ve already destroyed his flesh and bone if I could save Loctar by doing that. But his soul has already devoured the soul. It’s already too late.”
She sighed deeply and closed her eyes.
“The restoration is my only objective now.”
“The idiot is talking sense for the first time.”
“Your bald head is the idiot, don’t you think?”
Merlin snorted at the Specter.
“Shut your mouth.”
“It’s my mouth. What are you gonna do about it?”
“Haa…”
A frightening amount of coldness emerged from the Specter’s fissured white skull.
“Fight me if you have a problem. I’ll go easy on you as your senior.”
“You are as insane as before.”
Specter and Merlin stood up at the same time and scattered a large amount of mana around them.
The Fallen quietly watched Merlin and Specter with a dry smile that looked rather terrifying on his face.
* * *
Zieghart’s Fifth Training Ground.
The sun shining upon the world settled down, and the moon rose to reach for the center of the sky. That was when the shouts that continuously came from the training ground finally came to a halt.
“Huff…”
Burren lowered his sword and exhaled roughly.
“Today’s training is over!”
The Light Wind squad members, who were scattered all around the training ground to swing their swords, stopped their training and collapsed on the ground upon hearing his shout.
“Argh…”
“I’m in so much pain.”
“I’m really dying…”
Since everyone did their best, not a single speck of regret could be seen in their expressions.
Tsk.
Martha clicked her tongue. She seemed to lament the pathetic behavior of her squad members.
“Stand up already! You have to cool down properly since training is over!”
She kicked the swordsmen on the ground to force them to stand back up.
“C-can we do it later?”
“I really have no strength left in me…”
“We’ve been trained by both the squad leader and the general administrator today. We really are dying.”
“Shut up and stand up!”
Martha glared at them, and the collapsed swordsmen stood up while staggering and started to stretch themselves.
However, there was one person that Martha couldn’t make stand.
“Yawn…”
Runaan was yawning while lying flat on the ground and looking at the stars in the night sky.
“You do it too!”
“Don’t wanna.”
Martha tried to make her stand, but Runaan remained as immobile as if she was glued to the ground.
“What the… Gasp!”
A blue frost was surrounding the ground where Runaan was lying. She’d connected her back to the ground with ice to make it impossible to take her off.
“Have you gone insane?”
“Ugh…”
Martha tried to forcibly take her off, but Runaan kept pouring her coldness out to stick her back to the ground.
Burren smiled while watching Martha fighting against Runaan to keep her pride.
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“What?!”
“You told the squad members to stretch themselves because you were worried they might get injured.”
She would have minded her own business or simply left the training ground in the past, regardless of what others did.
However, she’d recently been taking care of the squad members and teaching them, which was proof that she had changed a lot mentally.
‘It must be thanks to Raon and the head of house.’
Martha had opened her heart after she talked with the head of house and Raon. Burren wasn’t aware of what they talked about but figured that her heart finally belonged to the Light Wind squad.
“Th-that’s not true!”
Martha blushed and released Runaan’s collar before she turned around.
“It hurts.”
Runaan frowned because her head ended up hitting the ground.
“I’m doing Raon’s job because he’s not coming back! When the hell is he coming?! It’s already the new year, yet he has no sign of showing up!”
Martha frowned while looking at the sky.
“I wanna see the damn handsome Raon.”
Runaan licked her lips just like when she had an ice cream in front of her.
“I thought he would be back real quick and start shouting about training, but he’s not coming at all!”
Martha turned around and ground her teeth.
“He’s indeed rather late.”
Burren narrowed his eyes and nodded.
“But we managed to steadily increase our skills because we had enough time. He won’t be able to scold us when he returns.”
It was because they didn’t want to be nitpicked by Raon that they kept enduring the hellish training from the Gambling Monster every day, even doing personal training at daybreak and late at night.
They’d been pushing themselves to the limit, and their skills had improved as a result. That was why they were prepared for Raon’s return.
“Indeed. I’m honestly confident I can endure any training at this point.”
“We’ve completed the general administrator and the squad leader’s hellish training. The vice squad leader’s training will be a piece of cake.”
“I know, right? When I think about it, the focus enhancement training is only hard because we can’t sleep and stay terrified all night long, but it won’t be that hard in our current state.”
“He’s probably going to be surprised when he sees us.”
“He might be!”
The Light Wind members smiled while looking at each other. They were brimming with confidence because they’d been continuously training.
“He really might b…e?”
“Ah…”
Burren and Martha started to nod, but their jaws suddenly dropped and they stared at the darkness outside the training ground.
“Honestly, don’t you agree that the vice squad leader’s training is way too unsophisticated? We do get stronger as a result, but he’s just too rough at handling people. I felt like I was getting old!”
Krein continued, not noticing the expression on their faces.
“Training should be systematic, but the vice squad leader lacks in that aspect. It makes no sense, either. He just came up with those methods on the spot because he’s a genius, and that’s why it’s so unsophisticated and we are the ones who have to endure… hmm?”
He tilted his head as he noticed that Burren, Martha, and the other swordsmen had dropped their jaws.
“What’s—Kuah!”
Krein tried to follow the other members’ gazes and look around but fell on his ass in surprise.
“V-vice squad leader!”
Raon was there before he knew it and was smiling at him with crimson flames burning in his eyes.
“I see. My training is unsophisticated and makes no sense.”
Raon’s smile deepened as he nodded.
“No, th-that’s not what I mean…”
“It’s perfect, because I’ve prepared a new training method for you. This one makes perfect sense.”
Raon’s crimson eyes were glowing like a savage beast.
“It looks like you’ve been waiting for me, so there’s no reason to wait. Let’s start the training right now.”
“W-wait, we just finished our training…”
“R-right, the training was really difficult today.”
“Nope, it’s exactly because you are exhausted that you can draw out your power from your instincts.”
“Uhah!”
Even Burren and Martha closed their mouths as they saw the frightening light in Raon’s eyes.
“Huu.”
Dorian’s pale lips were trembling as he observed Raon’s expression from next to him.
“I just saw a devil…”
