Lord Derus."
Kubara knelt beside Derus's right side.
"Both Beorn and Bardiel were defeated by Raon Zieghart, who has ascended to transcendence, but why..."
According to the reports that reached Derus, the plan to steal Alice's power had been perfectly successful. However, it was stated that Bardiel and Beorn were killed by Raon Zieghart, who had ascended to transcendence. Given the confirmed information, it was unclear why he had come here personally.
"I can't believe it."
Derus frowned as he looked at the clearing in front of the dungeon, which seemed to have been burned so thoroughly that even the blood had turned black.
"Even if Bardiel wasn't a combat specialist and Beorn hadn't adapted to Aris's power, it doesn't make sense that they were defeated by Raon Zieghart who had just ascended to transcendence."
He shook his head as he turned Bardiel's feather in his hand to gray ash.
"It's more plausible that the demon residing in his body broke free."
Derus lowered his eyebrows, saying he needed to find out the exact process and results for future plans.
"We could have lost Bardiel, but we shouldn't have lost Beorn here. We needed a disposable card to break Glenn Zieghart's neck."
He chewed his lip with his snow-white teeth, seemingly irritated.
"Raon Zieghart. No, Raon."
Derus Robert muttered Raon's name, drawing a dry smile like parched land. Sticky blood dripped from the wound on the back of his hand.
"You continue to block and interfere with my path until the end."
The air twisted with Derus's anger. The ground vibrated as if wailing, and the Shadow assassins and shamans trembled, clutching their throats as if unable to breathe.
"L-Lord Derus."
Even Kubara couldn't withstand Derus's chilling aura and blood trickled from her lips.
"Hah..."
After suppressing the anger and irritation rising from the depths of his soul, Derus gathered the energy that had spread throughout the island.
"Search. Don't miss even the smallest trace, find everything."
He sent half of the shamans and assassins into the dungeon interior, and ordered the rest to investigate the clearing.
"We-We're sorry."
An hour later, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader of the assassin group approached Derus and knelt.
"There's not even the smallest trace left, as if everything in this area has been burned away."
He lowered his head, saying there was no information to be gleaned from this land.
"Lord Derus."
An old man wearing a worn robe on his shoulders stood before Derus and lowered his staff.
"There are no traces that can be extracted through magic either. It seems even the magic remaining in this clearing has been erased by the flames."
The old man narrowed his eyes, saying there seemed to be an exceptional shaman among Raon's group.
"However, we were able to hear a story from over there."
He said he had summoned the soul from another place as he raised a gray mist above his palm.
"It's an earth-bound spirit dwelling deep in the forest. It says a golden-haired human killed a winged human and a red-haired human here."
The old man bowed his head, saying that while he couldn't see the detailed situation due to the spirit being far away, that part seemed certain.
"The winged human must be Bardiel, and the red-haired one Beorn..."
Kubara let out a short sigh. Derus clenched his fist so tightly that his bones creaked.
'Raon Zieghart.'
I want to kill you right now. He thought it would be more beneficial to the cause for Raon to remain alive, given that his identity had already been revealed and it was certain that a demon resided within him.
However, as Beorn, who had been prepared over a long period and cost an astronomical amount, died in vain, a deep anger surged, making him want to take Raon's head right now.
'Since the second blade has broken, I have no choice but to sharpen the first blade even more.'
There wasn't time to prepare another card like Beorn. It seemed he had no choice but to empower the one he had prepared from the beginning. Tsk. As Derus was frowning after clicking his tongue briefly, the assassins and shamans who had entered the dungeon returned.
"Lord Derus."
The middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader of the assassins who entered the dungeon approached Derus and knelt.
"The cavern has collapsed, and we can't enter. If we forcibly dig out the soil, it seems the ground might cave in, making entry itself impossible."
He shook his head, saying there was no way to enter at all.
"Just in case, we examined the magic circuits inside the dungeon, and there were traces of forcibly twisting magical power to adjust time."
The leader of the assassins lowered his eyebrows, saying it seemed someone other than a Shadow shaman had manipulated the magic.
"Ha, so it's true that they manipulated the dungeon's time with magic."
Derus let out a dry laugh as if in disbelief. His gaze settled coldly, and killing intent swirled at his fingertips.
"Even with a demon residing in him, it's an incredible adaptability and growth rate."
Derus bit his lip as he calmed his seething emotions.
"From now on, I'm revising Raon Zieghart's threat level to that of a leader of the Five Kings and Five Demons. Avoid him from now on unless there are unavoidable circumstances."
He acknowledged Raon once again as he exhaled a red breath.
"We're leaving."
Derus stared intently at the ground that seemed to have been burned with Beorn and Bardiel's blood before heading towards the harbor.
"..."
Kubara swallowed dryly as she watched Derus's back as he moved forward with a calm aura, seemingly having suppressed his anger.
'To maintain composure even in this state...'
Derus had prepared Beorn for a long time as one of the cards to neutralize Glenn. Even though the most important role had vanished in vain, it was surprising that he maintained his rationality like this. It was chilling enough to make her spine tingle.
'He's becoming more and more terrifying.'
This being called Derus Robert. No, it felt like a creeping fear was rising from within her soul for this existence that she could no longer be sure was human. When Kubara and the assassins arrived at the harbor town, feeling as if their souls were being constricted, they saw fishermen preparing their nets for dawn work near the entrance.
"Huh? Why are you coming from there at this hour?"
"You don't look well, are you alright?"
"Did you encounter monsters?"
The fishermen, seemingly worried about Derus's pale complexion, put down their nets and approached.
"..."
Derus said nothing and brushed past the fishermen. Bang! The moment his foot touched the village entrance, the fishermen's heads exploded like firecrackers.
"Aaaaagh!"
"Wh-What is this..."
The two young men from the vigilante group who were guarding the village also screamed before collapsing as bloody masses, their bodies torn apart. Step. Blood flowed behind Derus's path, and buildings crumbled. He was a disaster incarnate, bringing death with just his breath.
"Kyaaaah!"
"P-Please spare me..."
"What kind of calamity is this..."
Those who barely survived fell to their knees and trembled, unable to believe that the village they had lived in all their lives had turned into a scene from hell. Step. As Derus set foot at the edge of the harbor, a massive wave rose as if to touch the sky, engulfing the entire village.
Everything, from the surviving humans to the debris of collapsed houses, was swept away by the fierce current.
"Ugh..."
Kubara pressed her lips tightly as she watched Derus's back.
'He's become even stronger...'
Derus killed people, destroyed buildings, and raised tidal waves with just his will. It was growth beyond her imagination. At this rate, it seemed he could catch up to Glenn in not too long a time. But Derus didn't trust his own power and continuously gathered information and devised strategies to exploit his enemies' weaknesses.
Such cold-bloodedness was more terrifying than his raw power.
"We're returning."
Derus exhaled a low breath as if slightly relieved and disappeared through a dimensional gate he opened.
"..."
Kubara suppressed her churning stomach that felt like vomiting and followed him. Whoosh. After Derus and the Shadows left, only the sound of waves lapping could be heard on the island, as if it had been uninhabited from the beginning.
* * *
"Head of House."
Raon approached Glenn, who was watching the smoke from the crematorium.
"Thank you."
He bowed his head with his hand on his chest. After reading Rimmer's last letter, Glenn had asked the Zieghart craftsmen to build a new crematorium. It was a crematorium solely for Rimmer, and Raon could only express his gratitude.
"You don't need to thank me."
Glenn shook his head calmly.
"That bastard is the problem, being annoying until the end."
He let out a short sigh, saying that even at the last moment, Rimmer wouldn't leave quietly.
"That's right. What nonsense about wanting to become the wind!"
Vulcan, who had personally handled the crematorium work from start to finish, snorted.
"Thank you too, Master."
Raon smiled faintly and bowed to Vulcan as well.
"It's fine. I had a connection with that guy before you, so it was something I had to do."
Vulcan waved his hand, saying there was no need for thanks.
"But I didn't expect it to end like this..."
He smacked his lips bitterly, as if still unable to accept Rimmer's death.
"Master."
Raon approached Vulcan and clasped his hands together.
"I'm sorry, but may I ask for one more favor after the funeral?"
"A favor?"
"Yes. I'm thinking of taking my master's sword to Sepia, but I'd like you to look at it before that."
Rimmer's sword was one of Sepia's sacred artifacts. He wanted to keep it in Zieghart, but it seemed right to bring it along when informing them of his death.
"I see. You've thought well."
Glenn nodded, saying it was a good idea and that he hadn't thought that far yet.
"Well, it's not a difficult task."
Vulcan nodded calmly, saying it wasn't a big deal.
"However, I need to examine the black sword that stabbed Alice first, so bring it later."
"Understood."
As Raon was bowing his head and expressing his gratitude, the door of the crematorium creaked open, and Sheryl, with dark circles under her eyes, came out holding a white urn.
"I'll leave the rest to you now."
Sheryl said she would entrust the remaining tasks to them and handed over the urn with trembling hands. In fact, Raon had wanted to go in and collect the ashes himself, but he yielded, sensing the relationship between Sheryl and Rimmer.
"Thank you."
Raon took a deep breath and received the urn. It felt heavier than its actual weight. It felt as if Rimmer's soul was dwelling within.
"Then let's go."
Glenn bit his lip slightly and climbed up to North Grave Mountain. He stopped in front of a tiger-shaped rock about halfway up the mountain.
"That guy liked to watch over you all while leaning against this rock."
Glenn stroked the back of the tiger rock with a slightly trembling hand.
"He'll be satisfied if we send him off from here."
"Hmm..."
Raon stood next to the tiger rock and looked down.
As Glenn said, the Fifth Training Ground was clearly visible.
"Raon. Begin."
Glenn slowly lowered his chin, signaling to start the final part of the funeral.
"Yes..."
Raon nodded and carefully opened the lid of the urn. After staring at the white ash for a long time, he opened his lips heavily.
"Burren."
"Yes..."
Burren closed his eyes, then opened them and grasped some of the ash, scattering it into the air.
"Thank you for everything."
He summoned a cold wind to carry Rimmer away and performed a formal sword salute.
"Martha."
"..."
Martha silently came forward and took some ash in her hand.
"Farewell. I disliked you often, but I think there was no other master like you."
She bit her lip until it bled and sent Rimmer off with the wind of the Gale Wind Style.
"Runaan."
"Sniff..."
Runaan came forward with tears still in her eyes.
"Sleep as much as you want there. My nap buddy..."
She finally let a tear fall as she sent Rimmer off.
"Dorian."
"Yes..."
Dorian nodded and tightly grasped Rimmer's ashes.
"Thank you. I'll live smiling without forgetting you, Vice Leader. And I'll definitely protect those children."
He bowed his head, saying he would continue to visit the orphanage, and sent Rimmer off. It seemed he had now somewhat shaken off the pain in his heart.
"Damn you, Master!"
Krein screamed as he sent Rimmer off, and Yua and Julius cried again before barely managing to scatter the ashes. All members of the Light Wind division sent Rimmer off while burying his soul in their hearts, to be taken out and remembered at any time.
"Master."
Raon raised Garunua, the wind Rimmer had wished for.
"You said, 'What comes together must fall apart.' I want to be your disciple again even if we meet again."
He sent off the last of Rimmer's ashes towards the Fifth Training Ground.
Whoosh! The green wind enveloping the ashes brushed past Raon and the Light Wind division before departing for a distant place.
-It seems you've become a bit more at ease now.
Wrath nodded, saying his expression seemed to have improved.
'Yes.'
Raon nodded as he watched the green wind flowing away and rising into the sky of Zieghart.
'Because he saved us until the very end.'
Rimmer didn't want them to keep mourning his death, but to move forward. For his sake, they couldn't remain stagnant.
-Then now...
'Yes, I need to train.'
Raon nodded and smiled slightly.
-Not that, you idiot! Now keep your promise!
* * *
After finishing Rimmer's funeral, Raon practiced swordsmanship in the clearing in front of North Grave Mountain. After running through all his sword techniques from basic swordsmanship to the Raon Zieghart style sword technique as if warming up, he bowed his head towards the tree on his right.
"You can come out now."
"Hmm..."
Glenn walked out from behind the tree, clearing his throat dryly.
"Now that you've ascended to transcendence, I can't even hide from you. It's going to be less fun."
He smacked his lips as if disappointed.
"If you had truly intended to hide, Grandfather, I wouldn't have been able to find you."
Raon shook his head with a faint smile.
"True. Are you alright now?"
"I think I'm adapting little by little."
If he hadn't seen Rimmer's last words, he would still be suffering, but knowing his true feelings made his heart a little lighter.
"Are you alright, Grandfather?"
"At my age, how many people do you think I've seen off? However..."
Glenn shook his head as he looked at the thin moon.
"This time, it hurts a bit."
He shook his head, saying honestly that it wasn't easy.
"...Yes. That's true."
Raon bowed his head heavily.
"But it's right to send him off for his sake."
Glenn briefly smacked his lips and looked at Raon.
"How does it feel to have ascended to transcendence?"
"I still can't quite grasp it. When I first ascended, I felt like I could do anything, but now I just feel more familiar with mana."
"That's the basics."
He nodded calmly.
"It's the realm where the mana you possess communicates with the mana of nature, achieving unity between yourself and heaven and earth. Transcendence is the realm where you can achieve everything you desire. Since you reached transcendence by accumulating Ten Thousand Swords, you should be able to do more than anyone else."
Glenn smiled faintly, as if looking forward to what was to come.
"Yes. I should."
"While we're at it..."
He lightly extended his hand.
"How about a sparring match?"
"...With you, Grandfather?"
"Yes. I'll go easy on you, come on."
Glenn stretched out his hand as if he was serious.
"Alright."
Raon nodded. Sparring with Glenn was an opportunity and a fortunate encounter to exert his abilities to the fullest. He was just grateful that Glenn had suggested it first.
"Then..."
Just as he was about to move, he saw Lawaine running from the direction of the annex building.
"Lord Raon! Gasp! Head of House, you were here too?"
Lawaine was startled and tried to bow to Glenn.
"Never mind that. What's the matter?"
Glenn waved off Lawaine's greeting and shook his head.
"Lady Alice..."
Lawaine bit his lip and raised his trembling gaze.
"Lady Alice has woken up..."