'A real demon...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the demon with an eerie aura.
'It definitely feels different.'
While there were many demonized humans with unique appearances like the demon before him, hardly anyone possessed such strong demonic energy.
'Transcendent-level demonic energy.'
If the demon were to reveal the power it was hiding, it would likely be stronger than the Flame Demon General Orgoth he had encountered before.
-However, there's something a bit peculiar.
Wrath briefly smacked his lips.
'Peculiar?'
-This one is clearly a high-ranking demon, but strangely, the scent of Devildom isn't very strong.
He narrowed his eyes, saying it seemed as if this demon was born on this land like a human.
"Shall I handle it?"
Martha stood beside him, gripping her sword.
"No. Stay back."
Raon shook his head as he pushed Martha behind him.
"That one is dangerous."
Although the demonic energy the demon currently displayed wasn't very great, the power it was concealing was immeasurably vast. At the very least, it was on par with the Flame Demon General Orgoth. He was the only one here who could defeat this demon.
"Human."
The demon looked around at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen and Balkar's magicians before turning back to Raon.
"What are you?"
It furrowed its dark, sunken eyes as if it couldn't understand.
"What do you mean?"
Raon took a step towards the demon and lowered his chin.
"The energy I sense from you isn't that far off. It's almost..."
The demon seemed to be pondering something as it wiggled its black fingers.
"If you're trying to buy time, I'll pass."
Raon raised his Heavenly Drive, pointing it at the demon's neck.
"We don't have time. You'll have to step aside."
Despite unexpectedly facing a strong opponent from the start, he felt confident that he wouldn't lose to any enemy in his current state.
"..."
The demon seemed to be considering something as it rolled its eyes, then lowered its charcoal-black arms.
"Originally, I should die here, but I'd like to observe a bit longer."
It took a step back and spread its black wings. With a whoosh, the demon wrapped itself in its massive wings and vanished in a flash of darkness.
"W-what just happened?"
Burren opened his mouth in a round shape, unable to comprehend.
"Did it get scared of Raon?
Martha smacked her lips as she looked Raon up and down.
"Idiot...?"
Runaan also blinked her eyes, finding it strange.
"Maybe it had to use the bathroom urgently. I sometimes do that too..."
Dorian rubbed his hands together as if he could relate.
'Wrath.'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the empty space where the demon had disappeared.
'Did that demon just see you?'
-How could such a lowly creature know what even other demon kings don't? It probably sensed this king's energy resonating with the demonic energy here.
Wrath shook his head, saying the demon was quite perceptive.
'If it sensed your energy, shouldn't it have bowed?'
-Unlike Balrog who's obsessed with fighting, demons are like humans with various thoughts and values. It's common for them to attack even after seeing this king, or to run away without looking back.
He waved his hand, saying that demons, like humans, come in many varieties.
-That one just now doesn't seem to have fled, but appears to be thinking of something else.
Wrath quickly looked around, warning not to let their guard down. With a rumble, a door leading to the next floor rose from the ground where the demon had been standing.
"Let's go up."
Raon exhaled a breath tinged with demonic energy as he walked towards the newly emerged door.
"Even if the path ahead leads into a tiger's mouth, we have no choice but to enter."
* * *
Karoon frowned as he looked at the blonde woman standing before him.
'An angel...'
Like the door he had seen before entering this place, the blonde woman standing before him had white feathered wings sprouting from her back, and she even wore a golden crown on her head. She was the very image of an angel from stories.
'I can't sense any demonic energy.'
Unlike other demonized humans, the angel gazed at him surrounded by a holy aura. Her gaze was so warm that it felt more like standing in a cathedral than on a battlefield.
'But angels aren't good guys either.'
Given that Derus Robert had summoned an Archangel, angels were no different from enemies, just like demons. Especially an angel inside the Black Tower couldn't be trusted.
"You've been through a difficult battle."
The angel smiled gently and spread her arms.
"You can rest easy here. No one will raise a sword against you."
She nodded, inviting them to stay here together.
"Who are you?"
Morel Kazan stepped forward, raising his staff.
"My name is Peridot. I've come down here to free you from your fate."
"Fate?"
Karoon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Peridot.
"Yes. If you go up from here, you will all die."
Peridot lowered her hand, saying she had come to prevent everyone's death. Looking at her smile, a desire to stay here and fight no more arose.
"Mmm..."
Morel Kazan's hand holding the staff trembled, as if he was finding it difficult to maintain his composure in the face of Peridot's smile.
"Lady Peridot..."
"If she says so, maybe we should stop."
"Palace Master. Shall we stop here?"
"That's right. Why don't we wait here and leave it to the Light Wind Palace Master?"
Even the Central Martial Palace swordsmen with their exceptional mental strength lowered their swords, suggesting they stop fighting, as if entranced by Peridot's smile.
"Did you say I would die?"
Karoon approached Peridot, ignoring the throbbing headache.
"Not just you, Lord Karoon."
Peridot clasped her hands together and gave a bitter smile.
"Everyone here will die at the top floor of this tower."
She shook her head, saying she didn't want to see such a hell.
"I'm certainly afraid of dying. I've always been scared of the battlefield."
Karoon nodded, loosening his grip on the sword.
"But if my death can contribute to Zieghart, I'm willing to give up this measly life."
He bit down on his molars and swung his sword at Peridot's neck. With a sharp sound, Peridot's head fell off, and golden blood spurted like a fountain from her silky neck.
"If an angel blocks the way, I'll kill the angel. If a god blocks the way, I'll cut down the god. I'll go up no matter what."
Karoon wiped the angel's blood from his cheek and exhaled deeply.
"Ah..."
"P-Palace Master!"
"What have we just..."
The Central Martial Palace swordsmen came to their senses at Peridot's death and widened their eyes.
"That's enough, let's go up again..."
Just as Karoon was about to gesture to the Central Martial Palace swordsmen, a pure white current rose from Peridot's dead body, and her body recovered to its state before death, as if time had been reversed.
"You're more ruthless than I've heard."
Peridot nodded with a gentle smile.
"However, you'll come to regret this choice."
With those words, she disappeared into a white light. As the angel completely vanished, a door to the next floor opened from the ground.
"Regret..."
Karoon shook his head with a sneer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't leave room for regret."
He climbed the stairs with unwavering steps, as if he didn't care about Peridot's words at all.
* * *
Raon clenched his fist as he reached the next floor.
'I've gotten stronger again.'
As he encountered the demonic energy of the upper floor, his own energy had become even stronger than when he was on the middle floor. It seemed he was able to utilize the tower's demonic energy better than the demonized humans of the Black Tower.
-Damn it!
Wrath gritted his teeth as he saw this.
-How does this bastard get rewarded wherever he goes!
He pounded his own chest, asking why Raon was so lucky.
'But...'
Raon looked back, swatting away Wrath's flailing arm.
'I understand for me, but why is the Light Wind Palace fine?'
The demonic energy on the upper floor was more than twice as intense as the middle floor. It felt thicker than the air itself, yet the Light Wind Palace swordsmen were moving just as they had below.
'It's not the same for others.'
In contrast, the Warring Steel Division and Balkar's magicians, who had only recently joined the Light Wind Palace, were breathing heavily as they struggled against the demonic energy.
-Of course they're fine, they were with this king.
Wrath furrowed his brow as if asking why Raon was even asking.
-Though not as long as you've been with this king, those children have been exposed to Wrath for quite some time. They might not be greatly affected, but they've been gradually tainted by Wrath, so it's natural they can withstand this level of demonic energy.
He raised his chin, saying that the Wrath he had exposed was protecting them.
-Moreover, those whom the King has saved might even be able to utilize this demonic energy.
'I see.'
Hearing Wrath's explanation, Raon understood why the Light Wind Palace swordsmen were holding up well against the demonic energy. It seemed they could withstand it because they had been exposed to Wrath, just like himself. (E/N: But they were fully exposed back in the Holy Kingdom. What changed since then?)
'That's good.'
He felt pleased at the thought that the Light Wind Palace swordsmen could play a significant role. As he quickly climbed the stairs with lightened steps, he saw a massive stone wall reaching the ceiling.
'It's wide.'
Unlike the middle floor, an extremely wide space spread out before him, with thick walls blocking all sides. The first area of the upper floor seemed to be a maze.
"Ha! Is this even possible?"
Martha let out a hollow laugh as she looked at the maze, which had a completely different sense of space from the lower floor.
"I heard the upper floors of the Black Tower are a completely different world. It's not strange to have a maze."
Burren frowned, saying that the upper floors of the Black Tower were spaces beyond understanding and logic.
"It's solid..."
Runaan clicked her tongue briefly as she touched the maze wall.
"Let me try."
Trevin stepped forward and struck the maze wall with his full-power Astral Ring. A powerful impact erupted, but not even a crack appeared on the maze wall. It seemed extremely solid, though not quite as much as the tower's outer wall.
"Are you blatantly trying to waste time?"
Raon smirked as he ran his hand down the maze wall.
"This is kind of annoying."
He let out a hollow laugh, as if the maze was set up to waste time because the demon hadn't delayed them earlier. It seemed like they were being underestimated, which made him chuckle.
"It's our turn now."
Jayna stood at the entrance of the maze and extended her staff.
"There's a spell for finding paths in mazes. I learned it but forgot about it, and now I finally have a chance to use it."
She smiled and began chanting the spell to find a path through the maze. A red light bloomed from the tip of Jayna's staff and spread throughout the maze. However, the light faded away without even penetrating halfway through the maze.
"What's going on?"
Martha approached Jayna with a furrowed brow.
"T-the demonic energy is preventing the mana from reaching all the way through."
Jayna sighed, explaining that the demonic energy in the upper floor was interfering with the spell's operation.
"Sigh, nothing's working properly."
Martha clicked her tongue as she looked down at Jayna.
"Ugh!"
Jayna raised her shoulders indignantly but bit her lip, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Don't say it like that. The demonic energy really is thick."
Burren shook his head as he peered into the maze.
"Even if I send ice, it'll take a long time. It's too wide..."
Runaan lowered her hand, saying that trying to find a path by freezing the floor would be difficult too.
"So whether we use magic or aura, we'll have to go in and solve it ourselves?"
Mark Goetun scratched his head regretfully.
"Then we should enter as soon as possible."
"No."
Raon calmly shook his head.
"That would take too long."
Even if Chamber was blocking them, they didn't have time to find their way through this maze. They needed to use another method to pass through this maze as quickly as possible.
"Then what are you going to do?"
Trevin narrowed his eyes, as if asking if Raon had a plan.
"There is a way. A very crude one."
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive above his head and brought it down. A heavy sword energy erupted from the blade, shattering not only the wall in front of them but also the maze walls behind it.
"Y-you're going to break through this?"
Trevin widened his eyes in disbelief.
"The Astral Ring didn't even leave a scratch!"
He trembled his jaw as he examined the collapsed walls.
"It's not that difficult. I can see the exit's location. Let's keep going."
As Raon swung his sword again, the thick maze walls crumbled like dominoes.
"You say this isn't difficult?"
Burren shook his head in disbelief.
"Hey! You're using too much strength when you need to fight above!"
Martha also blocked his path, telling him to conserve his strength for the upcoming battles.
"Yes. Save..."
Runaan also waved her hand, as if telling him to back off.
"Don't worry. I haven't used much strength."
Raon smiled, pointing to the faint aura on the Heavenly Drive.
"I just used a bit of the demonic energy."
Since it wasn't like the Black Tower's outer walls which had accumulated demonic energy for decades, he could easily cut through the maze walls. With another swing, Raon finally broke through all the maze walls and reached the exit leading to the next floor.
-It's the first time I've seen someone break through a maze with brute force.
Wrath shook his head in disbelief.
-If it were anyone else, they'd be completely drained, but of course it had to be demonic energy.
He clicked his tongue, saying the master of this maze was quite unlucky.
"You must be a bit tired after breaking through all that."
As Raon was about to climb to the next floor, a figure in gray armor emerged from behind the exit. He possessed the strongest aura among all the demonized humans he had seen so far, excluding the demon from earlier.
"I am Kabur, the Floor Master of the upper floor..."
A red line appeared across the bridge of the nose of the demonized human who was introducing himself. No, not just his nose. His entire body was being split in half.
"Huh? Aargh!"
The demonized human tried to grasp his bleeding wound, but he couldn't hold together the injury that was splitting his entire body.
"Aaaaargh!"
The demonized human eventually sank into his own maze, unable to finish saying his name.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to play with small fry. I'm only interested in your Tower Master."
Raon shook the blood off his sword and climbed to the upper floor.
"..."
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen and Balkar's magicians followed behind Raon, their mouths clamped shut in shock at his overwhelming power. A chilling sound of blood dripping from the Floor Master's body was all that remained in the empty maze.