"How dare you, you brat!"
The Black Tower Master yanked out the Blade of Requiem embedded in his shoulder and fired a massive sword made of demonic energy. With a whoosh, Raon twisted his ankle to the right to dodge, but identical swords rained down one after another. The blade itself was thicker and larger than a castle pillar, leaving little room to evade.
'Size isn't the only problem.'
The pitch-black burning greatsword exuded a deadly intent. Being cut by that blade would likely result in a severe curse. With a whoosh, Raon abandoned his offensive and retreated, employing the Supreme Harmony's Third Step.
"How could someone like you..."
The Black Tower Master's lips quivered as he stared at his bleeding shoulder, seemingly unable to comprehend that he could be wounded.
"As I said, I won't be overwhelmed when it comes to sheer power."
Raon exhaled deeply as he gazed at the black-burning Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring encased in pale green frost.
'So this is the authority of the demon kings.'
To kill the Black Tower Master, Raon had unleashed all the demon kings' authorities except for Wrath's. Normally, this power would have been beyond his control, but Zircon's trait
'I can't hold out for long, but I can fight.'
Though his body and mind were in their worst state, he couldn't miss this opportunity. He had to end the Black Tower Master's life here, no matter what.
'Let's focus.'
At times like these, one must remain composed. He couldn't afford to rush just because his time was limited. In dangerous moments, it was even more crucial to calm his mind and control his racing heart.
"Haaa..."
He layered Sloth's
He could feel the demon kings' authorities weighing down on his body. Unlike Wrath, these emotional powers were unfamiliar, making their pressure even stronger. However, thanks to the realm of the soul induced by the Ring of Fire and Zircon's
[You... just what are you...]
Zircon gaped at him, seemingly unable to comprehend that Raon possessed not only Wrath's power but the authorities of other demon kings as well.
-You've got some tricks up your sleeve. To think you could withstand all that power.
Wrath narrowed his eyes, seemingly impressed by Zircon's ability.
[Ch, thank you for the compliment.]
Zircon's eyes widened, apparently pleased to receive praise from Wrath.
-It wasn't a compliment. Shut your mouth.
Wrath struck Zircon's head, telling him not to misunderstand despite having just praised him.
[Kuhup...]
Zircon lowered his head and shook his shoulders, as if experiencing soul-deep pain.
"Die!"
The Black Tower Master gnashed his teeth and stretched out his hand. Countless thorns erupted from his grasp, targeting Raon's entire body.
'Zircon. Hold on like this.'
After telling Zircon to maintain his current state, Raon employed the Supreme Harmony Steps. His body, enhanced by the authority of
With a resonating hum, the Demonic Spirit Barrier, not yet fully regenerated, stood in the way, but it couldn't withstand the weight of
'This is...'
Upon seeing the black wind, a chilling shiver ran down his spine. It seemed that merely breathing it in could endanger one's life with a potent curse.
'Fight wind with wind.'
He repelled the black wind with the gale of Garunua imbued in the Blade of Requiem and charged at the Black Tower Master. He unleashed the Silver Sword Dream with the Heavenly Drive raised high, and thrust with the Thirty-Six Crimson Flash Techniques using the Wooden Ring. The clash of energies created a deafening screech.
The Black Tower Master blocked Raon's sword strikes with a shield of condensed demonic energy, but the overwhelming force pushed him back until his back hit the frozen Devildom Pathway.
'I need to keep the pressure on.'
He had to keep up the pressure, denying the Black Tower Master any chance to chant high-level magic or curses. With a piercing sound, Raon lunged forward, closing the distance to the Black Tower Master. He skillfully employed the dual-wielding techniques learned from Sheryl, breaking through the Black Tower Master's magic and slicing through his demonic energy. The air crackled with the force of his attacks.
As the chilling sword strikes continued to rain down, small wounds began to accumulate on the Black Tower Master's body.
"You cockroach! Just die already!"
As the Black Tower Master roared and spread his arms, an enormous explosion of demonic energy erupted, throwing Raon's aura-cloaked body backward.
"Huk..."
Raon wiped the blood trickling from his lips, his brow furrowed. Even though he had only been hit by a small amount of demonic energy, it felt like he had suffered severe internal injuries. Such was the nature of battling a top-tier Transcendent.
'But what just happened... Huh?'
As he raised his gaze, still frowning, he saw a massive temple floating behind the Black Tower Master, whose forehead was creased with tension.
'A temple?'
It was a pristine white temple with ten pillars rising beside its entrance, and from within, terrifying demonic energy was emanating.
"I'll kill you."
As the Black Tower Master brought his hands together, his demonic energy surged out wildly, crashing down on Raon's head. With a thunderous boom, Raon raised a Fire Wall with the Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring to block it, but the impact felt like it could break his hands and arms. Unlike before, the demonic energy itself was imbued with tremendous power.
[Peridot's trait is
Zircon shook his head, indicating that the temple behind the Black Tower Master belonged to Peridot.
[It won't be easy to block that demonic energy now.]
'Why are you telling me this only now!'
-Exactly! Why didn't you say anything earlier!
Wrath turned to Zircon, grinding his teeth.
[Well, you told me not to speak...]
Zircon hung his head, looking wronged.
-Even if I told you to shut up, you should've known to speak up about important things! Is your head filled with spaghetti or what!
Wrath tapped Zircon's forehead with his finger, telling him to get his act together.
[Nnngh...]
Zircon snorted, unable to retort to Wrath's frightened look.
'Well, at least I know now.'
Raon swung the Heavenly Drive down at the rampaging demonic energy that writhed like a stepped-on worm. With a thunderous boom, despite being imbued with Sloth's authority, it couldn't cut through the Black Tower Master's demonic energy in one go. The overwhelming force pushed back his sword-wielding arm and body.
'I'm being overpowered.'
It seemed that once the Black Tower Master unleashed Peridot's ability, Raon started to be overwhelmed again.
'I can't fall here.'
Biting his lip, Raon drew upon all the remaining demon kings' authorities that he hadn't fully tapped into yet. With a crackling sound, even as the Ring of Fire resonated, his body felt like it was collapsing, and a pain like his head was about to split open surged through him. He could feel his breath becoming ragged and uneven.
'But with this power...'
Raon bit his lip and pressed forward, cleaving through the demonic energy raised by the Black Tower Master without hesitation.
"This is insane..."
The Black Tower Master's bloodshot eyes widened in disbelief, as if he never expected even his enhanced demonic energy to be split.
"Let's see this through to the end. We'll find out who dies first."
Raon, expressing his resolve to die alongside the Black Tower Master if necessary, shattered the demonic energy and thrust his sword towards the enemy's heart.
"Fine! I'll drive a blade of demonic energy right into your skull!"
The Black Tower Master, showing no intention of backing down, summoned flames of demonic energy that engulfed Raon's entire body. With a thunderous boom, as sword and demonic energy clashed, a magnificent display of light spread across the pitch-black sky.
* * *
With a resonating hum, Chamber ascended back into the sky after sending the Black Tower Master's absolute magic, Black Sea Cloud, to another dimension.
"Huh?"
Raon was pushing back? Chamber had dealt with the meteors as quickly as possible and returned, but contrary to expectations, Raon was pressuring the Black Tower Master.
'And against an even stronger Black Tower Master...'
The Black Tower Master, with a white temple behind him, was unleashing powerful waves of demonic energy. It was an attack that even Chamber at full strength would find difficult to block, yet Raon was not only cutting through it but even counterattacking.
'Impossible.'
The last time Chamber had seen Raon, he was struggling to even penetrate the Demonic Spirit Barrier. Now, he was tearing through it and delivering threatening sword strikes to the Black Tower Master's main body. It was hard to believe he had undergone such a transformation in this short time.
'What power is he using?'
Raon was enveloping his swords and body not with aura, but with some special power. Although Chamber couldn't identify it precisely, it felt like it was the antithesis of demonic energy.
'Where on earth did he... No. This isn't the time to think about that.'
Raon's power couldn't be sustained for long. They needed to end this somehow while he was still pushing back the Black Tower Master.
"Raon! I'll handle the defense, so break through!"
Chamber shouted towards Raon's back while tearing apart the lightning bolts of demonic energy falling towards him.
"Haak..."
Although dizzy from sending the meteors to another dimension, Chamber's fighting spirit was rekindled upon seeing Raon's performance. With a piercing screech, Raon, trusting in Chamber's support, charged in ignoring the lightning and brought both swords down on the Black Tower Master's head.
The Black Tower Master blocked the Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring with flames and frost of demonic energy, but Raon, seemingly anticipating this, fired the Blade of Requiem he had hidden behind his back.
With a thunderous boom, the Blade of Requiem, wrapped in wind and lightning, pierced through space and fell towards the Black Tower Master's waist. With a piercing screech, the Black Tower Master raised a wall of demonic energy in defense, but the impact was so severe that his body staggered greatly.
"I barely felt that. Your sword can't kill me."
The Black Tower Master claimed he felt no impact as he exploded his demonic energy. The sphere of demonic energy spread out in concentric circles, engulfing Raon's aura.
"That's a lie!"
Chamber shook her head as she erased the oncoming waves of demonic energy.
"The Black Tower Master's eyelid twitches when he lies. Your sword is definitely affecting him!"
She focused on defense while encouraging Raon.
"Shut your mouth!"
The Black Tower Master, seemingly irritated by Chamber's interference, let out a piercing scream as he fired a spear of demonic energy.
"Raon! Keep going! Leave the rear to me!"
Chamber brought two fingers together again, determined to end this fight and save Raon.
'Even if it costs me my life...'
* * *
"Kugh!"
The Black Tower Master bit his lip as he watched Raon charging at him like a wild bull.
'Just what is he...'
Raon, wrapped in an unknown energy, displayed a martial prowess that overwhelmed his demonic energy. The fact that he could push back even the demonic energy enhanced by Peridot left the Black Tower Master speechless with disbelief.
'But that power can't be maintained for long.'
Sweat was pouring down Raon Zieghart's entire body like rain. This meant he was expending an enormous amount of mental energy to maintain that state. If he could just buy time, victory would ultimately be his.
'However...'
Enduring until then wouldn't be easy. Despite gaining such immense power, Raon hadn't lost the sharpness of his swordsmanship. At this rate, Raon's sword might pierce his neck before the brat's time ran out.
"How long are you going to run!"
Raon's chilling eyes flashed as he charged at the Black Tower Master's left side. Sword strikes wreathed in flames, frost, and lightning rained down. With a thunderous crash, the Black Tower Master barely deflected Raon's attacks before retreating. Despite surrounding himself with walls and shields of demonic energy, the power in those sword strikes was so intense that he felt his skin might burst and his bones might break.
'But his sword is gradually becoming duller.'
Raon, seemingly at the limit of his mental fatigue, could no longer execute his sharp swordsmanship and was only emitting powerful aura. He was in a state consumed by power. It was the perfect opportunity for a counterattack.
'Then...'
If he could just make that brat retreat. Chamber was also exhausted, and with her upper dantian damaged, she wouldn't be able to use her trump card. If he could summon the meteors again to interfere, he could kill Raon and end this long battle. A deep rumbling sound filled the air.
The Black Tower Master formed a defensive spell with his left hand while using his right to cast the Black Sea Cloud magic to summon meteors.
With a thunderous roar, five massive meteors burning with black flames broke through the sky, plummeting towards Raon and Chamber.
"Raon! Trust me and go!"
Chamber said she would handle the meteors as expected and began forming a spell to open space.
'Perfect.'
Now he just needed to focus on Raon Zieghart. Chamber would be immobilized for a while dealing with the meteors. All he had to do was aim for Raon's throat. With a piercing sound, Raon Zieghart charged at him, not even glancing at the meteors above, seemingly trusting Chamber completely. Another piercing sound filled the air.
The three swords Raon wielded fell fiercely towards his neck and heart.
'Now!'
The moment Raon drew near, the Black Tower Master unleashed his demonic energy. The white temple empowered by his aura crumbled, and from within, a demonic beast harboring darkness sprang forth. A monstrosity with a single eye and thousands of arms devoured his demonic energy and revealed its killing intent towards Raon. A chilling hiss filled the air.
Despite the thousands of hands falling towards him, Raon didn't retreat and instead charged forward.
'It's over.'
The demonic beast couldn't be maintained for long, but its hands carried an instant-death curse. The moment they touched, body and mind would collapse, so this fight was as good as over. Just as the Black Tower Master was about to smile in victory, watching the thousands of hands falling towards Raon's head, a blinding flash erupted.
The space between Raon and himself split wide open, severing all the thousands of hands the demonic beast had unleashed.
"Ultimate technique: Space Rift."
Chamber, despite coughing up black blood, used her trump card to shatter all the demonic beast's hands and the meteors.
"This is insane!"
As the Black Tower Master screamed in disbelief at Chamber's intervention and stepped back, Raon, wreathed in black flames, sprang up before his eyes.
"You underestimated her too much."
"Wait, hold on..."
Ignoring the Black Tower Master's words as he tried to raise a shield of demonic energy, Raon thrust forward with the Heavenly Drive. With a searing hiss, the Heavenly Drive, burning with black flames, cleaved the Black Tower Master's body vertically, while the Wooden Ring, brimming with pale green frost, slashed horizontally across his flesh. A thunderous boom resounded.
The Blade of Requiem plunged into the Black Tower Master's severed left chest, causing an explosion of lightning.
'He didn't die even with his neck cut and heart exploded. I need to completely shatter him.'
Raon threw the Heavenly Drive behind him and stretched out his right hand wide. The Demon King of Wrath's trump card: Silver Aurora. Pink frost blossomed over his outstretched hand like thorny vines. Wrath's trump card, cloaked in Lust's authority, annihilated the very existence of the Black Tower Master. A deafening crackling sound filled the air.