The light summoned by the Angel forced a choice first. The light that bloomed in his grasp didn't shoot out like a flash, but exploded in front of the fallen King Lecross's chest.
Glenn stepped forward with his left foot without hesitation. In an instant, he moved to King Lecross's side and sliced the bursting light in half.
"I knew you'd do that."
Derus Robert lowered his fading hand, as if he had predicted Glenn's choice.
"Indeed, the Glenn Zieghart of today is not the cold-blooded man once called the Destructive King of the North."
He curled his lips in a mocking smile at Glenn.
"My voice telling you that Raon and Karoon are dead keeps ringing in your head, doesn't it? Their deaths are merely the herald announcing the start of the great war."
Derus raised his chin, his eyes gleaming darkly.
"Now that those two have descended, it really won't be long now."
He looked at the Angel standing to the right with closed eyes, licking his lips slowly.
"The next time we meet, I'll have your neck..."
"That won't happen."
Glenn pointed his sword at the fading Derus Robert.
"Do you intend to stab me? Do you have the confidence to do so while leaving the Silent Sword Master's life intact?"
Derus tilted his chin casually, as if he was reading the entire situation.
"You've underestimated the king of Owen too much."
As soon as Glenn finished speaking, the Silent Sword Master Lecross rose to his feet, one knee still on the ground. Despite the gaping wound in his chest, he brought down a heavy sword strike that seemed to make the earth sink beneath it.
A transcendent sword that suppresses the enemy's movements. Lecross must have been preparing this sword strike since he was held by the Angel, for with a single gesture he created a powerful pressure that could shatter the enemy's flesh and bones.
The bodies of Derus and the Angel, which had been fading as if about to disappear, regained their light and fell back into this world. It seemed that Lecross's sword, which had created a powerful gravity, had broken their teleportation magic.
"Kuhek..."
Lecross fell backward, coughing up blood as if he had fulfilled his role. Glenn pointed the Heavenly Tremor at Derus Robert and the Angel who had fallen back to the ground. The red lightning that had been soaking the blade subsided, and the mental image built up by the old swordsman blossomed with the elegant fragrance of hundreds of miles of flowers.
"Hmm..."
Derus Robert swallowed dryly as he watched Glenn's sword technique aimed at him.
'This is dangerous.'
Glenn raised an absolute sword that could cut the enemy's soul by honing his own. It was an unprecedented realm that even he hadn't reached yet. The noble killing intent emanating from the Soul Sword made his heart feel like it was being squeezed tight.
'Is he really going to cut?'
He thought Glenn would never use the completed Soul Sword until Raon's safety was confirmed, as using it would mean leaving this world. But now, Glenn seemed to be genuinely trying to cut his own soul.
"Raguel!"
Derus grabbed the shoulder of the Angel standing beside him and shouted that they needed to leave this place.
"It goes against the rules, but..."
The Angel called Raguel lifted his eyelids. As his blue eyes, reminiscent of the sea, flickered, his and Derus's bodies began to disappear, enveloped in white light.
"I won't let you leave just like that."
Glenn lowered his eyes and slashed with the Heavenly Tremor. A slow sword strike that didn't even make a sound of cutting the wind brushed past Derus and Raguel, who were enveloped in white light. The blade didn't reach them due to the distance, but what the Heavenly Tremor cut wasn't the enemy's flesh and blood.
It cut the soul and mind hidden deep within the body, the most important values that allow a person to exist as a human being.
"Kuhek!"
As soon as Glenn's sword fell, Derus bent over and coughed up black, dead blood.
"This is..."
He trembled his lips, his eyes bloodshot.
"How can a human's sword!"
Raguel also dropped his white wings and fell to one knee. His blue eyes showed shock at the old swordsman. Glenn raised the Heavenly Tremor again, as if it wasn't over yet, and thrust it towards Derus and Raguel's necks.
"The Scales of Rule!"
As Raguel bit his lip and stretched out his hand, a beautiful scales made of what seemed to be angel feathers descended from the sky. The scales swayed as if hit by waves, and Derus and Raguel disappeared as if erased from the world.
"Hmm..."
Glenn couldn't complete his thrust and lowered his hand. Even though he had only swung his sword once, he was sweating all over as if mentally exhausted.
"W-what happened?"
King Lecross, unable to control his body, only raised his head to ask about the situation.
"It's dangerous, don't speak."
Glenn approached King Lecross and tried to stop the blood flowing from the wounds on his chest and shoulder.
"...Are they dead?"
"No, I couldn't cut them completely."
He shook his head as he sheathed the Heavenly Tremor.
'I'm sorry, but I couldn't leave this place yet.'
Having completed the Soul Sword, he could have killed any enemy, but the moment he used that sword, his soul would not be able to stay on this continent and would depart for a higher place. It was the ascension he had longed for all his life, but he couldn't leave this continent now, not knowing the fate of Raon and the other children.
No, apart from that, there was still so much he hadn't taught Raon and Karoon. Right now, he wanted to stay on this land no matter what.
So he deliberately used an incomplete Soul Sword to split Derus's soul only halfway. Even this made his own soul feel like it was about to scatter, but it wasn't a bad result since he could steal the enemy's time.
"I understand..."
King Lecross nodded as if he understood the meaning behind Glenn's words.
"Your Majesty!"
"Are you alright?"
As the barrier created by Raguel disappeared, Owen's knights rushed to King Lecross.
"Your Majesty?"
"T-the wounds are too severe..."
"Quickly, move His Majesty! Hurry!"
The knights, upon seeing the hole in King Lecross's chest, let out deep groans as they carefully lifted him.
"Q-quickly..."
King Lecross stopped the knights and waved his hand at Glenn.
"You should go."
He smiled weakly, telling Glenn to go elsewhere and not worry about him.
"Thank you."
As Glenn nodded, King Lecross closed his eyes, seemingly at ease, and entrusted himself to the knights.
"Mage Tower Master."
At Glenn's call, the air rippled like a spring, and the face of the Mage Tower Master appeared, her robe removed.
[Yes.]
The Mage Tower Master nodded with a sharp voice, unlike her usual vague and drawling tone. She seemed like a completely different person.
"What's the situation elsewhere?"
[Contrary to expectations, neither us, Balkar, nor the Beast Union have been attacked.]
She narrowed her eyes, stating that only Owen had been attacked.
"Hmm..."
Glenn let out a low groan. It was strange that only Owen was attacked when he thought they would strike everywhere simultaneously.
'I can't understand what they're thinking.'
Unable to read Derus's intentions, Glenn felt a tightness in his chest. However, there were more pressing matters at hand. He sighed briefly and raised his head.
"Have you been able to contact Montiro?"
[We still can't reach them. There's no contact from the Black Market either, and the Dimensional Gate is closed.]
She frowned, saying it seemed like the Five Kings' communication network itself was cut off.
"Then, please move me to the closest location to Montiro."
Glenn nodded, forcibly suppressing his trembling heart.
"I think this trembling will only stop if I go there myself."
* * *
A sacred light rose in the dim study where only a small lamp was lit.
"Kuhuk..."
Derus Robert, who emerged from the sphere of white light, collapsed onto the luxurious carpet and coughed up black blood.
"Ugh..."
Raguel also lost his balance and fell backwards, knocking over a bookshelf. His hand, still grasping the feather-made scales, trembled violently.
"Lord Derus?"
Kubara, who had been waiting in the study, approached Derus with wide eyes.
"What on earth happened..."
Despite her confusion, she took out a black pill and put it in Derus's mouth.
"Kugh..."
Only after taking the medicine did Derus seem to feel less pain. He barely lifted his upper body and exhaled a breath mixed with the scent of blood.
"What happened? Don't tell me Glenn Zieghart..."
"Yes. It's the Soul Sword."
Derus nodded weakly, his hand on his chest.
"My soul was nearly severed."
He bit his lip hard, saying it was truly dangerous this time.
"Is this really a human's sword..."
Raguel wiped the blood from his mouth and let out a hollow breath.
"It's a power too dangerous to be allowed to a mere human. It doesn't align with the rules or justice."
He, who had kept his eyes closed calmly even on the battlefield, now showed a terrifying killing intent in his blue eyes, as if truly enraged.
"If that sword had been completed, both you and I would be dead. It's a power that must be eliminated."
Raguel tightened his grip on the scales, insisting that the Soul Sword was a power that should not be given to humans.
"No..."
Derus slowly shook his head as he looked at Raguel.
"It's not that it's incomplete, he deliberately controlled it."
He frowned as if he had realized Glenn's thoughts.
"As you say, that power goes against causality. He set his own limits because using the completed Soul Sword would transcend boundaries and make it impossible to stay on this continent."
Derus let out a sigh, saying that Glenn's level had already surpassed transcendence.
"Of course, even this alone is an absurd power, but..."
Wounds of the soul can't be healed by someone else like physical wounds. One must reduce the pain and injury through their own efforts, but Glenn's sword had cut deeper than before, and it would take quite a long time to recover.
"He's a human who goes against the rules in many ways. We can't leave him be like this."
Raguel lowered his eyebrows, saying it would be right to kill Glenn himself. Rather than his usual calm demeanor, his anger now seemed more like his true nature.
"No, it's fine."
Derus calmly shook his head.
"It's true that he's strong enough to surpass human limits, but thanks to that, we've learned his definite weakness."
"If you mean a weakness..."
Kubara narrowed her eyes as she looked at Derus.
"That old man. His affection for his family has grown even more than before. This will definitely become a dagger we can use against him."
Derus chuckled as he watched the blood dripping from the back of his hand. He licked the blood with his tongue and drew a long smile as if his lips were torn.
"Raon Zieghart. No, Raon. It really won't be long now."
* * *
"Please calm down first and tell me again."
Raon raised his hand to calm the excited Jayna.
"What do you mean there's a problem with the Five Kings? Are you saying the Five Demons attacked?"
"Phew..."
Jayna exhaled as she organized her thoughts.
"It's not necessarily a problem, but it seems like two possible situations. Either the communication network is disrupted due to the demonic energy flowing from the Black Tower's dimension, or the Five Demons attacked the Five Kings and cut off communications. Or it could be both."
She lowered her eyebrows, saying that either way, it seemed clear that the Five Demons were involved.
"The Five Demons..."
Raon frowned as he looked at the sky where demonic energy was still flowing.
'I won't be of much help in my current state.'
Having squeezed out every last bit of his physical and spiritual strength in the fight, he was on the verge of passing out. He was barely holding on to relay information to the Demon Kings, so it was impossible for him to go elsewhere to fight.
'No, not just me, but everyone.'
The Light Wind Palace, Central Martial Palace, and the allied forces of Owen, Balkar, and the Suphren Holy Kingdom had also exhausted all their strength and could no longer fight.
"If communications are cut off, does that mean we can't use the Dimensional Gate either?"
"Yes. We can't come or go right now. We'd need to use separate teleportation magic, but long-distance travel is nearly impossible unless you're at Lady Chamber's level..."
"I see."
Raon lowered his gaze and wrinkled his nose.
'What should we do?'
Knowing Derus Robert, it was more likely that he would go to attack the Five Kings rather than come here to support. Although they had made various preparations, the fight here had been fierce, so he was worried about other places as well.
-What are you hesitating for?
Wrath frowned and pointed at Lust and Gluttony inside the store.
-You've got those suckers you've buttered up right there! Use them when you need to!
'I guess I have no choice but to ask for their help again.'
For now, there was only one option.
"Phew."
Raon let out a short sigh and entered the ice cream shop.
"Thank you for coming all the way here first."
He gave a small nod to Lust, whose eyes were hazily unfocused, and Gluttony, who was chewing on an iron bucket.
"No need to thank us! You can ask us for anything!"
"It's because of the money..."
Lust and Gluttony shook their heads as if it was no big deal.
"It's embarrassing to ask now, but can I make one more request?"
Raon tilted his head towards the two.
"Sure! Anything!"
"If you give us ice cream or money..."
Lust and Gluttony nodded as if it was fine.
"Thanks. We need to move to another location first..."
Raon gave a brief explanation to the two Demon Kings.
"I'll come back after preparations are done, so please wait here."
He left the ice cream shop to bring those who were in good physical condition. Just as they were about to move to the temporary infirmary, a massive explosion was heard from the direction of the central fountain.
"What's that?"
Raon ran towards the fountain where the loud noise had come from, his eyes wide open. The ground was kicking up white dust from the violent movement, and at the center of it all, he saw a very familiar face.
"H-Head of House?"
Glenn, who should have been staying at Zieghart to prepare for attacks elsewhere, was standing on the broken fountain, looking at him.
"Raon..."
Glenn let out a deep sigh as if his chest was tight upon seeing him. He approached Raon, subduing the exhausted look in his eyes.
"I knew you could do it. And..."
Glenn embraced Raon tightly with trembling arms, his voice tinged with emotion.
"I'm so relieved."