"You...."
Raon exhaled sharply as he looked at Darkan's face.
"How are your eyes...?"
Unlike before, Darkan's eyes were now fully visible, no longer covered by an eye patch.
"This is my mental world."
Darkan pointed to the gray ground with his finger, curling his lips upward.
"It's a space that reflects the soul, not the physical body, so it's not strange that my eyes are here."
"The mental world..."
Raon furrowed his brow as he looked around the space filled with only gray ground.
"Don't tell me you're trying to get revenge for that time."
Raon thought Darkan might have brought him to his mental world to get revenge for when they met at the Holy Sword Alliance's Holy Ground, where Darkan had tested him and accidentally touched Wrath's soul, getting pulled into his mental world.
"No."
Darkan shook his head firmly.
"Didn't I tell you? I said I'd repay you for your help. Besides..."
He smiled slightly as he looked at Raon.
"Why would I seek revenge for that? It was incredibly helpful to me."
"It was incredibly helpful?"
"Yes. Thanks to that experience, I was able to find a clue to create my own Soul Sword."
Darkan laughed, saying he actually wanted to thank Wrath.
"What do you mean by your own Soul Sword?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Darkan's relaxed expression.
"Isn't the Soul Sword just a martial art that cuts the enemy's soul?"
"I thought so too."
Darkan calmly rubbed his chin.
"Your grandfather's Soul Sword is the ultimate form of that image. If he hadn't tried to cut multiple people at once, I wouldn't exist in this world anymore."
He sighed, saying Glenn's Soul Sword was more than just a mythical instant-death magic.
"That was the only Soul Sword I had seen, so at first, I followed that path too. But..."
Darkan stroked his neatly trimmed chin.
"It's not fun."
"What?"
Raon blinked as he watched Darkan lower his hand.
"What do you mean it's not fun...?"
"Exactly what I said. Learning the Soul Sword is enjoyable above all else, but the moment of actually using it to cut someone's soul is so fleeting that it feels empty."
Darkan clicked his tongue, saying it didn't suit his personality.
"I'm different from your grandfather. My goal isn't to kill the enemy perfectly. I want to see what kind of swordsmanship they've learned and how. I want to see the culmination of the swordsman's efforts."
A red gleam of excitement flared in his eyes.
"So after being defeated by the Blue King inside you, I came up with my own Soul Sword."
"Don't tell me this is..."
Raon muttered that he finally understood as he lowered his gaze to the gray ground.
"That's right. My Soul Sword doesn't cut the enemy's soul, but pulls it into my mental world."
Darkan nodded, saying he was able to create this kind of Soul Sword thanks to his experience with Wrath.
"Here, we clash sword against sword, and soul against soul."
He curled his lips, saying it was no different from heaven.
"What do you think? Doesn't it sound delightful?"
"Ha!"
Raon burst into laughter as he looked at Darkan, who was smiling without a trace of dust.
"You madman..."
He couldn't help but call him insane. The Soul Sword was supposed to be the final stage of swordsmanship where one hones their own soul to instantly split the enemy's soul. That was how Glenn used it, and that was the direction Raon was pursuing.
But Darkan had created this absurd Soul Sword, not to kill the enemy, but to taste and feel their swordsmanship more perfectly.
In a way, it seemed more like a Sword Domain than a Soul Sword.
"Of course, this Soul Sword doesn't always succeed."
Darkan continued, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"At minimum, one must possess a Transcendent-level soul to be brought into this world. Souls below that level are too weak and die before they can be pulled in."
He smiled thinly, saying that's why he hadn't thought of calling Raon here from the beginning.
"I see..."
Raon massaged his temples, feeling a throbbing in his mind.
"It really is a Soul Sword that suits you perfectly."
If Wrath had seen this, he would have repeatedly called Darkan insane, but to Raon, it seemed like an ability that suited Darkan all too well.
"But your mental world is quite simple. The ground color is unique, but there's nothing else here."
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he scanned the world that showed only gray ground.
"What are you talking about?"
Darkan shook his head as if Raon was seeing it wrong.
"What you're standing on isn't ground, it's a sword."
"A, a sword?"
Raon widened his eyes as he looked at the gray ground again.
"Follow me."
Darkan beckoned with his finger and floated up into the air.
"Hmm..."
Raon smacked his lips briefly before following Darkan into the sky.
"This should be high enough. Look down."
After rising high into the sky for a while, Darkan lowered his hand, telling Raon to look down. Following his words, Raon looked down to see that what had appeared to be ground was actually in the shape of a massive sword.
"Insane..."
Raon couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
'It really was a sword?'
As Darkan had said, what he had been standing on wasn't ground, but a massive, sharply honed sword. Now he understood why the floor had been gray.
'This is beyond being obsessed with swords.'
He had entered others' mental worlds a few times before, but this was the first time he had seen someone so singularly focused. It felt like looking at a beast rather than a human.
"You..."
Raon exhaled sharply as he looked at Darkan.
"Do you like swords that much?"
He had been called sword-obsessed many times himself, but not to Darkan's extent.
'No, such a question is unnecessary.'
Darkan was a person who, despite being one of the strongest on the continent, had learned to be a beggar, even getting slapped by Raon, to improve his swordsmanship. Seeing that he had created an ability not to kill enemies with his Soul Sword, but to see more swordsmanship, it was clear he was obsessed with swords to a degree Raon couldn't match.
"Yes. All my interests and curiosities are about swords."
Darkan twisted his lips, saying his hobby and specialty were both swordsmanship.
"If I could display the ultimate sword with my own hands, I'd be content to die right here and now."
He smiled serenely as he looked at the massive sword he had forged himself.
'Saying he's obsessed with swords isn't enough. But...'
Raon smacked his lips as he looked at Darkan's eyes, surrounded by heat.
'Come to think of it, I'm similar.'
If Darkan had created his mental world with one massive sword, Raon had filled his with countless swords and sword techniques. The texture was different, but the ideal they pursued was similar.
'If I didn't have the goal of getting revenge on Derus Robert, my goal might have been the ultimate sword like Darkan.'
As he had found practicing swordsmanship fun and happy rather than difficult and boring, he could somewhat understand Darkan's feelings now. He had put it off because he had something he needed to accomplish even if he died twice, but if he had lived an ordinary life, he might have thought only about swords like Darkan.
"Now that I've seen all of your mental world, let's begin."
Raon placed his hand on the Heavenly Drive as he looked at Darkan.
"I don't need to say much to you, which is truly pleasing."
Darkan nodded with a smile.
"What you need to do is simple. Just engage in swordsmanship with me until you leave this world."
He waved his hand as if the mere thought was delightful.
"Sounds good."
Raon smiled as he drew the Heavenly Drive from his waist.
"Since I've come this far, I should show all the swordsmanship I have."
"I thought you would understand me."
Darkan nodded as he summoned a black sword in mid-air.
"Then let's begin."
As Darkan's voice lowered, his aura, no, the caliber of his soul increased frighteningly. The overwhelming aura shook the massive mental world. The fool who had been discussing beggars with him no longer existed.
The Dark Night Sword God Darkan, who made bones and flesh tremble just by looking at him, had descended before his eyes.
"I'll go first."
Darkan gripped his black sword with his right hand and smiled chillingly. His tone was firm, saying he wouldn't yield as a senior, but it suited him too well.
"Since it's come to this…"
Raon twisted his lips and deflected Darkan's sword with his footwork.
"Let's enjoy it to the fullest."
***
Raon exhaled a turbid breath as he clashed swords with Darkan head-on.
'How much time has passed?'
He wasn't sure if hours or even days had passed. He had been crossing swords with Darkan without paying attention to time, so he had no sense of how long it had been since he came here.
"I didn't know even the soul could get tired."
His vision was shaking and his body made of soul wasn't moving properly, perhaps because the time he could stay in this world was running out. Even though Darkan had been controlling his strength as they fought, it seemed it would have ended much sooner if they had fought properly.
"It seems you've reached your limit."
Darkan clicked his tongue as he lowered his sword.
"Well, you must be tired. No one has lasted as long as you in this world."
He exclaimed in amazement that it was rather surprising Raon had stayed in this world for so long.
"It's a strange thing. How can a young man who's barely over 20 have a soul greater than even martial prowess?"
Darkan exhaled sharply, saying Raon's soul caliber was more astonishing than his martial prowess.
"From now on, it might be better for you to refine that soul rather than swordsmanship..."
"Hey."
Raon exhaled briefly and called out to Darkan.
"As you said, there's not much time left, so we're not going to finish with just chatter, are we?"
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive towards Darkan and jerked his chin.
"I still have one last sword left."
He had shown all the sword techniques he had learned while dueling with Darkan here, but he hadn't shown one last sword technique. It seemed he would only be satisfied after pouring that out.
"Ha! Hahahahaha!"
Darkan burst into laughter that shook this space, grabbing his forehead.
"There was someone even more obsessed with swords than me!"
He nodded as if he was pleased rather than angry.
"Good. Come."
Darkan spread his arms as if he would receive everything.
"You'd better be careful."
Raon bit his lip as he gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands.
"This time will be different."
As Darkan's voice sank, his aura, no, the caliber of his soul increased frighteningly. The overwhelming aura shook the massive mental world. The fool who had been discussing beggars with him no longer existed.
"Beyond my expectations!"
Darkan smiled, baring his teeth in excitement.
"I'll receive it!"
He brought down his black sword towards Raon's endlessly rising Sword Domain. The desire and will of a swordsman who had walked only one path his entire life became black flames and fell. As the golden flash and black radiance collided, Darkan's mental world made only of swords shattered into thousands of pieces.
When Raon opened his eyes, feeling his soul twisting, he saw Darkan with his eyes covered by an eye patch.
"Ugh!"
Raon clutched his chest and fell to his knees on the floor strewn with building debris.
'Have I returned?'
It seemed he had been shocked in Darkan's mental world and returned to reality.
"Raon!"
Rector, who had been watching the match, ran to him and supported him.
"What happened?"
He bit his lip, looking at Raon with worried eyes.
-You. Where have you been!
Wrath struck Raon's shoulder.
-Your soul disappeared from this world for about a minute!
He frowned, saying he would have eaten Raon's body if he had been a little later.
"I went to Darkan's mental world."
-Mental world?
"M-mental world?"
"Actually..."
Raon told Rector and Wrath what had happened in Darkan's mental world.
"Huh..."
Rector exhaled sharply, as if he hadn't even thought of such a thing.
-Insane... I can only say he's truly insane!
Wrath panted, dumbfounded to hear that Darkan's Soul Sword had changed because of him.
-A madman who perfectly matches you has finally appeared!
He bit his lip, saying Raon and Darkan were on the same level.
"It was a splendid sword."
Darkan nodded calmly, as if satisfied.
"The only pity is that I saw it before it was completed."
He briefly smacked his lips, seeming to have noticed that Heaven's Rift wasn't a completed sword.
"If I may offer one piece of advice, your final sword didn't include a Soul Sword. If you harmonize it with a Soul Sword, it will become another sword entirely."
Darkan offered advice on how to develop Heaven's Rift, waving his hand.
"Soul Sword..."
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Darkan's smile.
'Indeed, I didn't have the luxury for that.'
As he couldn't yet create a Soul Sword with his own power, he hadn't even thought of incorporating the flow of a Soul Sword into Heaven's Rift. If he improved that aspect, it seemed another Heaven's Rift would be created, as Darkan said.
"Thanks for the advice. However..."
Raon jerked his chin at Darkan.
"Heaven's Rift has no end. It's a sword that will rise higher than completion."
"A sword that will rise higher than completion..."
Darkan smiled joyfully, as if recalling the Heaven's Rift he had seen at the end.
"That's quite the confidence. But you're not wrong."
He nodded as if looking forward to that day.
"And you said you were going to teach me, but it seems you enjoyed it more?"
"Perhaps."
Darkan chuckled, not seeming embarrassed at all.
"But I'll definitely keep the other promise."
He jerked his chin at Raon.
"Derus Robert. I'll stop him."
Darkan smacked his lips as he said he would keep that promise. He seemed to be looking forward to Derus's swordsmanship.
"I'll trust you."
Raon took out a transparent marble from his subspace pouch and threw it to Darkan.
"I'll contact you with that when I have a plan, so keep it on you."
"Well, since I have to leave this place, it will be necessary."
Darkan said it was a good idea as he put the marble in his bosom.
"You're leaving?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, I've gained enlightenment as a beggar, so now I need to find another path."
He was already looking for a new path, even though he had just gained enlightenment.
"What are you going to do next?"
"Well? I've been a king, and I've been a beggar, so maybe I'll try starting an ordinary family?"
Darkan smiled faintly as he looked at the houses around.
"It seems one of the reasons your grandfather reached his current level is because of you."
He waved his hand, saying it might not be bad to create a family for that purpose.
"If you're going to do it, do it properly, and if not, don't do it at all."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"A family isn't something you create alone. If you can't be sincere to others, you'll be making the same mistake as when you were pretending to be a beggar."
He lowered his eyebrows, telling Darkan to think about responsibility first if he was going to start a family.
"I know. I learned that from you."
Darkan nodded as if telling Raon not to worry.
"Well then."
He waved his hand as if saying goodbye and disappeared into a dark alley. The way he left without any lingering attachment suited his title of Dark Night Sword God perfectly. Of course, he was still in the appearance of a beggar wearing rags.
"Well, it seems to have ended well."
Rector sighed in relief as if it was fortunate.
"Yes. Actually, I thought it would be a great gain just to succeed in persuading him, but I gained other benefits as well."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"Other benefits?"
"Yes. As I told you, thanks to being pulled into Darkan's mental world, my swordsmanship improved a lot."
Darkan had brought him into his mental world for his own enjoyment, but Raon had also been able to elevate his Ten Thousand Swords by exchanging swords with a top-tier Transcendent.
-Hmph. Even so, it doesn't mean much. It's not an enlightenment, nor did you gain a trait...
As Wrath was snorting and shaking his head, the rewards for this incident came pouring in.
[You have engaged in a soul competition with a powerful being who has reached the sky.]
[All abilities increase by 20 points.]
[The caliber of your soul greatly increases.]
[The realm of Ten Thousand Swords significantly rises.]
[The grade of the trait
As if mocking Wrath, the rewards for this incident came pouring in.
-Huh? Wh-what? Why suddenly...
Wrath widened his eyes as he looked at the messages, dumbfounded.
'As expected, Wrath gives generously.'
Raon smiled as he looked at Wrath's trembling mouth.
'Your mouth is my fortune. Thank you.'
-This isn't what I meant!
Wrath's scream echoed through the back alleys of the royal capital, as if commemorating the new bond with Darkan.