With a thunderous crash, Raon gritted his teeth as he blocked the Authority of Sloth that Sloth had unleashed.
'Not yet.'
'I haven't unleashed everything yet. What I gained while training with Glenn and Darkan wasn't just physical and mental growth. It was the reinforcement of Willpower and the Demon Kings' Authority that pairs with it. I learned how to harmonize these two opposing forces.'
With a resonating hum, Raon simultaneously wielded both Willpower and Authority. Though the two forces bared their teeth at each other, they joined forces to overcome the powerful enemy before them. With a sizzling sound, the Divine Sword's flames rose violently like a rising dragon, while the Demonic Sword's frost rippled hazily like a mirror reflecting the abyss.
He channeled the unmixable Willpower and Authority, like oil and water, into his two swords to confront the overwhelming Authority of Sloth.
With a deafening crack, Sloth's Authority, which until now could neither be cut nor blocked, was torn apart like paper before the blades of the Divine and Demonic Swords. The darkness that had rippled as if to submerge the world burned in the flames and crumbled before the frost.
"How... annoying..."
Sloth furrowed his brow and spread both hands. The Authority of Sloth that extended from his fingertips formed a vast black net.
-That guy...
Wrath let out a hollow laugh while looking at Sloth.
-Seems like his pride is a bit hurt?
He chuckled, saying it was the first time he'd seen Sloth show such a reaction.
-It means your Martial Prowess is beyond his expectations.
Wrath nodded, saying it was as good as getting Sloth's acknowledgment.
'It feels good, but this isn't the time to think about that. If I get caught in that...'
Raon bit his lip as he surveyed Sloth's Authority falling like a heavenly net, leaving no room for escape.
'I might just dissolve away.'
The power was so immense that even a mere touch seemed enough to crush both body and soul.
'I can't run away.'
His retreat was already cut off, and he couldn't swing his sword from a better position like before. He had to overcome Sloth's Authority with maximum power right here. With a resonating hum, Raon took a sword stance connecting heaven and earth, positioning the Divine Sword down and the Demonic Sword up.
He unleashed his accumulated aura and Willpower against Sloth's Authority that threatened to devour not just him, but all the northern lands.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Drive, Ten Thousand Blossoms. Raon Zieghart's Sword Style, Void Slash. He unleashed a technique imbued with the pinnacle of martial arts toward the net woven by the Authority of Sloth. The red blade mercilessly burned through Sloth's Authority, while the blue sword energy buried Sloth's power within the cold energy.
Sloth's energy, which had seemed too dense and firm to be torn no matter what, was split apart not by the power imbued in the swords, but by the profound swordsmanship itself.
'I didn't just gain Willpower.'
Raon tensed his fingertips as he watched Sloth's energy dissolve.
'My Ten Thousand Swords mastery has grown even beyond that.'
Just as Glenn had nurtured his Willpower, Darkan had meticulously examined his swordsmanship. Though it had been so difficult he'd wanted to give up at the time, seeing the results now was immensely satisfying.
"Huh...?"
For the first time, a hard glint appeared in Sloth's eyes. He couldn't close his gaping mouth, as if he'd never imagined such an outcome.
-You, you blocked it?
Wrath's blue eyes widened in surprise.
-But you weren't supposed to be able to block it?!
'True.'
Raon smiled wryly and nodded.
'Guess I'm the type who learns best in actual combat.'
Unlike with Glenn and Darkan who had gone easy on him, facing the Authority of Sloth that approached like it would tear his life away, he'd unconsciously found the perfect harmony between the two powers. Even he found it unbelievable.
"So this is the harmony between Willpower and Authority..."
Raon exhaled heavily, his hands trembling as they gripped the two swords.
'This is incredible.'
Though he had grown both energies by constantly making Willpower and Authority clash, this was the first time they had achieved such perfect harmony. His heart raced at the overwhelming power that exceeded his expectations.
'However...'
It wasn't easy to maintain. The stronger his swordsmanship became, the more the backlash affected him. He didn't yet have the strength to fight for a long time.
"Huaaah..."
Sloth slowly shook his head.
"Annoying... I just want to sleep... But... I must... take revenge... for my sleep."
As he rolled his eyes back, the Sturin Mountain began to shake as if it would collapse. With a rushing sound, the Authority of Sloth that had covered the North Sea was sucked back into Sloth. With a crackling sound, the frost of Sturin Mountain that hadn't melted for ten thousand years evaporated without leaving a single drop, as black currents rose throughout the world.
With a resonating hum, Sloth's body was covered in the Authority of Sloth, his skin stained with darkness black as shadows.
"What is this..."
Raon's lips trembled as he watched Sloth transform.
"This is on a completely different level."
The Sloth from moments ago and the Sloth who had now gathered all his power of Sloth before him emitted a terrifying aura as if he had become an entirely different being. It seemed that even sword strikes empowered by Willpower and Authority wouldn't be able to cut through that darkness.
-It's over.
Wrath shook his head as if all hope was lost.
-That guy has completely abandoned his reason.
He shook his head, saying that even pretending to be the demon king of Wrath wouldn't work now.
'Then how am I supposed to stop him?'
-He'll stop on his own after unleashing all his accumulated anger and power.
Wrath shook his head, saying that even Sloth himself couldn't stop now.
-Give your body to me right now! Otherwise, not only you but also the wallet climbing the mountain and those in Habun Castle will die!
He shook his head, saying that a great war could break out here.
-To go berserk like this, Sloth must have been holding back for quite a while.
Wrath shook his head, saying that Sloth seemed to have exploded from being unable to control himself after holding back for so long.
'Still...'
Raon shook his head as he raised his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
'There's a way.'
There was one more thing he hadn't tried yet among what he'd gained during his month of training.
-I told you it won't work! Don't waste your strength and just use the demon king's descent!
Wrath bared his teeth, saying that mutual damage was unavoidable.
'It's okay. I can succeed.'
Raon took a deep breath and fully unleashed the energy of both his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword. A vortex of flames and frost rose above the two blades. With a crackling sound, Sloth extended his lightly clenched fist. Though neither fast nor heavy, his strike engulfed space itself, leaving no room for escape. The air roared with power!
Raon gritted his teeth and swung down both his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
Form Six, Divine-Demonic Harmony Linked Technique, Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
He gathered all the power containing his Sword Domain to block Sloth's fist, but was pushed back by the force. With a thunderous roar, Raon raised his toes and thrust forward both his swords and upper body. That he could barely withstand the fist even after using the Invincible Azure-Red Sword spoke to its ridiculous power.
-You blocked it well, but this is just the beginning!
Wrath shook his head, indicating this was only the start.
-Just surrender your body!
'I still have...'
Raon's clear eyes flashed as he curled his lips.
'One more sword left.'
As he recalled the blade forged from his soul with the hammer of conviction, an invisible sword that no one else could see materialized before his chest.
-You, are you really crazy?
Wrath twirled his finger near his temple.
-What do you think you can do with a Soul Sword that can't even cut properly yet!
'My Soul Sword is certainly weak. However...'
Raon twisted his lips as he faced Sloth's darkly wavering soul.
'What I'm trying to cut isn't Sloth's soul.'
Taking a deep breath, he unleashed his soul-forged Soul Sword. With the sword of the mind that ignored space and time, he cut not Sloth's soul, but the blue current constricting his mind, leaving not a single piece. With a thunderous boom, Sloth, who had been about to blow off Raon's head, staggered and came to a stop.
"Ah..."
Sloth's darkly burning eyes grew dim and finally became blank. The black Authority of Sloth that had enveloped his entire body dissipated like dawn mist.
"What... happened...?"
Sloth blinked at Raon as if he himself didn't know what had happened.
-You, what did you do?
Wrath's jaw trembled in disbelief.
'As you said, I can't cut Sloth's soul or his Sloth. So...'
Raon wiggled his finger as he watched the blinking Sloth.
'I cut away the anger controlling his mind.'
-That, that's possible? How could even a Soul Sword...
Wrath shook his head, finding it even harder to believe.
'Of course it wouldn't work on its own.'
Raon smiled and shook his head.
'You said it yourself. My Sloth is buried under Sloth's original Sloth and can't exert its power...'
He raised the Authority of Wrath with his fingertip.
'I figured the anger eating at Sloth would be nothing but a mere emotion before your Wrath.'
When cutting Sloth's anger just now, he had imbued Wrath's Authority into the Soul Sword. As Wrath had said, a crude emotion couldn't even stir before a demon king's Authority.
'Thank you.'
Raon smiled as he patted Wrath's head.
'Giving me hints to overcome each crisis, you truly are a demon king.'
-That's not true!
Wrath let out a shriek.
-I never wanted to help someone like you!
He flailed his whole body, telling Raon to stop talking nonsense.
"Wrath's vessel..."
Sloth looked at Raon and let out a long breath.
"You've gotten stronger. Much stronger..."
He opened his eyes a bit wider, as if he hadn't even imagined this level of growth. For the demon king of Sloth, this seemed like a dramatic display of emotion.
"Really?"
Raon smiled as he sheathed the Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword, their flames and frost now extinguished.
'Though I'm not yet at the level of the Six Kings and Five Demons' leader or a demon king...'
It seems I've grown stronger than expected?
***
"So..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the base of Sturin Mountain.
"You're saying powerful aura waves kept occurring one after another halfway up the mountain?"
He turned his gaze to Sloth as he asked the question.
"Yes..."
Sloth nodded heavily as if all his strength had drained away. His eyelids began to tremble slightly, showing his sleepiness.
"Yesterday, the day before, this morning too... and evening... it kept... kept... kept exploding..."
Sloth scratched his head, saying the mountain had been shaking non-stop, day and night, for more than just a day or two.
"This would make even a normal person angry, let alone a demon king, right?"
Anyone would be stressed if there was constant thumping from the floor below while trying to sleep or work. Sloth had clearly been driven to the brink of going berserk from enduring this noise disturbance for so long.
-I experience it often too.
Wrath glared at Raon while grinding his teeth.
'You? From whom?'
-From you, of course!
'I've never been that noisy...'
-Just when I try to sleep you swing your sword, and when I try again you practice your footwork, I can't do anything!
He nodded vigorously, saying he could understand how Sloth felt.
"Today... it exploded again, and I... thought it was you..."
Sloth bowed his head apologetically.
"Why did you think it was me?"
Raon tilted his head.
"The aura..."
Sloth continued after a long yawn.
"It was flames and frost..."
He bowed his head again, saying that's why he was mistaken.
"Flames and frost?"
As Raon lowered his eyebrows, Dorian climbed to the summit with trembling legs.
"Y-Young Master. What in the..."
Dorian, perhaps sensing Sloth's Sloth, looked around nervously while sweating profusely.
"Perfect timing."
Raon gestured to Dorian.
"You have a bedding set, right?"
"Y-yes, I do. It's essential equipment."
Dorian nodded, saying it was a necessary item for camping.
"Take out the best ones."
"Yes! Understood."
As soon as he received the supply order, he pulled out pillows, a bed, and blankets as if his fatigue had lifted. They were visibly high-quality items.
"You should sleep first."
Raon patted the bed that Dorian had brought out.
"You must be tired. Let's talk after you get some sleep."
He jerked his chin towards Sloth after telling him to leave the rest to him.
"Is... is this real...?"
Sloth let out a breath of disbelief.
"Of course."
"Thank you... Wrath's vessel... You are strong... and a good human... Thank you..."
After muttering thanks twice, Sloth crawled into bed slowly like the slothful being he was. Snoring could be heard before even a few seconds had passed.
-Didn't you come to ask for a favor?
Wrath shook his head as if asking why Raon wasn't speaking up.
'Sloth isn't in good condition. Besides, if we solve the noise problem, he'll naturally come around, so there's no issue.'
Raon smiled, indicating he had thought it all through.
-You're such a weasel, I swear.
Wrath rolled his eyes in disapproval.
"Wow, asleep as soon as he lay down? That's an enviable talent..."
Dorian sighed, saying he couldn't sleep well these days because he was scared.
"B-but who is this person?"
He smacked his lips curiously.
"The demon king of Sloth."
"Ah, he sleeps quickly because he's the demon king of Sloth. I thought... Eeeeek!"
Dorian was nodding when he suddenly collapsed.
"The demon king of Sloth? Him?"
"Don't wake him. He just managed to fall asleep."
Raon patted Dorian's shoulder and lowered his eyes back to the base of the mountain.
'It doesn't seem difficult, but the problem is not knowing when those auras will appear again.'
According to Sloth, the aura had been bursting forth continuously regardless of day or night, but since he couldn't trust a demon king's sense of time, it was somewhat worrying.
"We'll have to wait here for a while..."
Just as Raon was dusting off his hands and about to sit down, a piercing sound rang out! A red and blue dimension opened halfway up Sturin Mountain, and powerful auras burst forth from within, colliding with each other. The air roared with their impact!
An enormous shock shook the entire mountain. The power was enough to crush one's very soul. This was Martial Prowess that mediocre Transcendents couldn't possibly display.
'So that's the flames and frost Sloth mentioned...'
He could feel both hot and cold energy within the shockwave. He could understand why Sloth had suspected him.
'But that's not all.'
He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip lightly.
'The flames and frost aura are being supported by solid earth energy. That is...'
Raon nodded with certainty.
'Two top-tier Transcendents are fighting.'