Whoosh! Raon trembled as he watched the white aura blazing behind Rector's back.
'This isn't something like aura.'
The energy emanating from Rector's shoulders wasn't merely aura restored through Evelyn's healing. It was a power called vital energy or life force. Like Ramiel, he was drawing upon his own vitality to try to stop Derus Robert.
"Grandfather!"
Raon grabbed Rector's shoulder to stop him.
"What are you doing right now!"
Though Raon tightened his grip on Rector's shoulder, begging him to stop, Rector seemed to have no intention of stopping as he emitted even stronger life energy.
"The person who will die here has already been decided."
Rector roughly pushed Raon away, as if he had already resolved to burn away his own life.
"Don't you have things you need to do in the future?"
He waved the hand holding his sword, urging Raon to step back.
"Grandfather, you also have things you need to do!"
Raon bit his lip as he looked at Rector.
"I have only you all."
Rector turned to look at Raon very slowly.
"If you all can live and smile, that is my happiness and my dream."
He smiled more clearly than ever before, as if that was truly all he needed.
"Ah..."
Raon's chin trembled as he looked at Rector's face, which seemed to be glowing.
'It feels like he could disappear at any moment.'
Beyond just consuming his vitality, Rector was radiating such a brilliant light that it seemed as if his very soul might be erased from reality. Just looking at him made it hard to breathe.
'No.'
Raon bit his lip until it bled as he grasped the Heavenly Drive.
'I can't let Grandfather go like this!'
Living his second life, he had finally created a family and found people to love. He couldn't let Derus take away what was most precious to him again. With a hiss, Raon gripped the Heavenly Drive in reverse and raised it above his head.
'The only way to overcome this situation is the Demon King's Descent.'
He calmly lowered his chin as he looked at Wrath. Honestly, he wasn't sure if even the Demon King's Descent could push back Derus, but there was no other option now.
'You can help me, right?'
-I can help you.
Wrath nodded calmly, as if he had anticipated this choice.
-However, you will lose much of what you've built up until now. You'll become weaker than you were before the war with the White Blood Religion.
He rolled his eyes as if asking if Raon would still go through with it.
'It doesn't matter.'
As long as he didn't lose the ability to wield a sword again, it would be fine. A path once traveled could be walked more quickly the second time.
-You're a fool, after all.
Wrath smiled faintly and nodded.
-Start immediately. Before your old man becomes a withered tree.
'Thank you.'
Just as Raon nodded and was about to pierce his abdomen with the Heavenly Drive, a thunderous applause rang out from the space where deadly killing intent had been emanating. Clap! Clap! Clap! The one applauding was Derus Robert. With formality, he clapped using the same hands he had been about to attack Raon with.
"Hmm?"
Rector stopped burning his vitality and furrowed his brow. His expression showed he had no idea what Derus was thinking.
"I'm impressed."
Derus stopped clapping and gently curled his lips upward.
"It was a scene that instantly made me understand what human—no, familial love is."
He nodded broadly, saying he was moved by Rector's sacrifice.
"I believe I've witnessed the downfall of many families, and the end was mostly the same."
Derus raised his long, thin finger.
"Those who proclaimed family to be important tended to prioritize their own lives instead. Some would offer their sons' and daughters' hearts to survive, while others would bring their parents' severed heads."
He revealed his white teeth as if watching such scenes had been tremendously enjoyable.
"But you all are willing to sacrifice your lives for each other. As this is a genuine family I haven't seen in a long time, my heart is trembling too."
Derus nodded, saying he was genuinely touched by Raon and Rector's behavior.
"What are you plotting."
Rector didn't fall for Derus's words and tightened his grip on his sword.
"I mean exactly what I said. I was moved by your family love."
Derus smiled, saying he wanted to give praise for witnessing something beautiful.
"Bullshit!"
Raon stepped forward, grinding his teeth.
"What nonsense are you spouting, you who abandoned your own family and house with your own hands!"
He shouted in rage, venting the resentment from his past life when he had been used by Derus and then discarded.
"You're making a grave misunderstanding. I, too, cherish and love my family and subordinates just like others. It's just..."
Derus calmly shook his head while maintaining his smile.
"I simply had things that were more precious to me."
He lowered his hand, saying everyone simply prioritizes different values.
"Wouldn't you understand?"
Derus looked down at Raon and tilted his chin. In his brilliantly blue eyes, it seemed like a devil who treated people like insects was smiling.
"Yes. I know very well. What kind of monster you are."
Raon glared at Derus, grinding his molars. He wanted to gouge out the man's eyes and slit his throat right now, but it was painfully frustrating that he couldn't do so with his current abilities.
"Currently, I'm surrounded only by people colder than myself, so I've missed this kind of passion."
Derus raised the hand that had been emanating killing intent and placed it over the left side of his chest.
"It feels good to experience human emotions after such a long time."
He calmly nodded as he looked at Rector, who was frowning.
"In return, I won't kill you all right now."
As Derus flickered his finger, Rector's violently blazing vitality began to subside.
"W-what is this..."
Rector exhaled empty air as he felt the vitality he had been burning return to his soul. It seemed he too sensed that Derus had become something different from before.
"You..."
Raon bit his lip firmly as he glared at Derus.
"What are you thinking right now."
The Derus Robert he knew wasn't someone who would leave potential future problems unresolved. If both he and Rector recovered from their injuries, they could potentially face an Archangel or a top Transcendent in the future. He couldn't understand why Derus wouldn't kill them now.
"As I mentioned..."
Derus lightly waved his hand.
"I'm simply satisfied with experiencing uniquely human emotions after such a long time."
He slowly closed and opened his eyes, insisting that was truly all there was to it.
-It is absolutely a lie!
Wrath shouted not to believe him at all, shaking his head vigorously.
-Aren't those gleaming eyes of his screaming that he's lying!
He ground his teeth as he glared at Derus Robert's blue eyes.
'I know it too. He definitely has other intentions.'
Derus was a monster without a human heart. There was no way he could feel emotions like being touched or feeling good.
"You're a scoundrel who has hidden motives and only uses polite speech when you're at ease."
Raon twisted his lips as he looked up at Derus.
"I know your pathetic habit of dropping honorifics and spewing curses the moment you're cornered. Who are you trying to fool?"
Derus Robert was the kind of person who would use polite speech even to a child when in a good mood, but would immediately drop formalities and spew vulgarities when his plans were disrupted or when something unexpected happened—a narrow-minded weasel.
Seeing him use polite speech to Raon and Rector, who had repeatedly foiled his plans, made it clear he was hiding various intentions.
"Of course, there were such times. However..."
Derus gently shook his head.
"The current me is quite different from that time."
He smiled, claiming he had achieved many changes in himself.
"B-bullshit. You who even used the Leader of the White Blood Religion, what nonsense!"
Martha wrinkled her nose bridge and shouted at him not to talk nonsense.
"Y-you're lying..."
Even Dorian overcame his fear to call it a lie, which meant not a single person present believed Derus's words.
"Of course, I'm not saying I'll just let you go."
Derus Robert lightly wiggled his finger.
"No matter how good I felt, my precious ally died, so I must extract a suitable price."
He pointed at the body of Archangel Ramiel, still burning in flames.
"Price?"
Raon repeated Derus's words with a furrowed brow.
"Yes. There's a martial art I've recently learned. I'd like to test it."
Derus Robert spread his palm wide. Whoosh! An invisible, formless energy rose above his hand. It was so sharp and ice-cold that merely sensing its presence raised goosebumps on their arms.
"They call this the Soul Sword. You two would know it well, wouldn't you?"
Derus curled his lips upward as he pointed the Soul Sword at Raon and Rector.
"S-Soul Sword..."
Rector's jaw trembled as he finally sensed what change had occurred in Derus.
'...What is that bastard really thinking?'
Raon ground his teeth as he felt Derus's Soul Sword.
'He's openly revealing his Soul Sword?'
He would have understood if Derus concealed his martial prowess level and put on an act, but seeing him openly admit to acquiring the Soul Sword made things even more ominous. The hairs all over his body stood on end, and chilling shivers seemed to run down his spine one after another.
"If you can withstand my Soul Sword, I'll spare everyone here."
Derus turned his gaze to Rector, suggesting a one-on-one wager.
"Withstand the Soul Sword?"
Raon clenched his teeth.
"How can you ask someone completely exhausted to withstand a sword that cuts the soul!"
He waved his hand, shouting at Derus not to talk nonsense.
"I haven't mastered the Soul Sword for long. It's still weak with a dull blade."
Derus shrugged, claiming his achievement with the Soul Sword was modest.
"Fine."
Rector nodded immediately without any objection.
"Come at me as much as you want."
He raised his chin with clenched fists, as if he truly didn't mind dying.
"Grandfather!"
Raon approached Rector and grabbed his hand.
"It's alright. Right now, I can endure anything."
Though his legs and arms were trembling from exhaustion, Rector showed his usual smile.
"Even a Soul Sword cannot bring me down."
He asked Raon to believe in him and turned his head again. Thwack! Raon chewed his lips as he looked at Rector's back, then raised his hand and struck Rector's neck.
"Ah..."
Caught off guard by the blow to the back of his neck, Rector collapsed without any resistance.
"I'm sorry."
Raon bowed his head as he caught the falling Rector.
"But I can't let you die, Grandfather."
Rector had never experienced the Soul Sword before, and his soul was currently severely diminished. If Derus attacked him now, he would definitely die. Raon absolutely didn't want to watch his grandfather die before his eyes.
"I'll receive your Soul Sword."
Raon stepped forward in front of where Rector had been standing and tilted his chin.
"Not bad."
Derus smiled thinly and nodded.
"I was hoping for you from the beginning."
The moment he saw Derus's smile, Raon felt a chilling blade penetrating his physical body. Whoosh! Derus Robert's Soul Sword had pierced through space-time and reached before Raon's soul.
'Only a Soul Sword can block another Soul Sword.'
Raon summoned the sword of his heart, forged from his soul, to block Derus's Soul Sword. Clang! A massive impact that twisted the soul of a Transcendent erupted as the two Soul Swords collided. Zzzzzzt! The two Soul Swords didn't bounce off each other like physical swords but began to adhere to each other like magnets.
'T-this is...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he felt his Soul Sword being pulled toward Derus.
'My Soul Sword is being sucked into Derus's Soul Sword!'
When Soul Swords clash, a battle of willpower built by the swordsmen should occur, but now a completely different situation was unfolding. His Soul Sword was being rapidly absorbed as if being sucked into Derus.
'Even if Derus's Soul Sword has an absorption property, this doesn't make sense.'
Derus's Soul Sword couldn't possibly be stronger than his own. Derus learned the Soul Sword after fighting Darkan. He had mastered it much later than Raon, so it was incomprehensible that he had not just caught up but surpassed him.
"Excellent."
Derus twisted his lips upward with an ecstatic expression.
"Finally, I'll be able to discover who you are and what you're hiding."
He smirked as if he intended to read Raon's life through the Soul Sword forged from his soul.
'This is bad...'
Raon clenched his teeth and resonated his Ring of Fire, but he couldn't stop his Soul Sword from being sucked into Derus. He only managed to slow its speed.
"It's over."
Just as Derus was about to grasp Raon's Soul Sword that had come right up to him, swoosh! The connection between Raon and Derus's Soul Swords was thinly severed as if cut by a blade.
"Hmm!"
For the first time, Derus widened his eyes as he stared at the severed connection between the Soul Swords.
"He's finally here!"
Evelyn, who had been quiet until now, clasped her hands together with a bright smile. The mana flowing through her fingertips opened a Dimensional Gate burning with blue light. A massive gate large enough for giants to pass through opened, and an elderly swordsman with golden hair and red eyes flashing with crimson lightning stepped out.
"You again."
Glenn Zieghart. The Continent's greatest sword stood before Derus, wrapped in fury.
'Haa...'
Raon exhaled a sigh of relief at Glenn's appearance and looked up at Derus.
'Now he'll... huh?'
What's this? Until now, Derus had always panicked and looked for a chance to flee whenever he faced Glenn.
"It's been a while."
But now, he was wearing a deep smile as if he had been waiting for Glenn all along.
"Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart."