30 minutes earlier.
As soon as Raon sensed the ripples of aura emanating from upstream of the Lable River, he suppressed his presence. He channeled the energy of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier into his energy center, using the Ring of Fire to even suppress his soul's aura.
'How's this?'
Raon gestured to Wrath, who was muttering about wanting to eat mint chocolate.
-Still far from enough.
Wrath shook his head, indicating that level wouldn't suffice.
-It might work for those at your level, but Transcendent Warriors like old man Nadine bread would spot you instantly.
He licked his lips, saying they could find you even in the midst of battle.
'No choice then.'
Raon turned his gaze to Flumen, who was peeking out.
"Flumen, I need your help."
"Okay. Don't worry!"
Flumen nodded reassuringly and spread his webbed hands. Light emanating from his palms connected with the river water, producing a blue mist. The faint mist rose up, following the young Blue Lugh's gestures to envelop Raon, dyeing him the same color as the river.
"Wow..."
Raon let out a breath as he looked at his arm, which had become as transparent as sunlight reflecting off water.
'Incredible.'
Flumen's magic didn't just create camouflage; it suppressed Raon's entire presence to below that of an ant. This water magic was also why Merlin hadn't been discovered by the Specters and undead army.
'How about now?'
-That little rascal is truly something.
Wrath's eyes widened in disbelief.
-Your presence is practically indistinguishable from water now. At this level, even your old man would have trouble finding you unless he really focused.
He shook his head, saying even Glenn would struggle to find him on the battlefield.
'That's Flumen for you.'
Raon lightly tapped Wrath's forehead before descending into the river. With preparations complete, it was time to head to the battlefield.
"Let's go, Flumen."
"Okay."
Flumen nodded and took my hand. He guided me swiftly through the river water. Thanks to the water magic, we arrived at the battlefield between Glenn and the South-North Union in no time, even without using aura. Raon used the Evil Eye of Wrath instead of aura to survey the battlefield.
Glenn's swordsmen were overwhelming the South-North Union with their formidable strength. It was no exaggeration to say that Glenn dominated this battlefield.
-My subordinates are over there!
'Burren, Martha, Runaan...'
Following Wrath's words, I shifted my gaze to the inner part of the South-North Union headquarters. There, I saw the three squad leaders of the Light Wind division. Burren, Martha, and Runaan were sweeping through the South-North Union, emanating a terrifyingly fierce aura. The Light Wind division swordsmen followed their leaders, slaughtering the Water Demons. I could sense that everyone's martial prowess had grown significantly.
'Is it because of me?'
As I was pondering this strange occurrence, I noticed a golden-haired woman with melancholic eyes standing next to the Light Wind division, holding her sword upright.
-That's Mother!
'Huh, why is Mother...'
It was Sylvia. She, who should have been in Zieghart, was now protecting the Light Wind division. My heart began to race uncontrollably.
-It's all because of you! Why did you have to sleep for so long!
'Well...'
I wanted to rush over and hold Sylvia's sorrowful hands, but I couldn't do that now. There was something I had to do first. I bit my lip until it bled and turned my gaze away. I clenched my fist as I watched Glenn and Dranos clashing swords and spears at the center of the river.
'I need to go there.'
Derus Robert would have already positioned himself on this battlefield, waiting for Glenn to show an opening. Because I was much slower than him, I needed to prepare in advance. Suppressing my desire to meet Sylvia and the Light Wind division, I nodded to Flumen.
"Okay."
Flumen nodded and took me to the battlefield where Glenn and Dranos were fighting. Even underwater, the pressure from the aura waves generated by the Transcendent Warriors felt like it could crush my entire body.
If Flumen hadn't been using water magic to protect me, I might have lost an arm or leg since I couldn't use my aura.
'Are you okay?'
'Yes.'
Despite clearly being in severe pain, Flumen smiled as if everything was fine.
-That Flumen kid. He's grown quite strong.
For the first time, Wrath properly called Flumen by name and nodded. (E/N: until now he did not properly call him "Flumen" even if I sometimes translated it as Flumen anyway since I didn't know how to translate it better)
-When I first saw him, he was just a scared little brat, but he's changed beyond recognition.
He smiled faintly, seeming impressed.
'I'm sorry.'
Raon grasped Flumen's shoulder. He felt nothing but remorse towards Flumen, Sylvia, the Light Wind division, Glenn, and all of Zieghart's swordsmen. But he couldn't reveal himself yet.
'I have to catch Derus first.'
Not revealing himself now wasn't just about revenge. If Derus escaped here, he would continue to manipulate the entire Six Kings. Raon needed to either kill him or at least create evidence to reveal his true identity. As Glenn and Dranos unleashed their full power, the pressure intensified.
Blood seeped from Raon's uninjured chest.
'Ugh...'
As Raon held Flumen's hand, desperately enduring, Glenn activated his Sword Domain.
'Here it comes.'
Tensing his entire body, Raon very slowly drew his Heavenly Drive. Glenn's Unblemished Perfection overwhelmed Dranos. Just as Glenn was about to deliver the final blow with his divine sword, Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier aura he had suppressed to their extreme and rose to the surface.
'It'll be too late if I react after seeing it.'
Derus would be aiming for the moment Glenn unleashed his divine sword. Since he was faster than Raon, Raon had to predict his movements and swing his sword preemptively. As he neared the surface, Raon sensed a surge of death aura rushing towards Glenn's back; as expected, Derus was targeting the moment Glenn used his divine sword.
Sword Domain: Heaven's Rift. The instant Derus's blade was about to pierce Glenn's back, Raon opened his upper dantian. He poured out all the energy and martial arts he had accumulated, bringing forth his mental world into reality. A majestic golden dawn emitting brilliant light intercepted the blade imbued with death aura.
A crimson shockwave erupted between the clashing swords, creating pitch-black cracks as if the world itself was being torn apart.
"H-How did you...!"
Derus's eyes, visible through the blue Dragon helmet, shook violently as if struck by lightning.
"This is as far as you go."
Raon channeled even the exhilarating emotion from Derus's shock into his Heavenly Drive as wrath. However, the death aura Derus unleashed was so powerful that Raon couldn't hold out for long, even with the element of surprise. Black blood spurted from his mouth, and he felt pain as if his limbs were about to be severed.
'Just a little longer! I just need to hold on a bit more!'
Glenn should be able to change the direction of his divine sword in this fleeting moment while Raon held out. Raon turned his gaze to meet Glenn's eyes. Though surprised, Glenn understood Raon's intention and twisted his wrist.
The direction of the divine sword distorted. The invincible sword strike that had been aimed solely at Dranos now extended towards the space where Derus was
"Ugh!"
"You're not getting away."
As Derus tried to retreat, abandoning his sneak attack, Raon stepped forward. The flames and frost emanating from the Heavenly Drive created a terrifying shockwave that engulfed Derus's entire body.
* * *
"The thunder god sinks into the river, and the burning sword shatters..."
Thespian Emperor Ariel recited the lyrics from the Celestial Scriptures that foretold Glenn's death and Zieghart's downfall, arms crossed.
"Perhaps I should have accepted his proposal after all."
The man in the blue Dragon helmet hadn't just been selling information; he had made a proposal to the White Whale. At the time, she had rejected it due to lack of trust, but seeing this prophecy of Glenn's death made her think accepting might have been the right choice.
'The current Five Divine Orders are in an ambiguous state in many ways.'
While the Five Divine Orders had their own Transcendent Warriors, their strength paled in comparison to that of the Six Kings and Five Demons. Especially since the Pirate King was Alice Zieghart's subordinate, and the Demonblade had lost an arm and couldn't exert his full power, future decisions were crucial.
"Haah."
Ariel sighed deeply, lowering her hand.
'I suppose there's no choice.'
Zieghart represented more than a quarter of the Six Kings' strength. With Ogram already defeated, if Glenn fell as well, the balance of power would be irreparably shattered.
"I need to make preparations."
Just as she reached this conclusion and was about to close the Celestial Scriptures, something strange occurred. The blood that had inscribed Glenn and Zieghart's downfall seemed to come alive, rising and intertwining to form someone's face.
A face drenched in crimson, with piercing blue eyes and horns protruding from the head. It was the visage of a demon, not a human.
The blood drew the demon's long, torn mouth before ripping through the pages of the Celestial Scriptures and splattering outward.
"Hah!"
Ariel's lips trembled as she looked at the desk, now in disarray due to the blood.
"T-This is..."
Such an occurrence had happened only once in her life - when she had tried to read Raon Zieghart's heaven's flow.
'He must have saved him!'
Judging by the torn pages of the Celestial Scriptures, it was clear that Raon, who was thought to be dead, had pulled Glenn Zieghart back from the brink of death.
"Ah..."
A chill ran down her spine, and cold sweat poured from her entire body.
"Raon Zieghart."
Ariel's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, her teeth chattering.
"Just what are you..."
* * *
Raon raised his heavy head to look at the space where Glenn's divine sword had passed. Dranos was leaning on his spear, his upper body covered in blood, while Derus Robert's abdomen had been torn open, spilling a terrifying amount of blood.
However, his blue Dragon helmet only had a slight crack, still concealing his face.
"Raon..."
As Glenn reached out to Raon, calling his name, black blood spurted from his mouth. It seemed the internal injuries from forcibly changing the direction of his divine sword had worsened.
"Y-You're alive..."
Glenn's lips trembled, more moved by Raon's return than concerned about his own injuries. Not just him, but everyone at the South-North Union headquarters stared wide-eyed in this direction. Sylvia, Martha, and Yua shed tears, Rimmer and Burren shouted something, while Runaan and Mark Goetun silently bit their lips.
In the midst of the halted war, all eyes were on him.
"I just woke up a little while ago."
Raon smiled awkwardly, feeling the flood of emotions from the Zieghart swordsmen.
"I'll explain everything later. For now, let's deal with the enemy."
After saying this, he turned to look at Dranos and Derus.
'The situation is tricky.'
While his and the Head of House's internal injuries were severe, their opponents were even more gravely wounded. Whoever recovered and moved first would gain the upper hand.
"Right. We need to end this situation first."
Glenn nodded, wiping the blood from his lips.
"You were alive?"
Derus let out a disbelieving laugh.
"How is that possible?"
"I have good friends."
Raon forced strength into his trembling hand, barely able to hold the Heavenly Drive.
'Wait, that guy...'
As I was about to speak again, predicting Derus's psychology, I noticed the cross-shaped scar on the back of his hand. While the vertical scar was fresh, the horizontal one wasn't from today.
'Could that be...'
Seeing Derus's scar reminded me of my past life when I died. It was in the exact same position as the sword wound I had seen on the back of his hand in the moments after my head was cut off.
"Y-You said you could kill him! After all I've endured!"
Dranos glared at Derus, grinding his teeth.
"I didn't expect him to be alive."
Derus exhaled heavily, looking at Raon.
"But we still have a chance."
He frowned, looking up at the sky.
"Are you just going to watch? This is the only chance to kill Glenn Zieghart!"
As Derus's shout rang out, the cloudy sky split open, and The Fallen descended, bathed in clear sunlight.
"I saw Glenn Zieghart's death, but I never expected things to turn out like this."
The Fallen looked down at Raon with eyes full of incomprehension.
"However, I can't deny that this is our last chance."
As he spread his hands, masked and helmeted Eden executives appeared from thin air. Blood spirit passages opened above the river water, and the Leader of the White Blood Religion and her apostles emerged, dressed in pure white.
"I waited because they said I could see Glenn Zieghart die, but at this rate, I might be able to devour him myself."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion licked her lips, her pure white eyes gleaming. The apostles also raised intense bloody energy to block the Zieghart swordsmen.
"Finish this quickly! We can't give them time!"
Derus gestured roughly, anxious about his perfect plan falling apart. Derus, the Leader of the White Blood Religion, The Fallen, and the South-North Union Leader moved simultaneously. death aura, bloody energy, high-level magic, and Water Dragons surged towards Glenn and Raon, threatening to engulf them.
Just as the onslaught was about to hit, a wave of emerald light rose up, splitting the space.
"I knew this would happen."
With a clear voice, a blue dimensional gate opened. Chamber, the Archmage of Eternal Flame, appeared wearing an even larger witch's hat than before, redirecting The Fallen and the South-North Union Leader's attacks to another dimension. On the opposite side, accompanied by the sound of a horse's hooves, a black flash of light surged.
Silent Sword Master Lecross, riding a black horse, slashed through the air, deflecting Derus's death aura and cutting through the Leader of the White Blood Religion's bloody energy. (E/N: I'm confused about the black horse part, but it seems it is? Not 100% sure though.)
"The name 'Five Demons' is truly ugly."
Lecross looked down at the Five Demons' leaders with cold eyes.
"Chamber! Lecross!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion bit her lip as she saw Chamber and Lecross standing in front of Glenn and Raon.
"Kuh..."
Derus's fingertips trembled as he saw the newly arrived Transcendent Warriors of the Six Kings.
"How..."
"We were on standby, knowing trash like you would pull something like this. And..."
Chamber curled her lips and clapped her hands.
"They're not all here yet."
The mana around the Lable River gently condensed, opening a blue dimension. Beast King Ogram and Garona stepped out onto the dimensional gate that had opened just above the river water.
"Raon!"
Ogram raised his fist towards Raon.
"I knew you wouldn't have died!"
He grinned broadly, telling Raon to leave the upcoming fight to him. With each new dimensional gate that opened, the Owen Kingdom's knights and Balkar's magic corps emerged, forming battle lines. From the last dimensional gate to open, Siyana and Sepia's elves gracefully flew down to land on the river water.
A single water droplet bounced off Siyana's palm, slowly expanding to form the shape of a massive goddess. The benevolent, smiling goddess with hair flowing like a river - the Water Spirit King - descended upon the Lable River.
"Lord Raon! Call Ifrit!"
Siyana, perched on the Water Spirit King's palm, called out for Raon to summon Ifrit.
"Ifrit."
As Raon reached out his hand, envisioning Ifrit, crimson flames erupted behind him, forming a massive figure. A handsome man with fierce features and flame-like red hair swept back emerged, parting the flames.
The arrival of Ifrit, the Fire Spirit King, caused the river water to evaporate as if it would all turn to steam.
"Were these the ones who hurt my big brother?"
Ifrit gritted his teeth, looking as if he would incinerate all the enemies before him. The crimson flames fluctuating around him spread a terrifying heat.
"Light Wind division!"
At Rimmer's shout, the Light Wind division charged forward without hesitation.
"Protect the Division Leader!"
Burren, Martha, Runaan, and the Light Wind division swordsmen rushed towards Raon, utilizing their Gale Wind Style to its fullest.
"Raon!"
"Nephew!"
Sylvia and Alice also moved like lightning to stand beside Raon. In an instant, a force that could rightfully be called the continent's strongest had gathered around Raon and Glenn. (E/N: to summarize: 4 out of the 5 kings (yes, not 6 kings lol) + two spirits kings + 'soldiers' from 3 of the 5 kings and elves. Seems like elf grandpa didn't come though? Dragons are going to have a stroke.)
"W-What is this!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion bit her red lips as she looked at the Six Kings' warriors filling the surroundings.
"...We took the wrong bait."
The Fallen shook his head, sighing.
"Grr!"
The South-North Union Leader's hand trembled on his spear, as if unable to believe what he was seeing. (E/N: well, regardless of what happen, your headquarters is fcked)
"..."
Derus remained silent, emitting only a murderous gaze full of killing intent. Even in this urgent situation, he was searching for an escape route while feeling shocked and enraged.
"Let me show you."
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive, looking first at the karmic connections of the present surrounding him, then at the evil karmic ties from his past life trying to kill him again.
"The price of messing with the Six Kings!"