“You demon...”
Wrath trembled, his lips turning blue as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“Did you plan all this from the beginning? What the hell did you eat to make your head work so well?”
“That can't be true.”
Raon shook his head calmly.
“It's all just a coincidence.”
Zircon following him, Wrath taking the bet on his own, and the two demon kings coming here were all coincidences. Even the gods couldn't have calculated all of that.
“Stop wasting time and keep your promise.”
Raon tapped Wrath on the head.
“Well, if it's wrath, I don't know. But to give up my soul...”
Wrath rolled his eyes slightly.
“If I give you all that, I will no longer be the lord of the demon world, but a mere soldier!”
He shook his head vigorously, saying that giving up his soul was too much.
“Well, we've had a good relationship so far. Just wrath...”
“No.”
Raon cut off Wrath's words decisively.
“You evil demon! Do you have no conscience? I'll have to bury you in the ground to end this...”
“Who said I'd take it all? I'm just borrowing it. I'll give it back once the job is done.”
Wrath seemed to be greatly mistaken, but of course, he had no intention of keeping his wrath and soul. He would deceive Greed and then return everything as it was.
“Hm? Then wouldn't it be better for me to descend?”
Wrath shook his head as if to say that it would be safer and more certain.
“I have something to say to Greed, but descending would be too much of a burden for you.”
With his current physical condition after absorbing Zircon and Peridot, he could use the Demon King's Descent, but using it would place a great burden on Wrath. Since he was already in a weakened state, I didn’t want to make him use any more power than necessary.
-Ugh…
Wrath let out a low groan, as if he hadn’t expected me to consider his feelings.
“And I have no intention of becoming stronger through someone else’s power. I will stand at the highest place with my own strength and my own sword.”
Becoming stronger than anyone else. That would be the fastest way to take revenge on Derus. To do that, he had to climb to the highest place with his own strength.
-You're going to get stronger with your own strength? Bullshit!
Wrath jumped up and frowned.
-If that's the case, then give me all the stats and traits you've devoured! All of that was created by the king's power!
He waved his hand as if to enforce what he had said.
“......”
Raon stared at Wrath for a moment before lowering his hand.
“It's not possible?”
-What do you mean it's not possible? Who did you ask?
“I asked the system, and it said it's not possible.”
He shook his head calmly, as if he had actually asked the system and received a reply.
-This is ridiculous! Even I can't contact the king, so what nonsense are you talking about?
Wrath gritted his teeth, telling him not to lie.
“It's true. The parties involved resolved it themselves.”
Raon smiled faintly, saying that he had finished a moderate conversation with the system.
“The parties involved are right here! You and the system are all playing around with the king's power!”
Wrath pounded his chest as if he were about to go crazy.
“Anyway, it's not going to happen. Just send your wrath and soul to me quickly.”
-Ugh, if you can't even speak properly, you're just annoying...
Wrath gritted his teeth and landed on his own shoulder.
-You have to give everything back? This is a promise that must be kept!
“When have you ever seen me break a promise? I don't lie easily.”
“Huh...”
Wrath looked at him with a puzzled expression, then shook his head.
“How did I end up meeting such a lunatic...”
Wrath let out a long sigh and sent some of his wrath and soul through his shoulder.
“Ugh...”
Upon receiving Wrath’s wrath and soul, even though his mind and body had recovered, he felt a pain as if his very existence was being twisted. To cause such a change with just a part of his soul… Every time he felt it, Wrath seemed to be of a different caliber even among demons.
Kugugugugu!
Upon receiving Wrath’s power and soul, an uncontrollable explosion occurred in his body and mind. It felt as though his soul itself had ascended to a higher plane. He felt as though he had transcended humanity and reached true transcendence.
“I must suppress it now.”
Raon forced down the intensified power of his soul and concealed his presence. He acted quickly, so on the surface, nothing would appear to have changed significantly.
“Huh? If you're going to hide it, why did you ask for it?”
Wrath shook his head as if he didn't understand.
“What Greed wants isn't a fight, it's me.”
Raon watched Greed strike Lust's sword and licked his lips.
“If he finds out that you can descend now, he'll run away immediately.”
-Then...
“Yes. I'll deliberately show a weakness, and when his retreat is blocked, I'll reveal everything I've received from you.”
He imagined the expression on Greed's face at that moment and smiled eerily.
“Until then, I have to keep it hidden. So for now...”
Raon raised his chin slightly and crossed his arms.
“Let's watch the demons fight.”
-Huh...
Wrath blinked rapidly, as if he couldn't understand.
-Where the hell did this guy come from...?
He shook his head, unable to comprehend.
“Don't look at me, just watch the fight.”
Raon turned Wrath’s head and focused on the battle in front of him.
Kuuuuuung!
Lust pressed Greed at close range with the power of Lust on her sword, while Gluttony supported her from a distance with a white light.
“Lust’s swordsmanship is real.”
Wrath claimed that Lust's strength came not from her swordplay but from “Lust,” but to Raon, her swordplay perfectly embodied determination and obsession. Even without her aura, her swordplay alone surpassed that of transcendent warriors.
“What about Gluttony? She fights as if her aura is endless.”
The energy contained in the white light Gluttony emitted was on par with that of a transcendent warrior. It seemed as though the magic she possessed, having consumed so much, was endlessly surging forth.
“But even if you combine everything the two demon kings have, Greed is still superior.”
Greed, who seemed equally adept at close combat and long-range battles, raised a golden glow above his fist, deflecting Lust's sword and parrying Gluttony's attacks.
He seemed to be one step above Lust and Gluttony, blocking their chaotic assaults without sustaining significant damage. Of course, none of them were at full strength, but even if they had summoned all their power, the difference wouldn't have been significant.
“This is educational.”
Raon summoned a ring of fire. He clenched his lips as if determined not to miss a single moment of the three demons' battle, observing the course of the fight itself.
“You're instigating the fight and then watching it?”
Wrath watched Raon, completely drenched.
“You're truly an unimaginable madman...”
***
Paaang!
Greed narrowed his eyes as he swung Lust's sword behind his shoulder.
“This is definitely not easy.”
No matter how much higher his rank was, it was not easy to fight Lust and Gluttony at the same time.
If Wrath's vessel had not caught his eye, he would have left without looking back. The losses would have been much greater than the gains.
“But...”
That's why he wanted it even more.
There were more transcendents in the demon realm than in the human realm, so the human's strength itself wasn't that remarkable.
But as far as he knew, there was no other being that grew as quickly as this human.
On top of that, he had fought a life-or-death battle in this war and grown once again, so he wondered how far he could go.
“Of course, there are greater beings than him.”
Wrath's vessel wielded Lust and Gluttony like swords through natural smoke. In other words, if he obtained that human, it would be no different from having the two demon lords follow him, so he had to capture him here.
“The opportunity is now or never.”
A moment ago, the wrath and spiritual intensity of that man had surged sharply before subsiding. It was clear that he had tried to summon Wrath but failed.
If Wrath descended, the opportunity to capture that man would be completely lost, so the only chance to obtain him was now.
“To do that…”
Greed narrowed his eyes as he pushed Gluttony's “Gluttony” into “Greed.”
“I have to find a weakness in these two.”
Gluttony and Lust were focused on defense rather than attack, protecting Wrath's vessel. Even for someone like him, it wouldn't be easy to break through that defense and capture the man.
“If there's no opening on their side, I'd better give them one.”
Greed parried Lust's fierce sword strike, which came at him like a storm, and curled his lips.
“No matter how much you beg, Wrath won't look back. He's just using you.”
He sneered, provoking Lust.
“Just look at how he sent you forward while hiding behind you—it’s obvious what he’s calculating.”
“Shut up! What does a man who buys love with money know?”
Lust, enraged by the insult to Wrath, unleashed a powerful sword strike, creating a deep pink aura.
“Hmph…”
Gluttony licked her lips and caused a white explosion behind Greed.
Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
“It's over!”
Lust seemed excited as she broke away from her original position and lunged forward. Her sword fell toward Greed's neck.
“Finally!”
As Lust's sword came down like lightning, Greed's golden eyes emitted a chilling light. As if he had never been injured, he parried Lust's sword and lunged inward.
“Black Mouth.”
Gluttony realized the danger of the situation and spread her hands, releasing a terrifying power.
Zzzzzz!
The sky above Greed's head split open, revealing the crimson-red mouth of a demon.
“Using that too? I guess you do like that human after all!”
He chuckled as he looked at the bright red mouth.
“Greed!”
Lust seemed to realize she had been deceived, and she charged at Greed, burning pink energy throughout her body. She threw her sword and summoned the intense power of Lust above her hands.
“It’s already too late.”
As Greed raised his finger, countless gold coins fell from the sky, dousing Lust’s pink aura and forming a golden wall that blocked the mouth summoned by Gluttony.
“Stay there and watch.”
Greed approached Raon as if it were all over and reached out his hand.
“How this guy changes…”
“You worm.”
Raon uttered the word Wrath most frequently used toward others, releasing the wrath and spiritual energy he had received from him.
Kwaaaaaa!
His soul and Wrath's soul blended together like paint, erupting with a wave of energy more intense than that of the original Lord of Wrath.
Kugugugugu!
The crimson aura spread endlessly, distorting the dark sky and causing the ground to collapse.
Gooooo.
Even though the three rulers of the demon realm had descended, it was a single human who revealed the greatest intensity of soul.
“What is this...”
Greed's golden eyes trembled like a sailboat overturned by a tidal wave, as if he had never imagined such a situation.
“In the playground I created...”
A determination deeper than that of the angry demon king blossomed in Raon's red eyes.
“Did you enjoy yourself, merchant?”
***
Raon sent an aura message to Lust, urging her to show her weakness as if she were excited during battle. Greed did not miss that brief opening, as he had expected, and penetrated inward. When the enemy reached out to him, he unleashed the wrath and soul power he had received from Wrath, turning the situation around.
By hiding his soul inside and covering himself with the intensity of soul he had received from Wrath, Greed would see him as Wrath through his monocle.
“Ha...”
As expected, Greed froze in shock upon seeing Wrath in him.
“How...?”
Greed's jaw trembled as if he still couldn't believe the situation.
“How?”
Raon shook his head, mimicking Wrath's tone of voice.
“You've been playing on the palm of my hand from the very beginning.”
He sneered as if he had expected everything.
“I told you, didn't I? That one is Wrath.”
Lust aimed his sword at Greed's back and licked her lips.
“Yeah. Wrath, who buys me ice cream...”
Gluttony spread her hands and summoned a mouth that seemed ready to devour Greed.
“How much did you see?”
Greed bit his lip and glared at Raon.
“Everything.”
Raon raised his chin as if he had planned and calculated everything.
“You’re not that cold-hearted, are you?”
“I don’t need to be. But my subordinates are different. They can read all your thoughts.”
He nodded along with Wrath, lifting himself up.
“Hmph.”
Greed fidgeted with his fingers as if contemplating battle, then let out a long sigh.
“I give up. Something feels off, but continuing to fight would be too costly.”
He raised both hands, signaling that this was as far as he would go. It seemed like a sign of surrender.
“Tell me what you want.”
Greed seemed to be toning down his desires and returning to his merchant persona, acknowledging defeat and asking him to state his demands first.
“You’re admitting defeat already? After suffering such a loss?”
Raon looked at Greed. He remained tense, as he might suddenly do something crazy.
“If we go any further, we’ll suffer even greater losses.”
Honestly, he had thought they would fight once, but his rationality in immediately calculating profit and loss was shocking. He was indeed a dangerous man.
“My condition is one. Imbue this body with your power.”
Raon raised his chin and lifted his hand. If it were him, he would have demanded money as well, but since Wrath would never think of money, he demanded only his power.
“I knew it!”
Wrath gritted his teeth as if he had finally understood everything and raised his head.
“You greedy bastard! You should have taken the name ‘Lord of Greed’!”
He shook his head wildly, unsure whether this creature was human or demon.
“What’s so difficult about it?”
Raon smiled slightly, reading Greed's gaze as if he had already decided on an answer.