From the darkness that seemed to melt the abyss, the blue demon king arose. He was a paradoxical being—beautiful yet terrifying, radiating brilliant light while cloaked in pitch-black darkness. Wrath, the absolute ruler of Devildom known as the Monarch of Wrath, flashed his blue eyes within the lost body.
"Where is this...?"
Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked around.
"Inside that mirror?"
He remembered Raon entering a peculiar mirror, but nothing after that came to mind.
"This is my body."
Wrath briefly smacked his lips while wiggling his long, slender fingers as if playing the piano. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he moved his own body like this.
"Yes! This beautiful form is my true body! That cotton candy nonsense is... Hm?"
Just as he was about to shout that the blue cotton candy was absolutely not his true form, he felt a tiny sense of dissonance at his fingertips. Wrath clicked his tongue briefly.
'Unfortunately, this isn't reality.'
He had maintained a spirit form for a long time. Even if he returned to his original body, he would need some time to adjust. Seeing how his body responded immediately like this, it seemed this was an imaginary world created by someone.
'How did they create a place like this?'
He had scoffed at the grandiose name "Room of Self," but now that he was inside, it was beyond that. He couldn't fathom how such a realistic world was implemented within that small mirror.
'That so-called First Patriarch doesn't seem to be an ordinary human.'
Even for a Transcendent, an ordinary human couldn't create a mental world capable of withstanding a demon king's soul. Especially not a thousand years ago when things were chaotic due to the Demonic Dragon.
'No wonder that Raon fellow has such mental fortitude.'
He had thought Raon was strange from the first time he saw him, but it turned out Raon's family was extraordinary right from the ancestors.
'But where is Raon?'
He spread out his Aura Perception, but couldn't sense Raon's presence anywhere. Instead of Raon, he sensed an enormous presence from a faintly visible golden mountain. It was too far to be certain, but it seemed to be a monster that wouldn't lose even to himself.
'Should I go there? No...'
That mountain doesn't seem to be the path this king should walk. Although it exuded a strength rarely seen even in Devildom, it felt like the one who should meet that being wasn't himself.
'The place my soul is drawn to is...'
Wrath looked at the black sea spread out before him.
'This sea.'
The place where he sensed his destiny was not the mountain behind, but the black sea stretched out before his eyes.
'That mountain is probably Raon's path.'
Thinking that way, he seemed to know who the being on top of the mountain was.
'However...'
Something seemed greatly distorted. From what he could sense, this world didn't seem to be perfectly implemented.
'They said only one soul could enter at a time.'
Did something go wrong because this king entered together with Raon?
"Whatever the case..."
Wrath stepped resolutely towards the black sea.
"Moving forward is the right answer now."
The moment his feet touched the sea, the black water began to change to a frosty color as if being purified.
"Hmm."
Wrath frowned as he looked at his own feet changing the black sea.
'This pain...'
A pain like being stabbed with a knife surged through the inside of his feet as they touched the black sea.
"So I need to adapt again? Interesting."
Wrath strode forward into the black sea with wider steps, as if the pain didn't matter. He endured the agony that felt like his flesh was being sawed off with laughter, changing the black sea to his own color.
"There's no need to worry about you."
Standing in the sea that was turning blue, he looked back at the golden mountain that was gradually fading.
"I'll be waiting at the end."
Wrath advanced into the endless sea with a smile full of trust.
* * *
Raon felt the hot energy rising in his dantian as he clenched his fist.
'My aura has returned.'
It wasn't much. Just enough aura had recovered to perform basic swordsmanship without strain.
'As I thought at first, it means I should face him with swordsmanship alone.'
It was clear that he was meant to face the First Patriarch with swordsmanship alone, not with the vast aura and superhuman physical abilities he possessed in reality.
'This is what I wanted.'
The reason he came here wasn't to defeat enemies with the power he already had. He entered the Room of Self to become stronger in some way, so facing the First Patriarch with swordsmanship alone was what he had hoped for.
'Fortunately...'
Raon smacked his lips as he watched the heat blazing over the First Patriarch's sword.
'It seems he's not using strong aura either.'
Looking at the First Patriarch's aura, it seemed he had no intention of overwhelming with power or physical abilities either.
'What kind of swordsmanship will the First Patriarch use?'
As far as he could guess, the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation were martial arts created by the First Patriarch himself. He was curious how a swordsman who created martial arts that surpassed even Transcendence would wield his sword.
The First Patriarch lowered the sword he had raised above his head. The flames blazing on his blade began to rotate in an arc.
'Ten Thousand Flames Revolving Sky?'
The First Patriarch's first swordsmanship was the Ten Thousand Flames technique that he often used himself.
'However...'
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he watched the First Patriarch's Revolving Sky.
'It's not particularly special.'
He had high expectations since it was swordsmanship displayed by the creator of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, but he didn't feel any particular strength.
'Should I block it with the same Revolving Sky?'
Normally he would have broken it with a different technique, but since the First Patriarch's Revolving Sky didn't seem that strong, he wanted to counter it with the same technique. Raon swung down his own Revolving Sky, filled with all the sword subtleties he had built up so far.
'Am I going to win from the start?'
Unlike the First Patriarch's Revolving Sky which seemed to be taken straight out of a martial arts manual, his own Revolving Sky emitted such powerful flames that it created heat haze. A small smile unconsciously formed on his face at the expectation of victory from the start.
As his Revolving Sky and the First Patriarch's clashed head-on, intense heat spread in all directions.
'I'll push through!'
Although the aura in their swords was the same, he had far more subtlety in handling that heat. With the determination to break through the First Patriarch's sword strike, he swung his Revolving Sky down even harder.
'If I keep pushing like this... Huh?'
What's going on? Why am I being pushed back? Although his Revolving Sky contained more sword subtleties, ridiculously, the First Patriarch's sword strike was pushing in with greater force. Raon was pushed back, unable to withstand the First Patriarch's fierce offensive.
The First Patriarch, as if expressing that the real battle was just beginning, slightly turned his shoulder and transformed his Revolving Sky into a more agile and swift attack.
'Crimson Slash...'
Crimson Slash was a sword technique that cut the enemy quickly, sharply, and accurately. Since Crimson Slash was the Ten Thousand Flames technique he had used the most, he was confident this time.
Raon stepped forward with his left foot. Leaning his upper body, he swung down his own Crimson Slash towards the First Patriarch's Crimson Slash.
Raon imbued his Crimson Slash with the subtleties of Heavy Sword to trample the enemy and Wind Sword to enhance the heat.
Raon's Crimson Slash, falling with heavy wind wrapped around it, collided with the First Patriarch's Crimson Slash that was rising like lava. A powerful wave of mana spread between the swords as crimson flames erupted in all directions.
'What is this...'
Raon gritted his teeth as he watched the First Patriarch's Crimson Slash rising up, erasing his own Crimson Slash.
'Why is it so strong?'
He hadn't expected his Crimson Slash, which had additional subtleties of Heavy Sword and Wind Sword, to be pushed back so helplessly. He let out a bitter laugh at how absurd it was. In the end, Raon was pushed back by the First Patriarch's Crimson Slash, scraping the ground with his Heavenly Drive as he stumbled backward.
The First Patriarch pointed his sword at him as if he had expected this all along, with no particular reaction.
A small branch rose above his blade, blooming golden petals. It was the Ten Thousand Flames Fire Spirit.
'I have to stop it here.'
Revolving Sky, Crimson Slash, and Fire Spirit were the basic Ten Thousand Flames techniques he used most often. He couldn't be pushed back by Fire Spirit after Revolving Sky and Crimson Slash.
'With a definite Fire Spirit.'
Raon thrust his Heavenly Drive towards the First Patriarch's approaching Fire Spirit. A small tree bloomed on the pure white blade, raising countless flaming petals. He created a sharp and powerful sword technique by imbuing the Fire Spirit, which possessed the subtleties of Phantom Sword, Variable Sword, and Fluid Sword, with Sharp Sword and Explosive Sword.
The First Patriarch's Fire Spirit and his own Fire Spirit collided. He was confident this time since the flame fragments he raised were about twice as many.
But his expectations crumbled again. The First Patriarch's Fire Spirit was devouring his flames and surging forward.
'How...'
He couldn't understand why he was being pushed back when his flame fragments were twice as numerous and he had added sharpness and explosive power. The First Patriarch's flames completely devoured his Fire Spirit and then crashed down as a firestorm. Raon's arm was scorched black, and he felt pain as if his skin was being torn.
The First Patriarch immediately took the stance for Ten Thousand Flames Flame Wind, as if this was still far from over.
"Ha..."
Raon shook his head with a bitter laugh.
'It's going to keep going like this, isn't it?'
It seemed this fight would only end when the First Patriarch's swordsmanship was broken.
'I like it.'
The reason he came here was to become stronger. He had no reason to refuse if he was going to be given continuous repetitive training.
"Please speak up first if you want to give up."
Raon curled his lips as he advanced towards the First Patriarch.
"I have no intention of stopping even if I die."
* * *
Raon was pushed back, leaving heavy footprints on the training ground.
'I can't win a single one.'
He had clashed swords with the First Patriarch countless times, but couldn't achieve even a single victory.
'It's not because of the level of martial arts or the amount of aura.'
The First Patriarch was displaying swordsmanship at a level appropriate for his current self. It was perplexing that he kept losing when it wasn't due to being overwhelmed in strength or level.
'Why am I losing?'
It was frustrating that he couldn't break through the First Patriarch's sword even though he had strengthened the same swordsmanship even more.
'What's the difference?'
It was frustrating, but the First Patriarch didn't offer any advice. He only prepared for the next sword technique with a calm gaze.
'Falling Sun?'
The sword technique the First Patriarch was displaying this time was Falling Sun. A sword strike that falls abruptly like the setting sun. Raon displayed the same Falling Sun while imbuing it with the subtleties of Heavy Sword and Quick Sword.
'The twentieth time? No, more than that?'
It seemed he had been pushed back by Falling Sun more than twenty times already. If the First Patriarch had wanted, he would probably be dead by now.
'Next is Crimson Slash...'
Raon bit his lip as he watched the First Patriarch about to swing down Crimson Slash.
'I couldn't block it no matter what combination I used.'
The number of times he had clashed Crimson Slash with the First Patriarch was far more than Falling Sun. It seemed he had used all possible combinations of sword subtleties by now.
'If there's no way no matter what I do...'
Should I try to imitate him? Since it was difficult to block the First Patriarch, it seemed good to imitate him first to understand his movements. Raon maximized only the original subtleties that Crimson Slash possessed while resonating the Ring of Fire to its extreme.
As his Crimson Slash and the First Patriarch's collided at the center of the split training ground, it shook as if a sand mountain was collapsing.
"Huh?"
Raon widened his eyes as he saw his Heavenly Drive competing equally with the First Patriarch's Crimson Slash.
'What's this?'
Why isn't it being pushed back? Unlike when he recklessly imbued various subtleties, his Crimson Slash wasn't yielding an inch to the First Patriarch's sword strike.
'It doesn't work when I fill it up, but it works when I use it normally... Ah!'
Raon's lips trembled as he watched the flames blazing from the sword clash.
'Filling it up isn't always good.'
Just because he was mastering Ten Thousand Swords doesn't mean he can imbue every subtlety into every sword technique. Each sword technique probably has a total amount of martial subtleties it can contain, but it seemed he had been using too much force every time.
'The vessel overflowed.'
It was natural for it to spill over when he tried to put a whole pizza on a palm-sized plate.
'Come to think of it, Grandfather didn't try to fill everything up either.'
Glenn could imbue Celestial Thunder Arts into the Azure Sky Sword, yet he created a new sword technique called Sky-Piercing Thunder instead. Each sword technique has its own color, so he clearly didn't want to ruin the unique color of the technique by imbuing too many subtleties at once.
The First Patriarch raised Revolving Sky. The flames blazing on his blade rotated like a waterwheel and fell towards Raon's neck.
'Let's try this again.'
Raon raised Revolving Sky imbued only with rotation, speed, and strength, following the First Patriarch's Revolving Sky. The flames between the fiercely rotating swords competed fiercely, heating the sand of the training ground.
'As expected...'
Raon nodded as he watched his sword strike not yielding to the First Patriarch's Revolving Sky.
'This was right.'
He had put too much into techniques that were already close to perfection, actually lowering their completion. While techniques with many empty spaces like Fangs of Insanity or Blizzard Sword Art could contain many subtleties, putting too much into a completed technique would actually ruin it.
"..."
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on the First Patriarch's lips. As he nodded as if that was the correct answer, the sand mountain filled with golden light began to darken.