The Ghosts of Eden fell to their knees, bowing their heads to the ground.
"The Heavenly Demon's Bell has awakened the demonic sky!"
"Worship the Heavenly Demon who will open that day!"
Even the Eden executives who hadn't been brainwashed bowed similarly, offering praise to the Heavenly Demon. Their bizarre appearance resembled a cult no less fanatical than the White Blood Religion.
"..."
The Heavenly Demon showed no reaction to the worship of his subordinates. He simply held the strangely resonating bell in his hand, gazing down at Raon.
"Ugh..."
Raon bit his tongue, straining against his body that seemed to crumple under the Heavenly Demon's aura.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
With his physical and mental strength at their limits, just being under the Heavenly Demon's gaze made it hard to breathe. If not for the Ring of Fire, he would have been on his knees like the other Ghosts of Eden. The Heavenly Demon remained motionless, maintaining his overwhelming aura as if testing Raon's endurance.
"Hnngh..."
Raon exhaled a strained breath as he thrust the Heavenly Drive into the ground. He gritted his teeth, using the sword as a cane to support himself.
'I never knew such a being could exist.'
The Heavenly Demon was crushing Raon's soul with just the aura of his breath. The air felt heavy, as if the entire space was in his grasp.
'I have to endure.'
If he gave way, the Heavenly Demon's aura would reach Evelyn and Mark Goetun behind him. He had to hold on no matter what.
'Urgh...'
As Raon bit his tongue, his vision blurring, ten daggers fell before his eyes. Larian descended, hooded, and stood in front of Raon. She levitated all ten daggers simultaneously, her lips trembling.
As Larian shielded him, the Heavenly Demon's aura that had threatened to tear flesh and crush bone disappeared.
"Hah..."
Raon exhaled the breath he'd been holding, his body bending as if about to collapse.
"A-Are you the Heavenly Demon?"
Larian, seemingly seeing the Heavenly Demon for the first time, raised her gaze slightly with a tense voice.
"Mage Tower Master Larian."
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Larian. His voice was calm, yet it sounded fierce, as if containing a violent storm.
"You're different from what I've heard. Both your martial prowess and your temperament."
The Heavenly Demon nodded calmly, as if he had grasped everything about Larian the moment their eyes met.
"Y-You're the same."
Larian's shoulders trembled as she covered her face more with her hood.
"T-They said you were a demon who ascended to heaven... but you just look like a beast's offspring."
She suddenly removed her hood, twisting her lips into a smirk. The bold personality she had shown when fighting The Fallen resurfaced.
"Is that so."
The Heavenly Demon brushed off Larian's words and turned his gaze. He frowned as he looked at the ground where The Fallen had died and turned to ash.
"Truly, he died like a worm."
The Heavenly Demon shook his head, his voice a mix of pity and mockery. As he extended his tattooed finger, a tiny piece of wood floated up from the black pit.
'That couldn't be...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched the wood fragment being drawn into the Heavenly Demon's hand.
'Is that The Fallen's mask?'
Though blackened, its shape and material suggested it was a fragment of the mask The Fallen had worn.
"..."
The Heavenly Demon turned the fragment of The Fallen's mask over in his fingers, examining it. Raon remained tense, expecting an attack at any moment, unsure of what the Heavenly Demon was thinking.
"You..."
Larian frowned as she looked up at the Heavenly Demon.
"What are you trying to do?"
She furrowed her brow deeply, seeming to share Raon's thoughts.
"Because I need to hear the reason I was summoned."
The Heavenly Demon shook his head, holding the dark red bell and the fragment of The Fallen's mask in one hand.
'The reason he was summoned?'
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the dark red bell.
'They called it the Heavenly Demon's Bell earlier, right?'
The Ghosts of Eden had shouted that the Heavenly Demon's Bell rang and the Heavenly Demon had descended. It seemed that the bell was named the Heavenly Demon's Bell and was an object used to summon the Heavenly Demon.
'And...'
Raon clenched his fist as he looked at the mask fragment next to the Heavenly Demon's Bell.
'The Fallen was the one who rang that bell.'
The Heavenly Demon's Bell couldn't have rung by itself, so The Fallen must have shaken it before he died. However, since the Heavenly Demon had confirmed his death, The Fallen was certainly dead.
"You say you'll hear the reason you were summoned?"
Larian narrowed her eyes and shook her head.
"Are you saying you're going to revive a dead man just to ask him?"
She waved her hand, telling him to stop talking nonsense and disappear.
"This is different from you humans."
The Heavenly Demon lowered his chin, referring to The Fallen's mask fragment as if it were an object.
"But I won't be able to get an answer in this state. You've thoroughly smashed it to pieces."
He smiled, seemingly satisfied.
"...Yeah. He was getting cocky, so I crushed him."
Larian nodded with a cold smile. She seemed to be trying to draw the Heavenly Demon's attention away from Raon and Evelyn.
"You're not very good at lying."
The Heavenly Demon slowly turned his gaze to Raon and Evelyn behind Larian. Just by standing there, he seemed to know everything that had happened on this land.
'This guy... He's not just strong in martial prowess.'
Raon gritted his teeth, sensing the Heavenly Demon's immense soul.
"Rise."
The Heavenly Demon commanded the mask fragment with a voice imbued with aura, as if casting a dragon's spell. At that moment, natural mana gathered like a storm, and a bright light rose from the mask fragment. The fragment floated in the air, emitting a soft golden radiance, just as it had when on The Fallen's face.
"The Fallen...?"
Raon's lips trembled as he watched the mask fragment rise from the Heavenly Demon's hand.
'I can feel The Fallen's aura from within it!'
The Fallen's aura, which had been completely erased, seemed to have been revived by the Heavenly Demon's command.
'Impossible...'
Raon's jaw quivered as he stared at the fragment of The Fallen's mask.
'That's not magic or sorcery.'
The Heavenly Demon hadn't used sorcery or magic. He had simply summoned The Fallen's soul into the mask fragment with a Transcendent's willpower. The absurdity of the situation made Raon laugh hollowly.
"Monster..."
Larian's lips trembled as if she had witnessed something unbelievable. Even to her, a top-tier Transcendent, the Heavenly Demon's ability seemed astonishing.
"Now I can hear it. That ugly voice."
The Heavenly Demon sneered as he looked at the fragment of The Fallen's mask.
-Raon...
Wrath called to him without taking his eyes off the Heavenly Demon.
-This king has made a mistake.
He shook his head as if he had misjudged the Heavenly Demon.
'No way...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he turned his gaze to Wrath.
'Is he too much even for you?'
He knew the Heavenly Demon's martial prowess was strong, but he hadn't thought it would be to the extent that even Wrath couldn't win. His heart raced as if it would burst.
-That's not it.
Wrath shook his head firmly.
'Then?'
-Do you remember when this king said he smelled a demon king from the masked one?
He frowned as he looked at the fragment of The Fallen's mask.
'Yes, I remember.'
Raon nodded. Wrath had said he smelled another demon king when he first saw The Fallen.
-This king was mistaken. That guy was just a shell...
Wrath pressed his lips tightly as he looked at the Heavenly Demon.
-That bastard's real authority resides in him.
He furrowed his brow, saying he could now see it clearly.
'Wait a minute...'
Raon's eyes trembled as he looked at Wrath.
'Then the authority the Heavenly Demon possesses is...'
-The Lord of Pride. It's Pride.
Wrath nodded, confirming that the Heavenly Demon possessed Pride's authority.
-It's because of Pride that he can transcend the causality of the human world without being affected.
He exhaled softly, saying he was certain after seeing the divine power the Heavenly Demon had just displayed.
'Damn it...'
Raon's jaw trembled as he looked up at the Heavenly Demon.
'How are we supposed to catch something like that.'
With martial prowess that could make even Larian tense, and now possessing the authority of Pride, there seemed to be no answer honestly.
'But is it possible to summon The Fallen's soul with just martial prowess?'
-That's Pride's ability.
Wrath nodded as if it were obviously possible.
'What is Pride's ability...'
Just as Raon was about to ask Wrath about Pride's authority.
"Speak."
The Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the fragment of The Fallen's mask.
"What's the reason you called me?"
However, Raon couldn't hear The Fallen's words. It seemed that only a fragment of his soul remained, speaking only to the Heavenly Demon.
"Revive you and kill them?"
The Heavenly Demon turned his cold eyes towards Raon and Larian.
"So it comes to this in the end?"
Larian bit her lip as she looked at the Heavenly Demon. She gathered mana as if preparing for an immediate fight.
'Damn it...'
Raon pulled the Heavenly Drive from the ground and gripped it with both hands. He might not withstand even a single blow, but he had to struggle to the end.
"Impossible."
However, the Heavenly Demon shook his head firmly while looking at the fragment of The Fallen's mask.
"There's only one request you can make of me now. Choose one of the two."
The Heavenly Demon lowered his hand, telling The Fallen to choose only one of the two reasons. Their relationship didn't seem to be that of mere comrades. The fragment of The Fallen's mask continued to emit a soft light, as if speaking to the Heavenly Demon.
"In the end, your own life is the most precious to you."
The Heavenly Demon sneered as he grasped the mask fragment and crushed one of the Heavenly Demon's Bells.
"I'm going back now. Do you have anything to say?"
He looked at Larian as if asking what she would do. His arrogant attitude suggested he would fight if she wanted to.
"Hmm..."
Larian bit her lip as she looked at Raon and Evelyn.
"I-It's okay."
Evelyn smiled awkwardly, as if to say it was fine to let The Fallen go. She chose a path where everyone could live, rather than seeking 500 years of revenge.
"...Let him go."
Raon nodded weakly to Larian.
'Damn it.'
It was frustrating that he couldn't fully avenge Evelyn despite seeing all her memories. He never thought he'd feel this powerless even after reaching Transcendence.
"Consider yourself lucky."
Larian sighed briefly as she took a step back.
"..."
The Heavenly Demon nodded silently and turned around. He was about to disappear into thin air when he suddenly stopped.
"Those words..."
The Heavenly Demon looked down at Raon and Evelyn again, emitting a chilling aura.
"You should have said them first."
He turned around immediately as if he had heard something from The Fallen and descended in front of Larian.
"What are you thinking?"
Larian summoned her daggers in front of her chest, wrinkling her nose.
"I've changed my mind."
The Heavenly Demon raised his finger, pointing at Raon and Evelyn.
"I'll be taking those two with me."
He declared, as if ignoring Larian, that he would take Raon and Evelyn with him.
"Ha, you must think I'm worthless."
Larian sneered at the Heavenly Demon, raising her fingertips.
"Fine. I've been wanting to see just how strong the strongest of the Four Demon is."
She twisted her lips as she spun her ten daggers like carriage wheels. As Larian quickly formed a spell formation and joined her hands, the ten daggers flashed with their individual lights and shot towards the Heavenly Demon. However, the Heavenly Demon blocked the onslaught of daggers just by raising his hand.
"Spirit Burst."
As Larian spread her hands again, the daggers spiraled, piercing into the Heavenly Demon's aura and causing a powerful explosion. An enormous amount of mana burst forth, strong enough to push back the Heavenly Demon's aura, tearing apart the space where he stood.
But the Heavenly Demon remained in the same posture, floating in the void where the ground had been erased.
Despite taking Larian's ultimate magic head-on, not even a tiny scratch appeared on his body.
"Tsk."
Larian clicked her tongue as she slipped the returned daggers onto her fingers.
"Disgustingly tough aura."
She frowned, acknowledging that he lived up to his reputation.
"I have no intention of killing you, Mage Tower Master."
The Heavenly Demon calmly turned his gaze to look at Raon.
"Just hand over those two."
He lowered the hand that had blocked Larian's magic, indicating that was all he wanted.
"I told you that's not possible, didn't I? If you want to take them, you'll have to kill me."
As Larian clenched her fists with the daggers on her fingers, two new daggers appeared. The Sword of Light and the Sword of Darkness. The ten daggers transformed into the two, releasing a magnificent amount of mana. That must be why the ten daggers were called the Twelve Star Formation.
Larian moved both hands, extending the daggers of light and darkness. Light and darkness sliced through the air, rushing towards the space between the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
The Heavenly Demon once again blocked the daggers of light and darkness just by raising his hand. Before his absolute aura, the daggers could only tremble, unable to move.
"It's not over yet."
As Larian bit her lip and brought her hands together, the blades of the light and dark daggers interlocked as if fighting each other, creating an intense gray radiance.
'Void!'
Raon's eyes widened as he saw the gray energy. It was the power of the void that The Fallen had used. It seemed Larian had prepared this void energy to catch The Fallen. The dagger imbued with the gray power of the void pierced through the Heavenly Demon's aura and rushed towards his heart.
The power of the void, which could erase existence itself, exploded, opening pitch-black cracks in the sky and ground where the Heavenly Demon stood. As the gray void energy slowly subsided, the Heavenly Demon's figure became visible again. The air trembled with his power.
The Heavenly Demon was still holding up just one hand. However, thick veins had risen on his arm, and a strange red aura floated at his fingertips. It seemed the Heavenly Demon had also drawn out a lot of energy to block the void.
"Indeed..."
The Heavenly Demon nodded, clenching his slightly trembling hand into a fist.
"You do deserve to be called a Transcendent."
He nodded, appraising the Mage Tower Master, a Transcendent of the Five Kings, as if she were a far inferior opponent.
"Still, I have no interest in you."
The Heavenly Demon extended his tightly clenched fist. Though it moved slowly like a grub, its impact was beyond imagination. The sky was sliced away, and the earth burned. It was as if only the Heavenly Demon's power existed in this space, even halting the flow of mana.
"Damn it!"
Larian poured all her mana into the daggers raised in a defensive stance, as if sensing death. Despite giving it her all, she was violently pushed back. Her hair flew wildly, and blood spurted from her mouth.
"If I had known someone like him would come..."
Larian shook her head, biting the blood flowing over her lips.
"I should have brought different tools."
She let out a hollow laugh as she watched her daggers crumple and shatter before the Heavenly Demon's power.
"Mage Tower Master..."
Raon approached behind Larian and bowed his head.
"Send me away. I've already experienced this once."
He told Larian to retreat, saying he would be fine.
"That's exactly why you can't go!"
Larian shook her head firmly, saying that because he had experienced it once, he shouldn't have to go through it again.
"But it's dangerous!"
Just as Glenn had easily defeated the leaders of the Four Demon, the Heavenly Demon was overwhelming Larian. If this continued, Larian would die. The Heavenly Demon's power crushed all ten of Larian's daggers and finally pushed right up to her face.
"I-I told you when I first came..."
Larian coughed up black-tinged blood as she tried to block the Heavenly Demon's power with the mana in her hands.
"That I was late because I was making some preparations."
"What?"
"It's here now."
The moment a blood-soaked smile appeared on her lips, the dark sky opened, and a red sword fell. No, it wasn't a sword of light, but a god transformed into a sword. The earth's trembling, which had been shaking as if in fear, stopped, and the sky that had been rippling as if praising evil ceased its resonance.
The dawn of a thousand years ago that had cut the Demonic Dragon's neck and opened a new world. As if that brilliant light had returned to this era, a red radiance pushed back the pitch-black darkness.
The Heavenly Demon's overwhelming aura that had dominated heaven and earth subsided, and a black robe fluttered over the settled ground. The pillar of the Five Kings, the peerless swordsman whom this world had named the God of the Sword, stepped down onto the crumbled earth.
"Glenn Zieghart!"
The Heavenly Demon faced the old swordsman who had erased his power itself, a smile of ecstasy on his face.
“To touch the children, that’s different from what you told me.”
Glenn stood before the Heavenly Demon, trampling the settled fighting spirit. His transcendent aura brought a clear radiance to the darkened sky. The God of the Sword and the Heavenly Demon. The absolute rulers of the era, wrapped in light and darkness, stood face to face, their red eyes flashing.