"G-Grandfather?"
Raon widened his eyes as he stared at Glenn's straight back standing before him.
"How are you here..."
Raon was about to risk his life and use the Demon King's Authority because Larian was in mortal danger, but he never expected Glenn to suddenly appear and block the Heavenly Demon's attack. He was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth.
"We can't let it happen again, can we?"
Glenn calmly nodded, saying that he and Larian had prepared for any possible situation.
"You seem to have been through a lot.
He smiled gently as he looked at Raon and Evelyn.
"I, I..."
Raon bit his trembling lips.
'What should I say first?'
He wanted to explain about this incident, but seeing Glenn's smile made it difficult for him to speak.
"We'll hear your story later."
Glenn patted Raon's shoulder as if nothing had happened and turned back to face the Heavenly Demon.
"Glenn Zieghart."
The Heavenly Demon let out a deep exclamation, his eyes that had been filled with the flames of nothingness now sparked with delight.
"I didn't expect you to come out here."
He showed joy as if meeting an old friend rather than an enemy. It was the first time someone had faced Glenn's aura head-on without wavering. The Heavenly Demon possessed a high and noble martial prowess, true to his name.
"Should I call you Heavenly Demon now?"
Glenn tilted his chin askew as he looked at the Heavenly Demon.
"It seems your actions have changed along with your name."
He frowned as if displeased.
"The you from before wouldn't have touched unsatisfactory children, would you?"
Glenn clicked his tongue, saying he had become ugly in the time they hadn't seen each other.
"I've already made my move, so I won't make excuses."
The Heavenly Demon nodded, saying he would accept that ugliness.
"However, the word 'children' doesn't suit those two."
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Raon standing behind Glenn.
"Because those children you protect made The Fallen like this."
The Heavenly Demon opened his hand, floating a piece of The Fallen's mask.
"..."
Glenn felt The Fallen's soul faintly emanating from the mask fragment but didn't lessen his heavy aura.
"Even so, it shouldn't be enough to satisfy your eyes, should it?"
He frowned deeply as if even more angered.
"There's a reason, but I don't want to talk about it."
The Heavenly Demon raised both arms as if he had no intention of resolving this situation with words. Glenn and the Heavenly Demon raised their auras, staring at each other as if neither intended to back down.
The black current that surged from the Heavenly Demon's shoulders crushed the earth and caused boiling lava to rise.
The absolute auras of the two Transcendents were causing catastrophic phenomena.
"Let's back away."
Larian grabbed Raon's arm and stepped back swiftly.
"Stupid bastard. That really hurt."
She frowned as she shook her reddened palm after moving away from the Heavenly Demon.
"Did the Mage Tower Master call for the Head of House?"
Raon exhaled shortly as he looked at Larian.
"To be honest, I thought Derus might come, but it worked out in the end."
Larian chuckled, saying it was a device prepared for Derus, not the Heavenly Demon.
"How did you..."
"I don't believe in heaven's flow. I just judged based on experience."
She snorted disdainfully as she looked at the piece of The Fallen's mask.
"Let's talk later and back away further."
Larian said they wouldn't even have bone fragments left if they stayed near Glenn, and retreated to where Evelyn and Mark Goetun were.
"Let the monsters fight among themselves."
Although she herself was a monster, she seemed to feel a clear difference from the Heavenly Demon and Glenn.
"Are you alright?"
Raon approached Evelyn who had collapsed on the ground and Mark Goetun who was kneeling.
"I can manage..."
Evelyn smiled awkwardly, saying she could endure.
"I-I'm fine too."
Mark Goetun nodded, saying he was alright even as he coughed up blood from internal injuries. Neither of them seemed trustworthy when they said they were fine, so Raon felt he should keep a close eye on them.
"I've used up all the healing magic. At least take some internal injury medicine."
Larian took out round pills from thin air and fed them to Evelyn and Mark Goetun.
"You too, Raon."
She handed him some internal injury medicine as well. It looked like she was giving out chocolates or snacks.
"..."
Raon chewed the internal injury medicine Larian gave him as he watched Glenn facing the Heavenly Demon.
'Will he be alright?'
For the first time, Raon worried about Glenn because the Heavenly Demon possessed not only that absolute martial prowess but also the Demon King's Authority.
"No need to worry."
Larian patted his shoulder as if she had read his expression.
"That man doesn't lose. Especially..."
She grinned broadly as she looked at him.
"Not in front of you."
-That's right.
Wrath nodded heavily.
-Instead of worrying about that old fool, focus on recovering from your internal injuries.
He smacked his lips, saying there was no need to worry about Glenn. Hearing their words made Raon feel a little relieved. Raon observed the Heavenly Demon standing in front of Glenn while operating the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The Heavenly Demon seemed to have lost interest in him and Evelyn, not even glancing in their direction.
"Are you trying to raise Eden now?"
Glenn lowered one eyebrow as he looked at the Heavenly Demon.
"No. For now, I've only come because of the pact with The Fallen."
The Heavenly Demon shook his head as he waved the remaining Heavenly Demon Spirit.
"Isn't it funny?"
He twisted his lips as he looked at the piece of The Fallen's mask next to the Heavenly Demon Spirit.
"He acted like he knew everything in the world by reading heaven's flow, but this is how he ended up."
The Heavenly Demon tapped the mask fragment with his finger as if mocking The Fallen, then put it in his robe pocket.
'As I thought...'
Raon frowned as he heard the Heavenly Demon's mockery.
'The Fallen and the Heavenly Demon aren't on good terms.'
Judging by the Heavenly Demon's words, it was hard to believe they were running the same faction.
"However..."
The Heavenly Demon turned his red eyes to Raon and clenched his fingertips.
"I've never seen The Fallen's predictions be wrong until now. It seems your grandson has something special about him."
He licked his lips plainly as if he still desired Raon.
"Yes, he is special."
Glenn nodded in pure acknowledgment.
"But he's not a vessel you can handle."
He twisted his lips, saying Raon had a vessel so vast that even the Heavenly Demon couldn't contain it.
"We'll soon find out about that."
The Heavenly Demon smiled thinly and released the strength from his hand.
"Actually, now isn't the time to clash with you. There's something that arrogant heaven's flow reader set up. But..."
He clenched his fist as his eyes within the helmet flared with red heat.
"I can at least have a taste, can't I?"
As the Heavenly Demon extended his heavy foot, black fighting spirit blazed like flames above his shoulders. That darkness carried a weight so dense and deep that it could devour light.
"That's good."
Glenn raised his chin arrogantly.
"I had no intention of letting you go either."
As he said he needed to vent his anger, thunder and lightning struck from all directions, flashing red in the dark night.
"Let's confirm now if that name 'Demon who ascended to heaven' is real."
Glenn said he would become the sky for him as he drew the Heavenly Tremor from his waist.
"Can you handle it?"
The Heavenly Demon smiled coldly as he returned Glenn's words.
"Let's see how far you can handle the law of causality with that decaying body of yours."
He extended his tightly clenched fist as if to signal the start. The fighting spirit surged and distorted space even though it wasn't a powerful punch. It was a strike that could be called divine power.
Glenn calmly raised his left hand without retreating, even as he saw the Heavenly Demon's strike tearing through space and rushing towards him.
Glenn received the Heavenly Demon's strike with just his left hand, without even raising his sword.
"You talked big, but is this all?"
He shook his head as he suppressed the black fighting spirit with red aura.
"Good. There won't be any loss of excitement."
The Heavenly Demon curled his lips as if he was pleased by Glenn's words. Interestingly, his combat stance wasn't formalized. He maintained a free form like fighters in an arena. As the Heavenly Demon thrust his fist with a true angle, space burst open consecutively and a wave of black fighting spirit rushed towards Glenn's eyes. It was a ghoul-like energy that devoured light and aura.
Glenn lightly swung down the Heavenly Tremor as if practicing swordsmanship, and the strike thrown by the Heavenly Demon sank to the ground, split in half.
"They say you're called the Sword God these days instead of the Lightning God, and I can see why."
The Heavenly Demon curled his lips as if amused. He flicked a circular fighting spirit condensed on his finger and then charged at Glenn with his massive body. When Glenn erased the exploding fighting spirit in front of his eyes with a sword strike, the Heavenly Demon pounced from the left side.
The Heavenly Demon threw a strike towards Glenn's waist, as if not to give any opening. It was such a fast offensive that one would think the fist had already connected the moment it was extended.
"It's not a name for you to evaluate."
Glenn calmly answered as he turned the Heavenly Tremor that had withstood the explosion upside down and set it in front of the Heavenly Demon's strike. The Heavenly Tremor showed not even a hint of wavering even in the face of the Heavenly Demon's direct strike. It was the divine energy of the sword that erased even the will of Transcendence.
"Right. You should at least do this much."
As the Heavenly Demon pushed off the ground with his toes, his body rose from Glenn's right side. It looked as if the ground itself had folded like the technique of ground contraction. The energy of heaven and earth gathered above the Heavenly Demon's clenched fist. In a world distorting like a kaleidoscope, his fist shot out like a brilliant flash.
Glenn thrust the Heavenly Tremor towards the Heavenly Demon's strike that was crushing heaven and earth as it approached. Red lightning blazing on the silver blade scorched the black fighting spirit. The power of lightning. The foundation of Glenn's martial arts pushed back the Heavenly Demon's fighting spirit.
"Ha!"
The Heavenly Demon stepped back, shaking off the red lightning that seemed to burn his fist. He smiled deeply as he looked at the blood flowing from the back of his hand.
"You're certainly different. Unlike anyone else."
The Heavenly Demon extended his thick fist towards Glenn's heart, his eyes flashing with rising excitement.
Glenn also advanced towards the Heavenly Demon, swinging the Heavenly Tremor blazing with red lightning, as if not to be outdone. The clash between Glenn and the Heavenly Demon no longer produced waves of aura.
The two Transcendents thrust their sword and fist towards each other's vitals in a world of Transcendence where sound and light had disappeared.
With one sword technique, the horizon splits, and with one strike, a mountain crumbles. It was a battle of incarnations of nothingness that seemed like a dream rather than reality.
"Haa..."
Raon exhaled roughly as he watched the clash of true Transcendents.
'Will I be able to reach that level?'
He had been satisfied with reaching the stable realm of Transcendence, but seeing the real deal made him embarrassed for being content with his current skills.
'Come to think of it, I didn't really defeat the Black Tower Master or The Fallen.'
Chamber had drained all of the Black Tower Master's strength, and he was able to exploit The Fallen's weakness thanks to Evelyn perfectly interpreting his magic. If he had fought either of them alone, he would have been utterly defeated.
'Moreover...'
Raon frowned as he watched the battle between the Heavenly Demon and Glenn that seemed to twist space and time.
'These two aren't fighting at full strength.'
Just as Glenn wasn't using his Soul Sword, the Heavenly Demon also seemed to be hiding something.
'I need to learn. I need to learn even now.'
The battle between martial artists who had transcended Transcendence wasn't something one could just watch at will. He had to learn at least one thing before leaving.
Raon was about to focus on Glenn and the Heavenly Demon's battle while resonating the Ring of Fire when he heard what sounded like sobbing from behind.
Turning his head, he saw Evelyn clawing at the ground with her blood-soaked hands.
"Evelyn?"
Raon grabbed Evelyn's arms as she tried to tear at the ground.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm so frustrated..."
Evelyn gritted her teeth with her head bowed.
"I said it was okay, but I'm so frustrated..."
She seemed to have been incredibly angry inside, even though she had said it was alright to let The Fallen go.
"I finally caught him after 500 years, and now this!"
Evelyn shed blood-red tears, saying she felt like she would never be able to catch him again if they let The Fallen go like this.
-Madwoman...
Wrath also seemed to feel Evelyn's emotions as he bit his lips before patting her back with his hand. He seemed to sympathize with her, having seen her memories.
"..."
Raon bit his lip as he watched Evelyn sobbing amidst blood and tears.
'How pathetic.'
While he had been thinking about learning from the martial artists' fight, Evelyn was recalling the people who had died at The Fallen's hands and her own past. His face flushed with hot shame at having spoken as if he would solve everything, yet accomplishing nothing.
"I told you earlier, didn't I?"
Raon stood up, biting his lip.
"That I'd kill The Fallen again if he came back. That promise..."
He grinned, baring his teeth as he walked towards the black rift where Glenn and the Heavenly Demon were fighting.
"I'll keep it now."
"R-Raon?"
Evelyn shook her head quickly as if asking what he meant.
"No! You'll disappear without a trace too!"
Larian grabbed his arm as if to stop him.
"It's okay. I'm not acting on impulse."
Raon put down the Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword on the ground and drew the Blade of Requiem from behind his waist.
'Only Sword Control will work.'
As Larian said, if he directly entered between those Transcendents, his body would turn to dust. He had to aim for The Fallen's mask fragment from a distance using Sword Control.
'And only with this Blade of Requiem.'
It wouldn't work with other swords. Right now, only the Blade of Requiem could cut The Fallen's soul.
"Don't do it! Just don't!"
Evelyn shook her head frantically, begging him to stay by her side.
"Trust me."
Raon smiled at Evelyn, telling her not to worry, and slowly moved towards the battlefield.
'Not yet.'
Glenn and the Heavenly Demon were exchanging martial arts as if warming up. Now was the time to wait because they still had a lot of energy left.
'Waiting is...'
Raon took a deep breath as he caressed the red blade of the Blade of Requiem.
'What I do best.'
"As expected."
The Heavenly Demon curled his lips inside his helmet.
"You're the only one on this continent who can satisfy me."
He nodded as if enjoying his contest with Glenn.
"That may be true for now."
Glenn coldly shook his head and split the strike raised by the Heavenly Demon with the edge of the Heavenly Tremor.
"Now that we've warmed up, shall we start properly?"
The Heavenly Demon lowered his straight clenched fist to his side. As a tyrannical aura erupted from his entire body, the earth began to surge like waves from just the ripples of mana.
"Come."
As Glenn set the Heavenly Tremor at his midsection, a towering red light that seemed to reach the sky rose above the silver blade. The grand auras of the two Transcendents spread endlessly, dyeing the world in light and darkness. It was a clash of martial gods who had risen to the absolute level beyond Transcendence.
The Heavenly Demon advanced, destroying the ground with flashing eyes full of ecstasy. His fist fell carrying a terrifying weight as if containing the sky itself.
The Heavenly Tremor soared like a red thunderbolt. The red lightning sharply rose as if dividing the overcast sky. The two Transcendents’ ultimate techniques clashed, flipping heaven and earth. Thousands of cracks opened between the sword and the fist, and a storm of aura surged.
As Glenn and the Heavenly Demon were about to clash their sword and fist to test each other's nothingness, a red dagger flew in silently. It was the Blade of Requiem imbued with the subtlety of Sword Control.
"Your grandson..."
The Heavenly Demon furrowed his brow, raising intense anger.
"You've taught him wrong! Glenn Zieghart!"
He tried to swat away the Blade of Requiem with the back of his left hand. But before it could be caught in the Heavenly Demon's grasp, the Blade of Requiem pierced through space and rushed towards his chest.
"Hmph!"
The Heavenly Demon managed to grab the dagger even in that extreme moment. However, the dagger was imbued with more than just the subtlety of the Spatial Sword. A blade of light that tore at the enemy's soul arose as Raon's willpower, honed to the extreme, was engraved with the energy of vengeful spirits.
The tiny strike that extended from the Blade of Requiem split the piece of The Fallen's mask that the Heavenly Demon was protecting in half.
The Fallen's soul reflected in the mask fragment scattered into the air with a bizarre scream. For the first time since the fight began, the Heavenly Demon turned his gaze from Glenn to Raon. He gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with anger and bewilderment.
"You..."