Bang! Raon didn't miss that split second when Glenn's sword clashed with the Heavenly Demon's fist, and he fired the Blade of Requiem with all his might.
'Damn...'
His head felt like it was about to split open. He had consumed too much aura and willpower, and even operating Sword Control made his mind reel. The pain that surged through him made him want to stop immediately, but he endured it, remembering Evelyn's tear-stained face.
"Your grandson..."
The Heavenly Demon, while blocking Glenn's sword strike, noticed the movement of the Blade of Requiem and stretched out his left hand.
“You taught him wrong! Glenn Zieghart!”
'Now!'
Raon unleashed Whispering Wind with the Blade of Requiem just as the Heavenly Demon was about to raise his hand. The sword technique that pierced through space and aimed for the enemy's vital point ignored the Heavenly Demon's defense and surged in front of his chest.
"Hmph!"
The Heavenly Demon, befitting the absolute ruler of Eden, didn't miss the Blade of Requiem that had transcended space and caught it with his hand.
'As expected.'
However, he had perfectly predicted this situation.
'If he couldn't block even this, the name Heavenly Demon would be a joke.'
Knowing that he couldn't penetrate the Heavenly Demon's defense even with Whispering Wind, he had thrown the Blade of Requiem from the start, rather than the Heavenly Drive or Wooden Ring Sword.
'Because I have a last resort.'
He could communicate with the vengeful spirits dwelling within the Blade of Requiem. He asked them for help through his will and raised an invisible sword. The red vengeful spirits conjured a sword that wasn't his own, but similar to Glenn's.
The Soul Sword that cuts the enemy's soul. Following that noble and grand flow, he honed the blade of his heart together with the vengeful spirits.
'Urgh!'
His head felt like it was about to burst, and his three energy centers felt like they were about to twist. He forcibly suppressed his throat, which was welling up with blood, and concentrated.
'There's only one chance.'
He had to watch until the end and strike. The soul sword created by him and the Blade of Requiem was small and weak. It might be difficult to cut even an ordinary person's soul, but it was enough to cut the faint fragment of The Fallen's soul. Raon resonated the Ring of Fire that was about to burst, heightening his concentration.
'There!'
He sensed The Fallen's soul from the inner pocket where the Heavenly Demon had put the Heavenly Demon Relic. Trusting his senses, he thrust the soul sword towards The Fallen's soul. Bang!
Even the Heavenly Demon didn't seem to know that he could create a sword capable of cutting souls. He just watched, unable to think of defending, as The Fallen's mask fragment shattered.
A scream that sounded like thousands of pieces of metal splitting apart erupted from within The Fallen's mask fragment. Even The Fallen, who hadn't uttered a single scream when he died, seemed unable to bear the pain of his soul. He screamed as if receiving retribution for manipulating countless people, then melted away.
"Urgh..."
As soon as Raon confirmed that The Fallen had turned into gray mist, he collapsed on the spot.
'It's... over.'
He had cut the last remaining strand of soul, so even if the Heavenly Demon were a god, he wouldn't be able to revive The Fallen.
-You, you crazy bastard!
Wrath stared at him with wide eyes.
-You are truly insane!
He seemed shocked by the psychological warfare that had overcome the Heavenly Demon, and he vigorously patted Raon's shoulder with his round hand.
-To aim for that single gap! You're out of your mind! Well done!
Wrath was smiling brightly, seemingly genuinely impressed.
"You..."
The Heavenly Demon looked at him with a gaze filled with anger and bewilderment, as if his pride had been hurt.
"Cough!"
As soon as Raon met the Heavenly Demon's gaze, he coughed up the black blood clot he had been forcibly holding back.
'This... this is really my limit.'
He wanted to pull out the Blade of Requiem caught in the Heavenly Demon's grasp, but he didn't even have the strength to move a finger. Perhaps because he had pushed himself too hard in his injured state, even breathing felt arduous.
“Taught him wrong?”
Glenn shook his head, smiling as if he was pleased.
"No, he's my grandson who has grown better than anyone else in the world."
As his bold voice resonated like thunder, lightning surged forth, drawing a red line that split the sky and earth. The fearsome strike, as if carrying the wrath of a god, shattered the black Fighting Spirit and violently pushed back the Heavenly Demon's sturdy body, causing it to fall into the cracked ground. Boom!
The red lightning bolts exploding underground spread endlessly, covering the earth as if heralding the end of the world.
"Cough..."
As soon as the Heavenly Demon fell underground, Raon coughed up blood again while supporting himself on the ground. His physical condition was so poor that even the vibrations seemed to twist his insides.
"Are you alright?"
Larian had somehow approached behind him and supported his body. She used nature's mana to unravel the stagnant energy congested in his body.
"I'm... fine."
Raon barely managed to nod.
"You really..."
Larian looked at him with eyes that seemed to say she couldn't believe it.
"You're a man who does what he says he'll do! I'm impressed!"
She laughed heartily, looking at the empty space where The Fallen's soul had melted away.
"I... I was just lucky."
Raon waved his hand, saying it was luck, not skill, that had favored him.
"I could never have done this alone."
He smiled faintly, meeting Evelyn's eyes as she looked in his direction.
***
"R-Raon."
Evelyn pressed her dried lips tightly as she watched Raon coughing up blood while smiling.
'The promise...'
Raon had promised to kill The Fallen again if he reappeared, but honestly, she thought it was just a comforting gesture. After the Heavenly Demon revived The Fallen, she had suppressed her emotions, thinking she would have to give up on killing him and accept it.
But Raon, as if determined to keep his word, entered the battlefield of the gods where Glenn and the Heavenly Demon were fighting, with legs that had lost all strength.
He advanced with eyes that seemed ready to rise again even if he fell a thousand times, and split The Fallen's soul protected by the Heavenly Demon with just a dagger. Seeing Raon, who didn't even have the strength to walk, risk his life to kill The Fallen for her sake, tears she couldn't hold back began to flow. A sob escaped her.
Evelyn wiped away her tears and closed her eyes tightly to see Raon properly.
'Mom...'
Was it because The Fallen had died? In that brief moment when she closed her eyes, her mother's face appeared. Her mother, who had always appeared hazy as if shrouded in fog, was smiling brightly at her as if to say she had done well.
"Haa..."
Evelyn slowly opened her eyes, picturing Sella's face. Raon nodded calmly towards her. Seeing his gaze, which seemed to say he had kept his promise, tears began to fall again.
"Thank you. Thank you so much..."
For the first time, words of gratitude flowed from her heart, not her head. The only thing she could do now was offer sincere thanks.
"..."
Raon smiled calmly as if to say it was alright. Even though he couldn't speak because he was bleeding from his mouth, the sight of him accepting her gratitude made her feel even more thankful.
'My life...'
Evelyn clenched her fist with what little strength she had left.
'No, I'll dedicate even my soul to you.'
She pounded her chest where ten circles were spinning, engraving the oath of a Transcendent.
***
Boom! The Heavenly Demon rose from the deep crevice that had been carved out like a primordial cliff. He had a deep sword wound on his chest left by Glenn.
"Haa..."
The Heavenly Demon looked at Raon, not even paying attention to the wound that had split his chest like a canyon.
"Hmm..."
Raon let out a sigh as he looked at the Heavenly Demon's robust body.
'How can such a monster exist?'
It was unbelievable that he was fine even after taking Glenn's sword strike. His body and mind were as hard as armor.
'No, it's not that it had no effect.'
Although the Heavenly Demon had a body and willpower as hard as armor, his aura had noticeably diminished. It was certain that the wound had an effect on him as well.
"Impressive."
The Heavenly Demon nodded as if genuinely impressed.
"To create a sword that cuts souls, even if you borrowed the power of that cursed dagger."
He curled his lips as he looked at the Blade of Requiem in his hand.
"I understand why he told me to take you with me. Your strength and talent are remarkable."
The Heavenly Demon threw the Blade of Requiem at Raon's feet, changing the anger in his eyes to joy.
"You... Cough!"
Raon tried to grab the Blade of Requiem that had fallen to the ground but coughed up black blood. His physical condition was so bad that even speaking was difficult.
"Stop looking."
Glenn walked to the right, blocking the Heavenly Demon's gaze on Raon.
"It'll wear him out."
He shook his head as if he wouldn't even give the Heavenly Demon a chance to look at Raon.
"A sword that can’t bear to part with its master, huh? That’s a story no one would believe."
The Heavenly Demon smiled faintly and threw the shattered pieces of The Fallen's mask on the ground.
"Was the reason for your surprise attack because of that grandson?"
He curled his lips as he stroked the wound on his chest.
"You tried to lay hands on children who didn't match your level, so I just gave you the same treatment."
Glenn shook his head as if he wasn't ashamed at all.
"I see."
As the Heavenly Demon shook his head with a faint smile, the blood flowing from the wound on his chest began to stop.
"It seems both you and I have changed a lot."
The Heavenly Demon nodded and took out the Heavenly Demon Relic he had kept in his bosom.
"Originally, the Heavenly Demon Relic was an object bound by the covenant between The Fallen and me."
He briefly smacked his lips as he looked at the Heavenly Demon Relic.
"Thanks to your talented grandson, I couldn't keep my promise to save that bastard who begged for his life, so I must pay the price."
The Heavenly Demon didn't seem to be in a bad mood even as he spoke of paying the price. Rather, the way he curled his lips in joy seemed like the personification of arrogance.
"Price or whatever, you can't lay a finger on Raon."
Glenn shook his head, saying he wouldn't allow anything.
“It’s true that your grandson is remarkable, but not now.”
The Heavenly Demon waved his hand as if he wasn't very interested in the current Raon.
"It's certainly amazing to turn the wheel of fate in the desired direction, but what I'm interested in now is..."
He raised his finger towards Glenn.
"You, Glenn Zieghart."
The Heavenly Demon let out a cold laugh from within his helmet.
"I was thinking of just exchanging a few blows and ending it, but since The Fallen is dead, we should have a proper match."
He put strength into his fingertips as if the previous clash had been mere play.
"I'll oblige."
Glenn calmly nodded as if to say 'come as much as you want'.
"It feels refreshing."
As the Heavenly Demon rolled his shoulders as if loosening up, the atmosphere rippled with tension. His movements were free yet grand, as if following the principles of the universe. The Heavenly Demon pointed his left fist to the sky and placed his right fist at his waist. The Invincible Stance. It was the stance of a supreme ruler that harmonized attack and defense, heaven and earth, yin and yang.
As he employed the Invincible Stance, an immense pressure that seemed to condense a thousand years of time emanated from him. It felt as if the world was holding its breath just by watching. Ching! Glenn raised the Heavenly Tremor with a calm demeanor despite feeling the Heavenly Demon's magnificent aura.
The silver blade set up a sword stance aimed at the Heavenly Demon's neck, burning red lightning as if to erase all the malice in the world.
Although it looked like a basic stance, Glenn's presence as a swordsman distorted space and time, making even the Heavenly Demon ignore everything else and focus only on him. The Void of Completion. Glenn's sword, which had reached the extreme, emitted an absolute aura that seemed to invade the realm of the gods, raising a clear light. Rumble!
As Glenn and the Heavenly Demon's auras soared to the heavens, a rift that seemed to divide the world was drawn.
The two Transcendents raised their killing intent towards each other in the realm of transcendence that was gradually turning gray. Boom! In the suffocating moment of confrontation, the Heavenly Demon was the first to be unable to bear the pounding in his chest. The moment his fist moved, time seemed to stop and the flow of mana solidified. Crash!
The massive wave of mana surging from the Heavenly Demon's fist distorted nature's mana. It seemed to go beyond simple destruction and give rise to chaos.
Rumble! It wasn't a simple fist strike, but seemed like he was trying to crush Glenn's very existence with a fist tempered by his own soul. Whoosh! As if to counter the Heavenly Demon's tyrannical aura that shook heaven and earth, Glenn's presence began to grow fiercely.
The grand will blooming from his soul raised a noble aura as if erasing the chaos brought forth by the Heavenly Demon.
Ching! As Glenn extended the Heavenly Tremor towards the Heavenly Demon who was rushing in with his black fist strike, a red light that seemed to distort space-time blossomed. The red radiance blooming along the blade was mysterious and vast as if it didn't belong to this world.
It was the absolute sword that cut not the enemy's body, but the essence of their soul, powered by will rather than aura. The martial arts of two absolute beings who had walked different paths clashed head-on. Boom! The moment the red sword and black fist collided, the space that formed heaven and earth shattered as if the principles of the universe had been distorted.
This was not a simple contest of martial arts. It was a clash of souls built up by supreme martial artists as humans.
Raon let out a dying exclamation as he engraved in his eyes the clash between Glenn and the Heavenly Demon that seemed to shake his very soul.
'The colors of the two are different.'
Glenn had honed his sword to the extreme, sharpening the sword of his heart that cut the enemy's soul, while the Heavenly Demon had built up the concept of martial arts, tempering a soul and body that wouldn't break against anything. It was no exaggeration to call it a battle between spear and shield, but the spear could become a shield, and the shield could also become a spear.
Raon watched without missing a single moment of the fight between the two Transcendents that seemed to be writing a new myth, forgetting even to breathe.
Boom! As the battle between Glenn and the Heavenly Demon reached its peak and darkness like an abyss bloomed between the two, golden flames ignited above Raon's sunken eyes.