-Putting a leash on a Transcendent?
Wrath widened his eyes as he looked at Raon.
-What nonsense are you talking about?
He tilted his head as if wondering whose leash Raon was planning to grab.
'The situation for the Five Kings has changed now.'
Raon twisted his lips as he gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Drive sword after a long time.
'The balance was broken when The Fallen died.'
In the last war, The Fallen had died, and the ghosts of helmets and masks he led were also killed en masse, so it would be no exaggeration to say that Eden's current military strength was less than half of what it originally was.
'Before that, the Black Tower collapsed.'
Unlike Eden, where the Heavenly Demon was still alive, the Black Tower completely collapsed when its only leader, the Black Tower Master, died.
'Moreover...'
Raon raised his finger to tap on the window where sunlight was shimmering.
'The Holy Sword Alliance, one of the pillars of the Five Demons, is not on their side, but neutral.'
Rector and the Holy Sword Alliance wouldn't side with the Five Kings, but they wouldn't participate in the war with the Five Demons either. They would never leave their position of absolute neutrality.
'In reality, it's not the Five Demons anymore, but more like the Three Demons.'
Although there were injured among the Transcendents of the Five Kings too, except for Ogram, they were all wounds that could eventually be healed. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Five Kings now had a clear advantage over the Five Demons.
-Then what will you do about the Archangels?
Wrath frowned as he looked up at the blue sky.
-Each of them is practically a top-tier Transcendent. As much as I hate to admit it, some have even reached this king's level.
'Of course I remember that.'
Raon let out a heavy sigh.
'But judging by Derus's inaction, he probably hasn't summoned all the Archangels yet.'
Derus was holding his breath and gathering strength. Considering his perfectionist nature, it was clear that there was still time left.
-Even if it takes time to summon them, he will eventually call forth the other Archangels.
Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that such desire was evident in Derus's eyes.
'I know. That's why I have a method in mind.'
Raon waved his hand, telling him not to worry.
-What's this method of yours?
'It's a secret for now. But you'll probably find out soon.'
-Why, I don't know why, but hearing you say you have a method suddenly gives me chills.
Wrath shuddered, saying it felt as unpleasant as when he was about to be extorted for compensation.
'You're quite perceptive.'
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Wrath.
-Huh?
'It's nothing.'
He waved his hand and looked back at the window where warmth was descending.
'Anyway, the factions that have been watching from the sidelines among the Five Kings will now have to make a definitive choice. Most of them will probably crawl to us.'
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the sky that was so clear it was as blue as the sea.
-But why do you say you're going to grab a leash?
'Because we might lose the initiative. We need to prepare in advance.'
Raon tied a letter to the leg of a black swallow from the Shadow Agents that he had received in advance and released it out the window. The swallow, as if already knowing its path, soared high into the sky and departed towards the south.
-Now I understand what you mean.
Wrath nodded calmly as he watched the swallow's tail.
'But before that...'
Raon licked his lips as he looked towards where the Fifth Training Ground was.
‘Let's first check the leashes of our own kids, shall we?’
***
Burren and Mark Goetun clashed swords and then retreated to opposite sides.
"This is unbelievable."
Burren let out a hollow laugh as he looked at his faintly trembling blade.
"To think you'd reach the same level as us so soon after becoming a Grandmaster..."
He expressed his amazement and congratulations.
"It's all thanks to the Palace Master's teachings."
Mark Goetun nodded calmly as he lowered his sword to the ground.
"He told me it wasn't too late yet, which allowed me to reach this level."
He said it was thanks to Raon that he didn't give up, gripping his sword hilt tightly.
"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most beautiful."
Burren applauded, congratulating him again.
"If you're done, get out of the way!"
Martha pushed Burren aside and stood in front of Mark Goetun.
"Uncle, you have to spar with me too. Unlike Burren, I won't go easy on you."
She dusted off her hands like a back alley thug, saying they should have a proper match.
"Alright!"
Mark Goetun nodded as if to say 'bring it on' and blocked Martha's sword strike head-on as she charged at him.
A powerful wave of aura surged into the air of the Fifth Training Ground from the clash of the two Grandmasters.
"Next is me..."
Runaan slowly raised her hand as if she also wanted to spar with Mark Goetun.
"Yawn!"
Krein let out a long yawn while watching Mark Goetun and Martha's sparring match.
"It's so peaceful. With the Palace Master not here. I couldn't be more comfortable."
He leaned against a tree, saying there was no need to be on guard.
"You're saying it's comfortable because the Palace Master isn't here?"
Dorian rolled his eyes as if to say 'what are you talking about?'
"When the Palace Master is here, even if we train at full power, we feel self-conscious."
Krein snorted as he looked up at the tree.
"Because that person works so hard. It makes me feel like I'm slacking off, you know?"
He shook his head, saying he hated that feeling.
"That's a good thing."
Trevin wagged his finger at Krein and Dorian.
"People develop when they feel they're lacking."
He frowned, saying that without Raon, his training wasn't going well.
"That's because you haven't been under our Palace Master for long, Trevin!"
Krein waved his hand vigorously.
"It's not just about making us feel self-conscious! He often suddenly shows up to request a sparring match, and then just beats us up!"
He exhaled roughly as if vomiting, saying that Raon's training was far more intense than Burren's or Martha's.
"I wish he'd stop with that damn focus training."
"That's right, it's killing me, I can't move my body."
"I hate sparring with the Palace Master. What's the fun in not being able to land a single hit and just getting beaten up?"
"The intensity of the training keeps increasing. I don't feel like I'm getting stronger."
"Maybe the Palace Master is training us just to beat us up?"
The swordsmen who sympathized with Krein's words nodded vigorously as they gathered around him.
"..."
However, Dorian remained silent with trembling eyes, as if he had sensed something.
"So you all know!"
Krein stomped his foot as he looked at the swordsmen gathering around him.
"I'm telling you, they don't understand! These monsters don't understand our feelings!"
He gritted his teeth, saying that people like Burren, Martha, and Runaan didn't understand their pain.
"It's true that Raon's training has made us stronger. But now we need to do something different. Always sparring, always focus training. It's boring and no fun!"
Krein snorted, calling Raon 'Mr. Repetition'.
"Dorian, why are you keeping your mouth shut? You have a lot of complaints too. Speak up."
He patted Dorian's shoulder, telling him to vent his pent-up frustrations.
"Mmph."
Dorian removed the hand covering his mouth and pointed behind Krein.
"N-No way..."
Krein swallowed hard, as if sensing fear from Dorian's trembling finger.
"Is he behind me?"
"Y-Yes..."
Dorian nodded with a whimper.
"Ahaha..."
Krein turned around, his whole body trembling like a freshwater fish skewered on a stick. From behind the tree he had been leaning against, Raon emerged, his red eyes glinting.
"P-Palace Master! When did you arrive?"
Krein forced a smile, straining every muscle in his face.
"Just now."
Raon nodded calmly, as if he hadn't heard anything, and headed towards the platform.
"W-What? Did he not hear?"
Krein licked his lips as he watched Raon's back ascending the platform.
"I-It seems so?"
"The Palace Master did arrive just as we finished talking."
"T-Thank goodness..."
The other swordsmen muttered with sighs of relief, as if they had narrowly escaped death.
"We almost died."
Krein wiped away the cold sweat pouring from his forehead like rain, as if he had just returned from hell.
"Ugh..."
However, Dorian, who knew Raon best, closed his eyes tightly as if he could see Krein's future. As Raon stood at the edge of the platform, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, who had been engaged in various activities, gathered in front of him and assumed attention positions.
"Did you all maintain your personal training well while I was away?"
Raon lowered his red gaze to meet the eyes of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"Yes!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen all responded in unison, without hesitation, as if they were one person.
"Everyone participated in training from dawn, even after their vacation ended."
Burren reported that all the swordsmen had focused on their training without any unusual incidents.
"They've all gotten used to it, so now they train on their own even without being told."
Martha laughed heartily, as if proud of them.
"Only one person was late..."
Runaan bowed her head, saying that even the number of latecomers had decreased.
"That latecomer was you!"
Martha yelled at Runaan, as if she couldn't believe what she was saying.
"I didn't say it wasn't me."
"Then why are you talking about it like it's someone else?"
She gritted her teeth, telling Runaan to come to her senses.
"Hmm..."
Raon looked back at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, ignoring Runaan and Martha who had started arguing.
"I can see that everyone has been diligent in their training. Good job. However..."
Raon's eyes sharpened after offering praise.
"It seems the results of the training aren't showing properly."
He shook his head, sensing that the swordsmen's martial prowess levels hadn't changed for quite some time.
"Well, that's..."
"You can't get stronger instantly just by training!"
"Yeah, it takes time..."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan sighed, saying they had passed the stage where effort immediately showed results.
"Familiarity is a frightening thing."
Raon tapped the scabbard of his Heavenly Drive sword out of habit.
"Once the body and mind adapt to difficult training, there's not much more to gain afterwards."
While swordsmanship is perfected through repetition, physical strength and mental fortitude cannot be developed through familiar efforts.
"To be honest, you are strong."
Raon lowered his hand towards the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"You possess physical abilities, mental strength, and swordsmanship beyond your current level, and you've accumulated various real combat experiences, so you probably won't lose easily to opponents of the same level."
Through focus enhancement training, he had strengthened their mental fortitude; through direct sparring, he had tempered their bodies; and through duels, he had provided them with real combat experience. It wouldn't be strange to say that the Light Wind Palace was the strongest single martial force.
"However, you are lacking in one aspect."
Raon raised his finger to point at their energy centers.
"Aura."
While the Light Wind Palace swordsmen possessed decent auras, they were still young, so they often fell behind in terms of aura quantity and quality when compared to opponents of the same level.
"So I've thought of a new training method. This will be..."
Raon smiled coldly as he looked at Krein, who shuddered at the word 'new'.
"Absolutely not boring."
"Uh..."
Krein's complexion turned pale as he realized that Raon had heard everything he said.
"We'll start with..."
Raon twirled his finger as if pondering.
"Urgh..."
Krein stepped forward, as if sensing his fate.
"Martha first."
However, Raon extended his hand not to Krein, but to Martha.
"Not Krein?"
Martha tilted her head as if surprised.
"Yes. You're first."
Raon smiled as he descended in front of Martha.
"Sit down and face forward."
"Alright."
Martha trusted him completely and turned her back to him. Raon concentrated the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier at his fingertips, then pushed it into Martha's mana circuit.
"Ugh!"
Martha raised her trembling eyes, feeling intense pain from the sudden aura attack.
"This training involves pushing out my aura that I'm injecting now with your own aura."
Raon smiled faintly as he continued to push aura into Martha's mana circuit, which was shaking from the pain.
'I didn't expect to use this as training.'
Originally, this method was his own torture technique for extracting information from enemies. But after hearing Krein's complaint about boring training, he decided to modify it into a new aura training method.
'It's not bad for an impromptu training regimen.'
Unlike when torturing, Martha could resist with her own aura, so the quality and density of her aura would gradually become stronger. It was an effect similar to muscles becoming stronger after being destroyed.
'If they endure this training to the end...'
The effect might be even greater than fully absorbing a top-grade elixir. Not everyone can fully absorb the efficacy of an elixir just by consuming it. But if they endure his training, they might be able to possess an aura stronger than fully absorbing a top-grade elixir.
'Of course...'
Raon smirked as he looked at Martha, whose face had turned bright red.
'It won't be easy.'
This training was one of the most difficult among all the training sessions so far, as it required enduring excruciating pain while continuously operating aura cultivation techniques. It would be impossible to endure with an ordinary mindset.
"Urgh..."
Martha glared at Krein, grinding her teeth so hard they made a creaking sound. She seemed to think she was enduring this pain because of his words.
"Next..."
Raon raised his hand to choose the next person.
"Me..."
"Burren."
Raon ignored Krein who was stepping forward and called Burren, injecting aura into him just like he did with Martha.
"Argh..."
Burren also chewed on his lips, struggling with the unbearable pain, and glared at Krein.
"Next, Runaan."
"W-Wait a moment!"
Krein jumped out in front of Runaan.
"P-Please! Do me first! I'm begging you!"
He rubbed his hands together like a fly, as if pleading for his life.
"That won't do."
Raon shook his head, feeling the chilling gazes of people directed at Krein.
"This training was created thanks to you. So you'll receive it last."
He injected the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier into Runaan's back as well, who had approached him.
"Hnngh..."
Even Runaan, whose reactions were usually subdued, strained her dull eyes and looked up at Krein due to the intense pain.
"Ahh! Please stop!"
Krein cried out, begging for mercy as he planted his face on the ground.
-I've met many demons in my time, but...
Wrath clicked his tongue in disbelief.
-I've never met someone who torments people to death like you! You sun-like bastard!
'Isn't the sun a compliment in this world?'
Raon bowed his head, saying thank you for the praise.
-It's not a compliment, it's a curse!
***
A week later. The Light Wind Palace swordsmen had overcome the aura of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier that Raon had injected, making it their own. Raon nodded slightly as he watched the swordsmen concentrating on their cultivation.
'They've adapted faster than I thought.'
He had expected it to take a month, but the swordsmen overcame his aura much quicker than anticipated.
'The achievement is beyond my expectations too.'
The training started as a way to raise the swordsmen's aura levels, but additionally, they developed resistance to heat and cold. It seemed that the effects of all the training they had done so far worked in combination.
'Of course...'
Raon smirked as he felt the killing intent from the swordsmen glaring at the back of Krein's head, who was cultivating aura at the very front.
'He must be having a hellish time.'
The swordsmen seemed to believe this training was truly created because of Krein, as they were hurling curses at him with their eyes. It looked like they would throw punches of rage as soon as he disappeared.
-No matter how I think about it, your enemies are pitiful.
Wrath put his hands together, saying he would pray for their souls from now on.
'There's no need to pray for them. They all deserve to die.'
As Raon shook his head coldly, a pure white bird descended in front of him. It had a red dot on its forehead, emanating a mysterious aura like clouds hanging over high mountains.
"Hmm..."
Raon received the white paper tied to the bird's leg and unfolded it.
'It's finally here.'
The letter, written in an elegant hand, stated that he could visit anytime.
"Stop."
As Raon gestured to retrieve his aura, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen raised their heads with tired eyes.
"Is it over already? I can still go on!"
Martha panted heavily, holding her knees.
"Yeah, I was just starting to get the hang of it..."
Burren also licked his lips, as if disappointed.
"I've gotten used to the fire too..."
Runaan nodded with a reddened face, as if she had adapted to the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
"A new mission will be coming down. Be prepared."
Raon dusted off his clothes and tidied his disheveled hair.
"A mission? I thought there wouldn't be any for a while?"
Trevin narrowed his eyes as he looked at the white paper.
"It's not coming from above, I'm going to propose it to the Head of House."
Raon wrote that he would come soon on the letter and tied it to the leg of the white bird.
"What kind of mission are you proposing...?"
Dorian swallowed dryly, as if scared.
"The two remaining of the Five Divine Orders."
Raon smiled coldly as he looked at two streaks of clouds sinking before the majestic sun.
"We need to bring in the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords on their knees."