"Has the Heavenly Demon not arrived yet?"
Rector tilted his chin as he sat down opposite Derus.
"Unfortunately, he said he couldn't come due to important business."
Derus Robert smiled faintly as if he had expected the question.
"He asked me to convey his apologies to both of you.
He bowed his head as if to apologize on behalf of the Heavenly Demon.
"In other words, he's too damn important to come?"
The veil covering the Leader of the White Blood Religion's face fluttered roughly as if hit by a winter wind.
"Is everyone not busy, or does anyone have nothing to do?"
She snorted as if offended that the Heavenly Demon hadn't come.
"As I heard, he's an uncooperative person."
Rector said as if he had expected this, placing his hand on the round table. He felt a cold sensation on his fingertips, reflecting his current mood.
'I really wanted to see him.'
He had hoped to gauge the level of that monster, as the Heavenly Demon was the only one among the Five Demons he hadn't met yet. It was disappointing that he didn't come to the meeting.
"Please understand. As you both know, something big happened in Eden."
Derus smiled faintly, saying that since The Fallen had died, they would need time to reorganize Eden. He seemed unaffected by the collapse of one of Eden's pillars.
"Let's have a drink first."
At Derus's gesture, the doll-eyed maid standing behind him approached. Rector turned his gaze to the Leader of the White Blood Religion as he heard the sound of teacups being filled.
'Is that veil an artifact?'
Considering that even his spiritual sense couldn't see through the Leader of the White Blood Religion's face, it seemed the veil possessed special abilities.
'Of course, more important than the veil is...'
It would be that woman's martial prowess. Originally, the Leader of the White Blood Religion's strength was stronger than his, but not by a significant margin. However, after absorbing the blood and soul of Beast King Ogram, she achieved growth that defied the laws of this world.
'She's much stronger than I thought.'
Although he too had grown stronger by breaking through the thick wall of martial arts thanks to regaining his lost family, he felt he couldn't match the current Leader of the White Blood Religion.
'An even bigger problem is...'
Rector raised his teacup and met Derus Robert's eyes, who was smiling at him.
'This devil.'
He had expected it after hearing rumors that he had overwhelmed Owen's Silent Sword Master, but seeing him in person, he was a monster beyond comprehension.
'To think I can't measure his martial prowess.'
Even though Derus Robert was sitting right in front of him, it was difficult to sense his aura and level. It meant he had reached a realm similar to, if not quite matching, Glenn or the previous Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, the Dark Night Sword God.
'This is...'
Rector bit the inside of his cheek as he looked at his reflection in the teacup.
'Dangerous.'
He had thought that with the fall of the Black Tower and The Fallen's death, the Five Kings would have a significant advantage, but after coming here and observing closely, he realized that might not be the case.
'Even if I consider the Silent Sword Master to be at a similar level to me, and the Archmage of Eternal Flame and the Mage Tower Master to be slightly stronger, it would still be difficult.'
Silent Sword Master Lecross, Archmage Chamber of Eternal Flame, Mage Tower Master Larian. Among these three Transcendents, it seemed none could face the Leader of the White Blood Religion one-on-one.
'Beast King Ogram would be weaker than the current Raon, so he's out of the question.'
Ogram hadn't simply been injured; his soul's caliber and martial prowess had been forcibly taken by the Leader of the White Blood Religion. It wasn't a wound that could be recovered through mere treatment, so he wouldn't be of much help in the battle between the leaders.
'Damn...'
There's no one to stop Derus Robert. Derus Robert is even stronger than that Leader of the White Blood Religion. Unless it's Glenn or the Dark Night Sword God, it would take a coordinated attack from top-tier Transcendents to barely face him.
'If he had been this strong from the beginning, he could have declared war on the Five Kings right away... Ah!'
Come to think of it, he wasn't at this level from the start. When Derus Robert's identity was revealed to Raon, he wasn't at this level yet. If the Transcendents of the Five Kings had gone all out, they might have been able to achieve a draw. But now, he had become so strong that no one except Glenn, the Dark Night Sword God, and the Heavenly Demon could stop him.
'He bided his time until he gained this power.'
Derus clearly hid and built up his strength until his martial prowess became overwhelmingly superior. It seemed that neither the Black Tower nor The Fallen were important pieces to him.
'Five Kings and Five Demons. No, it's Six Kings and Three Demons now.'
To think we'd end up short on high-level experts. Even if Glenn blocked the Heavenly Demon, and the Mage Tower Master and Archmage of Eternal Flame blocked the Leader of the White Blood Religion, there was no one to face Derus Robert.
'If the Silent Sword Master faces Derus while I ambush from behind...'
Rector narrowed his eyes as he imagined a battle with Derus.
'No, it's difficult.'
Derus is an extremely suspicious person. If I approach him during battle, I'll surely reveal my intentions without accomplishing anything.
'Plus, there's the Archangel who might appear at any moment.'
Indeed, it won't be an easy war.
'How should I prepare... Ah!'
Rector clenched his fist under the round table as he inwardly sighed.
'No, there is one way.'
Thinking about it, there was exactly one way to stop Derus.
"How have you two been doing?"
Derus broke the silence first, as if he thought it was time to begin.
"How have we been? We've been buried underground without a ray of sunlight, just building up strength."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion clicked her tongue as if asking why he would ask such an obvious question.
"Of course, I found something interesting in the south..."
She licked her lips as if she had found something to pique her interest.
"The same goes for me."
Rector turned his gaze to Derus.
"All we can do now is strengthen our foundations."
He nodded, saying that he too had only been training with his subordinates.
"Indeed, you've both become incomparably stronger than before."
Derus clapped lightly, not showing any sign that he had achieved the greatest change.
"Then let's start the meeting. First, I'll summarize what has happened so far. The catalyst for the Black Tower's fall was the clash between the Demonblade and Raon Zieghart..."
He began explaining recent events before getting into the main agenda.
'It's as if he was right there.'
Derus Robert knew even the details that weren't public knowledge. He must have planted spies in the Five Kings to steal information.
'It must be Zieghart.'
Considering how well he knew Raon and Zieghart's circumstances, it seemed he had planted a spy among the Five Kings, likely within Zieghart.
"...And that's how The Fallen was killed by Raon Zieghart."
As Derus mentioned that Raon had killed The Fallen, he turned his gaze towards Rector. It was probably coincidental, but it sent a chill down his spine.
"Foolish bastards."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion mocked both the Black Tower Master and The Fallen.
"They acted as if they had mastered the principles of this world, but they couldn't hide their desires. That's why they died."
She waved her long, elegant fingers, saying it was pathetic.
“You’re not wrong. The reason why Eden was attacked after the Black Tower and why The Fallen died is simple.”
Derus lowered his chin as he placed his hand on the round table.
"Although we're called the Five Demons, we're not actually bound together."
He smiled slyly as he gently traced the round table with his finger.
"We mocked the weak when the South-North Union fell, and we mocked the foolish when the Black Tower crumbled. It's not strange that we all fall."
Derus shrugged towards the Leader of the White Blood Religion, as if asking if she agreed.
"Go on."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion tilted her chin as if willing to listen.
"..."
Rector remained silent, folding his arms.
"The South-North Union, the Black Tower, and even The Fallen. That's three. If we had set our minds to it, we could have saved them easily. Ah, of course, the previous Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance was different. He was a moth flying into the fire."
Derus narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rector. He said it was regrettable that they died, with a face that showed no remorse at all. It sent chills down his arm, as if he was watching a puppet show.
"Since we've made such mistakes, I think it would be good if we could fill in each other's gaps from now on."
Derus nodded, suggesting they form an alliance worthy of the name Five Demons.
"An alliance sounds good. However..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion narrowed her eyes at Derus.
"We're all hiding so well that not even a hair is visible. How are we going to communicate and help each other?"
She sneered, asking if the Five Demons weren't keeping each other in check.
"That's why I've prepared something."
At Derus's finger snap, the maid brought gray orbs and placed them in front of him and the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"These are artifacts we created. They allow us to communicate from anywhere, and open a dimensional gate to our side just once."
He waved his finger, saying it would open an escape route in dangerous moments.
"Won't those damn magician women block the dimensional gates?"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion frowned, asking if the Archmage of Eternal Flame and the Mage Tower Master would just stand by.
"This is different from existing dimensional gates. It uses a different power source, not mana."
Derus shook his head, saying it wouldn't be blocked even by the Transcendents' magic.
"Don't tell me it's divine power?"
Rector spoke up, observing the fluctuating energy inside the orb.
"You're quite perceptive. That's right. The name of this orb is 'Divine Shine'."
Derus smiled as if to say he was correct.
"Divine power has the ability to push away mana. Even the Archmage of Eternal Flame and the Mage Tower Master won't be able to break through it."
He nodded, saying they could retreat sufficiently even if surrounded.
"If you break the orb in a dangerous moment, a dimensional gate will open right there."
Derus smiled, saying it would be even better if they contacted him before retreating.
"It's one-way for now, but with a bit more research, we should be able to create a path for us to go to your side as well."
He extended his interlocked hands, saying that would allow them to overcome the Five Kings' numerical advantage.
"By the way, the Heavenly Demon has received one as well."
Derus smiled as if to ask what they would do, given that the Heavenly Demon had also taken one.
"The Heavenly Demon..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion hesitated a bit before putting the orb in her bosom.
"Next..."
Derus smiled as if he had expected this and began explaining the points to be cautious about regarding the Five Kings.
'It's fortunate I came here.'
Rector briefly licked his lips as he fiddled with the Divine Shine Derus had given him.
'There's a lot of information to tell Raon.'
He had confirmed the martial prowess of Derus and the Leader of the White Blood Religion, learned about the new item called Divine Shine, and could somewhat predict the movements of the Five Demons. This information would be of great help to Raon and Zieghart. He took a deep breath.
Rector recalled the face of his beloved grandson, unaware that Derus's eyes were gradually darkening.
***
"Then we'll return to Zieghart."
Raon bowed to the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords, who had come out to the front of the magic tower to see them off.
"Isn't it too soon to leave?"
The Queen of Swords smacked her lips as if somewhat disappointed.
"We have a lot to do, and I'm sure the Five Divine Orders have much to attend to as well."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at the Thespian Emperor, whose eyes were filled with vitality.
"That's right. We have so many tasks we've put off that we won't have a moment's rest for a while."
The Thespian Emperor exhaled heavily, saying she needed to deal with the work she had postponed while trapped in her mental world.
"I, I can't do that..."
The Queen of Swords' eyes trembled as if she didn't want to see any documents.
"Then train your body and aura."
Raon pointed his finger towards the great training ground.
"Body and aura?"
"Briana's martial prowess cannot exceed the limits of Brigitte's body and aura. If you transcend that constraint, you'll become much stronger than you are now."
While Briana can perfectly execute learned swordsmanship and footwork, she's confined within Brigitte's body. If that body and aura grow, she too could become exponentially stronger, like a tiger with wings.
"Hmph. Why should I do that for my sister?"
Brigitte snorted as if she absolutely wouldn't do it, but her eyes were already fixed on the great training ground.
"As soon as I return, I'll contact the Shadow Agents' Leader and the Black Market Leader to cooperate with White Whale."
Raon smiled, saying that information would soon start pouring in like crazy.
"We'll be prepared."
The Thespian Emperor nodded calmly, as if welcoming it.
"Then we'll see you next time."
Raon left a respectful farewell to the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords before entering the dimensional gate that had opened in the magic tower. The swordsmen standing behind him followed, emanating a chilling aura befitting the name Zieghart.
"I'll rest a bit before going."
The Queen of Swords said she would rest, but walked towards the great training ground. It seemed she was going to start training right away after hearing Raon's words.
"She's so cute."
The Thespian Emperor chuckled and entered the mansion's office. She looked at the documents piled on her desk and then pulled out the Celestial Scriptures tucked between her thighs.
'Somehow...'
Now, she felt she could understand what kind of person Raon Zieghart was. Her prophetic instincts told her that understanding Raon now would allow her to see a different heaven’s flow than before. Ssssh. The Thespian Emperor was about to open the Celestial Scriptures when she suddenly stopped.
'No...'
She shook her head as she pushed the Celestial Scriptures deep into her desk.
'Now is not the time to rely on this book.'
She would use it if it was really necessary, but it wasn't time yet. She patted her cheek with the hand that was about to open the book, then pulled out documents she hadn't looked at for a long time.
"Well, where shall we start?"
For the first time in a very long while, vitality and the soft sound of a pen began to emanate from her office.
***
"You've already finished and come back?"
Glenn blinked blankly, as if he hadn't expected them to complete the mission in just one day.
"Yes. We communicated well with both of them."
Raon nodded calmly.
-Communicated well, my foot!
Wrath let out an exasperated breath.
-In reality, you beat them all up!
He shook his head as if to say, what nonsense are you talking about, it wasn't dialogue but fists and swords.
'In the end, words got through.'
Raon smiled as he looked around the audience chamber.
'Fortunately, no one else is here today.'
Unlike other missions, this one ended in a day, and they returned via dimensional gate, so only three people were in the audience chamber now: Glenn, Roenn, and Sheryl. He felt at ease without the other executives present, unlike usual.
"Well..."
"I'll report first. After arriving in Barene, we immediately went to find the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords..."
Raon quickly began explaining what had happened in Barene, the city of the Five Divine Orders, in case Glenn suddenly called for others.
"...And so, White Whale and The Unyielding Blade have agreed to work with our Five Kings. The Thespian Emperor will contact us soon."
Raon bowed his head, saying he had awakened the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords, and received their oath to fight together until the end of this war.
"I thought you'd return with an alliance, but I didn't expect you to finish it in just one day..."
Sheryl blinked in disbelief.
"To think you even subdued the Queen of Swords, or rather, Briana. As expected, you're amazing."
Roenn laughed, saying it was beyond expectations. He seemed to have known about the Queen of Swords' condition as well.
"She was indeed strong. I learned a lot..."
"Sheryl, Roenn."
As Raon was about to respond, Glenn raised his trembling hand and called for Sheryl and Roenn.
"Right now! Summon all the executives of the family!"
He stomped his foot, ordering them to call all the executives.
"He-Head of House?"
Raon swallowed dryly, sensing Glenn's strange atmosphere.
"Why suddenly call the executives..."
"Why, you ask?"
Glenn curled his lips, his face flushed as if proud.
"I can't be the only one to hear about this great achievement of awakening the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords, opening their hearts, and forming an alliance!"
He violently broke the armrest of his throne, telling Raon to speak again once everyone had gathered.
"W-Wait..."
Raon tried to stop them, but Sheryl and Roenn had already opened the doors of the audience chamber and gone outside.
"Hahaha!"
"I have the same thought!"
The two waved their hands, saying they would return as quickly as possible, and ran out of the Lord's Manor.
"Ahem!"
Glenn licked his lips, rubbing his hands together as if already curious about the executives' reactions to his story.
"Ah..."
Raon let out a sigh, hunching his shoulders.
-Has that old geezer finally lost it?
Wrath let out an exasperated breath.
-This isn't just being doting, it's senility!
Why listen to that long story twice!