'Wrath.'
Raon called out to Wrath, who was yawning as if bored.
'Can you see that?'
He slightly raised his finger, pointing to the faint light emanating from Martha and Runaan's heart area.
-I can see the beef girl and ice cream girl drooling from exhaustion.
Wrath tilted his head as if asking what he was supposed to see.
'Can only I see it?'
It seemed that he was the only one who could see the light rising from Martha and Runaan's chests.
'If that's the case, that light is likely related to Spirit Transformation.'
In the past, even when Martha and Runaan were pushed to the brink of death, such light never appeared. It was clearly an effect of the newly acquired Spirit Transformation.
-That must be correct.
Wrath nodded, still unable to see it, but agreeing that the assumption was probably right.
'Then...'
Raon licked his lips and jabbed the energy emanating from Martha and Runaan's hearts with the scabbard of the Heavenly Drive.
"Gah!"
"Ugh..."
Martha and Runaan were already exhausted, so they couldn't react and rolled on the training ground floor after being hit in the chest with the scabbard.
"Argh!"
"It hurts..."
The two curled up like pillbugs and let out deep groans.
"He, he doesn't even go easy on them when they're that exhausted."
"He really is a demon..."
"I'm glad I'm not involved. I really can't do it anymore."
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen exhaled sharply, not expecting Raon to strike Martha and Runaan when they looked like they would collapse if touched.
-Even demons wouldn't do such a thing!
Wrath shook his head vigorously.
-Hey, you madman! If you see a strange phenomenon, you should observe it first! Who stabs with a sword right away?
He wrinkled his nose, saying that even a wild boar would sniff an unfamiliar fruit first.
'No...'
Raon scratched the back of his head and rolled his eyes.
'The Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords entered a state of enlightenment while sparring with me, so I just tried hitting them once...'
The Queen of Swords and the Thespian Emperor had entered a state of enlightenment while immersed in their sparring with him, so he thought these two might do the same and attacked them lightly.
-Then you should have done it at a level they could block! You were too strong!
Wrath gritted his teeth, asking why he was showing off his strength when he was weak. He still seemed to care especially for Runaan and Martha.
'I went easy on them, relatively speaking.'
He had tried to adjust his strength, thinking that if it was too strong or too weak, the trait wouldn't activate, but it seemed too much for Martha and Runaan in their current state.
'That's enough for today...'
Just as he was about to lower his scabbard, saying they should stop...
"Not yet..."
Martha stood up without even brushing off the sand covering her body.
"I can still go on."
She raised her sword, asking him to continue.
"If Miss Rakshasa can do it..."
Runaan lifted her head, exhaling a white breath filled with cold energy.
"I'll do it too..."
She straightened her back, biting her lips through the pain.
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Runaan and Martha assume their battle stances.
'The light emanating from the two has grown stronger.'
As Martha and Runaan steeled their resolve to fight again, the light shining from their hearts grew more intense than before.
'That light must be their souls being shown to me through the Spirit Transformation trait.'
Otherwise, there was no reason why only he could see that light now.
'What should I do?'
It was clear that he needed to fight those two, but simply beating them up like before seemed meaningless.
'Let's think about the difference between Runaan, Martha and the Queen of Swords, Thespian Emperor.'
The difference in martial prowess was significant, but the gap in their souls was even more extreme. Considering the description of Spirit Transformation, it seemed that awakening was happening due to the difference in souls rather than martial prowess.
'Does that light need to connect with my soul's realm?'
The Thespian Emperor and the Queen of Swords were upper Transcendents, so their souls' realms were correspondingly high. In contrast, while Runaan and Martha were Grandmasters in martial arts, they were still young, so their souls' realms weren't that great. It seemed their souls were too small to connect with his.
'I think I roughly know what to do now.'
If Martha and Runaan couldn't move their souls, he just needed to approach them first.
"If you have the strength to stand..."
Raon beckoned to Runaan and Martha.
"Come at me."
He told them to come directly and swing their swords while opening his soul's realm. Whoosh! As the realm of a soul comparable to or even surpassing that of a top-tier Transcendent rose, Martha and Runaan stepped back, breaking out in cold sweat.
"If you can't reach it, give up here."
If Martha and Runaan didn't move of their own will, they would never achieve awakening. He had to wait for the two here, with his soul's realm open.
"Giving up? Hell no."
Martha moved forward, chewing her lips. She took one step at a time, even as her very mind was being crushed by the realm of soul he had unleashed.
"I'm not giving up either..."
Runaan approached with her shoulders hunched and back bent under the physical pressure. Though her posture wasn't that of a swordsman, her eyes sparkled more like a true swordsman than anyone else's.
"The aura is so strong that it's hard to breathe even from here..."
"Is, is this really okay?"
"He's being especially rough today. Seems like he ate something wrong..."
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen could barely breathe, swallowing dry saliva as Raon's pressure grew stronger. Thud. Martha and Runaan finally stood before Raon, sweating profusely from exhaustion under the immense pressure.
"Damn, that was far!"
Martha exhaled a turbid breath, saying each step felt like a year passing.
"Ugh..."
Runaan seemed to have lost the strength to speak, only biting her lips as she groaned.
"You can't stop here."
Raon beckoned with his finger, saying that just walking here wasn't enough.
"I, I know that!"
"I'm about to do it..."
Martha and Runaan raised their swords with trembling hands and brought them down over their heads. Clang! Raon roughly deflected their swords with the scabbard of the Heavenly Drive.
"Urgh!"
"Ah..."
Martha and Runaan staggered backward as if about to fall.
"That's not swordsmanship, it's just swinging."
Raon shook his head firmly, saying that wasn't the sword he meant.
"Swing your sword with the emotions and soul you've built up in your swordsmanship so far."
He jutted his chin, telling them to try again.
"Huff!"
"Okay..."
Martha and Runaan seemed to accept his advice, raising their concentration and swinging their swords again.
"Again!"
Raon said the second attempt was still lacking and pushed Martha and Runaan back more fiercely. Clang! Martha and Runaan kept getting up like roly-poly toys and unleashed the swordsmanship they had honed their entire lives. Clash! Raon licked his lips as he saw Martha and Runaan's swords regaining their natural flow.
'They're almost there.'
Martha and Runaan were now drawing out swordsmanship with their own flow, removing the excessive force they had put in earlier. He could feel their awakening was just around the corner.
"Follow me!"
Martha charged in with bloodshot eyes. Even at this moment, she seemed to be considerate of Runaan beside her, approaching first and unleashing a heavy sword strike.
"I won't follow. I'll go first..."
Runaan took a deep breath and exploded with silver cold energy. She too, thinking of Martha, thrust her sword forward while wrapped in frigid cold energy.
'Now's the time.'
Raon felt the light emanating from Martha and Runaan's hearts grow so intense it obscured his vision, and he drew the Heavenly Drive. Woong! He swung the Heavenly Drive, imbued with his will, towards the two's swords while operating the Ring of Fire at its extreme. Bang!
A thunderous sound erupted as if souls were clashing rather than swords, and the light emanating from Martha and Runaan shot up into the dark sky.
Woong. Raon lowered his gaze after confirming that the towering light that had risen to the sky had subsided.
'Did it work?'
Martha and Runaan were frozen in the posture of swinging their swords, but their aura flow was violently churning as if hit by waves.
-Wh-what is this!
Wrath swallowed hard, looking at the motionless Runaan and Martha.
-Did it really succeed?
He exhaled sharply, as if he had thought it would surely fail.
'It seems so.'
Raon nodded, exhaling a deep breath.
-How is this possible.
'To be honest, I didn't expect to succeed either.'
He had only intended to try various experiments today, but thanks to Martha and Runaan's strong will, he was able to awaken them both.
'It seems that for Spirit Transformation to activate, one must have the will to fight even when physically and mentally exhausted.'
Judging by how the light emanating from Martha and Runaan's hearts grew stronger as they became more exhausted, it seemed certain.
"No, no way..."
"Did they really enter a state of enlightenment? Both of them?"
"Impossible..."
"To think it was true that one could awaken others..."
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen trembled their jaws, seemingly unable to imagine that Martha and Runaan would actually be awakened.
'This trait. It's good, but...'
Raon frowned, looking at his slightly trembling hand.
'It's quite tiring.'
It wasn't just about beating them; he had to fully open his soul's realm and match the other person's rhythm, which wasn't easy even for him.
'I can't do this for many people in a day. And it's not guaranteed to succeed every time.'
-Of course not!
Wrath bared his teeth as if Raon was talking nonsense.
-If you could awaken everyone at will, you could even create a Transcendent army!
He shook his head, saying that Raon probably wouldn't be able to use Spirit Transformation on the same person for a while after awakening them once.
'Well, still...'
Raon smiled softly as he looked at Martha and Runaan in their state of enlightenment.
'I feel proud.'
Seeing Martha and Runaan enter a state of enlightenment together, relying on each other, filled his chest with a sense of pride.
'Now, shall we wait?'
Raon stood in front of Martha and Runaan as if protecting them, with a faint smile.
'To see how much stronger these two will become.'
***
"Haa..."
Martha slowly opened her eyes, exhaling a low breath.
"What was I doing?"
She swallowed dryly, looking at the sword in her hand.
"Are you awake now?"
Raon waved his hand at Martha as she lifted her head.
"Raon...?"
Martha blinked blankly, looking up at Raon.
"Ah! I remember when I was dueling with you...."
"You entered a state of enlightenment."
"That's right. As I swung my sword listening to your words, I unknowingly entered that world..."
She nodded as if she now remembered everything.
"What did you see in your state of enlightenment?"
Raon asked, looking into Martha's calm eyes.
"...I saw my mother. I relived the times when I lived with her."
Martha bit her lip deeply, saying she felt truly happy for the first time in a long while.
"I see..."
Raon exhaled a short sigh.
'So it was for your mother after all.'
Martha had tried to pick up her sword and continue fighting even when other swordsmen were too exhausted to stand. He had wondered where such strength came from, but as expected, it was her will to save her mother.
"Thank you..."
Martha bowed to him, lowering her sword.
"Thanks to you, I recalled a good memory after a long time. I was able to overcome a wall."
She trembled slightly, seeming genuinely grateful.
"Even with my help, you're the one who did it."
Raon shook his head with a smile.
"Congratulations on reaching Grandmaster intermediate level."
Through this awakening, Martha had broken through the wall of the lower level and directly ascended to Grandmaster intermediate level. Though still far from sufficient, he felt she had come quite close to her personal goal now.
"Mmm..."
Runaan raised her head, rubbing her eyes like a child who had just woken up.
"I'm back..."
She nodded slightly, seeming aware that she had entered and returned from a state of enlightenment.
"How was it for you?"
Raon asked, turning his gaze to Runaan.
"I fought..."
Runaan raised her eyes, which were intelligent rather than her usual blank look.
"Fought? Don't tell me, with him?"
"Yes. With Syria."
She clenched her fists, saying she had fought and defeated Syria, who had traumatized her in her childhood.
"I beat him with the swordsmanship I've learned so far..."
Runaan even let out a small burp, seeming truly refreshed.
"Well done."
Raon nodded with a slight smile.
"And congratulations on advancing in the Grandmaster level."
He clapped his hands to congratulate Runaan, who had also risen to Grandmaster intermediate level, just like Martha.
"I've gone up...?"
Runaan blinked, as if unaware that she had reached Grandmaster intermediate level.
"You'll naturally feel it after you sleep and wake up. Everything will be different from before."
Raon nodded, telling her to try it out tomorrow.
"Okay..."
"I understand."
Runaan and Martha nodded, rolling their eyes. However, judging by their cat-like gazes, they seemed to want to test it out right away rather than wait until tomorrow.
"Do as you please."
Raon waved his hand, telling them to do whatever they wanted.
"Hey. Let's spar right now."
"Okay..."
Martha and Runaan nodded to each other and walked towards the outskirts of the training ground.
'This Spirit Transformation...'
Raon narrowed his eyes deeply, watching Martha and Runaan's backs.
'It seems it's not just about awakening, but also has a positive effect on the person's trauma?'
It seemed to be a much more useful trait than he had thought. Raon was smiling as he read the contents of Spirit Transformation again when...
"Palace Master!"
"Palace Master!"
"Please!"
Burren, Trevin, and Mark Goetun ran towards him, saying they wanted to be awakened too.
"Me too!"
"I want to become stronger too!"
"I don't mind how hard it is!"
Other swordsmen also bowed their heads and bent their waists, saying they wanted to enter a state of enlightenment.
"Ahem..."
"..."
Of course, there were some who stepped back slightly, like Dorian and Krein.
-Your path of hardship is clearly laid out before you!
Wrath chuckled, saying it would be tough for a while.
"Wait a moment..."
Just as Raon was waving his hand, saying he was tired now and they should do it later...
[Your soul's realm has increased.]
[The level of the trait has increased.]
[The level of the trait has increased.]
The reward came immediately, probably because he had awakened Martha and Runaan.
-Urk...
Even Wrath widened his eyes, as if he hadn't expected the reward to come so quickly.
'Spirit Transformation is one thing, but it even raises the level of Soul Sword?'
Both Spirit Transformation and Soul Sword had leveled up, probably because he had used his soul.
'If it's like this...'
Not only the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen, but I can grow stronger together.
"Ahem!"
Raon felt vitality surging through his tired body and mind as he beckoned to Burren.
"Alright. Let's start right away."
-You should only make the kids stronger! How can this guy get stronger too!
Wrath waved his hand, saying it was ridiculous.
-This is cheating!
***
"Haa..."
Raon returned to the annex building after helping the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen with their training until morning.
'I'm tired...'
His whole body felt heavy, as if soaked in water, from pushing the swordsmen while keeping his soul's realm open. As he had thought, this training was grueling not only for the swordsmen but for himself as well.
'However...'
The sense of fulfillment is on a different level compared to other training. Seeing the swordsmen enter awakening through his own power made him feel full even without eating. Of course, so far only Martha, Runaan, and Burren had succeeded.
'It seems that willingness to fight isn't the only thing needed.'
Like Martha and Runaan, it seemed that the will to overcome the past was necessary for light to bloom in the heart.
-Stop muttering and go inside!
Wrath waved his hand towards the door of the annex building.
-The dining hall is full of delicious smells, how long are you going to stand there sniffing?
He opened his mouth wide, saying he was hungry.
'Alright, alright.'
Raon smiled and opened the door of the annex building. He was about to turn towards his room to wash up when he heard what sounded like someone fighting upstairs.
"Dad! I told you not to come into my room without permission!"
Sia was frowning at Edgar, who had opened the door without knocking.
"S-Sia. I just wanted to tell you to come eat breakfast..."
Edgar's hands trembled at his daughter's chilly voice.
"You should still knock first!"
"I-I'm sorry. From now on..."
"No, just don't come in from now on! I'm not eating breakfast!"
Sia shouted that he should never open the door again and went back into her room, closing the door.
"Sob! Sia! I'm sorry!"
Edgar knocked gently, saying he was sorry, but Sia's room didn't open again.
-Wh-what's this? Why is that docile girl...
Wrath blinked his eyes, as if surprised by the unexpected scene.
"I-I don't know either..."
Raon exhaled sharply, his eyes wavering like Wrath's.
"No one treated Dad as affectionately as my sister..."
He couldn't understand why the two, who had been inseparable before he left, had become like this.
"It has finally come..."
Helen approached him and let out a heavy sigh.
-Wh-what has come?
"What do you mean? Has my sister caught some bad disease?"
Raon and Wrath turned to Helen simultaneously, swallowing dry saliva.
"If it's a disease, it's a very serious one..."
Helen clenched her fist tightly, a drop of sweat rolling down her forehead.
"It's puberty."
"..."