Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the floating longsword. Its transparency made it look like it was made of a water drop, and waves were spreading around in it like the ocean.
The appearance wasnât the only peculiar part about it. Not only Kaibarâs mana but also Ariesâs aura could be felt from the sword.
Cring!
The watery longsword slowly descended and embedded its blade into his mental world, just like the other swords.
Whaaap!
The fissures created because of the demon kingâs advent were slowly refilled and returned to their former appearance.
The remnant of wrath left behind by Wrath disappeared, and his headache completely disappeared.
The mental world was recovered to the state it was before the demon kingâs advent, but changes were still happening.
Whir!
His heart pounded to the point of bursting, and his mental world widened as new swords spouted from the land. The upper energy center had achieved growth.
âItâs grown even further on top of recoveringâŠâ
Raon could guess that his Sword Field Creation should be more completed than before.
âItâs not just about the Sword Field Creation.â
Raon smiled faintly while looking at the watery sword embedded in his mental world.
âBecause Iâve also learned the principles of the space sword.â
He could feel Aries's aura from the watery sword because he had come to understand its principles during the battle against Kaibar, even though it was only a small amount.
âI should be able to utilize the space sword in my own way if I train to the death.â
Ariesâs space sword was completely different from the ordinary principles. Thinking about learning it filled him with excitement.
Raon finished examining the mental world that had become even more lively than before and closed his eyes before opening them again.
He left his trance and could see the blue sky and Wrathâs frowning eyes.
Damn it!
Wrath barked as soon as he met his eyes.
Recovery shouldâve been enough! Why did you even grow as well?!
He furrowed his brow. He seemed to have noticed the growth in Raonâs mental world.
Even the dragon heart is helping you! How come you are so lucky?! Itâs seriously incomprehensible!
âItâs not luck. Itâs the result of my skills and efforts.â freeÏebnovÄl.cà«Šm
Shut up! Are you seriously saying that after you witnessed the unreasonable things that happen to the King of Essence every single day?!
Wrath furiously ground his teeth, telling him to shut his mouth.
âI get it, so get away from me please.â
Raon slapped Wrath, who was shoving his head towards him, away as Rabawin walked up to him.
âSir Raon.â
He looked at him worriedly while injecting his aura into his body.
âAre you okay?â
âYes, Iâm fine.â
âYou arenât just fine.â
Ariesâs eyes sparkled faintly.
âHeâs completely recovered.â
Her bright smile implied that sheâd also noticed the change inside Raonâs mental world.
âHe might be even stronger than you now.â
âIâm really glad to hear that!â
Rabawin smiled, showing that he was happy about Raonâs recovery without caring about the competition.
Even though his bearded face and bald head looked exactly like a pirateâs, he seemed to be the most good-natured person among Zieghartâs warriors.
âTsk, you are no fun.â
Aries briefly clicked her tongue, displeased by Rabawinâs response.
âDid you notice?â
Raon looked at Aries without standing up.
âI noticed the energy of water rampaging in your upper energy center, and thatâs why I guessed you were going to recover. Of courseâŠâ
Ariesâs heated gaze was directed at Raon.
âI didnât expect that you would grow even further.â
âThat was also unexpected for me. The dragon heartâs mana mustâve played an important part in it.â
Raon gave Aries the dragon heart, which he was still holding.
Even though a large amount of mana had helped him recover and grow, there was still an immeasurable amount of mana inside the dragon heart. It deserved to be called the best elixir in the world.
âLook at that instead.â
Aries gave the dragon heart to Rabawin before she made Raon stand.
She raised her finger and pointed at a warship approaching them.
âWhoaaa!â
âRaon! Raon! Raon! Raon!â
The sailors on the warships were still shouting their throats off.
Kuberad was also watching them with teary eyes while hugging the two children.
âYou should wave at them or something.â
Aries went ahead and raised her hand with a cheerful smile.
âEveryone here is a hero, but you are the hero of the heroes.â
She turned around while saying such an embarrassing thing.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon looked at Kaibarâs severed head instead of the people.
Looking at the deep cut made with Heavenly Drive reminded him of the difficult battle and the moment he managed to prevail.
He wouldâve never seen such a sight if he hadnât hung onto it with the determination to die. He was glad that he didnât give up until the very end.
âThe victory doesnât only belong to me. Itâs for everyone.â
The victory and whatnot doesnât even matter!
Raon waved his hand at the sailors with a smile, and Wrath shoved his face onto him.
You are taking that lizard meat, right? You wonât even need to season it because it should be perfectly salty!
Wrath couldnât help but salivate as he said that he had to take it no matter what.
âHmm, I wonderâŠâ
The King of Essence is really going to cry if you ignore him once again! Heâs seriously going to!
Raon just smiled because his threat wasnât frightening at all.
âSure.â
* * *
Lushan Mountain
House Robert
Blocked Western Path
It was a splendid and picturesque mountain, and Derus Robert entered the underground.
He walked through the complete darkness of the corridor and went to the center of the cavern.
âWelcome.â
An old man in a black night traveling outfit with a sturdy body bowed to him.
Derus silently nodded and stood next to the old man. Under his cold eyes, small children who didnât seem to be even ten years old were kneeling with their eyes covered with blindfolds.
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âSniff.â
âWh-where are we?!â
âMom! Dad!â
âPlease send us back home!â
The children were shouting at him for mercy with trembling shoulders. They seemed to be aware that theyâd been kidnapped.
âAre there around 210 of them?â
Derus stroked his chin and counted their numbers. He seemed completely unaffected by the childrenâs screams.
âYes. There are exactly 213 of them.â
The old man bowed faintly and told him the exact number of the children.
âThatâs more than usual.â
âLots of children lost their parents because the Six Kings, Five Demons, Five Divine Orders, a demon king, and even a dragon appeared during the last incident. We couldâve acquired even more, but we filtered them out because lots of them werenât in great condition.â
He furrowed his brow slightly while talking like heâd simply picked the better vegetables or fruits even though they were people.
âThey do have nice physiques. They are the perfect material for assassins. Some of them could even be raised as warriors.â
Derus Robert smiled faintly while looking at the terrified children, whose lips had turned pale.
âStart by brainwashing them like always, and feed the rage worm to those who donât have any issues.â
âUnderstood.â
The old man nodded, and the Shadow instructors appeared from the darkness and dragged the children away.
âIâm sorry Iâm entrusting this to you once again.â
Derus watched the children being dragged away and patted the old manâs shoulder.
âPlease donât say that. It was my fault for offering those idiots.â
The old man bowed deeply, implying that he was honored to do the job. His eyes glowed fiercely when he said âidiotsâ.
âIâll be counting on you.â
Derus turned around and climbed the stairs located next to a pillar. He entered a room that was neatly organized, just like his office, and sat on a dark chair.
Whir.
The shadow under the desk undulated and Cubara appeared. She was wearing a black dress instead of her usual maid uniform.
âIs there any news about Raon Zieghart?â
Derus asked without looking back.
âThereâs still nothing.â
Cubara went down to her knees and raised her gaze.
âThe same goes for Zieghart. They arenât saying or doing anything.â
She shook her head, saying that Raonâs name had completely disappeared inside Zieghartâs domain.
âIs he really deadâŠ?â
Derus looked down on the empty cavern for a while before he slowly looked around.
âHow is the Deathbringer Revenant factory doing?â
âThey are currently working on improving them based on the information weâve obtained from Sirithâs failure. They are researching how to increase the Deathbringer Revenantâs intelligence and power of explosion.â
âSend them double the funds and personnel.â
âDouble?â
âIt might be excessive as an investment, but it will end up being a cheap price to pay.â
He raised his glass and took a drink.
âThe flame of war will be reignited in the continent soon.â
Derus quietly put down the empty glass with a frightening smile on his face, one that would give goosebumps to anyone who watched it.
âThe Deathbringer Revenants will be the biggest variable when that day comes.â
* * *
Raon returned to Aikarâs harbor, where heâd departed before, alongside the eight warships.
It took four days total to return because they were bringing the separated corpse of Kaibar.
It took a long time, but the sailorsâ expressions were brighter than ever because the mad dragon was dead and the war was over.
Raon looked at the harbor while standing on the deck. In front of the wall that was being reconstructed, he could see the residents whoâd stayed behind in Aikar.
The rumor about them slaying the dragon mustâve already spread, as they were waving their hands from outside the walls.
He couldnât understand exactly what they were saying because they were too far away and the waves were too strong, but he could see that they were smiling and crying while cheering for them.
âWhoaaa!â
âWe are at Aikar!â
âItâs all over now!â
The sailors on the Azure Wind and the other warships also started to cheer while waving their hands at the residents.
Whoaaa!
Wrath also jumped out from the bracelet and roared toward the harbor.
Grilled dragon! The days of beef jerky and Nadine bread are all over now!
Of course, his reason was different from the others.
âWhoaaa!â
The warships crept forward and eventually docked in the harbor. Ear-splitting cheers erupted from the residents of Aikar as they waved their hands in celebration.
âTake it out now!â
Aries clapped her hands after she jumped down from the warship before anyone else, and the magicians picked up Kaibarâs corpse, which was being pulled by the boat, and placed it on the harbor.
The reduction spell was undone and the huge body was revealed, causing the restored wall to collapse once again as the harborâs entrance caved in.
âUghâŠâ
âI-is this the mad dragon Kaibar?â
âWhat the hellâŠ?â
âHow can a creature be as big as an entire city?!â
Aikarâs residents were unable to recover their dropped jaws. Everyone was astonished because the dragonâs size was beyond imagination.
âD-did you really slay it?â
âImpossibleâŠâ
âI-it really mustâve been hard work.â
âHe did everything.â
Aries pointed at Raon while standing on Kaibarâs head.
âAll I did was open the path, and he cut off the dragonâs head.â
She started to applaud, telling them to praise Raon for it.
âWhoaaa!â
âRaon! Raon! Raon!â
âI knew it! White Sword Dragon!â
âIsnât Sword Dragon too shabby as a title at this point? Heâs even slain the mad dragon.â
âThatâs right. I heard he even won against a Grandmaster before he came here. Heâs going to need a new nickname.â
The sailors and the residents started to gather to discuss a new name for Raon.
âSave that for later. Letâs have a party today!â
Aries grinned and waved her hand. She knocked shoulders with the people in front of her and shouted for someone to bring out the drinks already.
Despite how she looked, she was a considerate person. She seemed to be planning to celebrate the victory and comfort the grief of losing their companions through the festival.
Raon disembarked from the Azure Wind and examined Kaibarâs corpse.
Its body was still firm even though itâd been submerged for four days straight. It mustâve been because of the mana of nature remaining inside the bones and flesh.
The King of Essence told you already! The meat is toothsome! We have to eat it right now since it should be perfectly pickled!
Wrath told him to grill the meat already while drooling from his mouth.
âOkay, Iâll ask her.â
Raon started walking towards Aries to suggest grilling the dragon meat.
Whir!
Yellow light wavered above the harbor, and a blond-haired old man appeared. The elegance surrounding him felt as natural as a coat.
He was just floating in the air without using any spells, and the flow of mana sensed from him was unbelievably huge.
âThatâsâŠâ
Raon couldnât even feel how much mana he even had. It was greater than even a transcenderâs.
Heâs the one.
Wrath furrowed his brow while glaring at the old man.
âThe one?â
The sparkling dragon who fired a breath at the King of Essence. He has transformed into human form!
âAhâŠâ
Raon could guess that Wrath was talking about the gold dragon who fired a breath without asking any questions when Wrath was fighting against the White Blood Religionâs leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master.
âWhy did he appear now of all timeâŠ?â
It wasnât like he was unable to fight, but everyone except for himself, Aries, and Rabawin were going to die if a battle broke out. He was feeling a burning pain in his chest.
âSo it ended up happening.â
The gold dragon quietly landed on the ground. He clicked his tongue while looking at Kaibarâs torn neck.
âDid you have to do this?â
The dragonâs dry gaze was directed at Aries. The atmosphere crushing their shoulders felt like it had gained weight. Even though the harbor was full of excitement for the festival, it suddenly became gloomy.
âWhat?â
Aries tilted her head after sending the people she was shouldering to the back. She seemed to be aware of the fact that the old man in front of her was a dragon.
âDid I have to do what?â
âYou couldâve ended it in a better way.â
Dragon sighed quietly and tapped the ground with his staff.
âYou shouldâve said that to this crazy bastard beforehand.â
Aries lightly kicked Kaibarâs corpse with the tip of her toes.
âThis wouldnât even have happened if you stopped this oneâs genocide.â
Her lips twisted into a smile. Her flushed face implied that she was angry.
âDragons are independent beings. Even though Iâm their lord, they are not obligated to follow my orders unless it involves the advent of a demon king or the preservation of balance.â
âThatâs because you are incompetent.â
Aries snorted while looking at the dragonâs staff.
Raon swallowed nervously while looking at the old man.
âDid he just say heâs the dragon lord?â
Heâd thought he was powerful, but he didnât expect him to be the dragon lord. The creeping sense of danger intensified its stench.
âDragons are working hard for the preservation of the world. We donât simply act out of emotions. Kaibar was a wise one who was about to become an ancient dragon. He mustâve had a good reason for it if he killed humans.â
The lord narrowed his eyes, saying that the dragons always thought about the great cause.
âAhahahaha!â
Aries burst out in laughter while sweeping her hair back.
âGreat cause? What great cause does it have when itâs just a crazy lizard that was filled with nothing but madness? Neutral observers of the continent? Protectors of the continent? Bullshit. You are just children with huge bodies who canât even control your own power.â
Her expression turned cold and indifferent.
âIt must be difficult to understand for humans who only live for an instant.â
âAll you do is ramble on with bullshit.â
âI wonât avenge our kin since heâs already dead. After all, we are an independent race, as I mentioned earlier. HoweverâŠâ
The dragon lord sighed quietly and shook his head.
âIâll be taking Kaibarâs dragon heart and corpse.â
He extended his hand, asking for Kaibarâs dragon heart.
What are you saying, you shitty lizard?! The meat prepared in salt belongs to the King of Essence!
Wrathâs chin trembled at his ridiculous statement.
Let the King of Essence manifest to the world! He will snap his neck right now!
He started to rampage, asking Raon to hand over his body.
Whir!
Raon lowered his posture and placed his hand on Heavenly Driveâs hilt so that he could act at any moment.
âNonsense abounds.â
Aries sneered and bared her white teeth.
âKaibarâs corpse is our loot. We have nothing to give you.â
âYou leave me with no choice.â
The dragon lord raised his hand. An explosive wave of mana spread around, distorting the sky and the ocean.
âThis isnât revenge for our kin but a measure to prevent a crisis of the continent. Donât resent me.â
The dragon lord was a proper ancient dragon, unlike Kaibar. His wave of mana engulfed Aikar.
Raon was unable to move his limbs because of the tremendous wave of power of the gold dragon, who was capable of controlling lightning and weather.
âYou are playing cheap, lizardâŠâ
The dragon lord was definitely trying to take his revenge while calling it a measure to prevent a crisis. He was more like a snake than a dragon.
âThis is the case of an adult coming to fight when their child is beaten up.â
Aries sneered while kicking Kaibarâs corpse once again.
âThatâs notâŠâ
âThen we also have to call our adult.â
âWhat do you mean?â
The dragon lord narrowed his eyes.
âDo you know who his grandfather is?â
Aries raised her finger and pointed at Raon.
âHmmâŠâ
âThe Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart.â
Aries continued when the dragon lord was narrowing his eyes while looking at Raon.
âYou can keep going if you want to see your entire race annihilated by his grandfather!â
âAhâŠâ
Aries spread her arms, telling him to do whatever he wanted, and the dragon lordâs fingertips trembled.