Chapter 490

The tidal wave of astral energy covering the sky was cut into pieces, and moonlight descended upon the land. The waning luminance announced the end of the battle.

The moment Raon tilted Heavenly Drive towards the ground, Jerome, Mason, and Pendleton fell to their knees at the same time from the opposite side of him.

They still had aura and stamina remaining in them, but their white pupils showed that they had no fighting spirit left.

Raon shook off the dust from the Black Dragon Coat and walked up to Mason.

“Wh-what was that technique just now…?”

Mason’s lips were shivering as he looked up to the cloudless night sky.

“How is it even possible for a Master to use such a technique?!”

He couldn’t take his eyes off the sky in disbelief. He used to have a composed expression, just like the Thespian Emperor, but it was completely gone.

“Damn it…”

Mason helplessly hung his head. It looked like he’d lost the will to fight.

“Ah, I’m so fucking embarrassed. Why do I have to go through all this?!”

Jerome frowned while looking at Raon, who didn’t even have a speck of dust on him.

“I should’ve avoided this fight to begin with. It’s my damn master’s fault!”

He threw away his long spear and lay down on the destroyed arena. He murmured for Raon to do whatever he wanted, showing that he had no intention to fight any longer.

“Ugh…”

Pendleton pressed the ground with her clenched fist in frustration over her helpless defeat.

She hadn’t looked too enthusiastic about the match, but she was apparently the most competitive among them.

“So none of you is admitting your defeat.”

Raon returned Heavenly Drive to his scabbard while looking down on Mason, Jerome, and Pendleton one after the other.

“Wh-what are you saying…?”

Mason’s eyes widened. The match was already over. He couldn’t understand why they would even need to surrender.

“I’m sorry, but I’m a bit stupid…”

Raon picked his ear and placed Heavenly Drive on his shoulder along with its scabbard.

“And I don’t understand unless you say it.”

“W-wait, it’s over now—”

“I told you at the beginning of the fight.”

Raon smiled gently while cutting Mason off. However, crimson heat was rising from his shoulders in contrast to his smile.

“That I don’t know when to stop.”

“Ah…”

“What?”

The three warriors’ faces turned pale upon realizing what he meant.

“I-I los—”

Before Mason could admit his defeat, Raon slammed Heavenly Drive down from his shoulder.

Whaaack!

It was a direct hit on Mason’s temple. His eyes rolled back and was buried under the arena. His legs protruded from the ground, trembling.

“Next.”

“You crazy bastard! Who in the world beats people up even after they’ve surrendered?!”

Jerome extended his hand to pick up the spear that he’d thrown away, and Raon stepped on the spear.

“Kuh!”

Jerome groaned, his finger stuck between the spear and the ground.

“I didn’t hear it. And it wouldn’t be fair if you are still in a perfect state after losing a spar.”

“I’m not in a perfect state at all! I have an internal injury because of that great technique of yours!”

Jerome briskly raised his head and frowned.

“It’s not apparent.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t make it obvious that I won. And she got beaten up even harder.”

Raon pointed at Runaan, who was still unable to open her eyes.

“B-but we weren’t the ones who stabbed the Azure Lunar Blade…”

“You are pretty much the same. Moreover…”

‘This is necessary for the perfect mess.’

Glenn had asked him to ‘cause a mess’, instead of gaining reputation. Since he’d already drawn the head and body of a dragon, it was time to put a dot for the eyes.

“You nutcase!”

Jerome tried to stand up while shouting, but he couldn’t do more than struggle with his arm and shoulder because his finger was stuck.

That’s a compliment.

Wrath shook his head, saying that ‘nutcase’ was an honorific for a crazy bastard like him.

‘He isn’t wrong.’

Along with deflating laughter, Raon easily pushed Jerome’s hand away and smacked his chin from below.

Whaaack!

Along with a loud noise like shattering a walnut, Jerome collapsed while his blood scattered like a rainbow.

“As for the last…”

Raon’s gaze slowly turned towards Pendleton.

“Kill me.”

Pendleton’s eyes still had some spirit left in them.

“I like those eyes.”

Raon nodded and turned around.

“Where are you going?!”

Pendleton briskly stood up while grinding her teeth.

“Why am I the only one left alone? Is it because I’m a woman…”

“I’m not leaving you alone.”

Raon casually smiled and turned around.

“The positioning wasn’t great because of your small height.”

Raon murmured, ‘This is a bit better’ and smashed her with Heavenly Drive.

Smaaack!

Pendleton’s head violently wavered as the scabbard hit her forehead and she collapsed on her back.

“You need to be beaten up since you lost. I wasn’t planning to overlook you to begin with.”

Raon replaced Heavenly Drive around his waist once again and stood at the center of the destroyed arena.

“Next.”

The training ground fell as silent as the night upon witnessing his determination as he looked for his next opponent after crushing the four disciples of the Five Divine Orders.

“Wow, I should’ve been the one to shout that line!”

Krein regrettably licked his lip.

“Even his disheveled appearance is damn handsome! His determination is damn handsome! The way he won is also…”

Drool was flowing nonstop from Encia’s mouth as she repeatedly pressed the camera’s button. It was to the point that her hand couldn’t even be seen anymore.

“I agree. He is really damn… Hmm.”

Denning Rose quietly covered her mouth as she was about to unconsciously declare that he was damn handsome.

“He’s a real monster…”

“He’s arrogant, but it suits him too well.”

“I like how he properly put an end to this.”

“I keep remembering that last technique he showed. It looked like he was cutting down the sky.”

The spectators gasped, amazed by Raon’s might and exuberance.

“I don’t think anyone else is going to participate now, right?”

“Who would want to challenge a monster who’s destroyed three highest-level Masters at once? It’s meaningless unless they are a Grandmaster.”

“So Raon Zieghart is the winner after all. His fame is going to soar once again.”

“That’s not all. He’s even getting Lavasiri’s Heart and an elixir of coldness with a similar rank. They are priceless treasures!”

Everyone believed that there was going to be no other challenger and prepared to congratulate the winner.

Raon raised his hand while looking around the spectators and VIP seats.

“Are there any other challengers?”

He shouted to ask for the next challenger and a man wearing a black robe came up from the center of the VIP seats.

He was Yuria from the Magic Tower. The large robe looked like it was about to tear because of his huge body.

Raon furrowed his brow while watching Yuria enter the arena with heavy steps.

‘I didn’t expect this…’

He hadn’t thought that Yuria would participate since he wasn’t a Grandmaster yet, and a one-on-one match in a limited space was disadvantageous for a magician.

‘But this isn’t bad for me.’

It was a perfect opportunity to learn about the way he fought since the Magic Tower hadn’t participated in the Six Kings tournament.

Raon smiled in satisfaction and walked up to Yuria.

“Feel free to get started whenever you want to since I am ready.”

He nodded while saying that he accepted the challenge, and Yuria extended his hand from his robe.

‘A surprise attack?’

Raon was about to step back because he didn’t expect him to go for a surprise attack in a fighting contest that wasn’t a fight to the death. However, what Yuria was holding in his hand wasn’t a weapon but a thick piece of paper.

“Cou…”

“Cou?”

“Could I have your autograph?”

“……”

Raon released himself from the awkward posture and blinked.

“I-I’m a big fan!”

Yuria lowered his head while twisting his huge body.

“A fan?”

“Yes! I’ve been your fan ever since you were called the Frostfire Sword of Valor! I’m honored to meet you!”

His hand was trembling as he declared that he was too nervous to speak back when they’d met at the conference.

“Ah…”

Raon remembered their encounter outside the conference room. He realized that Yuria had a firm face back then because he was nervous, not because he was trying to pick a fight.

“You should’ve come to me later if that was the case. Why now…?”

“I-I’m sorry! I was just so moved…”

Yuria said with teary eyes that he entered the arena before he knew it because he was deeply impressed by how Raon had defeated three Masters in a single strike.

Unlike his appearance, his personality seemed to match his name.

Click!

The clicking sound of the camera awakened the silence of the arena once again.

“Wow!”

Encia waved her hand at Yuria while raising her head above the camera.

“You know about Sir Raon, the damn handsome!” 

* * * 

Rimmer gasped and sent an aura message to a small woman sitting behind him.

[Did you see that?]

[I saw it.]

Sheryl was wearing a long-brimmed hat and a white dress that reached her ankles. She answered Rimmer’s message with a frown.

She was busy writing something on a small booklet.

[What are you doing?]

[I’m writing a report for the head of house.]

[A report? But I’m the one supposed to send one.]

[My report is just about Raon. This is material for Raon’s gospel.]

She was quickly moving her hand without taking her eyes off Raon.

“Huh…”

Rimmer glanced behind him and shook his head.

[We got a fascinating line today. He said ‘You won’t reach my sky’. It’s an insanely arrogant thing to say.]

Sheryl murmured Raon’s line while reminiscing the scene she’d just witnessed.

[But I’m sure our lord will like it. He might even regret that he couldn’t see what happened here in person for the rest of his life.]

She smiled while thinking about the distorted face Glenn was going to make.

[Are you still making that Raon gospel?]

Rimmer sighed while scratching his head.

[We are making the fourth volume.]

[Fourth? Seriously, nothing can stop you, the three lovesick fools.]

He shook his head and looked up to the sky.

[I guess I can’t blame you.]

Sheryl stopped moving her hand and looked at Rimmer’s back.

[Raon is going to stand at the peak of this continent. I can see it.]

Rimmer looked at Raon with an exhilarated smile, even deeper than when he was making money from a bet.

[Yes. Even Zieghart’s name can hardly encompass him.]

[To be honest, regardless of all that… The most important part is that he is my god of fortune. I hit a 10x jackpot! It’s been a long time since the last time that happened! I’m rich again!]

He grinned and caressed his sack of gold coins as if it were his child.

[You aren’t going to spend it though.]

[Of course I am! Who else would spend it?]

Rimmer murmured to stop saying bullshit and waved his hand at the people gathered to gamble.

“Come here real quick if you’ve bet on my god of fortune, Raon!”

Sheryl furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer’s back.

“Idiot.”

* * *

“Wow!”

The Demon Slaying Spear exclaimed while looking at Raon.

“That was artistic until the very end! His might, willpower, and personality. I like every aspect of him! He should’ve joined the Demon Spear Guild!”

Even though his disciple’s consciousness was beaten out of him, he kept applauding for Raon without caring about him.

“What are you going to do now?”

The Queen of Swords sighed briefly. She seemed to have somewhat expected that result.

“I don’t think anyone else is going to challenge the White Sword Dragon now. And it would be meaningless even if anyone did.”

Defeating the three highest-level Masters wasn’t all Raon had done. He had even defeated the fighting spirit of all of the other warriors in the training ground. That was why she expected that no one was going to enter the arena anymore.

“Indeed…”

The Thespian Emperor nodded while biting her pale lip.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

The Queen of Swords was right. Even though Yuria had left the arena after getting his autograph, no one tried to enter the arena.

It was safe to say that Raon was the winner of the fighting contest.

“Hmm…”

The referee entered the arena with trembling hands.

“I-I’ll count to five! If there’s no challenger until then, Raon Zieghart will be the winner of today’s contest!”

He shouted the numbers while folding his fingers raised above his head.

“One… two… three… four…”

The warriors in the VIP seat lowered their heads, and the spectators raised their hands in order to congratulate the winner.

“Five!”

“Whoaaaa!”

“Raon! Raon! Raon!”

“White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon! White Sword Dragon!”

“Zieghart has won! That’s the Six Kings for you!”

As soon as the referee shouted five, the spectators cheered their heads off.

“Haa…”

The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes while letting out a sigh.

‘As expected, no one tried to fight. It would’ve been meaningless even if they did, though.’

No one could win against Raon unless they were at least a Grandmaster. It was all over.

‘The loss is too huge.’

The fame prepared for the Five Divine Orders was about to be taken away along with the highest-grade elixirs. Moreover, the elixir type was extremely helpful for Raon, which made her even more upset.

“Thank you for your support!”

Raon answered the cheers and looked above the platform. He seemed to be urging her to come down already for the reward ceremony.

“Haa…”

“Thespian Emperor.”

Just as the Thespian Emperor was about to go down from the platform while letting out a sigh, the Demonblade, who’d been quiet so far, approached her.

“Are you planning to leave him like that?”

“It’s already too late. What are you talking about…?”

“Leave it to me.”

The Demonblade created an aura barrier and twisted his lips.

“I’m sure you know this better than anyone, but Raon Zieghart has been mocking us all along by using people’s gazes and voices. We can turn it against him right now.”

“…Tell me more about it.”

The Thespian Emperor nodded while pretending she didn’t notice the Demonblade.

“I know a martial art that can insert the energy of death in the target’s heart. The energy of death will absorb the surrounding mana and grow without their knowledge until it eventually ends their life by stimulating the heart.”

The Demonblade continued with a sinister smile.

“I’ll tell him that I’ll bestow a lesson upon him and use that technique. You just need to act accordingly.”

“Can you really do it?”

“Of course. I can even make it activate after he returns to Zieghart. Don’t worry about it.”

“Hmm…”

“Just set up the mood. I’ll take care of the rest.”

The Thespian Emperor licked her lips while watching the Demonblade’s eyes, which were glowing with confidence.

‘There’s no disadvantage in trying it.’

There was no way the Demonblade would be lying about his martial art. Moreover, she figured it wouldn’t be difficult to achieve by taking advantage of Raon and the spectators’ excitement.

‘Because he will be a coward if he refuses it now.’

If he refused the generous offer of a lesson, he was going to break the great atmosphere.

Since Raon had become so famous and knew how to take advantage of people’s attention, she figured that he wouldn’t be able to refuse.

“I understand.”

The Thespian Emperor slowly nodded and went down the platform.

“Congratulations!”

She stood in front of Raon with a forced smile.

“It was a bit awkward when you decided to participate, but you proved yourself with your skills.”

“Thank you. It wasn’t really awkward though, because I was fully entitled to participate.”

Raon smiled faintly and responded to her greeting.

‘He’s doing it again…’

She was so irritated by how Raon rebuked every single thing she was saying, but she suppressed her anger by catching her breath.

“Then we’ll prepare the reward ceremo—”

“Let’s just do it now.”

“What?”

“Because this is a place of honor.”

He smiled, saying that the place where he defeated the four disciples of the Five Divine Orders was the victory stand.

“…I guess that’s true.”

The Thespian Emperor took a glance at the Demonblade before opening her subspace.

By the time she took out a box containing Lavasiri’s Heart and a box containing the coldness elixir, the Demonblade jumped down from the platform.

Whoosh!

The spectators exclaimed in awe as they witnessed the divine sight of the Demonblade walking along thin air as if there were stairs.

“Congratulations on your victory. Can I make a suggestion to commemorate this occasion?”

He stood next to the Thespian Emperor with a gentle smile on his face, as if he were on good terms with Raon.

“What would that suggestion be?”

“You’ve enlightened our foolish disciples. It must’ve been a great lesson for them since they’ve grown too arrogant.”

The Demonblade nodded while thanking him for teaching their disciples a lesson.

“To make up for my disrespectful actions in the past, I’d like to give you a small lesson. It shall serve as a clue to surpass the Grandmaster’s wall.”

He smiled gently while saying that he wanted to repay the favor.

“Whoaaa!”

“The Demonblade wants to teach him!”

“That’s a great opportunity! Even better than the elixirs!”

“He must be serious since he sounds so confident about him reaching the Grandmaster wall!”

“This is going to be a great spectacle!”

The spectators cheered while imagining the birth of the youngest Grandmaster. Everyone’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

“It shall be a great gift for the spectators who stayed until the end.”

The Demonblade chuckled as if he were telling him that the answer was obvious. It was a provocative face.

“Get ready.”

He bobbed his hand, asking Raon to get into the stance.

Raon looked around the spectators before he calmly shook his head.

“No thanks.”

“Yes, then… Huh?”

The Demonblade’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Wh-what do you mean?! You might become a Grandmaster with my teaching…”

“I just don’t want to.”

Unlike the determination he’s shown so far, he refused the offer way too easily.

“A-are you afraid or something? I’m just trying to teach you…”

“I don’t need it. Just give me the reward.”

Raon extended his hand toward the Thespian Emperor, saying that he had no intention of having a match with the Demonblade and just wanted the reward instead.

“W-wait! We have so many people watching right now! You are going to be considered a coward if you refuse this in front of all these people!”

Raon silently moved his lips while looking at the surprised Demonblade.

‘That’s a no.’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]