Chapter 560

“Open formation!”

Burren’s ringing voice echoed out, and the Light Wind division activated the Large Light Wind Formation from where they stood.

Since the individual prowess of the swordsmen had improved, and their soul levels had awakened after they faced death, the wave of energy spreading from Large Light Wind Formation was sturdier than ever.

“Wipe out the demonized humans undermining Zieghart!”

Martha stepped forward and activated Berserk. The Light Wind’s first team supported her from behind, and the Large Light Wind Formation became a single spear aimed to pierce through the Lakion’s swordsmen violently.

The Light Wind division advanced like a storm, their eyes not reflecting even a shred of fear.

Whaaam!

The Light Wind division’s red current clashed head-on against the demonic energy of Lakion’s swordsmen and dramatically enlarged the fissure on the ground.

“Damn it…”

Beltz Lakion bit his lip tightly as he noticed the expressions of his subordinates freezing. He entrusted his body to the demonic energy and was about to shake the center of the Large Light Wind Formation when a green wind blew in to block his path.

Claaang!

Holding a sword with a leaf-shaped handguard, Rimmer easily fended off Beltz’s longsword and shook his finger left and right.

“How could you ignore me?”

Rimmer smiled cheerfully and kicked Beltz’s abdomen.

Whaack!

With the sound of a rubber ball bursting, Beltz was sent flying and rolled on the ground.

“I’m the Light Wind division leader, not that arrogant kid!”

Rimmer raised his thumb and pointed at himself.

“Since he took the most delicious part, I’m going to mess you up instead.”

“Kuh…”

He revealed the ferocious look in his eyes as he looked at Beltz, who groaned in pain.

“The Sword of Light…”

Beltz bit his lip to the point of bleeding and raised his longsword, demonic energy bursting around it.

“Lakion is the owner of this land!”

“Not anymore.”

Red lightning sparked from Rimmer’s hand and dug into the green wind.

“It had to be the Holy Sword Alliance of all groups. You made an irreversible mistake.”

He slashed at Beltz’s demonic energy, the wind and lightning forming a harmony around his blade.

Whaaam!

Crimson lightning and dark demonic energy exploded in a matter of seconds, creating a thick smoke in the air.

Whaam!

Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps after he confirmed that the battle between the Light Wind division and House Lakion had started.

He scratched the land with the divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost, and the evil energy covering the land exploded with a scream.

“The rumor about you reaching the Sword Field Creation was true. However…”

Huan bit his lip and raised the demonic sword Kriatus.

“It’s meaningless in front of this demonic sword!”

The demonic energy raging around the demonic sword was dense enough to make a person’s skin tingle. He seemed to have awakened the demonic sword’s power by reabsorbing the demonic energy that he’d imbued on his subordinates a moment ago.

Whoosh!

Huan Lakion thrust the demonic sword with a sharp, decisive motion.

The demonic energy emanating from the twelve tips of the blades curved like flowing water, rushing towards Raon’s heart. The movement gave the impression that the attack itself was alive.

Whir!

Raon concentrated his aura into the mana circuits in his left leg. He advanced through the fissured land with the Supreme Harmony’s Second Step and raised the divine sword in his right hand. The red blade soared in a semi-circular trajectory to block the dark radiance.

Whaaam!

The divine sword and the demonic sword clashed, their flames and demonic energy colliding. The resulting explosion sounded as though tens of thousands of people were screaming simultaneously.

Spark!

The red blade and the dark blade competed without yielding an inch, and purple sparks covered the entire surrounding area.

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Huan shoved his demonic sword forward, his eyes glowing black. His attack became unbearably heavy, as if the souls of the deceased were dwelling in it.

“You will pay thoroughly for killing my son!”

“Apparently, your daughter isn’t precious to you.”

Raon twisted his lips and lowered his gaze.

“Siollen is a failure! She is just a traitor who abandoned her family!”

“Siollen mustered her courage in order to save you.”

Raon thrust his demonic sword while exclaiming in anger. The flame and frost crossed diagonally and started to push back the demonic energy of the demonic sword Kriatus.

“You are the one who refused her hand when she did her best until the end to save Lakion.”

Raon rolled his lips into a smile while meeting Huan’s black eyes between their swords.

“I’ll make you regret it even after your death.”

As he made his declaration, the energy that had been accumulating between the swords couldn’t be suppressed anymore and burst in a huge explosion. Their vision turned dark, and an eerie darkness emerged.

Thud!

Raon advanced through the pitch-black darkness while using the divine and demonic swords as a lamp. He felt like the Supreme Harmony Steps were giving him red and blue wings behind his back, as he became even faster after he‘d learned the space sword.

Raon caught up to Huan before he could reorganize himself after he stepped back, thrusting the divine and demonic swords like a dancer’s beautiful routine.

Whaaap!

A flower bud of flame emerged from the red blade, and flower petals of frost scattered from the blue blade. It was the Flame Spirit, activated through the divine and demonic swords.

The flower petals left the blades like cherry blossoms after the spring and suddenly descended. More than hundreds of pieces of astral energy surrounded Huan from all directions.

Whaaam!

The moment Raon lowered the divine and demonic swords, the descending flower petals floated back up as if they were revived and unleashed a storm of fire and ice.

“Kuh!”

Huan furrowed his brow and rapidly bent the demonic sword to the right. The twelve tips of the blade vibrated as if they were alive and unleashed a tidal wave of demonic energy.

Wham! Wham!

The Flame Spirit’s storm and the demonic energy’s tidal wave covered the entire sky and land, causing countless explosions.

Raon leaped into an explosion that could even destroy an aura shield. As he increased his speed, his vision was narrowed but Huan’s demonic energy could be felt vividly.

The roar of a ferocious beast was rampaging from the blades of the divine and demonic swords. He was unleashing the Fangs of Insanity with two swords.

The principles of twin swords that he’d learned from Sheryl had further evolved to ferociously scatter the flame and frost.

Whaaam!

The tremendous power dwelling on the two blades managed to tear apart the sticky demonic energy and descended toward Huan’s chest.

However, Huan’s confusion didn’t last long, befitting a warrior who’d been leading a vassal house. He gained distance as if he were sliding and shook his demonic sword like a fan.

Whir!

The fog of demonic energy thickened and averted the trajectory of the divine and demonic swords. He wasn’t simply using the demonic sword’s power. The principles of swordsmanship were dwelling in it properly. He was definitely not an opponent to be looked down upon.

‘However… His swordsmanship isn’t well balanced.’

Because the demonic sword’s power was too explosive, his swordsmanship and aura couldn’t extend as they should. Raon could guess that targeting that gap was the best strategy.

Cring!

Raon leaned forward and slashed upwards with the two swords. He advanced like a charging bison to pierce through the center of the demonic energy rushing toward him.

Whaaam!

He rotated the flame and frost counterclockwise and unraveled the concentrated demonic energy. The dark blade of the demonic sword Kriatus was revealed as if it had been stripped naked.

‘Now!’

Raon tightened his grip on the divine and demonic swords and pressed upon the curved blade of the demonic sword Kriatus.

Claaaang!

The red and blue blades clashed head on against the dark blade, and a tremendous shockwave engulfed the surrounding area once again.

“Kuuh…”

Huan’s trembling fingers suggested that he didn’t expect his demonic energy to be destroyed so easily.

“Curse you, Zieghart! Curse you, Sword Field Creation!”

He screamed and twisted his wrist. The fifth and the seventh edges of the demonic sword vibrated fiercely and fended off the divine and demonic swords.

However, an opening was created because of that large move.

Raon tried to stab his divine sword into that opening, and Huan recklessly stomped the ground.

Whaam!

A tremendous amount of demonic energy struck down, causing the land to tremor and the ground to fissure rapidly all around.

Raon advanced while stepping onto the crumbling land like a stone bridge, but Huan had used the rebound from swinging his demonic sword to gain distance.

“You are the one who are going to regret it!”

He twisted his lips and slashed horizontally with his demonic sword. The dark attack briskly appeared before the sound could be heard. The deadly blade that was the shape of a crescent moon was rushing towards Raon’s neck.

Cring!

Raon raised the divine and demonic swords into a cross shape. The lines of flame and frost were extended, grinding the blade of demonic energy into a powder.

Raon hid in the cloud of dust surging from the explosion and pierced Huan’s left side.

“Y-you bastard!”

Huan hurriedly tried to escape, but Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to barge into his space and swing down the divine sword while stabbing with the demonic sword.

Whaaam!

The crimson blade tore off the unprepared twelfth edge of Kriatus and the blue awl pierced into Huan’s side.

* * *

Psssh!

Huan’s face rapidly turned pale because of his first deep injury.

“Did you challenge Zieghart with only that much power?”

Raon walked up to Huan with twisted lips. He kicked Kriatus’s broken blade and tilted his head.

“B-but how?! How are you unaffected by the demonic energy?!”

Huan’s chin trembled, unable to understand the situation.

“Your flesh should be rotting just from being exposed to the demonic energy. How can you be unscathed?!”

He even gave up on his elegant way of speaking as the head of house, throwing a tantrum like a child.

“Because you were too weak.”

Raon shook his head while looking at the dark demonic energy emanating from Kriatus.

He already had some resistance to demonic energy, and he was erasing the intruding demonic energy with Divinity Blooming from the Underworld. That was why the demonic sword’s energy couldn’t affect him in the slightest.

“Im-impossible…”

“Don’t be surprised. We haven’t even gotten started yet.”

Crimson lightning sparked from Raon’s eyes as he dashed towards Huan.

He extended his right foot while driving away the demonic energy, and Huan slammed the ground with the demonic sword Kriatus. A fog of demonic energy surged to block his path.

“It’s meaningless to run away.”

Raon bit his lip, cut off the demonic energy, and followed Huan’s presence.

“Huh?”

Raon was running through the gap inside the demonic energy but suddenly stopped. He fell speechless at the ridiculous sight.

“What the…?”

Huan stabbed the chests of his subordinates who possessed demonic energy instead of attacking Raon.

“Ack…”

“M-my lord!”

“Why are you attacking us…?”

Lakion’s swordsmen gazed at the demonic sword’s blade piercing through their hearts, their chins trembling intensely. Their bloodshot eyes expressed their realization of his betrayal.

Whir!

Eleven blades pierced through twelve people’s chests and started to refill the demonic energy in the demonic sword.

What an irredeemable piece of trash!

Wrath stood up, ghastly fire raging from his eyes.

Instead of trying to save his subordinates, did he seriously just kill them to extract the demonic energy?! How could trash like that even exist in this world?!

He was seriously angry at Huan’s action because he cherished his subordinates more than anyone else.

Kill him right now! Tear him into pieces!

‘I was planning to do so even if you didn’t ask.’

Raon severed the fog of demonic energy and approached Huan.

“I-it’s because I don’t have enough power! I just need more power!”

Huan’s eyes had glazed over as if he had already lost his sanity. The Lakion swordsmen who’d been stabbed with the demonic sword lost their flesh and blood before they could even take a single breath, turning into a state even worse than a zombie before they were slammed into the ground.

Rumble!

A majestic amount of demonic energy blazed from the demonic sword Kriatus, creating a dark sun.

“Aaaack!”

“M-my lord…”

“Wh-why are you doing this to us?!”

The powerful wave emanating from the dark sun caused the Lakion swordsmen around him to turn into a pool of blood and disappear. As the people possessing demonic energy perished, the dark sun blazed more and more intensely.

‘I can’t let it continue.’

Raon bit his lip and entered the dark sun’s area of influence.

“Withdraw, everyone!”

Raon ordered a retreat to avoid harming the Light Wind division and dashed towards Huan.

The demonic energy stuck to him like a swamp as he approached Huan. His fingers trembled and his mana circuits shrunk from the intense flow of demonic energy, slowing down the movement of his aura, but Raon still advanced like a raging bull.

“Die!”

Huan slashed down with the demonic sword Kriatus, the dark sun floating above him. The tremendous heat removed the atmosphere and twisted the space.

Raon used the rebound of his advance to unleash the Crimson Slash with the divine sword and activated Frost Pond with the demonic sword. Both swords were attacking. His determination to kill Huan without caring about defense was dwelling in his attack.

Crack!

The heat and coldness clashed against the demonic energy, and the sky and land trembled. A gray tornado surged from between the blades and sucked everything towards it.

Cring!

In the midst of the pressure, where it was difficult to move even a single finger, Raon twisted the divine and demonic swords. Clear wind surged between the heat and coldness, combining the two separate energies into a single line.

Whaaam!

The wave of flame and frost surged explosively, and Huan’s hand trembled intensely, his demonic sword on the verge of breaking as it got pushed back.

“Aaaah!”

Huan let out a shout of concentration that sounded like a scream and mustered his strength to clench the grip of the demonic sword.

Probably thanks to his instincts as a warrior that he’d honed over time, a profound principle of swordsmanship engulfed his sword. The powerful and precise movement was characteristic of the longsword technique.

“It’s too late to finally learn your lesson.”

Raon released his wrath. The energies of the divine and demonic swords surged with a majestic light, like the final embers igniting into a blazing fire.

Wham!

Huan couldn’t withstand that power and stepped back. Raon took that opportunity to stomp the ground with his left foot and thrust the divine and demonic swords that he’d pulled back.

The Flame Dragon Art was activated through the two swords at once. The breaths of a fire dragon and a water dragon clashed against the sun that blazed with demonic energy.

The terrifying explosion engulfed the entire area ahead of him, and the demonic barrier shattered into pieces as a result as the five edges of the demonic sword Kriatus crumbled into powder.

“Cough…”

Huan faltered and fell backwards. His shabby face looked like he’d gotten twenty years older at least in an instant.

“Father!”

Even though Beltz Lakion had lost his left arm against Rimmer, he ran towards Huan without hesitation.

However.

Even though his first son came running at him by risking his life, Huan stabbed his stomach with the demonic sword.

“F-father? What is…?”

“Thank you. You saved me.”

The fall of the warrior who’d lived with a sense of inferiority for his entire life was even worse than the fiends who were born as demonized humans.

“Fath…”

Beltz collapsed, his skin drying like a rice field during a drought. Even his eyes melted down, and he couldn’t take his gaze off of Huan even after his death.

“Huff…”

Huan stood back up with a face that had regained his youth. His pressure was even more powerful in the beginning, probably because he’d devoured Beltz, who had the biggest amount of demonic energy.

“Is this the life you wanted?”

Raon bit down his lip tightly.

“Allying with the Holy Sword Alliance, entrusting your soul to the demonic sword, and even killing your son with your own hand. What are you even trying to achieve with that?”

“Shut up!”

Huan roared like a beast and raised the demonic sword Kriatus.

“I’ll avenge my children!”

Even his brain must’ve been taken over by demonic energy. He slashed down with the demonic sword Kriatus while claiming that he was taking revenge for Beltz, who he’d killed himself.

The principles of his longsword technique merged with the explosive power of the demonic energy and unleashed a dark wave capable of melting everything on contact.

“I will deny your choice.”

Raon extended his left foot to the front and bent his knee. He pulled the divine sword behind his right shoulder and the demonic sword behind the right side of his waist, focusing all of his remaining energy.

The divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost slowly subsided, blazing faintly like an ember.

Cring!

The moment the tidal wave from the demonic sword brushed past his hair, Raon added rotation and pressure to the power he’d mustered from all the way under his feet and made it explode at the tip of his hand.

Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay.

Sixth form, Divine and Demonic Harmony’s Combined Technique

Red-Blue Invincible Sword.

The extremely compressed energies of the divine and demonic swords exploded in an instant, ruthlessly shredding the wave of demonic energy.

Whaaaaam!

Raon advanced towards the center of the demonic energy, where a path was created like the eye of a storm. With the heat and coldness gradually subsiding, the two swords severed the demonic sword and cut off Huan’s arms.

“Cough!”

Black blood gushed from Huan’s shoulders as he collapsed. His black eyes were trembling endlessly, filled with terror and astonishment.

Raon trampled upon the demonic sword Kriatus and approached Huan.

The Sword Field Creation was undone because he ran out of power, but it didn’t really matter. Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem were still sharp enough.

Smack!

Raon slammed Heavenly Drive down into Huan’s shoulder.

Rip!

He unleashed the crimson flame covering the silver blade, scorching Huan’s demonic energy, flesh, and blood.

“Kuaaah!”

Huan frantically shook his head and screamed because of the terrible pain.

“W-wait! I’ll tell you! I’ll say who we made the deal with, and why we…”

“I don’t need any information from someone like you.”

Raon took the Blade of Requiem in reverse grip with his left hand and slammed it into Huan’s shoulder.

The bright yellow ghastly energy arose like a mirage and started to pull out all the demonic energy from Huan’s body while maintaining his breathing.

“Aaaaaack!”

Huan started to rampage with his eyes rolled back because of the pain, which felt like his flesh and veins were being pulled from his body, but he couldn’t move an inch from the spot because of Heavenly Drive piercing his shoulder.

“Pl-please! Please stop! Kill me instead…”

“I told you.”

Raon tilted his head while looking down on Huan with emotionless eyes.

“I said I’d make you regret it even after your death. This is only the start.”

He just stood there and watched until all of the blood vessels in Huan’s body ruptured.

“Auuh…”

Huan closed his eyes, terrified by Raon’s red eyes staring at him even more than the pain of all his demonic energy being sucked out of him. All he could do was to let out a ragged scream.

“What a terrible end for the famous head of Lakion.”

“Just cutting his head off is too good for a trash like him. He needs to experience as much pain as possible before he dies.”

“......”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan nodded their heads, agreeing that Huan shouldn’t be allowed to have an easy death.

“Kneel!”

“It’s over. Abandon your weapons.”

“Everyone who is still holding a weapon will be slain.”

The battle paused, and the Light Wind division took away Lakion swordsmen’s weapons before making them kneel.

“Having a good leader makes combat easy.”

“Even though the situation went wrong, he took advantage of it to finish the battle. He’s an amazing guy.”

“None of us seem to be injured. What a perfect victory.”

The Light Wind swordsmen smiled at Raon, thinking that they managed to destroy House Lakion without taking much damage.

“L-leader?”

Rimmer was standing there in confusion after he suddenly lost his opponent, and he just blinked his eyes.

“Err… I’m your leader though.”

He bobbed his finger towards them, but no one looked at him.

“I’m the division leader! Don’t tell me you are already thinking that Raon is the division leader! Please say you aren’t. Guys?”

No one responded once again, and Rimmer’s voice echoed in vain.

“Y-you bastards!”

***

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]