Siyana widened her eyes as she looked at the giant woman holding her. This being possessed a far purer aura of water than any spirit close to nature. It was a presence she couldn't fail to recognize, even if it was her first time seeing it.
"The, the Water Spirit King!"
The Water Spirit King smiled gently, as if in agreement. Though Siyana didn't know why, there was a sense of sadness and bitterness in her smile.
"Please, help us!"
Siyana grabbed the Water Spirit King's finger and knelt down.
"Please! Save everyone!"
What I want isn't to kill the enemy or to survive myself.
I wanted to save my kin whom I had ignored until now, and my family who believed in me and waited for me.
"..."
The Water Spirit King gazed intently into Siyana's eyes and then nodded.
As she stretched out her hand, the sky, once filled with nothing but ashes, flickered with a blue light and began to sprinkle transparent raindrops.
As the pure raindrops, clear enough to reflect faces, poured down, the elves who were on the brink of death began to regain their vitality. The severe burns of the Chief Elder and the elders, who had risked their lives to open a path, started to heal slowly.
This was not ordinary water. It was the source of life. Like the Crimson Flame of Ifrit that burns everything, this was the Moon Water of the Water Spirit King, said to bring the dead back to life.
Sizzle!
The rain made of Moon Water did more than just save the elves. It extinguished the Crimson Flame that couldn't be put out by any means and erased the dreadful heat.
Sterin's complexion, blackened by the heat, also seemed to improve slightly.
"Ha…."
Siyana slumped down in the Water Spirit King's hand, exhaling a weary breath.
'Thank goodness. Really, thank goodness….'
Those on the brink of death were coming back to life because of the Moon Water. More than the joy of summoning the Spirit King, she was happy that she could save her kin.
Siyana clutched her trembling chest and looked down.
Her kin all had their eyes wide open, as if they were about to tear. Everyone instinctively recognized the presence of the Spirit King.
The elves who had watched over and waited for her, as well as those who had ignored her, were all trembling in shock.
The faces of the Chief Elder and the elders bore both astonishment and smiles. I had suddenly summoned the Spirit King while they were risking their lives to save me, so they seemed both baffled and happy.
'These are the expressions I dreamed of.'
Having felt ignored all my life, I had dreamed every day of seeing my kin with such astonished expressions.
I had once thought of achieving Resonance and then mocking everyone, but after hearing the Chief Elder's words, that mindset was completely erased.
I was satisfied just being able to save everyone.
I gathered strength in my trembling legs and stood up. The Crimson Flame Demon and Raon had also stopped fighting and were staring at us with their mouths agape.
Siyana looked at Raon's widened eyes and drew a gentle smile.
'It's thanks to you, Raon.'
I was able to muster courage and not give up because of Raon. If I hadn't met him, I would still be trembling under my blanket.
'Thank you so mu….'
I was about to thank him when the pain in my chest returned, just like when I summoned the Water Spirit King.
But this time, I felt an overwhelming heat.
"Aaaah!"
As Siyana couldn't endure the rising heat and screamed, a flame more intense than the Crimson Flame Demon's fire burst from her chest and poured towards Raon.
* * *
Raon narrowed his eyes as he touched the crimson flame enveloping his body.
'It's not hot.'
He felt a purer aura of fire than the Crimson Flame Demon's, but felt no pain.
It felt more warm than hot. Like a campfire warming his body.
However, the crimson flames conveyed more than just warmth. They were infusing a powerful fire energy into his body, which had lost most of its aura.
Rumble!
New vitality surged into his dried-up mana circuits, and a massive fire seed ignited in his empty energy center.
He looked at Siyana, who was standing on the Water Spirit King's hand. He thought there might be the ancestor's orb that revived the World Tree in Siyana's body, and it seemed to be true.
'Of course, I didn't know that orb would be a Spirit King….'
Raon clenched his fist as he watched the flames grow deeper in color.
'Is the current Fire Spirit King entering my body right now?'
The previous Fire Spirit King, Ifrit, was connected to Eden's helmet, and this enormous presence entering his body seemed to be the new Fire Spirit King.
"Grrrr!"
The Crimson Flame Demon also seemed unprepared for this situation, his lips trembling in confusion. Madness blazed in his eyes visible through the helmet.
Whoosh!
The Crimson Flame Demon launched a sharp, concentrated flame like a blade to burn me instantly.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the incoming flame sword.
'I need to dodge… huh?'
He intended to evade since his current state couldn't withstand the attack, but the new Fire Spirit King's flames rose like a wall to block the way.
Boom!
The crimson blade clashed with the wall of flames, sweeping the surroundings with red fire.
The flames tried to ignite the earth that had barely regained its vitality, but thanks to the Moon Water sprinkled by the Water Spirit King, the heat quickly subsided.
"Damn it…."
The Crimson Flame Demon ground his teeth as he watched the two Spirit Kings blocking his flames.
"Hahaha!"
Erian, who had returned late, burst into mad laughter as he looked at Raon.
"I told you! That guy is the Spirit King's Contractor! I was right!"
He patted the shoulders of the dazed elves and shouted that he was right.
"Is that really true? Is the Fire Spirit King really with that human?"
"No, that's impossible…."
"Look at those crimson flames. They're deeper than the Crimson Flame Demon's! It's definitely the Spirit King!"
"Even if it's true for Lady Siyana, but the Spirit King with a human…."
The elves, unlike Erian, were bewildered and their eyes trembled.
Raon didn't have time to worry about what the elves were saying. He was busy checking his own condition.
'The current Spirit King has no reason.'
Unlike the Water Spirit King protecting Siyana, the Fire Spirit King inside him wasn't thinking properly and was acting on instinct. It seemed to have just been born.
'Is this the influence of Zieghart's ancestor?'
The Spirit King seemed to have attached to him following the aura of the Ring of Fire or Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation left by the ancestor.
'This is an opportunity.'
My energy is nearly depleted, but if I use the energy given by the Spirit King, I might be able to fight the Crimson Flame Demon.
'Let's do it.'
Biting his lips, he raised the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword. To use the fire energy given by the Spirit King like Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, he operated the Ring of Fire.
Rumble!
As the Ring of Fire resonated and naturally drew in the Spirit King's energy, a chilling aura began to flow from his left shoulder.
-How dare you!
It was Wrath. He raised his thick fist and let out a roar.
-This body belongs to this king! How dare a newly born fire spirit try to cut in line!
'W-wait!'
-Shut up! A mere rolling stone must be smashed to pieces!
Wrath, unable to tolerate this, unleashed an enormous amount of anger and cold energy.
Rumble!
The Fire Spirit King also seemed threatened by Wrath's aura and emitted even fiercer heat than before.
'Ugh….'
As Wrath's cold energy surged from the left and the Fire Spirit King's heat blazed from the right, Raon felt a pain in his energy center as if it were being sliced with a knife.
Sizzle!
Externally, the Crimson Flame Demon's fire was attacking, while internally, Wrath and the Spirit King's energies were clashing, making it unbearable both mentally and physically.
'It hurts so much I want to die, but….'
Raon bit his lips until they bled and raised his head.
'I can use this power.'
Thanks to Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, he was already familiar with fire, and Wrath's aura was not just familiar but even comfortable.
It felt like he could use both energies as his own.
He spun the Ring of Fire again, calming its rotation. He raised the realm of his soul to the limit and controlled the clashing energies in his energy center and mana circuits.
He imbued the Demonic Sword in his left hand, which was burning with frost, with Wrath's cold energy, and the Divine Sword in his right hand, which was flickering, with the Spirit King's flame.
Whoosh!
The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword emitted a light twice as intense and brilliant as when they first opened the sword domain. It felt as if the dark night had receded and day had been reborn.
Raon aimed the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword at the Crimson Flame Demon and curled his lips into a smile. Although his body felt like it was being torn apart due to the struggle between Wrath and the Spirit King, he didn't show it and smiled.
"It's time to end this."
"Shut up!"
The Crimson Flame Demon ground his teeth and spat out fierce flames.
"A worm that's grown strong with borrowed power!"
"You're the same."
He split the Crimson Flame Demon's incoming fire with the cold energy of the Demonic Sword.
Boom!
The crimson flame, said to never extinguish, melted as if it had never existed when it touched Wrath's cold energy.
"Th-this…"
The Crimson Flame Demon's eyes, which had been chasing the flames, shook violently.
"If this surprises you, you're in trouble."
Raon closed in on the Crimson Flame Demon and thrust the blade of the Divine Sword into the gap.
Swoosh!
The golden and crimson flames mixed and pierced through the flame shield protecting the Crimson Flame Demon, embedding into his shoulder.
Sizzle!
It was different from before. Flames and blood simultaneously seeped from the shoulder of the demon who had achieved Spirit Transformation.
"Grrr! You…!"
The Crimson Flame Demon stepped back, clutching his bleeding shoulder. His eyes trembled, but his killing intent grew stronger.
Thud!
Raon stepped forward on the charred ground and pursued the Crimson Flame Demon.
"Screech!"
The Crimson Flame Demon swung his arms wildly, scattering flame spears. Though it seemed chaotic, each flame held lethal power.
Raon infused the Divine Sword with the Fangs of Insanity's essence and unfolded the Blizzard Sword Art with the Demonic Sword. The two sword techniques extended as one breath, connecting with the falling moonlight.
Slash!
The flame spears unleashed by the Crimson Flame Demon fell like cherry blossoms and subsided. His flames, seemingly exhausted, couldn't even burn the grass.
"Huuu…"
The Crimson Flame Demon saw his flames dying down and clenched his teeth tightly.
Raon had no time to mock the demon as he advanced with the Supreme Harmony Steps.
'There's no time.'
This transcendent energy won't last forever.
His mental strength had also reached its limit, so it wouldn't be strange if he collapsed at any moment. He had to finish this as quickly as possible.
Slash!
The Demonic Sword extended like a surprise attack and clashed with the Crimson Flame Demon's flames. Like a Ghost of Eden, he was sucking up the World Tree's energy and pouring out all his remaining power.
Slash!
After pulling the Demonic Sword back to regain balance, Raon swung the Divine Sword upward from below. The flames, rising while scraping the ground, slashed the Crimson Flame Demon's abdomen.
"Graaaa!"
The Crimson Flame Demon, even as blood spurted from his belly, raised his hand above his head. From his grasp, a ball of flame surged, rapidly expanding into a massive fireball like the sun.
Sizzle!
Raon bit his lip as he watched the ever-growing fireball. The immense heat made it difficult to even approach the Crimson Flame Demon.
"I'll kill you all!"
The Crimson Flame Demon hurled the massive fireball not just at Raon but seemingly to erase the World Tree itself. The ground touched by the sphere disappeared, and the clear sky distorted as if it would shatter.
Raon gripped both swords tightly as he faced the fireball, which had grown as large as the World Tree.
'I have to withstand this….'
I still have the power given to me by Wrath. No, it's still surging as they fight each other.
Rumble!
The warm flames raised by the Fire Spirit King pushed his back.
-Stop it! Don't covet this king's meal!
Wrath, the king of gluttony, raised a cold aura even more intense than the Fire Spirit King's.
Raon condensed the two energies into the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword. Even though he wasn't directly receiving the power but channeling it into the swords, his hands felt like they would burst and his bones might break.
He steadied his wrist, which felt like it might break, and forcibly stabilized his mana circuits that felt like they might explode, then swung down the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword.
Even in the midst of that, Raon didn't just rely on raw power. He infused the sword techniques Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art into his descending blade, splitting the center of the Crimson Flame Demon's fireball.
Rumble!
Flames consumed flames, and frost tore through the heat.
The combined firepower of the Monarch of Wrath and the current Fire Spirit King even subdued the flames of the Crimson Flame Demon, who was approaching transcendence.
Slash!
The Crimson Flame Demon's eyes, visible through the receding fireball, shook as if they would pop out.
It seemed he couldn't move properly, having put too much power into the fireball.
'This is the end.'
Raon, dragging his exhausted body, advanced and thrust the Demonic Sword toward the Crimson Flame Demon's neck.
'Huh…?'
But something unexpected happened.
His upper dantian, having reached its limit, closed and the sword domain collapsed. The long blade of the Demonic Sword receded, revealing the thin and short blade of the Requiem Sword.
'Damn it!'
He extended his arm as far as it could go and pushed aura into the Requiem Sword's blade, but the time was too short. The short dagger's blade only grazed the Crimson Flame Demon's neck.
"In the end… it's my victory!"
The Crimson Flame Demon roared as if the tension had released and extended his right hand. From the giant grasp blocking Raon's view, crimson flames rose.
Whoosh!
Before his skin could even redden, his breathing calmed. His mental strength also reached its limit, and his head stopped functioning properly. As he stared at the swirling flames, he heard a sharp sound of something cutting through the air from behind.
Whoosh!
A blue arrow, descending from the sky, severed the approaching arm of the Crimson Flame Demon.
"Graaah!"
The Crimson Flame Demon, caught off guard by the sudden attack, let out an uncharacteristic scream and stepped back.
"Now!"
The voice alone made it clear. Siyana. It was her support, having regained her confidence and become a true High Elf.
Raon bit his tongue. He steadied his mind, which was on the verge of collapsing, and stepped forward with his left foot.
He gathered all the energies of the Spirit King and Wrath, which were still clashing inside his body, into his right hand.
Boom!
He condensed the rampaging energy into one. He swung the Heavenly Drive, which vibrated to the point of breaking, at the retreating Crimson Flame Demon.
Slash!
The Crimson Flame Demon raised a wall of flames to defend himself, but the blade of the Heavenly Drive, burning with both fire and frost, cleaved through his body without resistance.