The Crimson Flame Demon's Spirit Transformation was completely shattered, and crimson blood spurted from his chest.
Thunk.
Raon dropped the Heavenly Drive he held in his right hand. He no longer had the strength to hold the sword.
However, the flames in the Crimson Flame Demon's eyes had not yet extinguished. He did not seem to intend to give up, even in the face of death.
"Raaaah!"
The Crimson Flame Demon let out a roar and reached towards the World Tree, not Raon.
From his completely peeled, crimson hand, an unbearable heat radiated. It was the Crimson Flame ignited by burning his life force.
Rumble!
Raon was flung backward as if struck in the face by the heat emanating from the Crimson Flame Demon's flames.
-A mere fire wielder! Do you think you can make a mockery of me!
-...
He wanted to counterattack, but his head felt like it was going to burst from the ongoing clash between Wrath and the Fire Spirit King.
He wanted to faint right there, but he forced himself to stay conscious because the Crimson Flame Demon was still alive.
Whoooosh!
A noble stream of water descended like a waterfall from the sky, blocking the Crimson Flame Demon's flames. It was the Moon Water of the Water Spirit King.
"Don't interfere!"
The Crimson Flame Demon, coughing up a terrifying amount of blood, did not retract his flames. Knowing he would die anyway, he seemed intent on struggling to the end.
Sizzle!
His flames burned more intensely, starting to evaporate the Moon Water poured out by the Water Spirit King.
Raon glared at the thinning waterfall of Moon Water.
'The Water Spirit King is being pushed back?'
Finding it odd, he lifted his gaze and saw Siyana staggering, unable to steady herself. Blood was flowing from her nose and mouth.
'Her limit?'
No, it's a miracle she's held on this long.
Even though Siyana is a High Elf, handling the power of a Spirit King from the start is not an easy task. She had done her part just by holding on until now.
'I have to end this.'
Rimmer couldn't move, the Chief Elder and the Elders were severely injured, and the other elves couldn't even approach due to the heat. This fight had to end by his hand.
'But how…'
The sword realm was closed, and due to the fight between Wrath and the Fire Spirit King, he didn't even have the strength to stand, let alone swing his sword.
The Crimson Flame Demon knew this and was ignoring him, attacking only the World Tree.
'Wait…'
Ignoring me?
Raon studied the Crimson Flame Demon, who wasn't even looking his way, and fiddled with the Requiem Sword in his left hand.
'There is a way.'
There was one last way to kill the Crimson Flame Demon.
Raon released the strength in his left hand holding the Requiem Sword and stomped on the scorched ground with his right foot.
He channeled the force from his ankle through his thigh, waist, and shoulder, shooting out the Requiem Sword in an instant.
Whoosh!
A red blade imbued with the Hidden Blade Art instead of aura surged toward the Crimson Flame Demon's heart.
"Hmph!"
The Crimson Flame Demon noticed that the Requiem Sword wasn't imbued with aura and focused solely on breaking the Moon Water poured out by the Water Spirit King.
He seemed to think that the Requiem Sword wouldn't reach him due to the wall of heat.
Whoooosh!
Indeed, even though the Requiem Sword was imbued with demonic energy, it wavered, unable to advance due to the Crimson Flame Demon's heat.
Raon didn't move, even seeing the Requiem Sword falter as if it would sink. He still had to wait for the right moment.
The Crimson Flame Demon, knowing the Requiem Sword posed no threat, focused all his attention on the Water Spirit King.
At that moment, the final flame flared up in Raon's eyes.
'Now!'
He briefly opened his upper dantian, channeling his murderous intent to pierce through the flames and kill the Crimson Flame Demon into the Requiem Sword.
Buzz!
Perhaps it was because of the extreme situation. The Requiem Sword and my willpower meshed together as if they were one from the start.
A refreshing breeze seemed to blow through my mind, which felt like it was about to boil over.
Sizzle!
The Requiem Sword, which had been falling back due to the heat, stopped trembling and soared forward.
The red blade, moving faster than when it was imbued with the Astral Ring, pierced through the Crimson Flame Demon's fire.
Thunk!
It was truly like a ray of light. The Requiem Sword, shooting out like a flash, shattered the Crimson Flame Demon's helmet and embedded itself in his skull.
"Ugh!"
The Crimson Flame Demon's hand fell helplessly. The life that had persisted even when his chest was torn open began to crumble.
"Sword Control..."
The Crimson Flame Demon looked at Raon, his dry lips trembling.
"You deceived me..."
"No."
Raon shook his head, panting.
"It was a coincidence."
It wasn't a lie. Because the situation was so urgent, his mind could resonate with the Requiem Sword.
In an ordinary situation, he would have failed a hundred times out of a hundred.
"Ugh..."
The Crimson Flame Demon knelt and collapsed. He reached towards the World Tree, twisting his lips.
"I could have reached it if I just stretched my hand..."
With those words, the Crimson Flame Demon's breath stopped. Just in case, Raon watched, but he did not rise.
"What a tenacious bastard..."
Raon sighed and fell backward.
'This is really my limit now.'
He had exhausted all his stamina, aura, and mental strength. He didn't have the strength to keep his eyes open any longer.
'The remaining enemies should be manageable for the others.'
Having defeated the Red Demon Swordsman, Cassandra, and now the Crimson Flame Demon, the remaining enemies should be well within the elves' capabilities.
Honestly, he found everything bothersome and just wanted to sleep.
Because...
-Fine! If you're going to struggle that much, I'll devour you completely!
-...
Even now, Wrath and the Fire Spirit King were fighting inside his body.
In terms of strength, Wrath was overwhelming, but the Fire Spirit King clung like a leech.
'Stop fighting, you crazy bastards...'
I'm really going to die like this!
* * *
Rimmer crawled towards the fallen Raon, letting out a heavy breath.
"He actually did it, that monstrous kid."
Raon had ultimately pierced through the flames of the far stronger Crimson Flame Demon and shattered his skull.
No matter how much the Fire Spirit King and the Water Spirit King had helped, it was still an unbelievable feat.
'That final sword technique...'
It was Sword Control...
Its completion level was low, so if the Crimson Flame Demon hadn't let his guard down, it wouldn't have worked. However, the dagger Raon had thrown clearly carried the flow of Sword Control.
'How long has it been since the old man taught him the Harmony Bow, and he's already...'
It had been less than a week since Sterin had taught Raon the secrets of the Harmony Bow. The fact that he had unraveled it and made it his own in such a short period was astonishing.
'A monster. No, even that word falls short.'
At first, they called him a genius, then a monster, but now even those words didn't seem sufficient to describe Raon.
"Well done."
Rimmer finally reached Raon and patted his scorched golden hair.
"And thank you."
If it hadn't been for Raon, Sepia would have turned to ashes, and Eden would have welcomed a new Transcendent.
Beyond being his disciple and subordinate, he was simply grateful to Raon as a person.
"Raon!"
He turned at Siyana's voice. She was wiping her bloody nose with the back of her hand and running towards them.
'Right. He's also her benefactor.'
It was thanks to Raon that Siyana had the courage to summon the Spirit King again.
When this kid wakes up, there would be more than a few things to thank him for.
"Siyana. Are you alrigh—"
"Raon!"
She ignored Rimmer, knelt in front of Raon, and checked his condition.
"You don't see my condition..."
"You're alive, aren't you? That's enough!"
Mumbling that he should go and apply some medicine, Siyana grabbed Raon's hand.
"Raon, are you okay?"
Raon couldn't answer as he had already lost consciousness.
"What should I do!"
Siyana received Moon Water from the shrunken Water Spirit King and poured it into Raon's mouth. Despite the internal injuries causing blood to flow from his lips, she did not stop her efforts.
"Rimmer."
The Chief Elder, having dealt with the remaining enemies, reached out to Rimmer.
"Sigh..."
Rimmer grabbed the Chief Elder's hand, full of injuries, and stood up.
"Sigh..."
The Chief Elder let out a short exclamation as he looked at Raon.
"What exactly is that monster?"
"Raon Zieghart. He is my disciple and subordinate now, but in the future..."
Rimmer looked down at the unconscious Raon with a faint smile.
"He is the child who will become the king I must serve."
Unlike before, he spoke the word 'king' with a serious tone.
"Is that so?"
The Chief Elder neither showed surprise nor reproach. He simply nodded, as if acknowledging Raon's worth.
"Perhaps we should be included in that service as well..."
"I told you!"
As he took a short breath, Erian approached and raised his fist.
"That man! He's the Spirit King's Contractor!"
Erian laughed heartily, saying his long-held faith had finally been rewarded.
"Not only is he the Spirit King's Contractor, but he's also become the savior of us elves! My intuition is never wrong!"
He smirked and gestured to the stunned Leylan.
"Leylan, you didn't believe in Raon! How do you feel now?"
"Well, that's..."
Leylan stammered, unable to answer.
"You said I was crazy, right? This is what you call a wise investment!"
Erian seemed more pleased that Raon had become the Spirit King's Contractor than the fact that Sepia had survived, and his entire demeanor had changed.
"Now the Spirit Realm should regain stability too. With the Water Spirit King and Fire Spirit King revived..."
"Be quiet!"
As he raised his voice, Siyana, who was checking on Raon, yelled sharply.
"Lady Siyana?"
"Raon's condition is strange."
"Strange? How?"
Rimmer urgently approached Raon.
"Heat and cold are fighting inside Raon. One side is definitely the Fire Spirit King, but what's the other?"
Siyana shook her head, saying it was hard to understand.
"The other one?"
"Yeah. It's cold energy, but it's even stronger than Elraim's..."
She shook her head, saying it felt denser and more immense than the Water Spirit King's aura.
"Is it a second Water Spirit King? Or did your Water Spirit King also make a contract with Raon..."
Erian blinked at Siyana.
"That can't be!"
Siyana shook her head sharply and looked back at Raon.
"What's inside Raon's body right now is..."
"What?"
"The Fire Spirit King's aura suddenly disappeared! What, what is this?"
She widened her eyes, not understanding.
"What...?"
"It's true. I can't feel the Fire Spirit King's aura anymore."
Rimmer and the Chief Elder also felt the Spirit King's aura disappear and gaped.
"Then what happens now? Is Raon in danger?"
Erian looked at Raon with worried eyes.
"No, actually, the cold energy is fading, and he's stabilizing."
Siyana shook her head with a puzzled expression.
"Didn't the Fire Spirit King return to the Spirit Realm?"
Rimmer scratched his chin and asked.
"I don't think so..."
Siyana shook her head as she looked at Raon, whose complexion had relaxed.
"What the hell happened?"
* * *
Raon struggled to lift his eyelids.
'Where is this...'
He saw a brown ceiling woven like tree trunks. It didn't seem to be the lodging he stayed in from the start but another elf's house.
'Well, everything must have burned down.'
Except for the house behind the World Tree, everything had turned to ashes, so it seemed they had moved him here.
'It was not an easy fight.'
The Crimson Flame Demon was strong. No, he had become stronger. Only now could he understand how much of a cheat-like ability it was to grow stronger while fighting.
'However...'
Raon clenched his fist with a hand that had not yet regained its strength.
'Thanks to him, I was able to become stronger too.'
By using the powers of the Fire Spirit King and Wrath to engage in a life-or-death battle, the realm that had stagnated after reaching Grandmaster had elevated a bit.
Not only had his realm risen, but he had also gained experience in handling greater power, which would greatly help him advance in the future.
'Anyway...'
Raon closed his eyes and checked his body's condition again.
'It seems the internal fight is over too.'
He could no longer feel the auras of Wrath and the Fire Spirit King, who had been fighting until the moment he defeated the Crimson Flame Demon. It seemed both had disappeared.
'Wrath must have won.'
The Fire Spirit King had clung like a leech, but Wrath, who was overwhelming in power, must have ultimately won.
'Wrath.'
-Why are you calling me?
When he called Wrath's name, the little creature slowly crawled out from the bracelet.
'What happened to the Fire Spirit King?'
-What do you think happened? He was crushed by my majesty.
The creature snorted without looking at him.
'So, did he return to the Spirit Realm?'
Raon smacked his lips. He wanted to see the Fire Spirit King properly, but hearing that he had just disappeared was a bit disappointing.
-...
Wrath did not respond to that and instead wiggled his chubby cheeks.
'But what are you doing?'
-What, what do you mean?
'Hmm?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wrath's back. Unlike usual, his cheeks were moving, and his speech was strange. It was as if he was eating something.
'What are you eating?'
-Gulp!
Wrath covered his mouth tightly with his chubby hands as if he had been caught and shook his head.
'Hey.'
Raon grabbed Wrath's head and turned it. As expected, the creature had something in his mouth and was chewing. A strange sense of unease ran down his spine like a burn.
'Spit it out.'
There was no way that Wrath, a spirit entity, would be eating ordinary food. He was definitely up to something strange.
-N-No! It's mine!
Wrath clamped his mouth shut, refusing to spit it out.
'Spit it out!'
Raon grabbed Wrath's mouth. He tried to force it open, but the creature's jaw was so strong that even using all his strength, he couldn't get it to open.
'What the hell are you eating!'
-I-It's candy.
Wrath waved his hand, saying it was just candy and told him not to worry.
'Candy?'
-Yes, strawberry-flavored candy, so don't worry about it.
'Strawberry-flavored...'
When he mentioned strawberry flavor, Raon remembered something Wrath had said before.
[The green spirits taste like green grapes, and the red spirits taste like strawberries.]
It was something Wrath had said after returning from the Spirit Realm.
Raon swallowed dryly and looked back at Wrath.
'You don't mean...'
-No, I don't!
'Don't lie!'
He gritted his teeth and approached Wrath. With all his might, he forcibly opened the creature's mouth.
Crack.
A crimson candy fell out of Wrath's slightly opened mouth. It was so chewed up that it had teeth marks all over it.
'It really is candy... Wait, is that a flame?'
Raon examined the candy closely and widened his eyes. A faint flame, as if it would extinguish at any moment, was burning around the candy. The flame felt strangely familiar.
'No way...'
It wasn't just a guess; it was certain. It was the aura of the Fire Spirit King who had lent him power during the fight with the Crimson Flame Demon.
"The Spirit King is dead..."
Raon held his head, his lips trembling.
"The Spirit King who appeared after a thousand years has died again!"
-I told you to give me food...
"You little parasite!"