Raon gazed at the ring on his middle finger. The surface was engraved with a phoenix wing pattern, as if Kaiyan's feather had melted into it.
He nodded briefly and raised his Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation over the ring. The flames burning from the ring turned golden, spreading majestic wings of fire.
"W-What is that!"
Delphros stepped back as soon as he saw the solemn flames rising from the ring. He looked frightened.
Whoosh!
The wings of flame that bloomed from the ring settled on my shoulders and enveloped my entire body, as if mocking Delphros who had stepped back.
I didn't feel any heat. It only brought warmth, like spring sunlight erasing winter.
Tssssss!
As soon as the ring's flames touched my skin, the wounds inflicted by the Sword Saint were instantly erased. It was as if time had been reversed.
It wasn't just the external wounds. The internal organs that had been damaged returned to their original state, and the ruptured muscles, bones, and mana circuits were completely restored. The pain in my abdomen that had made my hands tremble vanished as if washed away.
Woooong!
New streams of energy filled the empty energy center. The flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier's frost filled the energy center to overflowing, spreading through the mana circuits throughout my body.
Finally, my mind, which had been drying up from the extreme battle, cleared up as if I had just woken up after a good night's sleep in the annex building.
I felt I could unleash my Sword Domain again without any strain.
-Y-You, what on earth did you do!
Wrath turned to Raon with wide eyes.
-I can understand replenishing Aura, but recovering mental strength too is nonsense!
He had always said that mental strength couldn't be recovered during our deals. It was natural for him to be surprised, as this small ring had accomplished something even a demon king couldn't do.
'It's the Phoenix Ring.'
-The Phoenix Ring?
'Just as a phoenix revives after death, this ring completely restores its owner's wounds and Aura. Even mental strength.'
-T-That's cheating!
'More capable than you, right?'
-S-Shut up! If I had my true body, I could... Ngh.
Wrath couldn't finish his sentence. It was a typical response from someone who couldn't lie.
'But there's no need to be envious.'
Raon shook his head as he looked at the fading Phoenix Ring.
'It's single-use.'
This ring has superior recovery abilities even compared to Wrath, a demon king, but it can only be used once.
-S-Single-use? Hmm, it's the right time to use it, but it's a bit of a waste...
'Yeah, it's a shame.'
Of course it's a shame, being a one-time-use artifact. As Wrath said, there might be an even better time to use this ring in the future.
But my instincts and emotions judged that using the ring now was the right choice.
'Because I won't be satisfied unless I crush that bastard with my own hands.'
Raon clenched his right fist and raised his gaze.
"What! What the hell are you!"
Delphros screamed, clutching his head as if he couldn't understand.
"You're the same as ever."
Raon shook his head as he met Delphros's bewildered eyes.
'Coward.'
Delphros had countless opportunities to strike at me.
Every moment of my battle with the Sword Saint was a chance for him to launch a surprise attack.
But Delphros showed his stupidity by only moving when I was burning the Martial Arts Manual.
The reason was simple.
'Because he's a coward.'
Delphros kept pushing the Sword Saint to the end, thinking he might fall victim to a hidden move of mine.
He probably intended to move only after I had exhausted all my strength, but thanks to that, I was able to burn the Martial Arts Manual and subdue the Sword Saint.
The fact that Delphros stepped back as soon as my Aura and wounds were healed was proof of this.
'That's his limit.'
Derus Robert probably entrusted this place to Delphros believing in his cautious nature, but right now, that guy was betraying Derus's expectations in the worst possible way. It was truly fortunate for me.
"Aren't you coming?"
Raon tilted his chin while looking at Delphros.
"You charged at me like you were going to kill me, so why did you stop?"
"Urgh..."
Despite possessing greater martial prowess, Delphros didn't move rashly. It wasn't caution, but fear.
"I don't mind giving you time."
Raon shook his head and plunged the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword into the ground.
Kugugugugugu!
Once again, a golden sun and a silver moon rose from the darkness. The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword rose under the shimmering rays illuminating the cavern.
"Y-You're using Sword Domain consecutively?"
Delphros widened his eyes in disbelief.
"It must have been nice watching from afar."
Raon curled his lips as he gripped the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, now burning hotter and colder than before.
"You will die more miserably than any death you have ever witnessed."
"Bullshit."
Delphros gritted his teeth so hard they might break.
"I've completely figured out your martial arts through your battle with the Sword Saint. Even if you use Sword Domain, there's nothing to fear!"
"You talk too much. If you're not coming..."
Raon extended his left foot. The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's heat exploded from the mana circuit in the center of his sole. He layered the Supreme Harmony Steps onto his rapidly extending body like a cannonball.
"I'll come to you."
In an instant, as if the ground had folded, Delphros's figure drew near.
"All talk and no action!"
Delphros swung his hand like lightning. The sword in his grip roughly cut through space and plunged towards Raon's chest.
'Was he not lying about figuring out my martial arts?'
He was perfectly targeting the moment when Supreme Harmony Steps connected. It seemed he hadn't just been passively watching the battle with the Sword Saint.
'In that case...'
Raon advanced even faster instead of retreating. He struck Delphros's sword blade before the latter could put proper force into it.
Claaang!
Despite not blocking a near-perfect sword strike, the impact felt intense. It had enough power that even a slight misstep could have sent his arm flying.
"Not even close!"
As if to maintain the momentum he had gained, Delphros leaned forward like a bull and thrust his sword. The Astral Ring infused in his blade surged like it was going berserk.
Woooong!
Raon raised a Fire Wall with his Demonic Sword and unleashed Heavy Sky Cannon with his Divine Sword.
He intended to defend with the Fire Wall and counterattack with Heavy Sky Cannon, but Delphros twisted his lips as if he had predicted this.
"I've seen it all!"
He suddenly changed direction. Ignoring the Fire Wall, he circled to the right and struck down the Heavy Sky Cannon.
Claaang!
The Cold Energy forming the Heavy Sky Cannon shattered, and Raon stepped back.
"I told you."
Delphros raised his chin, his eyes gleaming with arrogance.
"I've figured out all your martial arts. It's over now."
He raised his gleaming sword, intent on ending it as quickly as possible.
"You said you figured out my martial arts..."
Raon swept back his disheveled hair, a calm smile forming on his face.
"But which version of me was that?"
***
"Die!"
Martha charged at the White Blood Religion members, her eyes burning with dark light.
"I'll tear you all to pieces!"
Every time her ferocious sword lashed out, White Blood Religion members fell, spraying blood. It was a sight that perfectly suited her alias, Miss Rakshasa.
"...Looks like there's nothing to worry about on this side."
Burren turned his gaze from Martha to where Raon was. He was clashing swords with a middle-aged man who seemed to be the root cause of this incident, their blades filled with killing intent.
"Will the Division Leader be alright?"
The opponent's Astral Ring seemed stronger than Raon's, and since he had been observing the fight, he appeared to have the advantage.
"He'll be fine."
Runaan shook her head as she protected Teams 1 and 2, filling in for Martha's absence.
"Raon is calm now. He can win."
She glanced at Raon's back, lifting the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.
"If you say so, it must be true."
Burren nodded calmly. Runaan knew Raon best. If she said it was fine, he felt he could trust in Raon as well.
"Then we just need to finish our part well."
The Phoenix was holding off the monsters, and the martial artists who had been consumed by greed came to their senses as soon as the Martial Arts Manual burned.
If the Light Wind division and Void Sword division could just defeat the White Blood Religion and Holy Sword Alliance, they could end this whole situation.
"I knew you were empty-headed, but this time it's a bit too much."
Rimmer twisted his lips as he looked at the Demon Sword Master.
"Do you think those guys would hand over the Martial Arts Manual? It's as stupid as me going all-in with my salary at the gambling den."
"The stupid one is you."
The Demon Sword Master bit his lip, his eyes blazing with demonic fire.
"The Holy Sword Alliance would dive into hell for the sake of swordsmanship and swords!"
"Ah, these sword-obsessed bastards..."
Rimmer let out a deep sigh.
"To burn the Sword Saint's Martial Arts Manual right before my eyes! I will rip out Raon Zieghart's heart!"
The Demon Sword Master charged forward, radiating the most chilling Willpower yet.
Kuuuuung!
Though his Aura had diminished, his Willpower was so intense that the impact was profound. His prosthetic hand seemed to twist slightly.
"The same goes for me."
The Sixth Apostle glared at Raon's back, grinding his teeth.
"I failed to carry out the cult leader's orders, so I'll take that bastard's head instead!"
"Your opponent is me."
Serena stepped forward and brought down her sword. An enormous weight beyond that of a normal greatsword pressed down on the Sixth Apostle's entire body.
"You corpse-like thing! To the very end!"
The Sixth Apostle tried to push back the sword with his bloody energy-infused cultivation, but Serena's sword didn't budge an inch, as if fixed in place.
"You won't leave before killing me."
Even as blood gushed from her abdomen again, Serena's eyes remained unchanged. Instead, she smiled and pushed back the Sixth Apostle with her overwhelming spirit.
"You damned fools!"
"Alright! If that's what you want, I'll kill you first!"
The Demon Sword Master and the Sixth Apostle charged forward, their eyes brimming with dark malice.
"Right. It's time for us to end this too."
Rimmer lowered his sword and raised his fingers. With a faint smile, he summoned the biting wind from the north.
"Sword Domain."
***
Claaang!
Delphros twisted his lips as he deflected Raon's gracefully curving sword strike.
'It's swordsmanship I've seen before.'
Raon's swordsmanship was diverse and powerful, but thanks to observing from the second floor, he had been able to figure out all of his techniques.
However, he didn't feel good about it.
'Originally, I shouldn't have needed to fight at all.'
The original plan was to end it with the Sword Saint, but everything went wrong because of Raon Zieghart.
The Sword Saint's power was cut off, the monsters were being slaughtered by the Phoenix, and the division had stopped.
The entire plan had completely fallen apart.
'But it's still okay.'
If I can just kill Raon here, we can end this all as a mere incident.
Judging by how the ring Raon used has lost its light, it probably can't be used twice.
If I can behead him here, I can cover up everything.
'But I need to end this as quickly as possible.'
Raon Zieghart has a special talent for getting stronger as he fights. To avoid ending up like the Doppelganger King, I need to kill him as fast as possible.
[Sabi.]
[Yes.]
[Forget about desire now. Just enhance my martial prowess!]
[Hmm, it's difficult to maintain for long.]
[I don't intend to drag this out anyway.]
[Understood.]
As soon as Sabi's response ended, power surged through Delphros's entire body. Aura from his energy center rose endlessly, giving him a sense of omnipotence as if he could dominate the world.
'I'll crush you with all my might!'
Delphros unleashed a barrage of sword strikes infused with his enhanced Aura. The Black Heaven Sword technique, directly passed down from Derus, created a majestic storm of Astral Rings.
Raon extended both swords simultaneously. Different lights flickered from the sword tips, creating an extremely sharp slash that cut through space.
Claaang!
The storm of Astral Rings that Delphros had created vanished as if it had never existed.
"Huh...?"
He knew that sword technique, but its power seemed significantly different.
'What's going on?'
As Delphros swallowed dryly, thinking something was off, Raon lunged to the left. Without changing his expression, he slashed diagonally with a blazing stroke. A silver blade and a blue blade extended simultaneously.
'Frost Snap!'
This was the sword technique that Raon Zieghart had created himself. A peculiar technique that strikes twice with one swing. However, if you knew about it, it was easier to block than anything else.
Claaang!
He blocked the first blade and waited for the second, but it didn't come immediately.
'What's this now!'
As cold sweat broke out from the tension, the second slash suddenly fell.
Claaang!
It was a much slower strike than what he originally knew. But it wasn't just the speed that had changed. The power of Frost Snap had become drastically different.
"Ugh!"
Delphros stepped back, releasing the shock that had traveled through his sword.
"You, just what..."
But there was no time to solve this mystery. Raon's attacks kept coming.
A Water Dragon with raised scales emerged from above his sword. Its blackened, distorted maw breathed out a fierce frosty breath.
'Wide range but weakened power... Huh?'
Delphros's eyes widened as he stopped mid-step. Raon's sword strike, which originally crushed a wide area, was now concentrated and surging towards him.
"T-This is...!"
He halted his steps and hurriedly turned his body. He thrust his sword forward, drawing out all the Aura he possessed.
Kwaaaang!
As soon as it clashed with Raon's sword strike, a terrifying impact pressed against his entire body. His grip trembled, nearly losing hold of his sword.
Whaaaaa!
Following the Water Dragon's roar came a burst of flame. The energy concentrated at the tip of the flame sword extended in an instant.
Crack!
The thick shield of Aura he had raised crumbled. His sword began to shake as if it might break.
'W-What is this! This power! And what is this swordsmanship!'
It was clearly a sword technique he knew, and he hadn't given Raon any time, yet the bastard's martial prowess was far beyond his predictions.
'Don't tell me...'
Delphros's pale lips trembled as he watched Raon approach with calm steps.
'Was he already stronger before fighting me?'
***
Raon sneered as he looked at Delphros, whose eyes were filled with shock.
'You must be flustered.'
He must be surprised since my current level of martial arts is so different from what he knew.
However, this was only natural.
'Because I've actually become stronger.'
It's not that my Aura has visibly increased or that my martial arts have overwhelmingly improved.
I was able to perfectly organize the insights I gained in this tomb while fighting a life-and-death battle with the Sword Saint.
I couldn't express that growth due to lack of physical strength, Aura, and mental power, but thanks to the Phoenix Ring, I can now show my full capabilities.
"What the hell are you! How long are you going to keep interfering!"
Delphros screamed as he twisted his sword. A shower of Astral Rings poured down from the blackened blade.
Boom!
Raon penetrated Delphros's space. He curled his lips as he looked into the man's eyes.
'He's scared.'
While Delphros had been attacking to kill me until just now, he was now only using sword techniques to protect himself.
It meant he had reverted to his original cowardly self.
I moved to his left and drew Crimson Slash and Azure Rain.
Claaang!
The sword strikes imbued with insight extended out, but they couldn't pierce through the sword barrier Delphros had raised. It was incredibly solid.
'He's changed his swordsmanship too.'
Delphros's swordsmanship had changed from Black Heaven Sword to the defense-oriented Four Directions Sword. With 90% of it focused on defense, it didn't look easy to break.
'Still, if I keep hammering at it, it will open up.'
Thinking he still lacked capacity, I advanced towards Delphros.
Claaang!
I struck Delphros's sword barrier repeatedly, simultaneously drawing the Thirty-Six Crimson Slashes and Frost Snap.
"Get lost!"
Delphros had given up on attacking altogether and was only repeating defense and evasion.
"Kill these bastards first!"
He stopped retreating and dove towards where people were gathered, putting a stop to wide-range sword attacks. He was the most cunning bastard I'd seen so far.
"You can't leave this place! This will be your tomb!"
Delphros kept shouting provocatively even in this situation.
"I'll send you to the same place as those two!"
"..."
Raon's eyes turned coldly fierce.
He looked at where Koman Knight Commander Kuzan and Lightning Decay Barfil had died. He bit his lip as he saw the broken sword and damaged staff.
"Ugh!"
Delphros, seeming to sense the change in atmosphere, drew out all his Aura to raise a sword barrier. A wall-like barrier made of Astral Ring stems rose up.
"No matter how hard the shell, a turtle is still just a turtle."
Raon pulled back his Divine Sword. Golden flames on the blade spewed out a dragon's roar, tracing a magnificent trajectory. The rushing flames danced with brilliant light.
[The blade under the twilight dusk does not waver even before the waves.]
After the first mantra formed when slashing the Glacial Wraith, a new calling followed.
[It is not the sword that breaks the wall, but the person. One who has honed their will can cut through anything.]
As insight turned into mantra, a new sword was established in his mind.
Raon Zieghart Style Sword Technique
Seventh Form: Void Slash.
Time and space. A single strike that cuts through an instant pierced Delphros's sword barrier.
Slash!
Leaving the sword barrier intact, Delphros's abdomen behind it was deeply slashed.
Splurt!
Delphros's lower abdomen split open, and red blood gushed out.
"Aaaaargh!"
He let out a horrifying scream while clutching his stomach. It was a vulgar scream unbecoming of a martial artist.
But it was only natural. It wasn't just his abdomen that had been split.
Amidst the red blood, a massive clump of Aura burst out explosively. His energy center had been split, causing the lost Aura to erupt.
"Aaaugh!"
Delphros's complexion turned deathly pale.
Crack!
I stepped on the collapsed sword barrier and stood before Delphros.
"I deliberately didn't behead you. It would be too much of a waste for you to die like that."
"W-Wait!"
"I told you, didn't I? That I'd kill you more miserably than any death you've ever witnessed."
Raon reached out his hand with a chilling smile that could raise goosebumps.
"You can look forward to it."