"The Beast King has returned alive, and we lack information about the one using the Death Aura, so let's end it here for today."
Chamber waved her hand as she put a shrunken lollipop back into her mouth.
"That would be best. And..."
King Lecross swallowed before looking at everyone.
"From the information that came from Cameloon, it seems that forces following the Five Demons are rising like wildfire. It would be best for each of us to focus on strengthening our internal affairs for a while."
He advised caution, mentioning that the balance between the Six Kings and the Five Demons had been disrupted.
"I don't usually go out anyway..."
Mage Tower Master Larian shook her head while touching her dark circles that looked like they were painted with charcoal.
"Right! I found out that last time you didn't come to the Six Kings Conference because you were too lazy!"
Chamber glared at Larian while biting her lip.
"It wasn't because I was lazy, but because I was doing experiments..."
"And you didn't even set up a magic network!"
"Hehe..."
Larian scratched the back of her head as if she had been praised. Her golden hair, like melted gold bars, rippled gently.
"That's not a compliment!"
Chamber gritted her teeth as if she was about to pounce on Larian.
"It sure gets noisy when everyone gathers."
Ogram chuckled and waved his hand.
"I feel peace in that chaos."
Derus moved his lips with eyes that weren't peaceful at all.
"Seeing that useless chatter has increased, it seems we've said all we needed to say."
Glenn raised his right hand with a subdued look.
"Let's adjourn the meeting here and..."
"Wait! There's one important matter left."
Chamber interrupted Glenn, pushing her face into the blue window.
"What are we going to do about Raon's life-and-death duel?"
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Raon standing next to Sheryl.
"Hmm..."
"It's certainly an important issue in the current situation."
"Since there's less than a month left."
The other Six Kings leaders also looked at Glenn curiously, pausing their speech.
"That..."
Glenn lowered his gaze, keeping his mouth shut. He nodded as if telling Raon to speak directly.
"I, of course, intend to fight."
Raon walked to the center of the audience chamber. His calm steps were imbued with unwavering firmness.
"It wouldn't be like a Zieghart to postpone a promised duel over something like this."
He smiled while looking at Derus among the Six Kings leaders.
"Ahem!"
Glenn curled his lips as if pleased with Raon's declaration-like words.
"I guess those kids have no idea how frightening the world can be."
Chamber let out a short sigh as if worried.
"The Axe King is a martial artist of the old era like us. But you should be able to overcome him."
Ogram raised his large fist as if to show his belief.
"I also believe in the Light Wind Division Leader so that Lephon will not be disappointed."
Derus shook his head, once again using his youngest son's name.
"There won't be any reason for disappointment when it comes to myself, you can rest assured."
Raon smiled at Derus.
'He'll be disappointed in you, not me.'
No, he might even despair.
If there's anything that would disappoint Lephon, it wouldn't be my defeat, but Derus's ugliness.
He turned his head, thoroughly mocking Derus.
"..."
Derus, realizing the meaning of my words, rolled his lips inward. He still seemed to be in a state of inner turmoil.
"Then let's end it here."
As Glenn made a light gesture, the five blue windows floating in the center of the audience chamber sank down like extinguished candles.
Raon stroked his fingertips while looking at the space where Derus's face had been floating.
'In the end, the lava erupted.'
Derus maintained a calm expression until the end, but his lips were deeply rolled inward. It meant he was truly enraged.
'By now, he might have destroyed everything in sight.'
Derus's reason was colder than the north wind, but being human, it had its limits.
Not only was Ogram rescued, but he also regained his senses, and because I provoked him repeatedly, a significant part of his psychological barrier must have crumbled.
'It's a shame I can't see that.'
As he clicked his tongue, regretting not being able to see Derus's rampage, he felt a gaze from behind.
When he turned his head, Glenn was looking at him with an indescribable, strange gaze.
"Head of House?"
"Raon!"
Just as he was about to ask if Glenn had something to say, Balder approached and gripped his shoulder tightly.
"Charging into the White Blood Religion to rescue the Beast King! You're a real man!"
Balder nodded his head greatly, showing an impressed look.
"It's the first time I've seen the Six Kings leaders praise one person like this. You really surprise us every time!"
He laughed so heartily it seemed like the audience chamber might float away.
"That's true indeed."
Sheryl nodded.
"The Six Kings have never praised someone else like they did you today."
"Hahaha, I've never seen it either."
Roenn also smiled faintly, saying it was an amazing thing.
"..."
Denier just looked at Raon and Balder without saying anything.
"I've felt this for a while, but you're exactly like me in personality! If only my brain worked as well as yours!"
Balder raised his thumb with the hand that had been patting Raon's shoulder.
"Huh...?"
Raon let out a sigh as he looked at Balder, who was showing intense enthusiasm.
'What is he saying?'
He had expected Balder to pick a fight, but it seemed he was giving praise in his own way. He couldn't understand why Balder was acting like this recently, when he used to pick fights every day.
As Raon turned his gaze, hoping someone would pull Balder away, he met Denier's eyes. Unlike the reproachful gaze he had when Raon mocked Derus, he now had a calm face.
'That person is hard to figure out.'
Balder was a simple person, so that was understandable, but with Denier, he really couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Good work."
Glenn gestured to Shadow Agents' Leader Chad and the magicians who had prepared the video conference.
"Ah, it's nothing!"
Chad and the magicians bowed their heads hastily as if they had received divine revelation.
"Shadow Agents' Leader, summarize today's content and bring it to me. The rest of you may go."
"Yes!"
The magicians and officials bowed and left the audience chamber.
"Raon."
Glenn called Raon by his name, not his title of Light Wind Division Leader, stopping him.
"Yes, Head of House."
"Since you've made up your mind, I won't stop you. However..."
He tapped the armrest of the throne heavily with his finger.
"I'd like you to change the date and place."
Glenn advised him to change the date and location, worried that the swordsman with the Death Aura might interfere with the duel.
"Understood."
He nodded, as this was something he had been considering since this incident occurred.
"Alright. You may go."
Only then did Glenn's hardened gaze seem to soften slightly.
From what he felt while rescuing Ogram together, Glenn seemed to be a slightly different person than what he appeared to be.
Raon bowed politely to Glenn and left the audience chamber.
"Head of House."
Sheryl looked up at Glenn while lightly tapping her own lips.
"You showed quite a range of expressions today."
"Th-That's..."
Glenn hastily hardened his expression, his chin trembling.
"Hahaha, it's only natural since his grandson was praised by the Six Kings."
Roenn smiled and shook his head.
"That's right! How could I remain calm when those misers are making such a fuss?"
Glenn quickly nodded.
"Then it would be even better if you conveyed that to Raon. Wouldn't it be good to officially treat him as your grandson on this occasion?"
"Um, that's a bit..."
"Hahaha, it seems you still feel some distance. It's clear that today's events have brought you a step closer, so let's wait a bit longer."
"Yes! That's it! It's not the right time yet."
"When will that time come? At this rate..."
"Uh..."
Glenn's forehead started to sweat as Sheryl and Roenn, influenced by Rimmer, alternated between whipping and coaxing him.
* * *
The smile on Derus Robert's lips melted away like foam touching water.
Unable to contain himself any longer, he slammed his fist down on the black wooden table in front of him.
CRASH!
With a tremendous impact as if the earth was twisting, the table and surrounding furniture all crumbled into gray dust.
"Ugh..."
"Kuh..."
The officers of House Robert, no, the Shadow members seated in the chairs, couldn't even open their mouths and swallowed dryly.
'What on earth happened?'
Derus raised his fingers like a hawk's talons, not even paying attention to his tense subordinates.
'Did the Death Aura get twisted while the Leader of the White Blood Religion was draining blood?'
No, that can't be.
He had already tested it several times. Bloody energy and Death Aura are not opposites. There was no reason for Death Aura to waver during blood draining.
'Then did Glenn Zieghart really save Ogram?'
He knew Glenn's martial prowess was the strongest among the Six Kings, but he never thought it could erase the severance.
Even a small mistake could have prevented Ogram from ever waking up, and Glenn's boldness in acting despite knowing this was astonishing.
"There's a reason he's called a god despite being human."
Glenn's titles are Destructive King of the North, Northern Conqueror, and Lightning God.
While Destructive King of the North and Northern Conqueror are also intimidating, Lightning God, which describes him becoming a god of lightning in a human body, best expresses Glenn. Through this incident, he understood why Glenn was called a god.
Whoosh!
As Kubara wiggled her finger, the dust filling the air was sucked into her hand.
"It seems..."
Derus stroked his chin while looking at Kubara after staying silent for a while.
"Glenn and Ogram seem to think there's a spy within the Six Kings."
"What?"
Kubara slightly parted her lips as if asking what he meant.
"What do you mean by that..."
"Because it must be a lie that Ogram is unharmed."
The blood draining of the Leader of the White Blood Religion doesn't just suck out the opponent's vitality, but their martial prowess as well.
Moreover, having been exposed to Death Aura for a long time, it was highly likely that Ogram's claim of not losing his martial prowess was just bravado.
It was clear that Glenn and Ogram had realized there was a spy within the Six Kings and coordinated their story.
"Hmm..."
Kubara tightly gripped her wrist as she watched Derus formulating his hypothesis.
'He's insane.'
Despite being flustered by Ogram's survival, Derus had thoroughly analyzed the events during the meeting and grasped the situation.
It seemed that no one could match such coolness and composure.
"And the one who came up with that trickery..."
Derus twisted his lips as he removed his gloves. The wound on the back of his hand seemed to have reopened, dripping sticky blood.
"Raon Zieghart. It must be him."
Whenever Raon Zieghart foiled the Shadow's plans, a sharp pain would rise from the wound on the back of his hand, and blood would flow.
It's hard to believe, but as I suspected, the assassin Raon who gave me this wound and Raon Zieghart seem to be the same person.
Especially today, Raon Zieghart appeared to be concerned about me while planting seeds of doubt in the other Six Kings.
The heads of the Six Kings aren't fools. Though they seemed to let it pass quietly, they would surely remember my crumpled expression.
"Yes. This time, I was beaten. Thoroughly beaten."
Derus clenched his fist tightly, recalling Raon's twisted smile.
'But I gained something too.'
Glenn Zieghart. That cold-blooded man showed a clear reaction to Raon's praise.
The hypothesis that he cared for Raon more than his other grandchildren was true.
'That's why this life-and-death duel is important.'
It's a chance to catch both the annoying grandfather and grandson at once.
He had tried to end both Raon and Glenn by others' hands, but now it seemed impossible. He decided to kill them both with a plan he devised himself.
"Contact all of the Five Demons. And as for the South-North Union Leader..."
Derus Robert stood up with a noble bearing. He twisted his lips as he brushed off his blue robe.
"Tell him I'll meet him personally."
* * *
Even after grinding all the pebbles, Axe King Roman Leykal did not leave the riverside.
He repeatedly took calm breaths with his sharpened Red Dragon Axe resting on his knee.
The reflection of an old man with grayish-white hair appeared in his calm eyes that had been reflecting only the river and sky. It was Helgroom, the Vice Leader of the South-North Union.
"Roman."
Roman lowered his gaze at Helgroom's call.
"As you know, the Beast Union has fallen. There's too much to do now, so ignore that life-and-death duel and..."
"It has nothing to do with the Six Kings and Five Demons. It's between me and Raon Zieghart. A promise between martial artists."
A chilling ferocity, like that of a starving beast, bloomed in his previously calm eyes.
"Unless there's a problem with us, I have no intention of stopping the life-and-death duel for someone else's affairs."
"I had some hope when I heard you sent the Blue Falcon, but you haven't deviated an inch from what I expected."
The Vice Union Leader clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Then why did you send the Blue Falcon?"
"I wrote to tell him not to run away."
Roman raised his gaze again as he stroked the handle of his Red Dragon Axe.
"Not to run away?"
"That's right. Any place, any time. I'm even willing to fight inside the Zieghart main building. I told him not to think about running away from the life-and-death duel."
He rubbed his chin confidently.
"Haa, you've already become strong. You've achieved remarkable growth in 3 years. At this rate, it wouldn't be impossible for you to reach transcendence, but I don't understand why you're so obsessed with such a promise."
"Because I was able to become strong thanks to that promise."
Roman said that the life-and-death duel with Raon had made him who he was today, as he clasped his hands together.
"Hah, do as you wish. But as I said before, if you lose..."
The Vice Union Leader narrowed his eyes as he looked at Roman.
"All the honor you've built up will fall into the gutter. Make sure to defeat him decisively and come back."
"You don't need to worry, Vice Union Leader. Of course I will."
As Roman gripped the handle tightly, a terrifying aura blazed over his shoulders.
"...I see you've become strong enough to say such things."
The Vice Union Leader nodded and disappeared in the direction of the South-North Union headquarters.
"It doesn't matter what those guys say."
Roman curled his lips as he looked up at the setting sun.
"What's important is us, isn't it, Raon Zieghart?"
* * *
As soon as the meeting ended, Raon began training in the great training ground.
"You're training even on a day like today?"
Rimmer, lying on the platform, waved his hand as Raon was practicing basic swordsmanship as usual.
"There's not much time left, you know."
He shook his head and thrust his sword into the air. A black dot, as if a hole had been punched, was etched above the setting sun.
"No, on a day like today when you've hit the jackpot, you should buy your master a meal, lend him money, and at least thank him."
"Forget about that. How about sparring with me, master?"
Raon smiled and wiggled his finger.
"What I need right now is practical experience."
"I-I haven't fully recovered from my injuries, so that would be difficult..."
Rimmer awkwardly laughed and shook his head.
"Don't be like that. It's a day your disciple hit the jackpot, so please help..."
Just as he was about to approach the pale-faced Rimmer.
SCREECH!
With a sharp cry, a blue-tinged falcon descended rapidly and landed in front of Raon.
"This falcon..."
He remembered seeing it before. It was the blue falcon that had been perched on the sail of Axe King Roman's warship, Black Cloud.
"This looks like the Axe King's falcon..."
"That's right. It's the Blue Falcon."
Rimmer nodded, saying it was the Axe King's spirit beast.
"Come here."
As he raised his hand, the Blue Falcon calmly perched on the back of it. He untied and unfolded the white note attached to its ankle.
"Ha..."
Raon let out a sigh after reading the note.
"What does it say?"
Rimmer smacked his lips curiously.
"He says not to run away and to fight. He's letting me decide the time and place. He says he'll even fight inside Zieghart."
"Isn't he crazy?"
He let out a hollow laugh as if in disbelief.
"To be honest, he wasn't normal from the moment he accepted the life-and-death duel."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at the note again.
"He's a person with a different grain from the usual Five Demons."
After saying that, he picked up a pen.
"Huh? What are you doing!"
Rimmer quickly approached and shook his head.
"Don't decide right away, discuss it with the Head of House first..."
"The Head of House said he's leaving it to me."
Shaking his head, he put the pen to the back of the note.
"The place is Gazelle River, where I first met Roman, and the time is..."
"The, the time is?"
"Not January 1st of next year, but December 31st of this year."
Golden sunlight seeped into Raon's eyes.
"I'm not postponing it, but bringing it forward to settle this."
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