Cliiing!
The Ring of Fire was being molded in a semicircle but crumbled like a leaf as soon as it touched the fifth ring.
“Haa...”
Raon exhaled in frustration while looking at the remains of the shattered ring.
‘As expected, this isn’t easy.’
It was necessary to create a new ring while the pre-existing rings were rotating in order to increase the number of rings of fire.
It was easy to create a new ring when there was only one or two and all he needed was enough mana. However, the more the number of rings increased, the more drastically the difficulty increased.
He had seven rings total, and their rotation speed had also increased. That was why he could barely find any room to create a new ring.
‘It’s difficult, but I still need to do it. There’s no other way.’
The only way to overcome that hopeless situation was to create the eighth ring and break through the wall. He had to complete the ring even if he had to spend all the mana that he’d gained with the elixirs.
Raon gathered high-purity mana and concentrated it around his heart. He controlled the mana as carefully as extracting a thread out of a cocoon and started to mold a new ring of fire.
Cliiing!
However, the new ring collided with the second ring and shattered into pieces before it even became a semi-circle.
‘Again.’
There was no time to despair from the failure. He extracted another thread of mana and continued his challenge.
Cliing!
The seventh ring barged in as soon as he started to mold it and destroyed the mana.
‘Again.’
‘Again.’
‘Again.’
He continued the challenge nonstop, but the trajectories of the rings of fire’s rotations were way too erratic, and he couldn’t find the way at all.
He even started to think that it might be a better idea to just fight to death against a Grandmaster.
“Hah...”
Raon raised his gaze. He let out a dejected laugh while looking at the rings rotating in his mental world.
“You are so cold to the newbie.”
The seven rings of fire weren’t opening the gate. It was as if they were defending an impregnable fortress. They rotated with a frightening speed and splendor, crushing all of the lines of mana approaching them as if they were saying that they didn’t need a new ring.
‘Keep destroying it. Let’s see who wins.’
The flow of time in the mental world was different from reality. Molding the ring of fire in the mental world was such a rare opportunity that he couldn’t miss.
‘Then let’s try again... Hmm?’
Raon started to pull out the mana to mold another ring but suddenly stopped.
‘How are they still here?’
His countless selves were still demonstrating swordsmanships while holding the swords in his mental world.
The scene that gave the enlightenment usually disappeared after giving the enlightenment. That was why it was strange that they remained.
Raon scattered the mana he was condensing and observed the versions of himself who were swinging their swords.
The child Raon was focused on basic techniques, the boy Raon was concentrating on making a sword of his own, while the youngster Raon desired a more advanced technique.
Although they were demonstrating different sword techniques, there was one common aspect for all of them.
Regardless of the time, he had always practiced swordsmanship using everything he had.
It seemed to be the result of always going all-out in his training ever since his childhood.
Never give up. That was one thing he was confident at doing.
‘There’s no time to waste.’
Raon smiled faintly and was about to start making the ring of fire, only to suddenly stop.
‘Wait a moment... Did my swordsmanship really not incorporate anything so far?’
He raised his gaze once again. He couldn’t believe the fact that his sword wasn’t incorporating anything even though he’d been working so hard on swinging the sword from his childhood until his adulthood.
‘Sword...’
The moment he saw the boy who was demonstrating the incomplete Fangs of Insanity with Heavenly Drive in his hand, Raon remembered the conversation with Vulcan that he’d forgotten.
“What is your objective?”
“I want to become a swordsman who won’t be defeated by anyone or any situation.”
Revenge against Derus wasn’t his only wish. He had expressed his will to become a swordsman who wouldn’t be defeated by anyone in order to achieve his objective.
It was because his will was always alive in his heart that he'd always swung his sword to the best of his ability.
The power called ‘will’ manifests once the power of the soul dwells inside the determination. Raon realized that he’d always had the determination to be accomplished by the will.
“Learning various and complicated techniques is fine. However, there needs to be a meaning behind using those techniques.”
“It’s not that hard. The answer is always inside you.”
His conversation with the Sword Demon and Glenn could be heard once again in his mind, and the mental world came to a halt.
The versions of himself during his childhood, adulthood, and even from the day before embedded their swords back into the ground.
They nodded faintly, as if they were saying that they delivered the message they came to tell, and scattered away like smoke.
Creak!
The seven rings of fire slowly came to a halt. They opened the path with a majestic flame, as if they were waiting for the new ring’s arrival.
Raon raised his finger in fascination. He moved the mana that emanated a golden glow to create a new line among the rings of fire.
The most beautiful circle in the world was drawn, and his mental world started to tremble.
Raon closed his eyes, feeling the intense heat from the eight rings. He entered an even deeper trance in the midst of the darkening world.
* * *
“Stop them at all costs!”
“Drag him down no matter what!”
Obviously, the Light Wind division was the first to react to Rimmer and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword’s shouts.
Since the team leaders and Mark Goetten were already aware of Raon’s condition, they leaped towards him before even thinking.
“Light Wind division, follow up as fast as possible!”
Burren called out the order to the confused Light Wind division and ground his teeth toward Raon, who was floating in the air.
“You said you were doing it in secret. Why are you advertising that you’re in a trance now?! You crazy bastard!”
Despite swearing at him, he used his footwork with a desperate expression on his face.
“I knew this was going to happen.”
Martha laughed bitterly and shook her head.
“There’s no way that crazy bastard isn’t going to start trouble!”
She laughed cheerfully instead and raised her sword from the north.
Burren followed behind her and blocked the southern path.
“Raon with eyes and mouth closed. Damn handsome.”
Runaan nodded blankly and stood to the east.
“Huhu.”
Mark Goetten smiled faintly and stood to the west.
“Why are you even laughing?!”
“The fact that our vice division leader entered the trance right here shows how much he is counting on us. I’m just glad about that fact.”
“......”
The three team leaders didn’t say anything. They simply stared at the approaching enemies with serious eyes.
“Wh-what the hell is going on?!”
“Why is he floating in the air?!”
“D-don’t tell me he actually entered a trance right now?! What the hell is that boldness?!”
“They died because of me. I yielded to your trivial provocation and got everyone killed.”
He raised his sword with trembling hands and showed a bitter look in his eyes.
“That’s why I won’t yield this time. You won’t lay a finger on them until I’m dead.”
Rimmer raised his lightning-infused sword and pointed it at the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. His hands weren’t shaking anymore.
“Kuh...”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword’s serene expression twisted like a fiend’s.
“Alright. If you desire death that much, I’ll start by cutting out your stomach!”
He advanced violently and scattered the demonic energy. The demonic energy materialized into sharp pieces and turned into a raging bladestorm.
Rimmer slashed upwards with the sword of light, his feet rooted into the ground. The light converging at the center of the light exploded, cutting through the sky and quelling the bladestorm.
Whaaaam!
Huge explosions that crushed the area occurred one after the other from the clash between demonic energy and lightning.
However, while the demonic energy from Kriatus was getting more and more powerful, Rimmer’s lightning energy was becoming fainter, the flow being interrupted.
The area of his sword field has also decreased, and there wasn’t much space he could control anymore. The end was near.
Rimmer bit his lip in despair just the three flowers blooming on Raon’s head turned into lights of respective colors and were sucked into his nose.
“Damn it!”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword realized that he really had no more time left. He held the demonic sword Kriatus with both hands and raised it above his head.
Rumble!
The demonic blade surged to reach the sky and spread around its extremely ominous wave of energy.
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword concentrated the demonic energy to the extreme and unleashed the astral sphere as if he were releasing all of the demonic sword’s energy at once.
“Try blocking it if you can!”
The demonic sword fell from the sky at his sneering words. The astral sphere of demonic energy was blazing like a dark sun, pushing itself into the sword field and creating a tremendous wave of power.
“Ah...”
Rimmer bit his lip while looking at the astral sphere approaching him.
‘I can kill him.’
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was too excited, fully focused on his attack while overlooking his defense.
It was possible to cut his head off and achieve his revenge. He could avenge his subordinates with his own hands.
However, he wouldn’t be able to stop the descending blade. Raon and everyone in the Light Wind division were going to die in return for his revenge.
‘This goes without saying...’
Just as he was about to take action to save the Light Wind division, the faces of the deceased flashed before his eyes.
The eyes flooding his mind were from those idiots who were worried about him even though the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was tearing their hearts out.
Their blood-soaked eyes stared at him, seeming to ask him to avenge them.
Rimmer closed his eyes. He would never get another chance to take his revenge if he chose the Light Wind division.
Even if the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword died, revenge wouldn’t be achieved with his own hands. He could feel in his soul that his lifelong ambition would never come true.
Rimmer slowly opened his eyes. The faces of dead subordinates were still floating in front of him.
He smiled and greeted them with his eyes.
‘There’s no way you would make such an expression. I’ll save your juniors no matter what.’
Step.
Rimmer made up his mind and raised his sword of light while stepping towards the astral sphere without hesitation.
“I told you! You have to overcome me first!”
The lightning energy blazing around the blade subsided completely and a thick wind replaced it. The wave of wind stretched from below and created a study wall.
The sound disappeared and a windless area was formed.
It was the Eye of the Storm instead of the Song of Wind and Lightning.
The sword field had transformed, reverting to its essence and focusing solely on one objective.
The exceedingly noble wall of wind blocked the blade of demonic energy.
Whaaam!
The astral sphere that blazed with darkness was unable to reach its target and faded away in vain. The wall of wind collapsed after it achieved its goal.
It could be called the defender’s victory, but Rimmer’s sword couldn’t stay in his hand anymore.
Cling!
He coughed up blood while clutching his right arm, which was torn off.
“You...”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword’s eyes widened, showing his surprise at how Rimmer managed to defend against it.
“Haha.”
Rimmer forced himself to laugh and shook his head.
“I told you, you won’t get past me...”
“It’s over for you!”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword ignored Rimmer and dashed at the Light Wind division. Just as his demonic sword was about to stab Krein, who was standing at the very front, Rimmer stood in front of him once again.
Whack!
Rimmer grinned while blocking the demonic sword Kriatus with his body.
“Are you deaf? You have to kill me first.”
“Alright! I’ll kill you if you want it that much!”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword was about to cause an explosion from the blade stabbing Rimmer’s body.
Whaaam!
A huge flame burst from the center of the Light Wind division. The fire raged as powerfully as the primordial flame, then spread in all directions to incinerate the demonic energy.
Step.
In the midst of the firestorm, a golden shadow approached and held the demonic sword piercing through Rimmer’s abdomen.
Whaap!
The intense flame tore off the demonic blade and sealed Rimmer’s wound.
“Huff...”
Rimmer fell backwards and the golden shadow supported his back.
“Y-you’re late.”
“I’m sorry. I overslept a little.”
Raon smiled faintly as his appearance was revealed in the midst of the subsiding flame.
“Leave it to me now.”
“Seriously...”
Rimmer laughed bitterly as he realized that Raon was returning what he’d told him in front of the Blood Raving Demon and closed his eyes.
“I leave him to you.”
Raon carefully carried Rimmer and entrusted him to Dorian.
“Y-you bastard...”
The Master of the Wise Dragon Sword took a step back, realizing that Raon’s pressure had changed drastically.
“Even if you became a Grandmaster, it won’t change anything! Because I’m—”
Raon didn’t respond to him and unsheathed Heavenly Drive.
A thousand flames were connected to each other and reached the sky.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Ten Thousand Flames.
Golden Void Infusion.
Raon’s eyes turned golden, and the god of flame dwelled in them.