Siyana slowly lifted her trembling eyelids. A feeling akin to joy blossomed in her usually subdued blue eyes.
'It's different.'
A moment ago, during the resonance training, I felt as if the world and I were one. It was just a fleeting moment, but something inside me had undeniably changed.
'A crack has formed.'
A tiny crack appeared in the solid wall that always blocked the path of my soul. If I could dig into that crack, I might be able to merge my will with the world.
"Haa…"
Siyana exhaled a murky breath and leaned towards the floor.
'I finally reached it.'
I walked a dark tunnel with no end in sight for my entire life.
I forced myself to move my feet, despairing over where this tunnel might end, but finally, it felt like I saw the light leading to the exit. I was so drained that even lying down was difficult.
'So, all I needed to do was not give up….'
Honestly, it was almost as if I had given up, but thanks to Raon, my idol, I was able to muster my will one last time. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I achieved this because of him.
'I need to tell him tomorrow… Ah.'
Siyana thought of Raon and stopped as she was about to calm herself.
'Come to think of it, I felt Raon's aura…'
From the crack in the wall blocking my soul, a warmth and coolness similar to Raon's aura had simultaneously emerged.
'No way.'
Raon had said he could change my current state and had infused his aura into me, examining my body internally. It seemed that the remaining aura from that time had broken the wall imprisoning my soul.
Siyana clasped her hands together and let out a gentle smile.
'It was thanks to Raon….'
As she resolved to thank him when she met him tomorrow, she began to rise.
"Siyana! Come out!"
Rimmer's rough voice echoed as if the door would break down. Unlike when he had come earlier, his voice was now filled with urgency.
"O, Oppa?"
Siyana instinctively realized that something serious had happened and immediately opened the door.
"What, what's wrong?"
"Come out now! The barrier has broken!"
"The barrier?"
Following Rimmer's gaze, she looked up into the air. The barrier of the World Tree that hid and protected Sepia within the Great Forest was melting away.
"Wh, what is this…?"
The solid barrier, which she thought could never be broken, was shattering into tiny pieces and scattering helplessly.
"There's no time to be awestruck."
Rimmer wrapped his left arm around the dazed Siyana's waist and ran towards Sterin's house.
"What on earth is happening!"
"I don't know yet either."
He quickened his pace, as if trying to cool the heat of the inferno spreading throughout the forest, while examining the collapsing barrier.
'It's not just the entrance; all sides are breached.'
And it wasn't by force; it was natural.
It seemed that those breaking this barrier were of the same kind.
'Does Sepia have traitors too?'
As soon as he finished his brief thoughts, Sterin's house came into view. He immediately opened the gap in the barrier hiding the World Tree.
Rimmer gestured to Siyana as the gap in the barrier opened with a blue light.
"Stay right next to the World Tree."
The barrier protecting the World Tree had a different level of durability compared to the one hiding Sepia.
With the elders and guardians standing guard inside to protect Sterin, it was undoubtedly the safest place in Sepia.
"Rimmer!"
As soon as the path to the World Tree opened, the Chief Elder rushed out.
"What on earth is happening!"
"It seems we have traitors."
"Traitors?"
"As soon as the old man entered the ceremony, someone opened the barrier and set a fire. It means there's a traitor among us."
Rimmer explained the conclusions he had reached on the way here.
"Hmm, that's certainly likely."
Despite his old-fashioned ways, the Chief Elder quickly accepted Rimmer's opinion.
"Huu…"
He bit his lip as he looked at Sterin's motionless body.
"We need to bring all of Sepia's people inside here."
Rimmer gestured to open the barrier.
"That's impossible."
The Chief Elder shook his head firmly.
"You said yourself that there are traitors. We don't know who they are. If we bring everyone in and something happens to the Guardian or the World Tree, we can't handle it."
"Are you going to leave our people to burn to death like this?"
Rimmer frowned at the Chief Elder.
"I'll stop them. Just let everyone in!"
"Your grandfather could be in danger!"
"If it were the old man, he'd do the same as me!"
"Hmm…"
The Chief Elder seemed to think Rimmer was right, but he still didn't agree to let the people in.
"Haa…"
This time, even Rimmer found it hard to decide. As a brief lull continued, an arrow flew and stuck into the ground at their feet.
"It's Leylan's arrow."
"Is it her…?"
Rimmer unfolded the paper attached to the arrow. It was written in red, likely blood, detailing the current situation.
"It wasn't an internal traitor!"
He clenched his fist upon reading that the defectors had broken the barrier.
"Chief Elder."
"Huu, we will bring all of Sepia's people into the second barrier. Right now!"
"Chief Elder?"
The other elders, surprised by the Chief Elder's order, widened their eyes.
"Even if they're defectors, they can't easily break the barrier protecting the World Tree. Fighting inside the barrier with the World Tree's power is the best way."
"Finally, you're making sense."
Rimmer nodded broadly and snapped his fingers.
"What are you doing! Go out and bring everyone in!"
"Yes, sir!"
The guardians, who had been standing idly, nodded and ran outside.
"O, Oppa! What about Raon?"
Siyana crawled on trembling legs and asked about Raon.
"Don't worry."
Rimmer pointed to the entrance of Sepia, where fierce flames were burning. From the sky, a silver light spread, and the flames and smoke that seemed to engulf the entire forest instantly froze as if they had turned to pieces.
"That guy won't die."
* * *
Raon frowned as he looked at the enemies before him.
'So it was Eden after all.'
The man wearing the crimson flames like a coat had a helmet shaped like a one-horned lizard. Only the ghosts of Eden wore such vivid monster-shaped helmets.
'He's strong.'
He felt stronger and more imposing than I, who had reached the Grandmaster level. The overwhelming heat piercing through my fire resistance felt like it would scorch all my skin.
'Even dealing with just that one is tough…'
Raon scowled as he examined the ash-skinned elves standing next to the ghost of Eden.
'And those strange elves too.'
They retained the beautiful appearance of elves, but their skin was a dark gray, like a corpse, and instead of the energy of nature, they were surrounded by a gloomy aura akin to death. It felt like looking at necromancers.
"You've come quickly."
Turning around at the halting voice of Erian, I saw his arms covered in burns and large holes, likely from arrows. It was a miracle he was still alive.
'He wasn't fighting; he was trying to protect.'
Erian's footwork is special. Even if he couldn't win, he could have bought time by running. Seeing him in this state meant he had stood his ground to protect Sepia's entrance. It showed tremendous resolve.
"Erian…"
"I'm fine. Look at the enemy instead."
Erian seemed to overcome the pain with sheer willpower, urging me to focus on the enemy instead.
"That helmet. It's Ifrit's helmet."
"Ifrit…?"
Raon asked back, widening his eyes.
"Ifrit, the Fire Spirit King?"
"Yes…"
Erian nodded weakly.
"The crimson flames that burn everything, and the shape of that helmet. It's certain. That helmet holds the power of the Fire Spirit King, Ifrit."
"No way…"
Raon bit his lip in shock as crimson flames pierced through the Silver Aurora and shot out.
-Hmm…
Wrath, who had been complaining about hunger just a moment ago, licked his lips at the sight of Ifrit's helmet.
-It's definitely the aura of that fire freak.
'Are you saying it's really the Fire Spirit King?'
-Indeed. However…
He let out a thin sneer.
-He's pathetically weak compared to the original fire freak. It seems he hasn't inherited the full power.
Hearing those words, Raon looked at Ifrit's helmet again.
'Indeed…'
As a Spirit King, he should be quite high in the transcendent ranks, but the one before me only felt like a Grandmaster at best.
He was certainly stronger than me, but his power was far below what one would expect from the inheritor of the Fire Spirit King.
"Crimson Flame Demon."
The ash-skinned elf in the center frowned at Ifrit's helmet.
"What are you doing?"
She shook her head as if disapproving of the idly standing Crimson Flame Demon.
"Then who is that elf?"
"She's a traitor from Sepia. Her name is Cassandra."
Erian gritted his teeth as he looked at Cassandra.
"Traitor?"
"Yes. The defectors who left Sepia because of differing paths have returned as traitors."
He let out a hollow laugh, not expecting them to repay kindness with betrayal.
'Those defectors…'
I recalled what Rimmer had said about the defectors before the purification ceremony. He had mentioned they left due to differing opinions, but now it seemed their entire race had changed.
"Crimson Flame Demon!"
At Cassandra's shout, the Crimson Flame Demon's eyes glowed as if surrounded by hellfire.
"That human is strange."
The Crimson Flame Demon frowned as he looked at Raon. His intense gaze wavered slightly.
"Strange?"
"I sense a far greater power than his actual martial prowess. Is he really human?"
He suggested it might be a dragon in disguise, twitching his fingers.
"Whether he's a dragon or not…"
"There's no way he's a dragon. That human is the Dragon Slayer who killed a dragon."
As Cassandra frowned at the Crimson Flame Demon, a calm voice came from behind them. It was a voice I had heard somewhere before.
A man wearing a red serpent helmet walked out from among the smoldering bushes.
'That helmet…'
Except for the red color, it was exactly the same shape as the Golden Mask Swordsman's helmet I had seen when I was kidnapped by Eden.
"Golden Mask Swordsman?"
"The Golden Mask Swordsman is dead. I am the Red Demon Swordsman."
He called himself the Red Demon Swordsman and stood next to the Crimson Flame Demon.
"Leave this place to us and go do your job."
The Red Demon Swordsman pointed a finger at Sepia. The barrier had completely burned away, revealing the entrance to Sepia.
'Do his job?'
Raon frowned as he looked at the Crimson Flame Demon and the Red Demon Swordsman.
'Did they come here for more than just an attack?'
It would be best for the ash-skinned elf, the Crimson Flame Demon, and the Red Demon Swordsman to team up and kill me to destroy Sepia, but they were sending the Crimson Flame Demon first. It seemed they had another plan.
'Then I can't let him go.'
Raon, applying force to his thighs to leave deep footprints, advanced and slashed at the disappearing Crimson Flame Demon with Frost Snap. The silver blade and the frost blade following it like a shadow poured towards the Crimson Flame Demon's neck.
Clang!
The Crimson Flame Demon raised a flame shield on his forearm, blocking both strikes of Frost Snap simultaneously. The flames and frost clashed, filling the air with white steam.
"You bastard…"
"Leaving without even saying hello?"
Raon planted his left foot at a right angle. The core of martial arts is the lower body. He channeled the core he raised from below into the blade of the Heavenly Drive, unleashing the Blizzard Sword Art.
Screech!
With one swing, the first through fifth forms connected, and a blue flash extended from the blade of the Heavenly Drive.
Clang!
The brilliant light shattered the Crimson Flame Demon's shield and rushed towards his heart.
Clang!
Just before the blade pierced his red-hot skin, the Heavenly Drive's trajectory was pushed to the right. It wasn't the Crimson Flame Demon. The Red Demon Swordsman and Cassandra's arrows had deflected the Heavenly Drive.
"Go quickly. Your place isn't here."
The Red Demon Swordsman gestured for the Crimson Flame Demon to move quickly.
"Don't kill that one. I'll burn him myself when I return."
The Crimson Flame Demon glared at Raon as if to kill him before moving towards Sepia. His body, wrapped in crimson flames, advanced at a terrifying speed.
"I said you're not going."
Raon used Supreme Harmony's Third Step to follow alongside the Crimson Flame Demon.
He tried to conjure Fire Spirit with the frost tree at the tip of the Heavenly Drive to trap the Crimson Flame Demon, but the Red Demon Swordsman's sword strikes and Cassandra's arrows broke the tree before it fully formed.
Boom!
In the end, the Crimson Flame Demon dispelled the Fire Spirit and entered Sepia.
Tsk.
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at the Red Demon Swordsman and Cassandra.
"I'm not a fan of obsession."
"We have our own tasks. Just bear with us."
"Do you want to die that quickly?"
"Honestly, I kind of do."
The Red Demon Swordsman chuckled and twirled his sword.
"You're making a big mistake."
Raon approached the Red Demon Swordsman, raising a crimson current over the Heavenly Drive.
"Do you think the two of you can stop me?"
"Your arrogance reaches the sky."
Cassandra furrowed her brow deeply, annoyed.
"He's always been like that."
The Red Demon Swordsman shrugged and tightened his grip on his sword. From the way he spoke, it seemed he was indeed the Golden Mask Swordsman, just with a different mask.
"He seems to have gotten cocky after killing a dragon, but the Pirate King did all the work…"
As the Red Demon Swordsman started to talk, Raon used Supreme Harmony Step. He moved so fast that the view darkened for a moment and stabbed the Heavenly Drive into the middle.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Heavenly Drive.
Crimson Slash Thirty-Six Form.
The flame blade that stabbed in thirty-six directions enveloped the Red Demon Swordsman's entire body.
Realizing there was no escape, the Red Demon Swordsman's eyes trembled, and Cassandra moved her hand. She swung her bow like a sword without nocking an arrow, and a fierce black energy, like demonic energy, shot out.
Clang!
Thanks to Cassandra's quick reaction, the Red Demon Swordsman escaped the Crimson Slash Thirty-Six Form with only his right shoulder and thigh slashed.
However, his eyes twitched as if he had faced death.
"Hah, it wasn't a long time, but you've gotten ridiculously strong."
The Red Demon Swordsman let out a hollow laugh, finding it absurd.
Boom!
Raon stomped the ground savagely, giving no time for chatter. He followed the retreating Red Demon Swordsman on his left, sheathing the Heavenly Drive in a sheath of flames.
"Hmph!"
Cassandra twisted her fingers and shot six arrows. The arrows collided with each other in flight, creating trajectories too complex to follow.
'Impressive archery, but…'
It can't compare to the Harmony Bow of the Guardian.
Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and drew the Requiem Sword with his left hand.
He used demonic energy to create a Fire Wall, blocking five threatening arrows, and kicked away the last one flying in.
Boom!
Using the momentum from kicking the arrow, he reached the front of the Red Demon Swordsman even faster.
"Ugh!"
The Red Demon Swordsman thrust his sword in panic. The sharp strike aimed for the heart, but Raon ignored it and strengthened his grip.
Raon Zieghart Sword Style.
Third Form, Silver Sword Dream.
The blade, drawn faintly like a dream, grazed the Red Demon Swordsman's neck.
"Ugh…"
The Red Demon Swordsman clutched his neck to stop the red line, but he couldn't hold back the gushing blood.
Thud.
The headless body of the Red Demon Swordsman fell backward.
"You've really become a monster…"
Even as he died, the Red Demon Swordsman's lips trembled with a smile.
"But the plan won't fail. This will be the last time I see you…"
"That won't happen."
Ignoring the Red Demon Swordsman's words, Raon looked at Cassandra. He flicked the blood off the Heavenly Drive, and a red lightning flashed in his eyes.
"Now it's your turn."