Chapter 587

Siyan raised her faintly trembling eyebrows. Although her blue eyes had always been gloomy, they were expressing an emotion of delight.

‘I-it’s different.’

During her resonance practice a moment ago, she’d felt like she had become one with the world. It only lasted for a split second, but something inside her felt different.

‘The gap must’ve widened.’

A small fissure was created on the impenetrable wall that had always blocked the path of her soul. She had the feeling that she could combine her will with the world if she kept digging into that gap.

“Haa…”

Siyan sighed and tilted towards the floor.

‘I’ve finally reached it.’

She’d been walking in an endless dark cave for her entire life.

She mustered her strength to keep walking forward, despairing at the neverending cave, and it felt like she had finally seen the light leading to the exit. Her body felt completely exhausted, to the point where it felt painful to just lie down on the ground.

‘So it works in the end as long as I never give up…’

To be honest, she had practically given up already, but she managed to harden her resolution for the last time thanks to her idol, Raon. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that her achievement was all thanks to him.

‘I’m going to tell him tomorrow, as soon as possible… Ah.’

Siyan heaved a sigh of relief while thinking about Raon and suddenly stopped.

‘Now that I think about it, I have the impression that I sensed his energy…’

She could feel a warmth and a breeziness similar to Raon’s aura from inside the fissure of the wall blocking the path of her soul.

‘Could it be…?’

Raon had injected his aura into her and examined her mana circuits, saying that he could change her state. The remaining aura from back then must’ve broken the wall that was confining her soul.

Siyan put her hands together and smiled faintly.

‘It was thanks to Sir Raon…’

She thought to herself that she would thank him when she met him the next day and was about to stand up.

“Siyan! Come out!”

The door shook violently to the point of breaking, and Rimmer’s shout could be heard. His voice was impatient, unlike during his previous visit.

“R-Rimmer?”

Siyan instinctively realized that a huge problem had occurred and opened the door.

“Wh-what’s the matter?”

“Come out right now! The barrier is broken!”

“The barrier?”

Siyan looked up to the sky, following Rimmer’s gaze. The world tree’s barrier that concealed Seipia inside the great forest was fading away.

“Wh-what’s happening…?”

Even though she’d thought the sturdy barrier would never break, it was shattered into pieces way too easily and was scattering away.

“There’s no time to admire it.”

Rimmer wrapped his left arm around Siyan’s waist as she stared at it blankly and ran towards Sterin’s home.

“Wh-what’s going on right now?!”

“I don’t know either yet.”

He examined the collapsing barrier while advancing even faster, as if he were trying to cool down from the heat spreading throughout the forest.

‘It’s not just the entrance. It’s being breached from all directions. Moreover, it’s happening naturally, not by force.’

He could guess that his kin must’ve been breaking the barrier.

‘Are there traitors even in Seipia?’

He quickly came to a conclusion as Sterin’s house came into view. Rimmer immediately opened a gap into the barrier that was concealing the world tree.

Rimmer gestured at Siyan with his chin while looking at the gap that was radiating blue lights as it opened up.

“You should stay right next to the world tree.”

The world tree’s barrier had a far higher durability than Seipia’s barrier.

Since the elders and guardians were guarding the inside to protect Sterin, it could be called the safest place in Seipia.

“Rimmer!”

As soon as he opened the path towards the world tree, the head elder came running outside.

“What’s happening right now?!”

“There must be a traitor.”

“Tr-traitor?”

“Considering they opened the barrier and set fire as soon as Grandpa went into the ritual, there must be a traitor from the clan.”

Rimmer told him about the conclusion he’d reached on the way.

“Hmm, that’s highly likely indeed.”

Despite being a stubborn old man, the head elder quickly accepted Rimmer’s opinion.

“Ha…”

He bit his lip while looking at Sterin’s body, which was completely immobile.

“We need to evacuate all the elves in Seipia to this place.”

“It’s impossible.”

The head elder firmly shook his head.

"You're the one who mentioned a traitor. If we allow everyone in without knowing who the traitor is, it could lead to harm coming to the protector or the world tree, and the situation could spiral beyond our control."

“Then are you going to leave them like this and let everyone burn to death?”

Rimmer furrowed his brow while looking at the head elder.

“I’ll stop it from happening, so just let them enter for now!”

“You might endanger your grandfather!”

“Grandpa would’ve done the same thing as me!”

“Hmm…”

The head elder didn’t refute his words, thinking that he was right, but he didn’t say that he would allow them to enter either.

“Haa…”

Since it was a difficult choice, Rimmer couldn’t argue the matter easily. Silence continued for a moment, and an arrow flew towards them and got stuck on the ground near their feet.

“That’s Leiran’s arrow.”

“So it’s her…”

Rimmer spread the paper that was folded around the arrow. Information about the situation was written in red letters that were most likely written in blood.

“The traitor wasn’t from the inside!”

Rimmer clenched his fist upon reading that the deserters had removed the barrier.

“Head elder.”

“Haa… take all our kin inside Seipia to the second barrier. Do it right now!”

“Head elder?”

The other elders widened their eyes in surprise upon hearing the head elder’s order.

“Even for the deserters, it won’t be easy to remove the barrier protecting the world tree. Fighting them alongside the world tree’s power inside the barrier is the best course of action.”

“You are finally saying something right.”

Rimmer gave a big nod and snapped his fingers.

“What are you waiting for? Run out there and bring everyone!”

“Ah, yes!”

He ordered the guardians who were standing there blankly to move, and they nodded before running outside the barrier.

“R-Rimmer! Where’s Sir Raon?”

Siyan crawled up to him with trembling legs and asked about Raon.

“Don’t worry.”

Rimmer pointed at the fierce flames surrounding Seipia's entrance. A silver light spread across the sky, instantly freezing the fire and smoke threatening to consume the entire forest, turning them into statues in a moment.

“He isn’t going to die.”

* * *

Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the enemies in front of him.

‘So it was Eden’s doing after all.’

The man wearing the crimson flame like a coat was equipped with a single-horned lizard’s helmet. Eden’s demons were the only ones crazy enough to wear those helmets, which portrayed monsters vividly.

‘He’s powerful.’

Even though Raon had become a Grandmaster, the opponent’s pressure even surpassed it. It felt like his skin was burning from the intense heat, breaking through the fire resistance.

‘It would already be difficult enough if he was alone, yet…’

Raon frowned and examined the elves with ashen skin next to Eden’s demon.

‘There are those strange elves here as well.’

They still retained the elves' elegant beauty, but their dark gray skin resembled that of corpses, and they were enveloped by a gloomy energy similar to death rather than the vibrant energy of nature.

“Y-you arrived so quickly.”

Raon glanced back at Erian's disjointed voice. His burned arms were covered in sores, and a large hole in his stomach suggested he had been pierced by an arrow. It was surprising that he was even alive in that state.

‘He tried to protect instead of fighting.’

Erian’s footwork was peculiar. He should’ve been able to run away from the opponents to buy some time even if he couldn’t win against them. The fact that he ended up in that state implied that he fought them head-on in order to protect Seipia’s entrance. His willpower was worthy of admiration.

“Erian…”

“I’m fine. Look at the enemy instead.”

Erian overcame the pain with willpower and told him to look at the enemy instead of himself.

“That helmet is Ifrit’s helmet.”

“Ifrit…?” Raon asked with wide eyes.

“Isn’t Ifrit the fire spirit king?”

“Yes…” Erian nodded powerlessly.

“There’s no mistaking it, considering that crimson flame is capable of burning everything and that helmet’s appearance. It definitely has the power of Ifrit, the fire spirit king.”

“No way…”

Raon bit his lip in panic, and the crimson flame emerged, breaking through the Silver White Aurora.

Hmm…

Wrath had been rampaging until a moment ago, shouting that he was hungry, but he started to lick his lips upon seeing the Ifrit’s helmet.

It’s indeed the energy of that fire guy.

‘So it really is the fire spirit king?’

Indeed. However…

His lips curved into a mocking sneer.

He is way weaker than the original fire guy. It must’ve failed to inherit the power.

Raon looked at the Ifrit’s helmet once again upon hearing Wrath’s description.

‘It’s true…’

A spirit king must’ve been a powerful existence even among the Transcenders, yet the enemy in front of him was only at a Grandmaster’s level.

He was definitely more powerful than himself, but it was far insufficient to be called the successor of the fire spirit king’s power.

“Crimson Flame Demon.”

The elf with ashen skin standing at the center furrowed his brow at Ifrit’s helmet.

“What are you doing right now?”

She shook her head, displeased by the fact that the Crimson Flame Demon was just standing there.

“Then who is that elf?”

“She is a traitor from Seipia. Her name is Cassandra.”

Erian violently ground his teeth while glaring at Cassandra.

“Traitor?”

“Yes. The deserters who left Seipia in the past because they decided to walk a different path have returned as traitors.”

He laughed bitterly, saying that he couldn’t have anticipated that they would repay the favor with an act of revenge.

‘So they are deserters from that story…’

Raon remembered how Rimmer had told him about the deserters before the purification ritual. He’d said that they’d left because of a difference in opinion, but even their race seemed to have changed after that.

“Crimson Flame Demon!”

Cassandra shouted, and the Crimson Flame Demon’s eyes glimmered, engulfed in the flames of purgatory.

“That human is strange.”

The Crimson Flame Demon furrowed his brow while looking at Raon. His powerful gaze was trembling.

“Strange?”

“I can feel a huge power inside him, a lot bigger than his own might. Is he really a human?”

He shook his finger, asking if he was a transformed dragon.

“Whether he’s a dragon or not…”

“There’s no way he is a dragon. Because he is the Dragon Slayer, the one who killed a dragon.”

While Cassandra was scowling at the Crimson Flame Demon, a calm voice came from behind him. It was a familiar voice to Raon.

A man wearing a red snake’s helmet walked out from the bushes that were turned into ash and fading away.

‘That helmet…’

The helmet had the exact same shape as the Golden Skin Snake, who he’d met when he was kidnapped by Eden, except for the color. It was red instead.

“Golden Skin Snake?”

“The Golden Skin Snake is dead. I’m the Red Demon Snake.”

He called himself the Red Demon Snake and stood next to the Crimson Flame Demon.

“Leave this to us and go ahead to do your job.”

The Red Demon Snake raised his finger and pointed at Seipia. The barrier was completely incinerated, and Seipia’s entrance was fully visible.

‘Do your job?’

Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the Crimson Flame Demon and the Red Demon Snake.

‘Do they have a specific goal to achieve?’

If they wanted to destroy Seipia, the best method was for the ashen elf, the Crimson Flame Demon, and the Red Demon Snake to work together to kill Raon. That was why the fact that they were trying to let the Crimson Flame Demon go ahead implied that they had another plan in mind.

‘In that case, I can’t let him go.’

Raon strained his femoral muscles to advance while leaving a deep footprint on the ground, executing Frost Pond against the Crimson Flame Demon. The silver blade and the blade of frost following it up like a shadow were unleashed towards the Crimson Flame Demon’s neck.

Claaang!

The Crimson Flame Demon created a shield of flame from his forearm to block both strikes at once. The clash between fire and ice filled the air with white steam.

“You bastard…”

“Where do you think you are going? We aren’t even done with the greetings.”

Raon stomped the ground with his left foot.

The lower body was the core of martial arts. Raon pulled the core strength from bottom to top, connected it to Heavenly Drive’s blade, and unleashed the Blizzard Sword Art.

Cring!

A single swing executed all the way from the first to fifth techniques, and blue radiance extended from Heavenly Drive’s blade.

Claaang!

The dazzling light destroyed the Crimson Flame Demon’s shield and rushed towards his heart.

Claaang!

Just as the blade was about to pierce through the heat-reddened skin, Heavenly Drive’s trajectory was pushed to the right. It wasn’t the Crimson Flame Demon’s doing. The Red Demon Snake and Cassandra had fired an arrow to deflect Heavenly Drive.

“Go ahead already. This isn’t the place you should be right now.”

The Red Demon Snake shook his hand at the Crimson Flame Demon, telling him to quickly move on.

“Don’t kill him. I’m going to incinerate him once I’m back.”

The Crimson Flame Demon stabbed Raon with his deadly glare before he started to move towards Seipia. His body advanced at a tremendous speed, engulfed by crimson flame.

“I told you, you aren’t going anywhere.”

Raon used the Supreme Harmony’s Third Step and caught up to the Crimson Flame Demon.

He tried to confine the Crimson Flame Demon by growing a tree of frost at Heavenly Drive’s tip to execute the Flame Spirit, but the Red Demon Snake’s sword attack and Cassandra’s arrow destroyed the tree before it was fully grown.

Thud!

In the end, the Crimson Flame Demon managed to brush aside the Flame Spirit and entered Seipia.

Tsk.

Raon briefly clicked his tongue while looking at the Red Demon Snake and Cassandra.

“I don’t really like people with obsession.”

“We are entrusted with a task. Please go easy on us.”

“Do you desire death so much?”

“I do actually want to die, just a little.”

The Red Demon Snake chuckled and swung his sword.

“There’s something you are seriously misunderstanding.”

Raon walked towards the Red Demon Snake, a red current rising from Heavenly Drive.

“Do you really think you can stop me with just the two of you?”

“Your arrogance reaches the sky.”

Cassandra furrowed her brow deeply in irritation.

“He’s always been like that.”

The Red Demon Snake shrugged his shoulder and clenched his sword. Judging from how he was speaking, he must’ve been the Golden Skin Snake himself even though his mask was different.

“You must’ve gotten full of yourself because you’ve slain a dragon, but the Pirate King did everything to begin with…”

The moment the Red Demon Snake started to run his mouth, Raon used the Supreme Harmony’s Second Step. He advanced so quickly that his vision darkened for a moment, and he stabbed Heavenly Drive at mid-height.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Thousand Flames.

Thirty-Six Crimson Slash.

The flames engulfed the Red Demon Snake’s body, attacking from thirty-six different directions.

The Red Demon Snake’s eyes trembled upon realizing that he had no escape at all, and Cassandra’s hand started to move. She swung the bow without notching an arrow, furiously unleashing a dark energy similar to demonic energy.

Claaang!

Thanks to Cassandra’s swift reaction, the Red Demon Snake managed to escape from the Thirty-Six Crimson Slash while only getting a cut on his right shoulder and thigh.

However, his eyes were spasming as if he were facing death itself.

“Hah, you’ve gotten unbelievably stronger even though it hasn’t even been that long.”

The Red Demon Snake gasped in disbelief.

Thud!

Raon kicked the ground fiercely, as if he wasn’t even going to give them any time to speak. As the Red Demon Snake stepped backward, Raon followed up from the left and wrapped Heavenly Drive in a scabbard of fire.

“Hmph!”

Cassandra twisted her finger and fired six arrows at once. The arrows were flying while colliding against each other, with a complex trajectory that could hardly be discerned with eyesight.

‘Her archery is amazing, but… She doesn’t even hold a candle to the protector’s Sentient Arrow.’

Raon made the rings of fire resonate and unsheathed the Blade of Requiem with his left hand.

He unleashed the Firewall with ghastly energy to block the five most dangerous arrows and kicked away the last one with his foot.

Thud!

He used the rebound from kicking the arrow to reach the Red Demon Snake even faster.

“Kuh!”

The Red Demon Snake executed a stab while panicking. The sword strike tried to pierce his heart sharply, but Raon ignored it and clenched his hand.

Raon Zieghart Style.

Third Form, Sword’s Silvery Dream.

The blade slashed as distantly as a dream and brushed past the Red Demon Snake’s neck.

“Ack…”

The Red Demon Snake clenched his hand around his neck to stop the red line from spreading, but it was impossible to stop the blood from gushing out.

Thud!

The Red Demon Snake’s body fell backward, separated from the head.

“Y-you really became a monster…”

The Red Demon Snake murmured with trembling lips, not losing his smile even though he was dying.

“But the plan won’t go wrong. This shall be the last time we meet…”

“That’s not going to happen.”

Raon ignored the Red Demon Snake and looked at Cassandra. Crimson lightning sparked from his eyes as he shook the blood from Heavenly Drive.

“It’s your turn now.”

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