TRAIGS - Chapter 746

“Deputy Leader…”

Raon frowned as he looked at Rimmer.

“Have you been drinking?”

Though there was no scent of alcohol, Rimmer’s sudden appearance and demand for a sparring match made Raon suspect otherwise.

“If you’re drunk, you’d be better off going to sleep…”

“I haven’t been drinking!”

Rimmer extinguished the crimson glow in his eyes and shook his head.

“Even you think so little of me now? Me, your esteemed mentor?”

He pounded his chest with his fist, feigning heartbreak.

“Now?”

Glenn raised an eyebrow, his voice tinged with sarcasm.

“Hasn’t Raon been dismissive of you since your days as an instructor?”

“Urk…”

Rimmer’s lips quivered as if Glenn had struck a nerve.

“A-anyway, I haven’t been drinking! Not even a sip!”

“That’s exactly what drunk people say…”

“I said I’m not drunk!”

Rimmer, attempting to prove his sobriety, balanced himself on his hands, performing a handstand with perfect control.

“Then why are you suddenly asking for a sparring match?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, watching Rimmer’s acrobatics.

“There’s something I want to see.”

Rimmer flipped upright, flashing a bright smile.

“Something you want to see?”

“Yeah. Only you can show it to me.”

Though his grin held its usual playful charm, his eyes were steady and serious.

“Hmm… I’ve been overtraining recently, so I’m not exactly in top form…”

Raon glanced into Rimmer’s determined eyes and clicked his tongue softly. His body and mind were both exhausted from relentless training, and he doubted he could meet Rimmer’s expectations.

“It’s fine. The conditions are the same.”

Rimmer shook his head with calm confidence.

“I’ve been training non-stop too.”

He chuckled, claiming that such exhaustion made for the most exciting duels.

“Just once. Do this for me.”

The door to the training ground opened, and Sheryl entered.

“That gambler has genuinely been training non-stop lately.”

Sheryl nodded, confirming Rimmer’s sincerity.

Glenn, observing silently, stepped back.

“It seems he’s telling the truth.”

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Rimmer appears… slightly different.”

-Ear-boy has changed a bit, it seems.

Wrath squinted at Rimmer, his tone contemplative.

‘What’s different?’

Raon tilted his head. Unlike the others, he couldn’t sense any noticeable changes in Rimmer.

-You’ll feel it yourself. It’s more a shift of the mind than the body.

Wrath settled on Raon’s shoulder, urging him to proceed seriously. With so much validation from those around him, Raon felt inclined to accept the challenge.

“…Alright.”

Raon nodded, stepping forward.

“You said you were serious, so we’re using full strength?”

“Of course. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Rimmer tilted his chin upward, unsheathing his sword with a smooth motion.

*Clang!*

Raon and Rimmer crossed swords lightly before retreating five paces each.

“It won’t take long.”

Rimmer raised his sword skyward and pointed his free hand toward the ground—a stance that symbolized dominion over both heaven and earth.

“Sword Field Creation – Song of Wind and Thunder.”

His quiet voice transformed the air. The once-calm training ground erupted into a storm, thunder cascading down in blinding arcs.

“Hmm…”

Raon swallowed dryly as the intensifying wind and lightning swirled around him. Each streak of lightning and gust of wind seemed like an extension of Rimmer’s blade, ready to claim his life at any moment.

*Huff.*

Taking a deep breath, Raon raised the Heavenly Drive in an upper stance and gripped the Soul Requiem Sword in reverse.

“Sword Field Creationm: Divine-Demonic Harmony.”

His voice rang out, splitting the storm and thunder as golden sunlight and silvery moonlight rose against the blackened sky, pressing down on the chaotic winds.

*Chiiiing!*

With the divine sword in one hand and the demonic blade in the other, Raon advanced toward Rimmer.

*Rumble!*

Behind Raon, fire and frost clashed in a dance of extremes. Behind Rimmer, winds and thunder raged in defiance.

The instant their gazes locked, both swordsmen lunged for each other’s throats.

*Boom!*

Flames and thunder collided with a thunderous roar, leaving a massive crater in the training ground.

*Whoosh!*

Rimmer, finding his initial attack blocked, sidestepped with blinding speed, as if teleporting. He aimed his blade straight at Raon’s chest.

*Clang!*

Raon tilted his demonic blade downward, intercepting the wind-laden strike.

*Fwoosh!*

Frost collided with Rimmer’s wind, unleashing a blizzard-like storm that covered the training ground in winter’s chill.

Raon’s eyes narrowed as he carefully analyzed Rimmer’s relentless strikes, which sparkled with the intensity of lightning.

‘He’s truly serious.’

Rimmer had heightened the power of his technique to a point where it strained his own body. His speed, wrapped in thunder’s embrace, seemed impossible to match even at Raon’s full strength.

‘If I can’t match him in speed, I’ll slow him down.’

Instead of competing with Rimmer’s pace, Raon opted for slower yet heavier techniques, employing blunt, weighted, and decisive strikes.

It was typically impossible for slowness to triumph over speed, except under specific conditions.

By anticipating his opponent’s moves, Raon could strike late but still land his attacks first. This principle of delayed preemption became his strategy.

Rimmer’s movements, focused on speed and power, had grown more predictable. Raon needed to exploit that.

*Hummm!*

The Ring of Fire resonated intensely, ushering Raon into a heightened state of focus where time seemed to slow. He carefully analyzed every aspect of Rimmer’s swordplay and footwork.

‘Lower right.’

When Rimmer’s thunder-wreathed blade lunged for his knee, Raon blocked it with a burst of divine fire from the Heavenly Drive.

*Clang!*

Rimmer retreated as swiftly as he’d attacked, redirecting his next strike toward Raon’s right flank.

*Fwoosh!*

This time, Raon didn’t just defend; he countered with a fiery strike from the divine sword.

“Urgh…”

Rimmer stumbled backward, red lightning crackling around him as he groaned in disbelief at how perfectly Raon had deflected him.

“It’s not easy, as expected.”

Rimmer smirked, his lips twisting as he accelerated further, his form becoming a blur.

Raon’s narrowed eyes followed the vanishing figure.

‘It’s not just his mindset—his body has grown significantly stronger.’

Rimmer’s enhanced speed and power suggested rigorous physical training. His desperation to win was palpable.

‘Still, my approach doesn’t change.’

Raon didn’t panic as Rimmer grew faster. He remained steadfast, focusing on what he could do.

*Boom!*

Raon’s divine and demonic swords created an intricate web that intercepted Rimmer’s relentless strikes. Any lesser opponent would have been shredded by the sheer intensity, but Raon’s transcendent physique held firm.

*Slash!*

Raon predicted Rimmer’s charge and struck his shoulder, tearing through flesh and spilling blood.

Yet Rimmer didn’t falter. Lightning evaporated the blood as he pressed forward with even greater determination.

As if signaling a final attack, wind and thunder formed wings on Rimmer’s back.

“Even wind and thunder are my blades.”

Rimmer’s voice, imbued with will, resonated as he commanded the winds and thunder to converge upon his sword.

“There’s nothing I cannot cut.”

With a confident smile, he unleashed a strike that transcended speed itself. Before Raon could blink, wind and thunder crashed down like an unstoppable force.

*Boom!*

In the face of Rimmer’s overwhelming strike, Raon extinguished his Divine-Demonic Harmony technique.

Instead, he raised the Heavenly Drive upright.

**Sword Field Creation: Genesis Blade.**

Golden radiance erupted from the fading embers of his sword. Raon’s fully realized blade—imbued with the essence of myriad swords, including phantom and demonic—opened the way to a new horizon.

*Boom!*

Wind and thunder, mere parts of the sky, were crushed beneath the overwhelming might of Raon’s sword manifestation. The clash erupted into a massive explosion, flipping the ground, crumbling walls, and raising clouds of dust in every direction.

“Are you two insane?”

Sheryl raised both hands, exasperated.

“Did you really have to go this far?”

Without a word, Glenn stomped his foot lightly, dispersing the dust to reveal the training ground split cleanly in half.

Rimmer sat slumped on the ground, his sword fallen to his side. Opposite him, Raon stood with the Heavenly Drive tilted downward, a clear victor.

“I lost,” Rimmer admitted with a defeated smile, flopping onto his back and waving his hand.

“I gave it my all, but you completely overpowered me.”

He lay spread-eagle on the ground, accepting the result.

*Huff…*

Raon exhaled deeply, lowering his arms with exhaustion.

‘That was no easy fight.’

Rimmer’s swordsmanship produced results far beyond the physical realm. His speed and power were overwhelming; a single moment of carelessness would have cost Raon the match.

It solidified Rimmer’s role as the most capable deputy for the Light Wind Division.

‘However…’

Raon glanced at the Heavenly Drive, its blade still trembling slightly, and licked his dry lips.

‘Has my sword manifestation also grown stronger?’

His *Genesis Blade* technique seemed more powerful than before. No, it had undoubtedly evolved.

‘It must be…’

While *Genesis Blade* had always been designed for continuous growth, the rapid improvement seemed less about physical growth through stats and more a result of mastering demonic and phantom swordsmanship. It had brought him closer to true omniscience of the blade.

Raon clenched his fist, satisfied with his steady growth.

“You look happy about something,” Rimmer remarked, looking up at him with a faint smile.

“Now that it’s over, tell me,” Raon said as he sheathed the Heavenly Drive and approached Rimmer. “What was it you wanted to see from me?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Rimmer tilted his head as if hearing the question for the first time.

“You said you wanted to see something, which is why you asked for this duel,” Raon replied, blinking in disbelief at Rimmer’s blank expression.

“Did I say that?”

Rimmer pointed to himself with wide eyes.

“I don’t remember saying anything like that…”

He scratched the back of his head, feigning confusion.

“Of course…”

Raon shook his head, exasperated.

-Who could’ve guessed! Why did you even bother dueling him? You wasted our snack time!-

Wrath groaned, shaking his head in frustration.

-What could Ear-boy possibly have changed? Nothing!-

‘You were the one who said he’d changed!’

-I-I only meant physically! His mind is the same!-

‘You said it was his mind that had changed!’

-Did I? I don’t recall.-

Wrath scratched his head with his small hands, adopting Rimmer’s clueless mannerisms. For a being who claimed never to lie, he was surprisingly adept at it.

Raon silently resolved to feed Wrath only the despised Nadine bread when they returned to the annex.

Meanwhile, Glenn and Sheryl said nothing, merely watching Rimmer’s antics with amused smiles.

“Get out of the training ground already!” Raon shouted, waving Rimmer away. “The Gambling Monster and I can’t handle watching everyone on our own!”

“Alright, alright. I’ll start coming tomorrow.”

“Today,” Raon corrected, adamant as he retreated.

“Raon.”

As Raon was leaving the training ground, Rimmer raised a hand.

“Don’t you want to become the family head?”

His question came abruptly.

“What?”

Sheryl snorted, staring incredulously at Rimmer.

“Who do you think you are, talking as if you’re the family head?”

Her brows furrowed in disbelief.

“What are you talking about?” Raon asked, his tone steady.

“I’ve asked you before, haven’t I?”

Rimmer shrugged, as though merely revisiting an old question.

Raon shifted his gaze from Rimmer’s subdued green eyes to Glenn.

‘The family head…’

The Zieghart family head.

It was true that Raon had developed a deep attachment to Zieghart, but he’d never considered ascending to the family’s throne.

In the past, he might have sought Zieghart’s power to crush Derus. But now, things were different.

Far from harboring ambition, Raon wanted to avoid causing any harm to the family.

“I have no interest,” Raon said firmly, turning back to Rimmer.

“…Is that so?”

Rimmer murmured, nodding as though he’d expected the answer.

“Family head, I’ll stay and clean up—”

“I’ll take care of it,” Glenn interrupted, waving him off. “Let’s take tomorrow off from training.”

“Understood. Good work today.”

Raon bowed to Glenn and Sheryl before turning to leave.

“Hey! Why aren’t you bowing to me?”

Ignoring Rimmer’s complaint, Raon exited the training ground.

“So cold-hearted.”

Rimmer clicked his tongue, watching the swaying door.

“Rimmer.”

Glenn approached him, tilting his head slightly.

“What are you thinking?”

“I just wanted to see what kind of man Raon is now.”

Rimmer chuckled, claiming it was just a swordsman’s curiosity.

“And? Are you satisfied?”

“Yes. From the way he took my strikes to how he ended the duel, he revealed a lot.”

Rimmer nodded, content with what he’d learned.

“Your conclusion?”

“…Hah.”

Rimmer exhaled deeply, standing upright.

“Family head, I’ve served you as my lord until now. From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were a king worthy of my loyalty.”

Dusting off his clothes, he stood before Glenn.

“You became a king, and I was satisfied devoting my life to protecting you.”

However…

Rimmer pulled his sword from the ground, holding it upside down as he adopted the traditional Zieghart salute.

“Through this recent war, my perspective has changed. Wind and thunder belong to the vast and open sky.”

Rimmer’s voice grew steady, his stance noble.

“From today, I will serve Raon Zieghart as my lord. Not as a small king, but as a true king.”

A majestic and solemn aura radiated from Rimmer, blanketing his surroundings.

“Please grant me your permission.”