TRAIGS - Chapter 767

‘CLAAAANG!’

Raon deflected the green king’s sword strike and turned his gaze to Wrath.

‘What do you mean by that? A smell similar to mine?’

He had assumed Wrath was quietly lost in thought, possibly pondering dinner plans. But the sudden strange comment caught him off guard.

– “It is exactly as I said.”

Wrath nodded towards the green king.

– “That fake king exudes a disposition similar to yours.”

He muttered this with certainty, his brows furrowing deeply.

‘A disposition? Do you mean they possess a talent similar to mine?’

Raon clicked his tongue as he observed the green king, who had readied her stance once more.

‘That’s not good.’

If she truly had the ability to grow stronger through battle, like himself, then this fight would undoubtedly be more grueling than anticipated.

– “If I must clarify, her innate talent surpasses yours.”

Wrath nodded, as if even he couldn’t deny the green king’s remarkable gift.

‘SCREEEEECH!’

Raon slashed through the green king’s agile, arrow-like sword strike and frowned.

‘That much?’

Wrath rarely acknowledged others. If even he admitted her talent, she could very well be the greatest on the continent.

‘She does seem a bit different.’

The green king continuously shifted the nature of her swordsmanship, as if trying to uncover Raon’s weaknesses.

Rather than sticking to one confident technique, her relentless probing reminded him of himself.

– “However, what I’m referring to isn’t mere talent.”

Wrath shook his head calmly.

‘Then what is it?’

– “It’s the scent of their essence—like the two of you were born from the same origin.” (T/N: I’m calling it! It’s his sister!!!)

Wrath wrinkled his nose, calling it an odd phenomenon.

‘I don’t know what you mean by essence or scent….’

Raon spun his Heavenly Drive as he glared down at the green king.

‘But defeating her comes first.’

The green king was powerful. If he lost focus during this fight, it wouldn’t just be him—it could harm the Light Wind Division and the knights of the Arian family behind him. He needed to concentrate solely on the battle.

‘RUMBLE!’

The green king unleashed another massive blade of energy, aiming it at the already fragile left wall of the fortress.

‘SLASH!’

Raon activated Glacier to freeze the blade’s trajectory just as it reached the wall.

However, the shockwave was so immense that the right wall crumbled instead.

‘ROOOAAARRR!’

Ogres and trolls eagerly leaped onto the collapsed section of the wall.

Raon didn’t need to move.

‘BOOM!’

Mark Gorton effortlessly sliced through the incoming monsters with thunderous strikes of his blade.

‘TCH.’

The green king clicked her tongue in frustration and redirected her sword towards the right wall, clearly planning a feint.

“Phew.”

Raon sighed at the sight.

‘I guess I have no choice but to go down.’

Unlike the green king, who had no need to protect her allies, Raon was responsible for safeguarding those within the fortress. Fighting on the plains seemed inevitable.

“You can go.”

Rimmer patted his chest confidently, signaling Raon to trust him.

“I don’t feel very reassured.”

Raon chuckled softly before kicking off the fortress wall and leaping onto the plains.

‘SHING!’

The green king advanced immediately, her sword thrusting toward Raon’s heart as he descended midair.

She was targeting the moment when he couldn’t move.

“Unfortunately….”

Raon twisted his lips as if stepping on solid ground in midair.

“I overcame that a long time ago.”

He reversed his blade and aimed it at her neck.

‘CLAAAANG!’

The green king hastily raised her sword to defend but was pushed back five full steps by sheer force.

She gripped her trembling blade tighter, her eyes blazing with a sharper intensity.

“What’s your goal?”

Raon frowned as he observed her leaning forward.

“There’s no treasure in that fortress for you to take.”

“……”

The green king didn’t reply. Her only answer was to close the distance instantly and unleash another fierce sword strike.

“It’s pointless to—huh?”

Raon’s eyes widened as he noticed her sword technique. The blade that had been aiming narrowly now split into two streams, targeting both his throat and heart.

‘Glacier?’

The technique resembled the Glacier he had used earlier at the fortress.

‘She copied it after seeing it once?’

Whether it was the power of her black orc helmet or her natural talent, it was astounding.

‘But still….’

It’s crude.

Glacier required precise timing between each strike, but the green king merely swung as fast as she could.

‘CLANG!’

Raon blocked both streams of her attack with his sword and countered with a spiraling flame from his Flame Wall, forcing her back violently.

“……”

Despite the heavy blow, the green king didn’t let out a single groan, immediately raising her sword again.

It was as if she were proving her title as the King of Warriors.

“If you don’t want to talk….”

Raon extended his Heavenly Drive to his right. The red lines etched on the blade deepened, and hundreds of petals covered the plains.

“Then die in silence.”

He summoned a storm of flames with his Flaming Flower technique, engulfing the green king.

‘SLASH!’

The green king countered by creating as many energy shields as there were petals, extinguishing the flames.

‘SHIIIING!’

Raon gave her no respite, activating Thirty-Six Crimson Slashes to target every vital point on her body.

‘BOOM!’

Realizing she couldn’t block every strike, the green king let her left side be grazed, deflecting the blows aimed at her critical points.

“As expected….”

Raon nodded slowly, recalling the green king’s swordsmanship.

‘She’s mastering the Ten Thousand Swords technique.’

The green king was a practitioner like himself, honing the path of myriad blades.

‘And on top of that….’

She grows stronger as she fights.

Just like how Raon operated his Ring of Fire to grow during battle, the green king was utilizing her opponent’s martial arts to refine her own power.

Although he couldn’t fully grasp what Wrath meant by innate disposition, it was clear why he said they were similar.

‘SHING!’

The green king, as if determined to see this through to the end, charged forward without even stopping to staunch her wounds.

Her calm gaze conveyed a certainty of her own victory.

‘Interesting.’

Raon smirked as he observed her approach. He wasn’t about to lose to anyone in growing stronger by consuming his enemies.

‘WHOOOOOM!’

He operated the Ring of Fire once more, summoning an even faster and fiercer storm of flames that engulfed the green king.

‘CRAAACK!’

Although she created energy barriers equal to the number of fiery petals to block the attack, she couldn’t completely defend against it. Burns began to appear across her body.

Her widened eyes revealed disbelief at the increased power of his Flaming Flower in such a short time.

“Let’s keep going.”

Raon beckoned with his fingers at the green king.

“Let’s see who devours whom.”

—

“That guy’s at it again.”

Martha shook her head as she watched Raon’s back.

“He’ll come back stronger again, won’t he? Ugh, it’s exhausting.”

She slashed through an ogre scaling the fortress wall, her brows furrowed.

“Today might be different.”

Burren narrowed his eyes at the green king.

“She seems to be growing stronger during battle as well.”

His expression turned tense with concern.

“It’s fine.”

Runaan, unlike Martha and Burren, focused solely on the battle at the wall.

“Handsome Raon will win.”

She didn’t even glance down, fully trusting Raon.

“Y-yes, that’s right. Raon’s sword must have grown stronger too. There’s no way he’ll lose!”

Dorian clenched his fist, his unwavering belief in Raon evident despite his lack of confidence in himself.

The Light Wind Division shared a similar faith in Raon, pouring all their focus into their own fights.

“Ha.”

Wendy let out a breathy laugh as she observed the unwavering trust between Raon and the Light Wind Division.

She still found it hard to believe how much these young warriors had grown.

“What kind of training did they undergo….”

“All Raon’s doing.”

Rimmer wiggled his fingers, a sly smile on his face.

“If the Arian family knights trained the same way, they could reach that level too. Though, a few might die before they get there.”

He chuckled, his gaze never leaving Raon’s battle.

“Uh, excuse me….”

Wendy approached Rimmer hesitantly, her eyes lowered.

“Aren’t you going to move, Rimmer?”

Rimmer had neither supported Raon nor helped the Light Wind Division. His inaction piqued her curiosity.

“Standing here….”

Rimmer shook his head, still staring at Raon’s back.

“Is my job.”

—

“They seem evenly matched….”

The Dual-Headed Ogre stroked its chin as it observed the green king being pushed back.

“But Raon Zieghart’s talent seems to surpass hers.”

Though both of them possessed the ability to grow stronger during battle, there appeared to be a gap in the level of their talents.

While the green king’s martial prowess was nearly unmatched on the continent, Raon’s combat talent and instincts seemed to transcend time itself.

“I’m tempted.”

The ogre mused that if Raon donned a top-tier helmet, he could immediately shatter the wall of transcendence and ascend further.

With a recently crafted helmet ready, the timing couldn’t be better.

‘It’s different from before.’

Although Raon had previously resisted the power of a helmet, that was because Merlin’s greed had been excessive.

But a helmet forged by the Fallen One could surely consume Raon’s mind.

“What do you think? Don’t you want him to join us?”

The Dual-Headed Ogre shrugged toward the Soul-Severing Blade.

“……”

The blade subtly shifted its stance, poised to act at any moment, its gaze fixed on Raon and the green king.

“Great. So, you agree.”

The ogre grinned, muttering as if it had already secured permission.

‘This will end soon.’

Both Raon and the green king were holding back their full power, preparing decisive blows to kill their opponent.

It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to conclude.

‘Should I intervene first?’

No, there’s that.

The ogre glanced at the trembling Soul-Severing Blade and laughed.

“Feel free to act if it gets dangerous.”

It gestured toward Raon and the green king, locked in combat within a storm of energy.

“Whichever side you choose.”

“……”

The blade seemed to understand, tightening its grip as it began moving forward.

The ogre smirked as it watched the blade advance.

—

‘CLAAAANG!’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the green king rebound from an imperfect block of his strike.

‘She’s nearly at her limit.’

Though the green king grew stronger as the battle continued, Raon’s ability to wield the Ring of Fire placed him a step above.

Even she seemed to realize this, letting out a low groan of disbelief.

‘WHOOOOM!’

The green king, recognizing her disadvantage, gripped her sword with both hands.

A soft moonlight emanated from her earrings, releasing an overwhelming aura that suffocated the air around her.

‘That’s….’

Raon bit his lip as he sensed the enormous energy coalescing around her.

‘A hidden power.’

He had suspected she was hiding something ominous, but its strength far exceeded his expectations.

If that energy hit directly, it could obliterate the Arian family entirely.

‘I have no choice but to block it head-on.’

Raon lowered his Heavenly Drive and drew the Soul-Requiem Sword with his left hand.

The green king’s Lion’s Blade erupted with overwhelming energy, as if its strike could pierce the heavens themselves.

The blazing aura poured down with a force that seemed capable of splitting the earth and sky.

It wasn’t merely raw power—each slash contained the refined essence of myriad blades, making any careless attempt to block it a death sentence.

‘I can’t block this as I am.’

Raon raised the Heavenly Drive above and the Soul-Requiem Sword below, opening the Mental World.

‘Sword Field Creation – Divine-Demonic Harmony.’

Amidst the surging flames and frost, Raon drew forth his divine and demonic swords, each embodying a different aspect of the heavens.

With both blades, he intercepted the green king’s colossal slash.

‘KUUUAAAAANG!’

The clash of techniques imbued with the essence of myriad swords shattered the ground beneath them, leaving jagged black cracks, while the very fabric of space seemed to ripple and tear.

But the difference in hidden power was evident. Raon’s divine and demonic swords grew fiercer with every strike, utterly shattering the green king’s attack.

Her eyes quivered violently, reflecting pure disbelief.

“It’s over.”

Raon swung his demonic sword toward the green king’s neck, but a sharp whistling sound suddenly pierced through the air from his left.

‘The Soul-Severing Blade.’

The monster from Eden’s branch was hurtling toward him at a terrifying speed.

‘CLAAAANG!’

Raon didn’t need to turn. Riding the wind, Rimmer intercepted the blade, deflecting its deadly path.

‘What I need to focus on is….’

Raon spun swiftly and thrust his divine sword into the rising earth nearby.

“Huh?”

Amidst the swirling dust, a man in a helmet emerged, his eyes widening as he spotted Raon’s divine sword.

‘CLANG!’

He reacted quickly, blocking the strike, but his startled expression betrayed his unease.

“How did you know?”

The man in the helmet chuckled bitterly, his voice echoing within the golden haze of dust.

“It was obvious.”

Raon tilted his chin slightly. A predator was always at its most vulnerable when it struck to consume its prey. It was clear that someone would attempt a surprise attack during the green king’s moment of peril.

“No matter what you try….”

Raon began to sweep away the dust but froze when he noticed the helmeted man’s face.

“Twin-Headed Ogre…?”

The being smiled wickedly—a ghost of Eden who had caused Sylvia immense grief and pain, murdering his father and sister.

“You know me? Of course you do.”

The Twin-Headed Ogre grinned, baring his teeth.

“I’ve heard I’m the one who killed your father and sister….”

“That doesn’t matter. All I care about….”

Raon’s crimson eyes burned with a chilling, azure frost.

“…is that you die.”