Chapter 808

“Huh?”

Darkhan let out a breath of disbelief as he peered into Raon’s soul through Soul-Severing Blade.

‘What in the world is this guy…?’

Raon wasn’t just a reckless loudmouth. His swordsmanship and potential far exceeded expectations.

His final strike was meant to gauge the depth of Raon’s soul, yet what he discovered completely shattered his assumptions.

‘This is on par with transcendence.’

Raon’s soul wasn’t just large—it was vast enough to rival even that of transcendents.

Darkhan had already been impressed by his strength and talent, but his soul’s magnitude was on an entirely different level.

‘And this is still a Grandmaster?’

As Darkhan tilted his head in disbelief, something even greater rose from behind Raon’s soul.

– You worm.

The chilling voice froze his very soul.

“Mm….”

Darkhan blinked and suddenly found himself elsewhere—no longer at Holy Sword Alliance.

Whooosh.

The sky and ground alike were dyed in silver. A vast, untouched snowfield stretched endlessly, with blue snowflakes gently descending.

‘This isn’t reality.’

Darkhan narrowed his eyes, catching a falling snowflake in his palm.

He could see clearly, which meant this place wasn’t the real world but rather someone’s Mental World.

“This isn’t Raon’s Mental World….”

Recalling that chilling voice, Darkhan turned around.

At the heart of the endless snowfield, a colossal tree wrapped in silver ice stood, stretching toward the sky.

It wasn’t just ancient—it felt like it had existed for thousands, no, tens of thousands of years. Even with his sword, he doubted he could cut it down.

“A tree like that… wait!”

Darkhan’s jaw tightened as he realized something.

‘That’s not a tree.’

He had mistaken it for an ancient tree at first, but no—it was a soul.

This Mental World belonged to someone whose soul was so enormous that it manifested in the shape of a towering tree.

‘So, they are the true owner of this place.’

Darkhan swallowed as his gaze landed on the being standing beneath the tree of souls.

Their deep blue hair cascaded down their back like an ocean. Their nose was sharp, like the edge of a blade.

If beauty could be sculpted into human form, this was it. But the apex of it all was their eyes.

Those piercing blue pupils ensnared his soul, rendering him speechless.

He… or she? (T/N: Dont be confused with how I’m describing Wrath here. For the sake of the current story, I’m using “their” instead of a more specific gender pronoun.)

No, gender was irrelevant to such an entity.

Their very existence felt like both a blessing and a curse upon the world.

‘I’ve seen this face before…’

Darkhan had encountered them in the past, but for some reason, they felt completely different—as if their soul itself had changed dimensions.

“Now it makes sense. So you’re the one ruling over Raon.”

Darkhan’s lips curled as he faced the Azure Tyrant—Wrath.

“Ruling?”

The Azure Demon King—Wrath—slowly turned their gaze.

“Do you really think that leech would let himself be ruled by anyone?”

“That’s true. That boy neither rules nor is ruled. He simply exists as he is.”

Darkhan nodded, agreeing with Wrath’s words.

“But…”

He clicked his tongue, examining Wrath closely.

“You’re no swordsman.”

Just a single glance into Wrath’s soul told him everything. This being was not a swordsman.

Darkhan’s curiosity withered instantly.

“But still, you seem like a worthy opponent.”

This place was a Mental World, not reality, but facing such a powerful being could still be beneficial for his growth.

“Fight?”

Wrath’s icy gaze lowered toward Darkhan.

“You worm… you truly don’t know your place.”

The moment those quiet words touched the world, Darkhan’s spine nearly snapped in half.

Rumble…!

Wrath’s colossal soul began crushing Darkhan under its weight.

“Urgh…!”

Darkhan clenched his teeth. He summoned all his aura to resist, yet all he could do was barely endure.

‘What… is this…?’

This wasn’t a difference in power—it was a fundamental gap in the strength of their souls.

His very existence felt frozen solid under the sheer scale of Wrath’s soul.

‘This thing… is not human.’

A soul this massive could not belong to a human.

Not even Glenn or the Heavenly Demon could reach this level.

Only monsters who had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years could possess such a soul.

“Worm.”

Wrath tilted their chin down, gazing at Darkhan.

“Know your place before you dare utter the word fight again.”

There was no physical force—just the weight of a soul pressing down.

Darkhan’s veins bulged under the unbearable pressure.

“…It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this.”

He bit his lip hard enough to bleed, forcing himself upright.

“I truly feel like I’ve been reduced to a worm again.”

His twisted grin revealed defiance, not fear.

“Then accept this worm’s challenge!”

Darkhan abandoned all defense.

Even as his soul froze, he poured everything into his Soul-Severing Blade.

BOOOOM!

His Soul-Severing Blade clashed against Wrath’s soul, releasing a dense black light.

Tiiing!

Yet, even after striking directly, Wrath’s colossal soul didn’t even tremble.

The tree of souls merely bore a faint scratch.

“A worm’s attempt at a sword strike.”

Wrath laughed coldly, raising their hand.

“Swordsmen think their swords are special. But in the end, it’s just a tool for killing.”

“What?”

Darkhan narrowed his eyes, confused.

“Form is meaningless. What matters is what it contains.”

Wrath snapped their fingers.

The gentle snowfall turned into a raging storm.

Puff!

The instant the first snowflake touched Darkhan’s shoulder, his arm exploded.

“Kuh!”

But that wasn’t all.

Every single snowflake falling from Wrath’s storm pierced his body.

Darkhan coughed up black blood as holes riddled his flesh.

“H-Hah… each one is like Soul-Severing Blade….”

Darkhan collapsed to his knees in the snow, tattered and broken.

“To witness something like this…!”

Even as he suffered immense pain, he smiled.

“You’re only alive because you didn’t try to kill that leech. Had you harbored even the slightest ill intent, you would have lost your head the moment you set foot here.”

Wrath’s eyes, cold and emotionless, pierced through Darkhan.

“Guess I got lucky then, huh?”

Darkhan coughed up blood and shook his head.

“Whether you’re lucky or not—that’s something only time will tell. In the end, you’ll still die at that leech’s hands.”

Wrath tilted his chin as he watched Darkhan fade, his form dissolving like melting snow.

“Heh… I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Even as he disappeared, Darkhan never lost his grin. His soul melted away with the snowfall.

“…….”

Wrath stood in silence, gazing at the now tranquil snowfield before turning his head.

“Did you see?”

—

“Yeah.”

Raon stepped out from the Mental World, nodding.

“You didn’t use a sword, but snow and ice to wield Soul-Severing Blade, right?”

“Something like that.”

Wrath replied calmly, shaking his head.

“Just as Soul-Severing Blade tempers the soul to form a blade, I simply imbued my soul into the elements I’m most familiar with—snow and ice.”

“That’s insane.”

Raon let out a short laugh as he stared at Wrath’s nonchalant demeanor.

“I never thought you could take down the former Lord of Holy Sword Alliance so easily.”

Darkhan was among the Five Demons, ranked among the strongest.

If it weren’t Glenn, the Heavenly Demon, or Derus, there were few who could truly defeat him. But for him to be crushed so effortlessly…

“He walked right into my domain on his own.”

Wrath pointed a finger at the Mental World surrounding them.

“If we had fought in the real world, things wouldn’t have ended so simply.”

He admitted that winning so easily was only possible because this was his home turf.

“Fair enough.”

Raon scanned the vast Mental World around him and narrowed his eyes.

“But why is your Mental World so… empty? And what’s with that tree?”

Wrath’s world contained nothing but endless snowfall and a gigantic tree.

Even the World Tree in the elves’ sanctuary Seiphia wasn’t this massive.

“Finally…”

Wrath didn’t answer. Instead, a twisted grin stretched across his face.

“The time has come!”

“The time for what?”

Raon swallowed dryly as he watched Wrath’s smile darken.

“The time to correct your filthy habits!”

Wrath’s sinister chuckle sent a chill down Raon’s spine.

“Those days of being blackmailed over food! The agony of choking on Nadine bread! The injustice of having my power stolen from me!”

Wrath ground his teeth, stepping toward Raon with murderous intent.

“I have not forgotten a single thing!”

His shoulders trembled with joy at the thought of revenge.

“I will use this opportunity to correct your disgraceful habits and make you worship me!”

He spread his arms wide, as if this had been his plan all along—to get rid of Darkhan quickly so he could deal with Raon.

“First, I shall avenge Mint Choco! I’ll rip off your—”

“Wait.”

Raon interrupted, tilting his chin sideways.

“What Mint Choco revenge?”

“Huh?”

Wrath froze mid-sentence, his mouth slightly agape.

“What do you mean, what?”

“You called it a grudge, so I’m asking—what exactly is the grudge?”

“Y-You… You refused to eat it when I asked…!”

For all of Wrath’s imposing aura, his bewildered expression did not match his overwhelming power.

“When was that?”

Raon kept talking while activating Ring of Fire in the background.

‘I need to buy time.’

If Wrath got the upper hand here, he could be trapped in this place forever.

Having experienced Mental Worlds countless times, he just needed enough time to find a way out.

“Y-You always came here just to eat! Even when I begged for dessert—!”

“That’s not true. Thanks to you chanting curses over my head, Dorian gave me Mint Choco Ice Cream that night. I ate it right away.”

As Raon stared at Wrath, he began distorting the Mental World—creating an exit.

“Uh… That’s… true….”

Wrath, in a rare daze, nodded absentmindedly.

It was almost hard to believe that this was the same Wrath who had just obliterated Darkhan.

“No, wait! That’s not the point!”

Wrath suddenly snapped back to reality.

“I want it every day! And that’s not even the worst part! Every time you trained, you stuffed your face with Nadine bread and kept stealing my power! What do you have to say for yourself?!”

“Ah, that…”

Raon grinned and reached out his hand.

“There’s nothing for me to say.”

Smiling, he triggered the portal he had prepared.

Wooooong!

The snowfield split apart, and his soul was pulled toward the exit.

“Wait! No, you bastard!”

Wrath let out a sharp scream, reaching for him.

“You haven’t even taken a single hit! Not one!”

But no matter how much Wrath protested, Raon’s soul vanished into the rift.

“Curse you!”

Wrath grabbed his head and howled in frustration.

“At least eat Mint Choco, damn it! Huh?! Please! I’m begging you!”

His final words shifted from threats to desperate pleas.

“Just don’t hold a grudge about today!”

‘Like hell I won’t.’

—

Raon heard Wrath’s shouts as he regained consciousness, but something felt… off.

‘Wait… this doesn’t feel like reality.’

A strange sensation lingered as he opened his eyes.

‘Did I end up getting caught by Wrath after all?’

He found himself standing on scorched black earth.

A place he recognized.

Though there were no more green trees or lush forests, he knew this land—he had climbed it every day.

This was Lawrence’s mountain.

But it was now burnt to ashes.

Standing atop the charred peak, a blonde swordsman and a robed mage looked down.

[“You’re really going to do it here?”]

The mage turned to the swordsman, narrowing their eyes.

[“Everything is ruined.”]

[“That’s exactly why. No one cares about it now, but one day… it will flourish again.”]

The blonde swordsman smiled softly, nodding.

[“Hah…”]

The mage sighed heavily.

[“You really are impossible. Fine.”]

With a resigned nod, she drew a magic circle into the air.

A massive formation unfolded, painting a new sky over the ruined land.

[“This place will do.”]

The blonde swordsman dug into the scorched earth and gently planted a single seed.

The seed was small, yet it pulsed with life, glowing with a soft blue light, as if breathing.

[“This place must become the last stronghold.”]

The blonde swordsman buried the seed with a solemn gaze, as if he were seeing into the future.

[“Hurry up and help me!”]

The mage shot him an irritated look, motioning for him to assist.

[“Alright.”]

The swordsman chuckled and reached for his scabbard.

His sword unsheathed itself on its own, soaring into the sky.

Living Sword.

But unlike Darkhan’s, this one was graceful and vast, flowing freely rather than exuding eerie control.

As the sword drew a path through the sky, magic followed in its wake, forming a barrier to shield the land.

‘What is this…?’

As Raon watched, the blond man’s gaze suddenly turned in his direction.

The moment their crimson eyes met, Raon felt his soul tremble, as if it were fading.

“Khak!”

He gasped awake, coughing up black blood—and the first thing he saw was Darkhan, doing the same.

It seemed that the damage Wrath had inflicted in the Mental World was finally surfacing in reality.

“It wasn’t your power that drove me out. I wasn’t finished yet!”

Even with his soul wounded, Darkhan refused to back down. Truly, he was a relentless monster.

‘I have to end this here.’

Raon wanted to cut him down, but his Heavenly Drive, infused with Genesis Blade, had been completely erased by Soul-Severing Blade.

‘There’s only one way…’

As he racked his brain, the image of the Zieghart ancestor he had just seen resurfaced.

‘That’s it. That’s my only chance.’

Flames reignited along the Heavenly Drive as he unleashed Flawless Sea of Flames, momentarily stealing Darkhan’s focus.

At the same time, he released the Soul Requiem Sword from his left hand.

Wooooong!

Synchronizing his upper core with the Ring of Fire, he grasped the soul thread of the Soul Requiem Sword.

“That won’t be enough!”

As Darkhan extinguished the flames, Raon engraved the concept of Living Sword into the Soul Requiem Sword.

Slash!

The crimson blade soared through the air, twisting and curving unpredictably before plunging toward Darkhan’s back.

It was an impossible sword trajectory, combining the Zieghart ancestor’s movement with Darkhan’s own Living Sword technique.

“What the—!”

Darkhan’s eyes widened—he had never expected Living Sword from Raon. His face twisted in shock.

Squelch!

But as expected of a transcendent, Darkhan managed to erect an aura shield at the last moment.

Instead of piercing him, the Soul Requiem Sword merely grazed his back, leaving a shallow wound before clattering to the ground.

“Damn it…”

Raon bit his lip, realizing he had failed.

But then—Darkhan lowered his hand.

“Good fight.”

Darkhan bent down, picked up the Soul Requiem Sword, and handed it back to Raon.

“You pass.”

“…What?”

“I said, you pass.”

Darkhan gave a satisfied nod, seemingly unfazed by his injury.

“I was surprised by the monster inside you, but I don’t particularly care. What I wanted to see was your swordsmanship and your spirit.”

He spat out a mouthful of black blood and grinned.

– Aaaaaah?

Wrath frowned, glaring at Darkhan.

– You filthy worm! You got destroyed in my domain, and now you dare run your mouth? Get back here! This time, I’ll rip your soul apart!

Wrath swore he would finish him off properly, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Swordsmanship, spirit, and even your soul’s caliber—you’ve passed on all accounts. You’ve earned the right to talk big about the future.”

Darkhan smirked, completely ignoring Wrath, as if he didn’t matter.

“Then….”

“As promised, I won’t lay a hand on anyone here. I’ll take my leave.”

Darkhan nodded, keeping his word.

“…Then when I master a new sword technique, I’ll come find you.”

“Fine. But…”

Darkhan shook his head.

“By then, I might not be around.”

“What do you mean—”

“I’ll be challenging your grandfather.”

He smiled, as if it was obvious.

“That’s suicide. Why accept my challenge, then?”

Even Darkhan would surely die if he faced Glenn alone. Raon couldn’t understand his reasoning.

“Even if I don’t witness it, just knowing new swordsmanship exists is enough.”

Darkhan laughed, as if merely knowing such a thing brought him joy.

There was a clear change in his demeanor—his mindset had shifted.

“…Huh.”

Raon swallowed as he looked at Darkhan’s relaxed expression.

‘He may be insane, but he’s a true swordsman.’

A man who pursued nothing but the sword, untethered by notions of good or evil.

A true warrior, bound only by his own convictions.

“You’re—”

– HEY!

Just as Raon was about to speak, Wrath shot up in front of him, nearly colliding with his face.

– Erase my aura! NOW!

“…What? Why—”

– JUST DO IT! RIGHT NOW!

For the first time, Wrath abandoned his royal speech in his urgency.

“Fine.”

Sensing the unusual panic, Raon activated the Ring of Fire and burned away all traces of Wrath’s presence from his body and sword.

‘Satisfied?’

Just as he looked at Wrath—

BOOOOOM!

The night sky trembled, as if the heavens were collapsing.

Someone from outside the barrier was trying to break in.

– Damn it! It’s too late!

Wrath trembled as he stared at the fracturing sky.

– They’re coming… That lunatic stalker is coming!

(T/N: I’m actually starting to like Darkhan. He is really not a bad person IMO. He is just swordsmanship-crazed man. But who is this stalker again? Merlin?)