Chapter 849

“Lord Derus.”

Kubara knelt beside Derus’s right side.

“Both Beorn and Bardiel were defeated by Raon Zieghart, who had reached transcendence. But why…”

According to the report Derus had received, while the plan to steal Aris’s power had succeeded perfectly, both Bardiel and Beorn had been killed by the newly transcendent Raon Zieghart.

Given that the facts had already been confirmed, Kubara couldn’t understand why Derus had come all the way out here himself.

“I can’t believe it.”

Derus furrowed his brow as he gazed across the scorched clearing in front of the dungeon.

“Even if Bardiel wasn’t a combat specialist, and Beorn hadn’t fully adapted to Aris’s power, it still makes no sense for them to be killed by someone who had just ascended.”

He let the feather he was holding crumble into gray ash and shook his head.

“It’s more believable that the demon inside his body broke loose.”

Derus narrowed his eyes, stating he had to confirm both the process and the results for the sake of his future plans.

“Bardiel was one thing, but losing Beorn here is unacceptable. We needed him as a sacrificial pawn to break Glenn Zieghart’s neck.”

He ground his teeth in frustration, his white fangs biting down on his lip.

“Raon Zieghart… No, Raon.”

Derus Robert whispered Raon’s name with a dry smile, like cracked earth.

Sticky blood dripped from a wound carved into the back of his hand.

“You keep getting in my way.”

His rage twisted the very air. The ground trembled as if in agony, and the shadow assassins and shamans behind him clutched their throats, trembling violently as they struggled to breathe.

“Lo-Lord Derus…”

Even Kubara couldn’t withstand the terrifying pressure and coughed up blood from her lips.

“Hoo…”

Derus eventually reined in the wrath that had surged from the depths of his soul, pulling back the overwhelming energy that had spread across the island.

“Find it. Don’t miss a single trace. Uncover everything.”

He ordered half of the shamans and assassins to search the dungeon’s interior, while the others combed the clearing.

“M-My apologies.”

An hour later, the middle-aged leader of the assassins knelt before Derus.

“The entire area seems to have been scorched. Not even the slightest trace remains.”

He lowered his head, saying there was nothing left to retrieve from this ground.

“Lord Derus.”

An old man with a worn robe stepped forward and planted his staff in front of Derus.

“There are no traces we can recover through sorcery either. Even the lingering spells in the clearing appear to have been wiped away by fire.”

The old man narrowed his eyes, saying someone in Raon’s group must be a highly skilled shaman.

“However, I was able to retrieve something from another location.”

He summoned a gray mist into his palm, saying he had called forth the soul of a distant place.

“A wandering spirit that resides deeper within the forest said a blond human killed the man with wings and the red-haired one here.”

He bowed his head, explaining that while the spirit was too far away to see the details, that part was clear.

“The man with wings would be Bardiel, and the red-haired one Beorn…”

Kubara sighed quietly.

Crunch.

Derus clenched his fist so tightly it sounded like bone shattering.

‘Raon Zieghart.’

I want to kill you right this instant.

His identity was already exposed, and with confirmation that a demon resided inside Raon, it would be more beneficial to the greater cause for him to remain alive.

But after all the years of preparation, and pouring in astronomical amounts of resources, Beorn had died in vain. The fury bubbling within made him want to sever Raon’s neck right now.

‘The second blade is broken… I’ll have to sharpen the first one even further.’

There was no time to raise another pawn like Beorn. He would have to rely on the one he’d been preparing from the beginning.

Tch.

Derus clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow—just as the group that had entered the dungeon returned.

“Lord Derus.”

A middle-aged man, apparently the leader of the assassins who had entered, knelt before him.

“The pit has collapsed. We couldn’t enter. If we try to dig, the ground may cave in. It’s impossible to proceed.”

He shook his head, explaining that there was no path inside.

“We inspected the inner ritual circuits just in case and found signs that time manipulation had been forcefully performed through sorcery.”

The leader added that it didn’t seem like one of the shadow shamans had done it and raised an eyebrow.

“Ha… So the rumor about manipulating the dungeon’s time with sorcery was true.”

Derus let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.

His gaze turned cold and heavy, killing intent swirling from his fingertips.

“Even with a demon inside him, his adaptability and growth rate are beyond reason.”

He bit his lip, trying to suppress the rage boiling in his chest.

“From now on, reclassify Raon Zieghart’s threat level to the same as the leaders of the Five Demons. Avoid direct confrontation unless absolutely necessary.”

Once again, Derus acknowledged Raon—this time with a breath of red mist.

“Let’s go.”

Derus stared for a long moment at the blood-burned earth where Beorn and Bardiel had fallen, then turned toward the harbor.

“……”

Kubara watched his back, swallowing dryly as if to calm herself.

‘To remain so composed in this state…’

Derus had spent years preparing Beorn as a key pawn to neutralize Glenn.

Even if those experiments yielded results, Beorn’s primary role was different. And yet, despite losing him, Derus maintained complete composure.

It was terrifying enough to chill her spine.

‘He’s becoming more monstrous…’

She wasn’t even sure if Derus Robert could still be called human. Fear, creeping from the depths of her soul, slowly began to take root.

When Kubara and the assassins reached the port village, chilled to their very souls, they saw fishermen near the entrance preparing their nets for the early morning.

“Huh? What are you doing out here so early?”

“You don’t look well. Are you alright?”

“Did you run into a monster or something?”

The fishermen set down their nets and approached, concerned by Derus’s pale face.

“……”

Without a word, Derus brushed past them.

BOOM!

The moment his foot stepped into the village entrance, the fishermen’s heads exploded like fireworks.

“AAAAAHHH!”

“W-What the hell is this…?!”

Two young village watchmen standing guard screamed, but before they could run, their bodies were torn to shreds, falling into blood-soaked heaps.

Step.

Wherever Derus walked, blood trailed behind him, buildings collapsed, and death followed like a natural disaster in human form.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Please, spare me…!”

“What did we do to deserve this?!”

The few who survived collapsed to their knees, trembling in disbelief as their peaceful village turned into a hellscape.

Step.

As Derus stepped onto the edge of the harbor, a massive wave surged into the sky—tall enough to touch the heavens—and engulfed the entire village.

The survivors, the ruins, everything was swept away in that roaring torrent.

“Urgh…”

Kubara bit her lip as she watched Derus’s back.

‘He’s grown even stronger…’

Derus had killed people, destroyed buildings, and summoned tidal waves all with sheer will.

A growth beyond imagination. At this rate, he could catch up to Glenn before long.

But Derus never relied solely on his strength. He continuously gathered information, wove intricate schemes, and targeted his enemies’ weaknesses.

That cold rationality was even more terrifying than his overwhelming power.

“We’re returning.”

Derus exhaled lightly as if he had released some of his anger, opened a dimensional rift, and vanished.

“……”

Suppressing the nausea welling in her throat, Kubara followed after him.

Hoooo—

Once Derus and his shadows were gone, the island felt like it had always been a deserted rock—only the sound of waves remained.

* * *

“Family Head.”

Raon approached Glenn, who stood watching the smoke rise from the crematorium.

“Thank you.”

He placed his hand over his chest and bowed.

After reading Rimmer’s final letter, Glenn had asked Zieghart’s craftsmen to construct a new crematorium—one solely for Rimmer.

There were no words beyond gratitude.

“You have nothing to thank me for.”

Glenn calmly shook his head.

“It’s that damn guy’s fault for being a nuisance to the very end.”

He let out a short sigh, saying the man couldn’t just leave quietly.

“Exactly! What kind of nonsense is ‘become the wind’!”

Balkan, who had handled the crematorium construction from beginning to end, snorted.

“Thank you, Master Balkan.”

Raon gave a faint smile and bowed to him as well.

“Forget it. I had ties with that guy before you did—it was my duty.”

Balkan waved off the thanks.

“Still didn’t expect it to end like this…”

He clicked his tongue bitterly, seemingly still unable to accept Rimmer’s death.

“Master.”

Raon stepped closer and brought his hands together.

“I’m sorry to ask, but could I make one more request after the funeral?”

“A request?”

“Yes. I plan to bring Master’s sword back to Sephia, but before that, I’d like you to look it over.”

Rimmer’s sword was one of Sephia’s sacred relics.

While it would have been fitting to keep it in Zieghart, it felt right to bring it back as part of delivering the news of his passing.

“Good thinking.”

Glenn nodded, admitting he hadn’t considered that yet.

“Doesn’t sound difficult.”

Balkan nodded casually.

“But first, I need to examine the black sword that stabbed Aris. Bring it to me later.”

“Understood.”

As Raon bowed his head to thank him—

Creak.

The crematorium doors opened, and Sheryl stepped out, her eyes dark and sunken, carrying a white urn.

“I’ll leave it to you now.”

She passed the urn to Raon with trembling hands.

Truthfully, Raon had wanted to go in and collect the ashes himself, but knowing what Sheryl and Rimmer had meant to each other, he had stepped back.

“Thank you.”

Raon took a deep breath and received the urn. It felt far heavier than its actual weight—like Rimmer’s soul resided inside.

“Let’s go.”

Glenn, biting his lip slightly, began walking up Bukmang Mountain. He stopped halfway up, in front of a large boulder shaped like a tiger.

“He used to lean on this rock to watch over you all.”

Glenn gently touched the boulder’s back with a faintly trembling hand.

“If we send him off from here, I think he’d be satisfied.”

“Hmm…”

Raon stood beside the tiger-shaped boulder and looked down.

Just as Glenn said, the 5th Training Ground was clearly visible from this spot.

“Raon. Begin.”

Glenn lowered his chin slowly, signaling the final part of the funeral.

“Yes…”

Raon nodded and carefully opened the urn.

He stared at the white ash for a long time, then opened his mouth heavily.

“Burren.”

“Mm…”

Burren opened his eyes, then closed them again before stepping forward and scooping some of the ashes.

“Thank you… for everything.”

He called upon the cold wind and respectfully saluted with his sword as he released Rimmer into the sky.

“Martha.”

“……”

Martha stepped forward without a word and took some ashes in her hand.

“Goodbye. You pissed me off plenty, but… there’s no other master quite like you.”

She bit her lip until it bled and sent him off with a gust of Light Wind.

“Runaan.”

“Hic…”

Runaan stepped forward, tears still clinging to his eyes.

“Sleep all you want now… my nap buddy…”

He finally let the tears fall as he released Rimmer.

“Dorian.”

“Y-Yes…”

Dorian stepped up and clutched the ashes tightly.

“Thank you. I’ll live smiling, never forgetting you. And I’ll protect those children—no matter what.”

He bowed his head as he released Rimmer, promising to visit the orphanage often.

It seemed he had finally begun to shake off some of the pain in his heart.

“You damn old man!”

Krein shouted through his tears as he sent Rimmer off, and Yua and Yulius sobbed once more before they managed to scatter the ashes.

Though the entire Light Wind Division bid farewell to Rimmer, they buried his soul in their hearts—somewhere they could always return to.

“Master.”

Raon stirred the wind of Garunua, as Rimmer had wished.

“You once told me that ‘those who meet must part, and those who part will meet again.’ If we do meet again, I’d still want to be your disciple.”

With those words, he released the final remains of Rimmer toward the 5th Training Ground.

Whoooosh!

The green wind wrapped around the ashes and swept past Raon and the Light Wind Division before drifting into the distance.

-It seems you feel a little lighter now.

Wrath nodded, saying Raon’s expression had softened.

‘Yeah.’

Raon watched the green breeze rise far into the sky above Zieghart and nodded quietly.

‘Because in the end, he saved us again.’

Rimmer didn’t want them to be consumed by sorrow. He wanted them to move forward.

And for him, Raon couldn’t stay still.

-Now then…

‘Yeah, time to train.’

Raon nodded and smiled faintly.

-Not that, you brat! Keep your promise already!

* * *

After Rimmer’s funeral, Raon trained in swordsmanship in the clearing at the foot of Bukmang Mountain.

He began with basic sword techniques, flowing into the full set of Raon Zieghart Swordsmanship forms, and finally turned to face a tree on his right.

“You can come out now.”

“Hmph…”

Glenn stepped out from behind the tree with a gruff cough.

“So you’ve reached transcendence. I can’t hide from you anymore. Takes the fun out of it.”

He clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.

“If you truly wanted to hide, I wouldn’t have found you, Grandfather.”

Raon gave a faint smile and shook his head.

“So… are you alright now?”

“I think I’m slowly adjusting.”

If he hadn’t read Rimmer’s final letter, the pain would have lingered longer. But understanding Rimmer’s true feelings had brought some peace.

“And what about you, Grandfather?”

“Do you think I’ve sent off only one or two people in all these years? But…”

Glenn looked up at the slender moon and shook his head.

“This one hurts a bit.”

He admitted softly that it wasn’t easy this time.

“…Yes. I understand.”

Raon lowered his head, his voice heavy.

“But I suppose it’s right to send him off, for his sake.”

Glenn clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to Raon.

“How does it feel—being transcendent?”

“I still can’t quite believe it. At the time, I felt like I could do anything. But now, it just feels like mana is a little more familiar.”

“That’s the foundation.”

Glenn nodded calmly.

“When your mana and the mana of nature are able to communicate—when you become one with the world around you—that is transcendence. It’s a state where you can manifest whatever you will. And you, who reached it by accumulating the path of ten thousand swords, will be able to accomplish more than anyone.”

He gave a slight smile, as if looking forward to what lay ahead.

“Yes. I intend to.”

“Then, in that case…”

He extended his hand casually.

“How about a spar?”

“…With you, Grandfather?”

“Yes. I’ll go easy. Come at me.”

Glenn stretched his arm forward, clearly serious.

“Understood.”

Raon nodded. A spar with Glenn wasn’t just a fight—it was a rare opportunity to push his limits. He was thankful to be offered it.

“Then—”

Just as he was about to move, he saw Rabawin running from the annex.

“Sir Raon! Ah! Family Head, you’re here too?”

Rabawin flinched and quickly bowed toward Glenn.

“Enough of that. What is it?”

Glenn waved off the formality and asked.

“Lady Aris…”

Rabawin bit her lip and lifted her trembling gaze.

“Lady Aris has woke up…”