Chapter 866

Raon silently looked back, then widened his eyes. A man wearing a green snake helmet was walking out from behind the Black Dragon’s corpse.

“You…”

He had sensed someone approaching from behind a moment ago, but never thought it would be Eden, much less someone with a snake helmet.

– That snake helmet bastard. Isn’t this the fourth time now?

Wrath frowned, wondering why he kept coming back to life.

‘Yeah. The color is different every time, though.’

After the Gold-faced Snake, Red Demon Snake, and Blue Death Snake, now it was a green snake. He wondered just how far this was going to go. It was so absurd that he even started getting curious about the next color.

‘What’s even funnier…’

They kept getting stronger.

The presence of the man wearing the green snake helmet had surpassed Grandmaster, reaching Transcendence. Though he was lower than himself, it was certain he had broken through the wall and left the level of a normal human behind.

– How strange. He’s definitely a different human, and his temperament isn’t even similar, but he feels like the same guy.

Wrath shook his head, saying the existence itself was bizarre.

‘Yeah. There’s definitely something going on.’

Just like Wrath said, the ones wearing the snake helmet before had all died, and this green snake helmet now was someone else.

But the ones who wore the snake helmet all remembered everything that happened with him. So he started to suspect that they were either the same person or shared the same mind.

“This time it’s green, huh?”

Raon frowned as he looked at the man wearing the green snake helmet.

“You noticed right away.”

The man in the green snake helmet smiled thinly, fiddling with his helmet.

“What exactly are you?”

Raon turned his jaw as he aimed the divine sword.

“For now, just call me Green Snake Demon.”

The man in the green snake helmet called himself Green Snake Demon and flicked his hand. He seemed less frivolous than the last one he saw.

“I wasn’t asking for your name.”

“Then what are you curious about?”

Green Snake Demon tilted his head crookedly, as if to tell him to go ahead and ask.

“I’m asking what you really are.”

Raon raised his gaze sharply like an awl.

“A moment ago, you said you’re satisfied every time you see me change. That means you kept facing me, but this is my first time seeing you.”

He twisted his lips as he spoke in a cold voice.

“The ugly helmet is the fourth, though.”

“That’s something you asked before, isn’t it?”

Green Snake Demon nodded lightly.

“The answer is simple. Just think however you want. Believe I’m the same person, or not, it’s up to you.”

He shrugged as if Raon could think whatever he liked. He clearly didn’t intend to answer.

“More importantly…”

Green Snake Demon clicked his tongue as he looked at the Black Dragon’s corpse.

“Even if it hadn’t been long since it became an ancient dragon, I didn’t expect Jera Piret to die this easily. Should I have moved a bit faster?”

He gave a dry laugh, as if still not believing the Black Dragon had died.

“Moved faster? What were you after, joining hands with a dragon?”

Raon asked, lacing his question with murderous intent.

“Isn’t it simple? Just burning this place down.”

Green Snake Demon dusted off his hands, as if it were obvious.

“The World Tree?”

“That’s what I couldn’t do because you stopped me last time.”

He smacked his lips, apparently referring to the time he attacked Seiphia as the Red Demon Snake with the Crimson Ghost.

“Do you really share a mind with the dead ones?”

Raon looked at Green Snake Demon, lowering his brows.

“It’s not sharing. My mind is fully my own. Though the next one will be different…”

Green Snake Demon muttered something cryptic in a calm tone. He was clearly different from the previous ones.

“Well then…”

Raon was about to say something to Green Snake Demon when he looked north. Stehrin’s presence had dropped significantly compared to before. It looked like he was losing.

‘On top of that…’

That Green Snake Demon guy is hiding something.

If he’d done something before coming here, he must have planted or taken something from Seiphia. It was best to cut him down quickly and go help Stehrin.

“I have a lot of questions, but no time. I’ll finish this fast.”

Raon aimed his divine sword at Green Snake Demon, swirling with killing intent.

“This time, I thought I’d be ahead, but I didn’t expect you’d still be on top.”

When Green Snake Demon snapped his fingers, crimson flames shot up into the sky above Seiphia, and a gigantic Red Dragon appeared.

“I’m glad I asked Matirus to send one more.”

He nodded with satisfaction.

“If it’s two on one, holding you back shouldn’t be impossible.”

“Dragon…”

Raon bit his lip as he looked at the Red Dragon hovering in the sky.

‘It’s old, but not an ancient dragon.’

Judging by the Red Dragon’s size and mana, it was just shy of reaching the peak of elder dragons, but thankfully, it wasn’t at the ancient dragon level.

‘But the problem is, it’s a Red.’

The Red tribe possessed the greatest might among dragons, and right now they were in the forest—the perfect battlefield for it to unleash its full power.

– Oh! Two roast lizards! And with different flavors!

Wrath even clapped as if this was great. Even in this dangerous situation, Raon found himself laughing wryly.

[You got caught off guard, you fool.]

The Red Dragon’s eyes narrowed in irritation, seemingly more annoyed at being defeated by a human than angry about its kin’s death. A flood of fiery mana began to gather above its pitch-black throat, like lava.

[Still, I’ll have my revenge!]

The Red Dragon unleashed the hellish fire it had gathered. The breath of flames—the dragon’s most powerful breath—crashed toward Raon like a thunderbolt.

Ruuuuuumble!

Unlike the Black Dragon, it didn’t spread wide but was concentrated on a single point, so the pressure was immense. Raon’s feet dug into the ground, and the hand holding his sword trembled.

“Try to block it, then.”

Green Snake Demon leaped far back, seemingly intent on saving his strength. He vanished from sight in an instant, moving as if riding the wind.

Whooosh!

Raon narrowed his eyes at the lava-like breath rushing toward him.

‘What a hellish heat.’

Even with fire resistance, it felt like his skin was cooking in the dragon’s breath. If not for the Ring of Fire, he wouldn’t have been able to stay here at all.

Boom!

Gritting his teeth, Raon charged into the breath of flames. Resonating the Ring of Fire at its peak, he unleashed Glacier’s frost magic sword to perform the [Azure Sky Sword].

Kraaaaash!

The breath that seemed it would destroy the great forest clashed with Glacier’s frost, locking in a contest of heat and cold in midair. Steam billowed everywhere, and a white snowfield spread across the land.

Crackle!

The skyward strike, carrying the majesty of the heavens, shattered the heat and began to freeze the breath of flames itself. Giant blue icicles soared up as if to pierce the sky above the forest floor.

[Lies!]

The Red Dragon’s eyes quivered, unable to believe its full-powered breath had been blocked.

[How can you freeze a breath of fire…?]

“Go play somewhere else, rookie.”

Raon used the frozen breath as a stepping stone to leap into the sky. Before the stunned Red Dragon could react, he slashed at its neck with [Silver Lotus Dream].

Crack!

The blade of the divine sword, blazing red, pierced through the Red Dragon’s scales and was about to smash its heart when a green wind-infused blade shot up.

Clang!

It was Green Snake Demon. He reappeared from the ground, blocking Raon’s sword with his own.

“I can’t let you kill this one too. I’ll have to step in here.”

When Green Snake Demon lowered his chin, a powerful wind blew, pushing Raon away.

“What if I don’t want to?”

Resisting Green Snake Demon’s wind with transcendental will, Raon pressed the demonic sword down on the divine sword.

Crack!

Though he couldn’t shatter the Red Dragon’s heart, he inflicted a deadly wound on its neck before retreating.

[Graaaah!]

The Red Dragon howled in agony, its massive body writhing as if just that injury was unbearable.

“I didn’t expect you to come in that deep.”

Green Snake Demon frowned, saying Raon had a terrifying personality.

“Savage.”

He clicked his tongue, remarking that Raon seemed to have grown more aggressive.

“But you’re not scared, are you?”

At Green Snake Demon’s shout, the Red Dragon, still writhing in pain, turned with a vengeful glare.

[Not at all! I’ll kill that bug with my own hands!]

The Red Dragon, using healing magic to recover, revealed eyes burning with murderous intent.

Vmmm!

High-level spells formed in succession around it, and as expected of the Red Dragon, their power seemed on par with the Black Dragon that had just been killed.

Chiiing!

Green Snake Demon, too, now seemed intent on fighting seriously, gathering green winds onto his sword.

“I don’t like your wind.”

Raon frowned deeply as he looked at the wind swirling on Green Snake Demon’s sword.

“I’ll shatter it right now.”

—

“Haa…”

Siyan let out a long sigh, lowering her hand.

‘This is hard.’

Even though Raon had removed most of the poison, she couldn’t block the miasma carried by the wind.

Having summoned four highest-level spirits at once to protect all of Seiphia, she’d exhausted so much spirit power that her head was spinning.

‘But I can’t rest yet.’

Siyan narrowed her eyes as she watched Raon, the Red Dragon, and Green Snake Demon fighting in the sky.

‘If I stay here, Raon won’t be able to use his full strength.’

There were many elves and children here who couldn’t fight. Raon needed to be able to fight at his best, and to prepare for any possible emergencies, she couldn’t stay here.

“Everyone, move to the sanctuary!”

Siyan opened a gap in the sanctuary she’d made to protect the World Tree and called the remaining elves in the village.

“But if we put the World Tree in danger because of us…”

“It’s fine! The World Tree always puts us first!”

She spoke firmly to the hesitant elves, pointing the way to the sanctuary. She seemed like a different person from the one who’d trembled in front of Raon.

“Ah, understood.”

“Everyone, into the sanctuary! Kids first!”

The elves, emboldened by Siyan’s words, started moving toward the sanctuary on unsteady legs.

“Sir Raon.”

Siyan clasped her hands as she watched Raon extinguish the Fire Dragon’s flames.

‘Please.’

She prayed that no one would die, then entered the sanctuary last.

—

‘Good.’

Raon nodded as he watched the elves enter the sanctuary. It had been tough controlling his attacks so no magic or sword strikes would fall on Seiphia, but now he could fight properly.

“What are you looking at?”

Green Snake Demon frowned and swung his sword. With a single swing, hundreds of wind blades rushed at Raon’s vital points.

[Explode!]

The Red Dragon used the wind Green Snake Demon stirred up to fire the high-level spell [Inferno Burst]. Normally, it was powerful but slow, but now it tore in like a flash thanks to the wind.

Clang!

Raon simultaneously unfolded Flame Barrier and White Flame Island, blocking both the wind blades and [Inferno Burst]. But the impact was so strong, he couldn’t help being pushed back.

“Having trouble with two-on-one, are you?”

[You won’t be able to block it this time.]

Green Snake Demon raised a blade infused with all the wind in the air, and the Red Dragon condensed its breath once again.

“Finish it? Fine by me.”

Raon kicked off the air as if being forced back, then surged toward the Red Dragon and Green Snake Demon, lifting the divine sword over his shoulder and swinging the demonic sword from his waist, stepping with Supreme Harmony Steps at full force.

Chiiiing!

As if a dying star was having its final explosion, grand flames and frost erupted over the fading divine and demonic swords, as if to blanket the heavens.

[Raon Zieghart Swordsmanship – Form Six : Divine-Demonic Harmony—Azure Crimson Invincible Blade.]

The ultimate secret of swordsmanship at the level of transcendence appeared in the world through the blades of the divine and demonic swords.

Kraaaaash!

Flame and frost, which should have clashed, instead formed an uncanny harmony, splitting apart the Red Dragon’s breath and Green Snake Demon’s wind blades all at once.

Whooosh!

The blackened sky split under the immense wave of mana, and a black dragon-shaped vortex soared up between heaven and earth.

But since the Red Dragon and Green Snake Demon had also gone all out, even the wave of Azure Crimson Invincible Blade couldn’t cut them down and vanished powerlessly.

[Is this even possible? A mere human…?]

The Red Dragon let out a tired breath, unable to believe Raon’s strength.

“My hand’s shaking.”

Green Snake Demon also flicked his hand, seemingly out of strength.

“But at least it’s over. Now that sword technique is finished, you can’t unleash power like that again… huh?”

He was trying to encourage the Red Dragon, but suddenly widened his eyes.

“What the!”

Raon’s hand, which should have been holding a sword, was empty. The moment he realized it, a sword flew in from his right—[Sword Control], slicing through space.

“Kh!”

Green Snake Demon hurriedly gathered the wind to block the incoming Heavenly Drive.

Clang!

He barely managed to defend, but the power of the [Sword Control] was so strong that he couldn’t avoid internal injuries. Black blood spurted from his mouth.

“Ugh, help me over… huh?”

Green Snake Demon was turning to ask for help when he saw a leaf-shaped sword glowing blue stuck in the Red Dragon’s throat.

“You’re kidding…”

Raon Zieghart had fired not one, but two techniques of [Sword Control] from the start, and unlike Green Snake Demon, the dragon hadn’t dodged and ended up sacrificing its neck.

[Grrr…]

For a dragon, the heart is a vital spot, like a human’s heart. With its heart destroyed, the Red Dragon couldn’t keep its body upright and crashed to the ground.

Boom!

The Red Dragon, who’d looked down on being killed by a human, died alongside Jera Piret, eyes rolled back.

“…I thought our levels were similar, but I didn’t expect such a difference in power.”

Green Snake Demon trembled, his lips bloody as he looked at the corpses of the Red and Black Dragons.

“Phew.”

Raon exhaled, bent halfway over, the scent of blood in his breath.

‘Thank goodness, it worked.’

He’d fired off two [Sword Control] techniques at full strength the instant Divine-Demonic Harmony ended, targeting both at once, and managed to get one. It would’ve been better if Green Snake Demon died too, but for now, getting even one was good enough.

‘Of course, I’m exhausted…’

He’d fought at full power multiple times in a row, even journeyed through the Mental World, so both his mind and body were worn out. His body felt heavy as if soaked, and he’d used a ton of aura, but he kept a calm gaze, not letting it show.

“Your advantage is over.”

Raon picked up the returned Heavenly Drive and Rimmer’s sword and shook his head.

“I won’t bother with words. Let’s finish this—”

Just as he was about to attack Green Snake Demon—

Boom!

Something shot in from the north and crashed into the center of Seiphia.

“Ugh…”

Turning his gaze, Raon saw Stehrin staggering in a cloud of dust. At the same time, a noble-looking man with golden hair and eyes appeared at Green Snake Demon’s side.

“Are you ready?”

The blond man flicked his chin at Green Snake Demon.

“Of course I am.”

Green Snake Demon clicked his tongue and nodded.

“Then…”

When the blond man snapped his fingers, Seiphia crumpled like a piece of paper in his hand, unleashing an enormous explosion.

Kraaaaash!

With a golden flash, space split open and the sanctuary barrier hiding the World Tree was torn apart.

“Uh…”

“Wh-what is this!”

Siyan and the elves, standing guard before the World Tree, widened their eyes in shock.

“So you’re Raon Zieghart.”

The blond man, who appeared to be a dragon, raised his chin arrogantly.

“To kill two of my kin in such a short time… you must die here.”

He lifted his head, murderous intent flickering in his calm eyes.

“Another hopeless fight, huh?”

Green Snake Demon smirked as he swung the sword in his hand.

“A hopeless fight…”

Raon curled his lips as he looked at Heavenly Drive and Rimmer’s sword.

“I’ve been through worse more times than I can count.”

He raised golden flames on Heavenly Drive and Rimmer’s sword as he murmured.

“I’ll show you what Zieghart’s swordsmen are made of.”