Chapter 973

               

Clack!

As Xanthos snapped his fingers, a blue light soared above the round table, drawing a map of the continent.

Incredibly, not only major powers like Zieghart and the Balkan Kingdom but also the names of numerous small and medium-sized groups were inscribed on the map.

“We should start with the fall of the Black Tower.”

As Xanthos nodded, the black tower that had been towering in Montiro crumbled like a sandcastle.

“The Black Tower, hidden in Montiro, released demonic creatures from the Demon Realm, gradually eroding the spheres of influence of Balkan, Owen, and the Beast Alliance.”

He frowned, looking at the darkness undulating around Balkan, Owen, and the Beast Alliance.

“In fact, the forces that followed us suffered more than we did. Many groups moved to other regions. But the situation changed with the fall of the Black Tower.”

As Xanthos lowered his finger, white light permeated Balkan, the Beast Alliance, and Owen, which had been blackened as if burned. It seemed to show that the influence of the Black Tower had completely disappeared.

“With the disappearance of the demons and monsters that had been constantly attacking, people were able to sleep peacefully for the first time in a long time. Even if it’s temporary, peace has come.”

He looked at Raon, saying that the current short peace and happiness were possible because the Black Tower had fallen.

Listening to him speak, Xanthos seemed to be here not as the King of Balkan but as the moderator of the Five Kings Conference.

“That’s right!”

The Beast King Ogram agreed with Xanthos’s words, slamming the round table with his palm. His physical strength seemed to be as strong as ever, as the entire conference hall echoed with the impact.

“I couldn’t sleep properly because of the Black Tower’s demons and monsters attacking bit by bit, but now they’ve completely disappeared.”

He nodded grandly, saying that the people of the Beast Alliance were also living happily.

“The same goes for Owen.”

King Lecross smacked his lips as he looked at the castle inscribed with the name Owen.

“The Four Demons must have known that I was injured, but there have been no attacks from anywhere. Rather, they seem busy hiding their tails.”

He gave Raon a warm look, saying that the impact of the Black Tower’s disappearance was greater than imagined.

“We have destroyed many forces following the Four Demons, but this is the first time such a result has occurred. In the end…”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, looking at the five stars engraved on the blue holographic map.

“To end this war, we must defeat the main body of the Four Demons, not the small fry.”

He tapped the round table with his finger, saying that this was the only way to end this tedious war.

“That’s right.”

Chamber nodded, taking a lollipop out of her witch hat.

“If we don’t take their heads, they’ll multiply like cockroaches and disrupt the continent again. Countless people will suffer.”

She bit the lollipop roughly, saying that there wasn’t much time.

“The problem is that there’s no way to find them.”

Lecross frowned, placing his hand on his chest. He seemed to feel pain from the wound inflicted by Derus.

“In fact, we would never have been able to find the location of the Black Tower if it weren’t for the Lord of Light Wind Palace. Even if we kill the Four Sword Demons, it’s not easy to extract information from them, and finding the Black Tower in another dimension in Montiro is nearly impossible.”

He bit his lip slightly, saying that Raon was able to find the location of the Black Tower easily.

“There’s no need to find them. We just need to increase our strength! If I and that old woman recover our original power, we won’t lose to anyone!”

Ogram clenched his fist, saying that instead of finding the Four Demons, the Five Kings should recover and increase their strength.

“Unfortunately, that’s difficult.”

Chamber bit her lip thinly.

“Unlike us, who have a set path, the Four Demons are beings who can walk a path beyond humanity. It’s impossible to become stronger than the Four Demons faster. Have you already forgotten that the Lord of the White Blood Cult drank your blood and achieved unbelievable rapid growth?”

She tapped her temple three times, telling him to think carefully.

“And…”

Chamber frowned and glared at Ogram.

“If you call me an old woman one more time, I’ll rip your mouth off.”

She tilted her chin, drawing a savage smile.

“Umm…”

Ogram trembled at the tip of his fingers, whether it was because of Chamber’s threat or because he remembered being attacked by the Lord of the White Blood Cult.

“We don’t have much time.”

Glenn placed his clasped hands on the round table, closing his eyes and then opening them.

“As he said, the Four Demons are strengthening and expanding their power much faster than we are strengthening ourselves. They have no lines to protect.”

He shook his head, saying that although the Black Tower had fallen, the overall situation was not necessarily positive.

“In the end, we have to find the Four Demons somehow.”

Ogram swept his forehead as if frustrated.

“That’s why we’re trying to gather people through this Five Kings Conference.”

As Xanthos smiled faintly and raised his hand, the names of neutral forces throughout the continent began to twinkle.

“Just as the Lord of Light Wind Palace found the Black Tower, the more people we have on our side, the more clues we can gather. We need to attract neutral forces to our side and collect information that can find the Four Demons.”

He placed his clasped hands on the round table, saying that the reason for gathering neutral forces was not just for military strength.

“But it won’t be easy to attract forces that haven’t stood before the Five Kings until now.”

Lecross lowered his eyebrows as if worried.

“That’s right. Even though a full-scale war has been going on for a long time, maintaining neutrality means they’re choosing which restaurant is more appetizing between us and the Four Demons.”

Chamber wrinkled her nose as if displeased.

“In fact, it’s hard to trust them completely. If the Four Demons make a better offer, they’ll leave immediately.”

King Lecross narrowed his eyes, saying that they were worse than merchants.

“Then we can’t just leave them alone! We need to correct their habits so they can’t test the waters!”

Ogram shook his rock-like fist, saying that they needed to establish discipline right now.

“I’m good at this kind of thing. If you wait…”

Just as he was about to say that he would take the lead.

Woooooong!

A vibration and noise like an earthquake occurred in the royal capital. The shaking itself was not very large, but everyone here was a transcendent, so no one failed to feel the movement.

“What’s going on?”

“Is there a fight?”

“Could it be the Four Demons?”

As tension filled people’s eyes, Raon stepped forward.

“No.”

Raon raised both hands to calm everyone down.

“The habit correction you mentioned earlier…”

He smiled and turned his gaze out the window.

“It has already begun.”

*

*

*

Cheeeeeek!

On the earth that had been deeply gouged out as if a meteor had fallen, a black-haired man lay collapsed as if dead.

The red hawk embroidered on his martial robe was the emblem of the Sairan family, a powerful force in the central region, but it seemed to have no meaning now.

“Cough…”

As the black-haired man coughed up blood and tried to get up, a shadow fell over his head.

Thud!

It was Martha. She twisted her lips, stepping on the black-haired man’s back with her foot.

“I told you. Why did you run your mouth so carelessly?”

Martha muttered that it was his own fault and pressed down on the black-haired man.

“Kuhuk…”

The black-haired man eventually couldn’t withstand the impact and fainted with his eyes rolled back.

“T-This is too much!”

A red-haired middle-aged man wearing the same Sairan family martial robe as the black-haired man trembled his chin.

“We were just gossiping about rumors we heard while drunk!”

The red-haired middle-aged man shook his head, saying that it wasn’t a serious story.

“What’s your name?”

Martha tilted her chin at the red-haired middle-aged man.

“Umm, Rotan Sairan…”

The red-haired middle-aged man hesitated for a moment before saying his name.

“Okay, Rotan.”

Martha called Rotan’s name as if dealing with someone far below her.

“Do you think I’ve only seen guys like you once or twice?”

She stepped over the fainted black-haired man and approached Rotan.

“It’s not that rumors are heard from around, but that you guys are creating the rumors. The pub was quiet until you wagged your tongue. It only praised Raon and Light Wind Palace.”

Martha hit Rotan’s forehead, telling him not to tell such obvious lies.

“Ugh…”

Rotan bit his lip as if he had nothing to say.

“O-Of course, it’s true that we said something bad, but it’s too much for a Grand Master like you to attack! I and that guy are only Masters!”

He shook his head, saying that he admitted he made a mistake, but the punishment was too harsh.

“This is just simple violence…”

“You used verbal violence too.”

Martha slapped the back of Rotan’s head, telling him not to be ridiculous.

“Ugh…”

Rotan even drooled, as if this was the first time he had suffered such humiliation since being born into the Sairan family.

“Our Lord is such a gentle person! If Raon had heard the words that came out of your mouth earlier, he would have buried you alive in the sand and boiled you alive!”

Martha was turning Raon into a demon like no other, contrary to the word gentle.

“N-No…”

“But you’re right too.”

She smiled thinly, looking at the frightened Rotan.

“There’s no need for a lion to move to catch a pig. You…”

Martha pushed Yua, who was standing behind her, forward.

“Our rabbit will deal with you.”

“U-Unni?”

Yua widened her eyes, looking at Martha as if it wasn’t a pre-planned event.

“Really me…”

She swallowed hard, looking at Rotan.

“It’s okay! Just do as you’ve learned.”

Martha smiled brightly, saying that there would be no problem if she fought as she had trained.

“Umm…”

Yua slowly stepped forward, seeming to trust Martha more than her own skills.

“A-Are you ignoring me!”

Rotan gritted his teeth.

“I changed your opponent because you said it was too much, but you’re still complaining. Is this what’s trending these days, easy-to-judge?”

Martha frowned, asking why he was complaining no matter what she did.

“Do you want me to come out instead? Do you want to try?”

“That’s…”

Rotan bit his lip, looking at Martha, who was smiling like a demon, and Yua, who was like a rabbit. Eventually, his gaze left Martha and fixed on Yua.

“Good! Don’t regret it later! My sword has no eyes!”

Rotan raised his sword, saying that he would start right away.

“Hoo…”

Yua slowly took a breath and drew her sword.

“Think about the time you were beaten by Raon. If you have that memory, you can do anything.”

Martha patted Yua’s back without any special advice, as if she wasn’t worried at all.

“Haaaah!”

Rotan kicked off the cracked earth and rushed towards Yua. As a Master, he rode the wind and brought down his sword wrapped in Aura.

‘This sword is too…’

Yua narrowed her eyes, looking at Rotan’s sword strike falling like a ray of light.

‘Slow?’

The flow was clearly visible because it was a much slower sword strike than Raon or the Light Wind Palace Division Leaders, whom she had faced during training.

‘Let’s use that rhythm.’

Yua stepped with a rhythm different from Rotan’s sword strike.

Thwoong!

She tilted her shoulder back to deflect Rotan’s encroaching sword strike and thrust her sword in half a beat faster.

Hwaaaaaa!

The rhythm of the sword blooming from Yua’s fingertips created a red wave in front of Rotan’s chest.

Paaaaaang!

The small flow became a huge wave in an instant and engulfed Rotan.

Kyaaaaang!

Rotan was horrified by Yua’s sudden counterattack and dropped the sword he was holding.

“W-Wait! I was too careless…”

“There’s no carelessness in a fight!”

Yua didn’t wait for Rotan and immediately followed up, striking his head with the flat of her sword.

Thwack!

Although she reduced her strength, the dragon bone sword caused bright red blood to spurt from the top of Rotan’s head.

“That’s it!”

Martha raised her thumb towards Yua.

“Hitting the head was perfect!”

She smiled, asking how she thought of smashing his head.

“I saw Young Master Raon doing it every day, so…”

Yua scratched her wrist, recalling Raon beating the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.

“Well, if you keep watching it, you can’t help but follow it.”

Martha stroked Yua’s head, saying that she had learned well.

“Heeeuuu…”

Rotan let out a groan as if his breath was about to be cut off due to the pain of his head being broken and the shock of losing to the much younger Yua.

“This is too much…”

As he struggled to get up, a fierce aura storm soared from the west, north, and south of the royal capital.

“W-What is that…”

“Ah, that?”

Martha shrugged, looking at Rotan’s trembling eyes.

“We’re cleaning up guys with loose mouths like you. You’re lucky you got caught by us.”

“Ah…”

Rotan now realized that he hadn’t been accidentally caught and knelt on the spot.

“Okay, next.”

After confirming that Rotan’s spirit was completely broken, Martha turned her head to the audience.

“Aren’t you coming out? It’s troubling if you’re already so discouraged?”

She lowered the sword she had been hanging on her shoulder, saying that it hadn’t even started yet.

“If you don’t come, I’ll go! Starting with the bastard who called me Lady Rakshasa!”

Martha rushed into the neutral forces, rampaging like a runaway horse.

“You’re all dead!”

*

*

*

Raon headed to the accommodation assigned to Light Wind Palace after finishing the first meeting.

The swordsmen were enjoying refreshments leisurely with relaxed faces, as if they had relieved their stress to the fullest.

“How was it?”

Raon approached the division leaders and asked about the situation.

“It’s as you said. There was at least one guy in each pub who was belittling our achievements or power.”

Martha nodded, saying that she had crushed all the guys who were running their mouths.

“Their movements were similar to professional protesters. They said the same things they said in the first pub in the second pub as well.”

Burren clicked his tongue, saying that it was clearly an intentional movement.

“But it didn’t smell bad…”

Runaan shook her head, saying that they didn’t seem to be spies of the Four Demons.

“There may be spies, but they wouldn’t do such conspicuous things.”

Raon shook his head, looking out the window.

“The people who tried to undermine our reputation today were probably trying to raise their own value rather than spying.”

He had expected that there would be people among the neutral forces who would try to belittle the achievements of Zieghart or the Five Kings even before coming here.

The neutral forces that had not yet decided on a path would want to maximize their value. That was understandable enough.

However, they were trying to raise themselves by disparaging the Five Kings, rather than raising their value with their power or abilities.

There was no need to treat those who used such inferior methods as people, so he had unleashed the Mad Dog Squad.

The upcoming war was no different from walking on thin ice with each step. In the midst of that, a clear education was needed for those who only pursued money and profit without conviction.

“The grand conference will be held in three days. Please continue to do your best until then.”

Raon nodded to Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Trevin, saying that he was counting on them.

“Of course.”

“Just leave it to us!”

“It’s kind of fun…”

“Whose words are they, of course, we have to listen.”

Burren, Martha, Runaan, and Trevin nodded grandly as if to say they could be trusted.

“Hmm…”

Raon shook his head, looking at the four people and the Light Wind Palace swordsmen spread out behind them.

“Looking at your eyes, it seems like you’ve relieved too much stress?”

“That’s right!”

“It was refreshing to meet guys who were okay to beat up after a long time.”

Martha and Trevin smiled brightly, saying that it was good.

“Then that won’t do.”

Raon sighed and shook his head.

“Huh?”

“What does that…”

“Follow me.”

He revealed a cold gaze and called everyone to the training ground attached to the front of the accommodation.

“W-Wait, you don’t mean training…”

Burren forgot that he had to call Raon Lord and swallowed hard, speaking informally.

“More neutral forces will gather in three days. We can’t control them properly with the current atmosphere.”

Raon drew a sinister smile and drew the Heavenly Drive with its scabbard.

“I’ll make sure the stress you flew away today fills your minds again.”

He snapped his fingers, telling them to come quickly.

“You damn demon!”

“Was this something that would crush us too?”

“I’m going to die, not relieve stress!”

“If you don’t come, I’ll go.”

Raon lightly turned his ankle and rushed towards the Light Wind Palace swordsmen who were panicking.

Aaaaaaah!

That night. No, until the night before the grand conference, dozens of screams echoed through the training ground.

*

*

*

Three days later, at noon.

The doors of the grand conference hall opened.

Golden sunlight streamed onto the white round table, creating a mystical aura within the hall.

Unlike before, luxurious chairs were placed around the massive round table, and the jade throne that had originally occupied the space was elevated onto the platform.

The leaders of the factions that followed the Five Kings and the neutral factions that had yet to decide their path entered the conference hall one by one and sat before the round table.

Strangely, the expressions of the two factions were polar opposites.

Those who had already decided to follow the Five Kings wore bright smiles, engaging in casual conversation, while those who had yet to choose their path stared at the floor with terrified eyes, like rain-soaked puppies.

Thud.

When all the seats at the round table were filled, an unusually sharp footstep echoed from the end of the corridor.

As people held their breath, only their eyes darting about, Raon entered the conference hall.

Whooooosh!

Those who saw Raon’s Black Dragon Robe fluttering despite the absence of wind involuntarily swallowed hard.

“Everyone’s here, I see.”

Raon stood at the edge of the platform with a heavy gait. With eyes that seemed to flicker with crimson lightning, he looked down upon those seated before the round table.

Gooooooo!

There were numerous warriors and mages present, but only one person dominated the atmosphere of the conference hall.

“I am Raon, the Lord of Light Wind Palace of Zieghart. I am truly grateful that you have come all the way here to participate in this conference.”

Unlike his violent subordinates, Raon began with words of gratitude in a calm tone.

“It’s been a while!”

“You look even better than before!”

“Who would have thought that the title of Sword Emperor would suit someone so well!”

Those who followed the Five Kings cheered and waved at him.

On the other hand, the leaders of the neutral factions were different.

“Ugh!”

“Lord of Light Wind Palace…”

Those who had been beaten by the Light Wind Palace swordsmen hid their bruised faces and bodies, their dry lips trembling with fear.

“The heavens of the Five Kings will be arriving soon, but before that, there is something I would like to say.”

Raon smiled faintly and approached the round table.

“We all know each other well enough. Let’s avoid any unnecessary conflicts.”

As he said those words, Raon pressed down on the round table with a finger that was devoid of any Aura.

Sizzle!

A black hole was pierced into the round table along his long, slender finger.

“Understood?”

When he turned his finger again, the hole in the round table slowly closed. It was a divine feat that transcended mere force.

The martial arts organizations that stood beside the Five Kings applauded as if impressed, but the neutral factions that had yet to decide their path lowered their eyes, as if reminded of the beatings they had endured.

“I trust that you will all do well, and I will now summon the masters of the Five Kings.”

Raon smiled thinly and stepped back.

-Hah….

Wrath let out a sigh as he watched the people trembling with fear.

-What kind of gathering of the continent’s strongest is this! It’s just a union of thugs!