Chapter 990

               

“The fear of battle?”

The Demon Slayer Spear chuckled as he watched Raon approach.

“How presumptuous. But I like it. A warrior of the Five Kings should have that much confidence.”

He smacked his lips, pleased.

“Stop talking. Let’s begin.”

Raon leveled Heavenly Drive—blazing with golden heat—at the Demon Slayer Spear’s neck.

“Good.”

The Demon Slayer Spear slid his left hand forward along the spear, taking a charging stance. A sharp aura rose from him, as if he had become a spear himself.

“A warrior’s fight doesn’t need courtesy.”

He lifted his chin and flicked the fingers holding the shaft.

“I’ll go first!”

With a simple flick, the spear spun violently and shot straight for Raon’s heart.

‘Fast.’

Raon frowned as the strike closed in almost instantly.

‘And it’s not just speed.’

Using the shaft’s elasticity, the Demon Slayer Spear could redirect at any moment. It aimed for Raon’s heart now, but it could change to anything—anywhere—mid-thrust.

‘Then…’

Raon rotated his wrist and unleashed the Fangs of Insanity Sword Art.

A sword art of senses—perfect for catching a difficult, shifting strike.

Kyahhhhh!

Like a beast snapping at its prey’s throat, Heavenly Drive surged up and knocked the spear’s tip away.

Kugugugugu!

Spear and sword collided, blasting an aura wave through the air. Trees were gouged, and brush shredded into fragments.

“Not bad!”

As if the first exchange had been nothing more than a greeting, the Demon Slayer Spear twisted his ankle forward and launched a rapid series of thrusts.

Huuuuuung!

The barrage rushed in at once, like a black wave crashing down with nowhere to run.

‘Then I’ll meet waves with waves.’

Raon scraped the blackened ground and raised the Soul Requiem Sword.

Frost unfurled from its edge like ripples across a lake, forming a blue wave in the air.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Flawless Sea of Flames.

The wave of frost and the wave of spearfire collided head-on, and an aura surge that seemed to reach the sky erupted.

Piiiiik!

Raon narrowed his eyes as the Demon Slayer Spear’s aura pierced through Flawless Sea of Flames and scraped at his Black Dragon Robe.

‘He’s strong.’

Breaking through Flawless Sea of Flames even with Sword Field Creation and still trying to tear into him—this was a true Transcendent.

“It’ll be a problem if you’re already surprised.”

The Demon Slayer Spear smirked and fired again.

Black flames flared along the spear’s path, and Spiral Force bloomed above them, surging toward Raon’s eyes.

“You don’t have to worry.”

Raon shook his head calmly.

“Because I’m not surprised at all.”

He drew Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame : Myriad Incense of Heaven with Heavenly Drive. Flames rotated in the opposite direction, swallowing the Demon Slayer Spear’s technique.

“Then let’s continue.”

The Demon Slayer Spear gripped the back end and extended the spearhead. The black flames burning on it swelled into a massive spear, as if wielded by a god, and drove toward Raon’s heart.

Kuuuuuung!

Raon erected two layers of Flame Wall—one with Heavenly Drive, one with the Soul Requiem Sword.

‘…Still heavy.’

Even with two Flame Walls, the impact hammered into the hands holding his swords.

And the Demon Slayer Spear’s form—

Free.

He feinted at Raon’s heart, then twisted mid-line and snapped the spear toward Raon’s right shoulder.

Nothing refined. Nothing decorative.

Just battlefield freedom—unpredictable, ruthless, and hard to read.

“Your expression has hardened.”

The Demon Slayer Spear looked down and tilted his chin.

“Smile. It’s a fun fight, isn’t it?”

He smiled thinly and leaped.

Huuuuuung!

A fierce strike fell as if it meant to split the rising full moon in half.

Huu.

Raon didn’t panic. Even as that chilling spear strike descended, he regulated his breathing.

‘I can’t get impatient.’

The Demon Slayer Spear hid his true angle every time, wearing down breathing and focus. The only answer was composure.

Jjeoooooooong!

The instant the strike dropped over his head, Raon drew Crimson Flash with Heavenly Drive.

Golden flames and black flames collided between earth and sky.

Kwaaaaaaa!

Sword and spear shook as if they might break. Their flames roared, clashing as if each meant to devour the other.

“Certainly different. But….”

The Demon Slayer Spear curled his lips and drew back. He poured stronger rotation into the shaft, birthing a storm of black aura.

Kwaaaaa!

The storm erased Crimson Flash with sheer wind and rushed in like it meant to tear him apart without leaving a trace.

‘I need time.’

Raon stepped onto the Supreme Harmony Steps and retreated, drawing the Soul Requiem Sword behind his waist.

When the storm came close enough to brush his forehead, he raised his left wrist and released.

Hwaaaaaaaa!

Frost surged from the Soul Requiem Sword, forming a massive dragon that roared across heaven and earth.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame: Flame Dragon Break.

Flame Dragon Break—fused with Glacier’s frost—collided with the storm of black aura, and a terrifying wave swallowed the world.

The sky shattered like glass. The earth twisted. The ground tilted.

Kugugugugugu!

Raon and the Demon Slayer Spear dug their toes into the earth, unleashing sword and spear without pause, as if neither would stop until the other broke. Blue lightning burst between them and sprayed in every direction.

The forest was collapsing, yet there wasn’t even a tremor behind Raon.

He took every bit of the backlash into his own body—so none of it would reach Merlin.

“More! Draw out more!”

The Demon Slayer Spear nodded, delighted, and seized the shaft with both hands. Pivoting on his left foot, he swung horizontally with his whole body.

Huaaaaaaaang!

The spear shaft bent as if it would break, then snapped straight into a single line, drawing a black-flamed spiral.

It was the Evil Martial Divine Spear’s technique—Exploding Spiral Return.

Kwaaaaaaa!

He shattered his own storm and Flame Dragon Break at once, turning the collapse into a spiral of black flames meant to wrap Raon whole.

Sss.

Raon stepped forward instead.

He ignited Heavenly Drive’s flames to the extreme.

The fire on the blade soared as if it would claw the sky, then drilled into the spiral.

Sky-Piercing Sword: Grand Expansion.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Sky-Piercing Sword and the Evil Martial Divine Spear collided, and a tremendous wave swept the forest. Trees tore free from the earth. Brush turned to gray ash and sank.

Kyahhhhh!

Neither gave the other a breath. New techniques erupted back-to-back as sword and spear thrust for each other’s throats.

*

*

*

Kwaddeudeudeuk!

The Demon Slayer Spear Kern smacked his lips as he watched Raon struggle under the Evil Martial Divine Spear.

‘Raon Zieghart….’

For reputation, for satisfaction—he was the best prey.

With no chance to fight the leaders of the Five Kings and Five Demons right now, Raon Zieghart was the perfect sacrifice to raise Kern’s standing.

‘I’m glad I chased Merlin.’

He’d been bored inside Eden Headquarters and taken a mission just to pass time, but a prize had rolled straight into his hands.

His luck had only improved since leaving the Five Divine Order.

“Draw out more heat!”

Kern stepped in and dug into Raon’s left side. Using the subtleties of the Evil Martial Divine Spear, he smashed Raon’s waist with the bent shaft instead of the tip.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Raon dropped Heavenly Drive to defend, but he reacted a beat too late. The impact slipped through, and his shoulders trembled.

“It hasn’t even started! Keep up properly!”

Kern spun the spear like a staff. Rotational force, sharp enough to split the sky, concentrated on the thin spearhead and crashed down toward Raon’s crown.

“Ugh!”

Raon lifted both swords high to defend.

Kern bent the shaft mid-line and redirected—aiming for Raon’s shoulder instead.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Raon twisted Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword to catch it, but the force buried his feet into the ground.

“Your feet are stuck.”

Kern twisted his mouth.

“You don’t have to pull them out. I’ll pull them out for you.”

He swung the shaft horizontally.

Huaaaaaaaang!

The spear, bent like the full moon overhead, sent out a wave of black flames that burned everything in its path.

Kyahhhhhhhh!

Raon drew both swords tight to his chest and braced.

Even so, the strike drove him back—his feet still planted in the earth.

“To think that’s all you can do after opening Sword Field Creation.”

Kern clicked his tongue.

“It was too much for you to carry the title of Sword Emperor after all.”

He snorted, as if the title itself offended him.

“It’s none of your business.”

Raon exhaled a short breath, calm.

“That’s right. It’s none of my business.”

Kern smiled thinly.

“But you should worry about my spear.”

He lifted the spearhead he’d planted in the ground.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Aura surged from the tip into the earth, and a massive blast erupted beneath Raon’s feet.

Kyahhhhhhhh!

Raon drove both swords downward, but he couldn’t block everything that burst up from below.

His shoulders and waist split, blood flashing through torn cloth.

“I won’t give you a moment to breathe now.”

Kern shattered the ground and surged forward, stabbing toward Raon’s chest.

One spear became dozens, like a mirrored reflection—each strike aiming for a different part of Raon’s body.

Kyagyagyagyagyang!

Raon tried to meet it with perfect dual swordsmanship, but he couldn’t catch every line.

Blood sprayed from multiple wounds.

‘He can’t handle the Evil Martial Divine Spear after all.’

A martial art made to kill warriors.

It broke the opponent’s flow and forced its own, handling even Transcendents like children.

“Is that all you’ve got! Try harder!”

Kern fired the spearhead like an arrow. Black energy detonated in front of Raon’s chest in a gruesome burst.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Raon erected Flame Wall, but the impact still slipped through.

He staggered, knees trembling.

“Haa….”

Raon released a deep, murky breath, as if exhausted.

“It’ll be a problem if you’re already tired. That bitch lasted longer than you.”

Kern smacked his lips and pointed at Merlin behind Raon.

“I understand now.” (T/N: There you go! I was waiting for this. Analysis over! Time to murder some bastard!)

Raon straightened his knees and slowly raised his head.

“What?”

Kern frowned at Raon’s calm eyes.

“What do you understand?”

“I know what kind of person you are.”

Raon brushed dust and blood from his uniform and Black Dragon Robe as if the fight were already finished.

“You said you like fighting, right?”

Raon tilted his chin toward him.

“Yes. I like fighting more than any other value in the world.”

Kern nodded as if asking why that mattered.

“I became strong to fight, I created a force to fight, and the only reason I live and breathe is for heart-pounding battles!”

His lips curled, hungry.

“Then are you enjoying it now?”

Raon asked, looking into Kern’s grin.

“Yes. My heart is boiling.”

Kern tightened his grip on the shaft.

“But your sword is so bland my excitement is starting to wane.”

“You don’t like fighting.”

Raon shook his head.

“You like fights you can win.”

“Huh? What nonsense….”

Kern chuckled in disbelief.

“From now on.”

Raon’s gaze turned cold. He lowered Heavenly Drive.

“I’ll make you feel it.”

“Hmph! All that’s left is bluffing when you’re dying!”

Kern bared his teeth and charged, bringing the Evil Martial Divine Spear down toward Raon’s neck.

“Whether it’s a bluff or not, the result will tell.”

Raon stepped forward, eyes steady.

Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword moved with graceful ease, like a dancer’s hands, drawing red and blue flashes.

Kyahhhhhhhh!

In an instant, the twin swords erased Kern’s spear strike and reached his neck.

“Uh, uh….”

Kern’s chin trembled.

He didn’t understand how his martial art had been broken—or why the cold edge of the Soul Requiem Sword was already there.

‘What? When did he get so close?’

He was certain he attacked first.

He was certain he saw his spearhead digging into Raon’s neck.

So why had the strike vanished?

Why was a blue blade at his throat?

He hadn’t even felt it.

“Bullshit!”

Kern snapped the shaft around and knocked the Soul Requiem Sword away.

“It won’t work this time!”

He roared and spun the spear overhead, unleashing the Evil Martial Divine Spear with wind pressure and crushing rotation, smashing down toward Raon’s head.

Kwaaaaaaang!

He detonated everything he had, as if he meant to pulverize the ground itself—

But the spear didn’t sink deep.

Sss.

Raon blocked the technique with Heavenly Drive alone.

The Soul Requiem Sword was already aimed at Kern’s neck.

Blood slid down from above his Adam’s apple, chilled by frost.

“N-no way!”

Kern stumbled back, narrowly avoiding the blade, then stabbed the spear into the sky.

“Full power!”

He stepped into a true stance and drew out his full Aura. With his left hand’s fingertip aimed at Raon, he formed extreme rotation along the shaft.

“Die!”

A spear strike of extreme speed shot out—so fast it erased even sound—carrying rotation that tore through space and black flames that devoured the air.

Evil Martial Divine Spear technique, Azure Wave Extinction.

The domineering strike cracked the air itself as it surged forward, as if it would erase the very existence of Raon.

Huu.

Raon raised Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword, eyes unwavering, as if he could see straight through Azure Wave Extinction.

Paaaaaaa!

Flames from Heavenly Drive unfurled like golden silk, wrapping heaven and earth.

Frost from the Soul Requiem Sword drew a sword path where dreamlike light sparkled and fell.

The harmony of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame : Myriad Incense of Heaven and Raon Zieghart Swordsmanship – Silver Sword Dream.

Golden flames gently wrapped and melted Azure Wave Extinction.

And the faint sword path of Silver Sword Dream slipped past Kern’s sharpened senses and arrived at his neck.

“Ah….”

Kern’s lips trembled.

He stared up at the sky, unable to believe his Azure Wave Extinction had vanished so easily—while the Soul Requiem Sword’s edge rested at his throat.

“Kkeueuk!”

His eyes fluttered like a butterfly caught in rain as the blade slowly bit into his neck.

“Are you still….”

Raon looked down at the fear finally filling Kern’s eyes.

“…enjoying the fight?” (T/N: Cold as fuck. Bro is not playing anymore. )