-A new Sword Domain?
Wrath raised his round chin sharply.
-You, you! Don't tell me you're trying to copy my Snow Flower!
"Maybe?"
Raon raised his finger and pushed Wrath's nose.
-You scoundrel! That won't do! Do you know how much effort I put into creating Snow Flower! cough
Wrath shook his head vigorously, insisting that Snow Flower was his own unique technique. He looked like cotton candy melting in the sun and curling up into a ball.
"I'm joking."
Raon waved his hand with a faint smile.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't replicate Snow Flower at my current level."
-Hmph! Of course. Snow Flower embodies my realm of power...
"However, I did gain inspiration thanks to you."
-You gained inspiration?
"That's right."
Raon raised his index finger while looking into Wrath's blue eyes.
"There are three types of Sword Domains I've seen so far. The first is the sustained type, like my Divine-Demonic Harmony or the Vice Leader's Eye of the Storm, which allows for prolonged battles."
He continued, raising his middle finger.
"The second is the installation type, like Gambling Monster's Black Blade, which draws enemies into one's own space. And lastly..."
He extended his ring finger, pointing at Wrath.
"The instant type, like your Snow Flower or the Head of House's Unblemished Perfection, which annihilates the enemy in one go. It's not an exaggeration to call them instant-kill techniques."
Wrath's Snow Flower freezes everything in sight as soon as it's activated, while Glenn's Unblemished Perfection tears apart the enemy with three sword strikes: lightning, earth, and heaven.
Both were lethal techniques that drew out their full power to overwhelm the enemy.
-Then what you're trying to create is...
Wrath narrowed his eyes as if understanding the implication.
"That's right."
Raon smiled, leaving only one finger raised.
"I'm thinking of creating an instant-type Sword Domain like yours and the Head of House's."
While Divine-Demonic Harmony has the Invincible Azure-Red Sword as its grand finale, it still doesn't match the power of an instant-type that explodes with all of one's strength the moment the Sword Domain is activated.
He wanted to create a new Sword Domain that could crush enemies like Wrath did to Greed.
-cough Well, if that's the case...
Wrath nodded calmly, apparently thinking that Raon wasn't copying Snow Flower.
"I didn't say I wouldn't copy it, though?"
-W-what do you mean by that! cough
"I said I couldn't replicate it, not that I wouldn't copy it."
Raon grinned at Wrath, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
"How could I not copy such a great learning material right in front of me?"
-You shameless fool!
Wrath gritted his teeth, saying he should have known better.
However, whatever thought crossed his mind, he suddenly let out a deflated laugh.
-Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. It won't be an easy path for you anyway.
"Not an easy path? Why?"
-Because you're hiding a lot of things. cough
He shook his head mockingly.
-As I've said before, after reaching transcendence, seemingly trivial factors like emotions become important. The reason my Snow Flower is so powerful is because it reveals everything I have.
Wrath brought his hands together as if he were about to unleash Snow Flower. However, unlike before, without fingers, his hands looked like thick loaves of bread.
-You possess a chilling killing intent and anger that never matched your age, yet there are times when you seem strangely weak-hearted. Honestly, I still can't figure you out.
He let out a heavy sigh.
-No, you probably don't even know what kind of person you are yourself. cough
"Well..."
Raon lightly bit his lip.
'He's right.'
Except for his desire for revenge against Derus, and his wish for Sylvia, the annex residents, and the Light Wind division to do well, his existence was empty.
As Wrath said, even I couldn't gauge myself.
-The instantaneous Sword Domain you mentioned requires pouring out your emotions just as you unleash your martial power. It won't be easy for you in your current state.
"I guess so. But..."
Raon smiled calmly.
"There's still plenty of time."
There were still three months until the life-or-death battle with the Axe King.
It was a period that could be considered short or long, but it would be enough time to focus solely on training and reflect on himself.
-P-plenty of time? Don't tell me you...
Wrath's lips trembled in disbelief.
-Are you planning to stay in this training room for three months? cough
"No, I'll have to leave ten days before. Probably about two and a half months."
-Then what about food...
"This."
Raon grinned as he pulled out a large bundle from his Subspace Pouch, containing only Nadine bread.
-Aaaaaargh!
Wrath screamed and retreated as soon as he saw the bundle of Nadine bread, just like when he encountered Merlin.
-Get that away! Just looking at it cough makes me lose my appetite! cough
"It can't be helped."
Raon laughed as he tossed and caught the Nadine bread.
"There's no better food for eating in the training room than Nadine bread."
Nadine bread has no smell, and eating just one induces gluttony.
It was as essential as water in the training room.
-cough, cough...
Wrath coughed repeatedly, letting out empty breaths.
"Are you okay? Why are you coughing so much..."
Raon furrowed his brows as he looked at the shrunken Wrath.
Wrath had coughed before, but this time he showed no signs of stopping. Despite having witnessed his strength firsthand, Raon couldn't help but worry.
-There's something I need to tell you about that. cough
Wrath nodded slowly.
-Taking away the aftermath of my descent upon you has caused some spiritual damage to me. It seems I'll need to sleep for a while.
"You sleep every day anyway."
Raon tilted his head. He couldn't understand what this guy, who slept almost all the time when he wasn't eating, as if he were a combination of Sloth and Gluttony, was talking about.
-It's a longer sleep than that.
Wrath shook his head, saying it would take some time to stabilize his spiritual body.
-I enjoyed the festival and ate enough home-cooked meals and snacks to prepare, so now seems just right. cough
He chuckled, telling Raon to eat lots of Nadine bread while he was unconscious.
"How much of the aftermath of the demon king's descent did you take away?"
-I took away an appropriate amount. cough
Wrath said this with a smile. It seemed he had taken on a bit more of my burden.
-Don't misunderstand! As if I, the great demon king, would worry about a mere human! Ah, of course, our kind ice cream girl, pineapple girl, and beef girl are exceptions!
"So, how long will you sleep?"
Raon frowned at the grinning Wrath.
-I'll probably wake up before your life-or-death battle. After all, I need to take over that body before you die. cough
"That's fine then."
It wasn't like he was leaving for good, so it didn't matter if he came back. In fact, it was better since Raon could focus on training.
'Wait a minute...'
Did I just say that's fine?
At first, I had wished so much for Wrath to leave, but now I felt relieved that he was just going to sleep and come back.
It wasn't because of Wrath's abilities or the system's rewards. I had grown deeply attached to that chattering cotton candy beside me.
It seemed that Wrath had become something different to me, neither an enemy nor a comrade.
"Hey."
Raon tapped Wrath's forehead, shaking off his confusing thoughts.
"If you come out late, I'm going to explore all the good restaurants by myself."
-Hmph! Don't worry! I always keep to my meal times... cough
Judging by the coughing, it wasn't very convincing.
-Still, I'm looking forward to it. To see how you'll change.
"Yeah. I'll make sure to surprise you the moment you wake up."
-Hmph. There are other things I'm looking forward to.
Wrath shook his head, telling Raon not to misunderstand.
-It's awkward to say goodbye to you, so I'll be going now.
With those words, he retreated into the bracelet. The ice flower bracelet shimmered with a pale silver light before fading.
"Wrath."
Raon tapped the bracelet, calling out to Wrath. There was no response.
"Actually, I brought some ice cream too."
-...You should have said that earlier! cough
Wrath poked his face out from the bracelet.
"You're lying about being sick, aren't you?"
-D-don't be ridiculous! The great demon king doesn't fake illnesses!
"It doesn't seem that way."
Raon shook his head and took out the bead ice cream Sylvia had given him from his Subspace Pouch.
"Think of it as your last supper."
-What do you mean last! I, the great demon king, will eat every bead ice cream launched in my lifetime!
* * *
After eating the ice cream, Wrath truly fell asleep. To confirm, Raon did the ice cream test.
"There's another box of mint chocolate, you know?"
The fact that he didn't wake up even at the mention of mint chocolate showed how deeply he was sleeping.
"It feels strange to have that constantly chattering guy be so quiet."
Raon tapped his wrist for no particular reason, then took out the Holy Flame given by the Saintess and the Sacred Return Pill received from Hoppen.
'These two should be enough.'
Since both the Holy Flame and the Sacred Return Pill were based on holy power, there was no need to take them separately.
With the gluttony effect, it would be more than enough to replenish all the aura he had lost.
'However...'
What I want isn't aura.
To create a new Sword Domain, I need to reach the mental world.
I planned to use the Holy Flame and Sacred Return Pill as mediums to enter the calm yet chaotic mental world without wasting time.
"Phew..."
Raon exhaled deeply and opened the wooden box containing the Sacred Return Pill. Instead of a bitter herbal scent, a cool autumn wood fragrance wafted out.
Next, he opened the lid containing the Holy Flame, and a sweet aroma that made his mouth water flowed out. Perhaps due to the holy power, both elixirs had pleasant fragrances.
'That cotton candy might have liked these.'
He chuckled and put the Sacred Return Pill and Holy Flame in his mouth. The Sacred Return Pill melted like water the moment it touched his tongue and went down his throat along with the Holy Flame.
Whoosh!
The two holy elixirs, as if recognizing that they weren't enemies, harmonized and spread throughout his entire body.
It felt like holy water with a subtle warmth was flowing through his blood vessels and mana circuits.
The minute remaining injuries in his mana circuits healed instantly, and the damage to his bones and muscles disappeared. It was an incredible healing power.
The holy energy, seemingly unsatisfied with just healing, spread from his head to his toes, activating his body and senses.
He could almost feel the minute muscles and mana circuits, and his five senses developed to an uncanny degree.
He could even hear the sound of ants crawling on the ceiling of the training room.
Just as he felt like he was shedding his physical shell, the holy power subsided, and the mana that had been filling it began to surge.
He circulated the large amount of mana that had burst out from the holy shell according to the flows of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Glacier, and Garunua.
New aura filled his previously empty dantian.
Perhaps because he had purified his body before cultivating aura, the energy accumulating in his dantian was purer than ever before.
The mana that filled his dantian turned towards the middle dantian and soon knocked on the door of the upper dantian.
Woooong!
The dense scent of mana and the sensation of his body honed to the extreme naturally opened the door to the mental world.
Whoosh!
Along with a brilliant light, the world of swords I had built came into view.
The sprouts of swordsmanship blooming from the red and blue earth were still there, and the wind that had settled in a small area had expanded its territory slightly.
However, at the center of the world, a black hole rippled due to the aftermath of the demon king's descent, and the eight Rings of Fire that had risen in the sky creaked like broken pendulums.
"First..."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at the twisted Rings of Fire.
"Let's start from there."
* * *
"That's it for today."
Rimmer clapped his hands as the moon revealed its faint smile.
"It's getting late, so let's clean up."
He yawned widely as he said they should end today's training here.
"Yes."
The Light Wind division responded briefly and bowed their heads, seemingly drained from the continuous training.
"I'm exhausted."
"Yeah, with Gambling Monster in the morning and the Vice Leader pressuring us in the afternoon, it's killing me."
"Of course, not as much as the Division Leader though."
"But why is the Vice Leader suddenly so enthusiastic?"
As the swordsmen chatted and began cleaning up the training ground, there was someone who was swinging their sword even more vigorously.
It was Runaan. She slowly raised her sword blade, suffused with moonlight, and bloomed a single ice flower.
Her sword dance, gradually increasing in speed, flowed as elegantly as a painter's brush, depicting dozens of snow flowers.
Shiiing!
As Runaan lowered her sword, the ice flowers that had been floating like a beautiful garden shattered in an instant.
If she had imbued that with astral energy, a storm of frost would have arisen, devastating the surroundings.
"Hey!"
Martha frowned as she watched the frost fragments settling on the training ground.
"Don't get cocky. I'll catch up to you soon anyway. Just you wait."
"Pfft."
Runaan mocked Martha with a blank stare.
"Eek!"
Martha snorted loudly as if she was about to pounce.
"You might be at a higher level, but I'd win in a fight! Come at me if you dare!"
"Calm down. How do you two manage to fight every single day!"
Burren shook his head as he stood in front of Martha.
"That frog mocked me! You saw it too!"
"I saw you picking a fight first, though?"
"I just said I'd catch up! She's the one who got unfairly strong on her own!"
Martha raised her fist, calling it unfair.
"Well, that's true..."
Burren nodded briefly and then looked at Runaan.
"Runaan. Your achievements have suddenly improved a lot. Did something happen in Suphren?"
"I'm not sure."
Runaan shook her head with a calm gaze.
"It's just that my training has been going well since I woke up there."
Since waking up after fainting in the Suphren Kingdom, her aura had increased, her body had become stronger, and her swordsmanship level had naturally risen.
She was surprised herself, as all she had done was sleep and wake up.
It felt similar to when she had grown stronger by sensing the cold energy emanating from Raon during their trainee days.
"Anyway! I'll catch up to you. Just you wait!"
"Hmph."
"Argh! That emotionless smirk makes me even angrier! Let me at her!"
"Miss Rakshasa. See you tomorrow."
Runaan waved at Martha, who was being held back by Burren, and left the fifth training ground. She headed not to the dormitory, but to the Sullion main house.
She leisurely returned to her family home, observing the people in the bustling streets, but there was one thing different from usual.
"Hm?"
What's this?
The entrance light, which was always on when she returned, was out.
Just in case, she extended her aura perception, but there was nothing unusual about the movements of the people inside the mansion.
Runaan slightly furrowed her brow as she opened the entrance and carefully went inside.
"Oh my! Young miss!"
"When did you arrive?"
Perhaps because the lights were off, the maids bowed their heads in surprise.
"I just got here."
"Runaan!"
Hearing Runaan's voice, Rokan and Clara came out of the dining room.
"You're a bit late."
"Yes. But why..."
Runaan tilted her head, pointing at the dark entrance.
"Ah, sorry about that. We were lost in thought."
"..."
Rokan rubbed the back of his head, and Clara smiled awkwardly.
"It's late, so let's have dinner first."
He held Runaan's shoulder and walked towards the main dining hall.
"..."
Runaan narrowed her eyes as she watched Rokan and Clara's backs.
Seeing the awkward behavior of her parents, who would usually ask for a hug, it was clear that something had happened. For now, she pretended not to notice and sat at the table.
During the meal, nothing unusual happened. The food was delicious, and even her favorite mint chocolate ice cream was served.
However, Rokan and Clara's expressions remained awkward. Though they smiled on the surface, their eyes would occasionally harden with seriousness.
"Dad."
Runaan put down her unfinished bead ice cream.
"Something's wrong, isn't it?"
"Well..."
Rokan couldn't answer immediately and furrowed his brow.
"Was it that obvious?"
Clara asked with a sigh.
"Very."
Runaan nodded, saying it was impossible not to notice.
"Well, you're not a child anymore."
Rokan nodded, scratching his forehead.
"We were debating whether to tell you or not, but I think it's better to let you know so you can prepare."
He exhaled deeply before continuing.
"News has come that a strange figure wearing Baphomet's helmet and wielding a greatsword was spotted in the south. It seems Syria might be alive."
Rokan bit his lip until it bled.
'It must have become a trauma.'
For Runaan, Syria was more than just an enemy.
They decided to tell her, thinking that while she might be scared to learn he was alive, it was better than being caught off guard without knowing.
"B-but there's no need to worry."
Rokan raised his fist.
"Your dad will make sure he can't lay a finger on you..."
"Was that it?"
Runaan muttered "Is that all?" as she picked up her ice cream again.
"R-Runaan?"
Clara's eyes widened in surprise.
"I thought my brother might be alive."
Runaan nodded calmly as she put the ice cream in her mouth.
The goat, which is the symbol of Baphomet, has been called the devil's animal since ancient times.
Knowing that goats can survive even with their necks twisted or broken, she had expected Syria might be alive ever since she heard his body had disappeared.
"Dad, Mom, you don't need to worry."
A faint smile appeared on Runaan's lips. Her light purple eyes no longer showed any fear of Syria.
"I'll be the one to destroy my brother."
* * *
"Phew..."
Raon sighed and lowered his gaze. The black cracks that had devastated the upper dantian were all sealed, and new sprouts of swordsmanship bloomed on what was once black earth.
The Rings of Fire rotating in the celestial sky were also fully restored, with eight rings resonating and emitting a solemn reverberation.
'That was faster than I thought.'
It was a path he had walked before, and since Wrath had taken away much of the aftermath, he was able to heal the wounds of the upper dantian more quickly than expected.
'Now for the new Sword Domain... Huh?'
As he was smiling and rotating his wrist, a few swords he had never seen before appeared next to the slowly turning Rings of Fire and began to trace magnificent trajectories.
"No way, that's..."
Raon's lips trembled as he saw a familiar-looking sword among them.
"Heavenly Tremor?"