Rumble!
Once Raon and Ayad's powerful pressures clashed against each other, the damp and soft land distorted and bubbles appeared on the lake as if it were boiling.
Whir.
Just like their leaders, the Light Wind division and the White Lotus division placed their hands on their waists, preparing to draw their swords at any moment.
Their auras were as frightening as their leaders—as if they were facing their enemies.
An internal war between Ziegharts was about to occur as soon as one of them drew their sword and swung it. Ayad placed his thick finger on the hilt of his sword.
"Why are you declining?"
Ayad furrowed his brow to show that he couldn't understand and continued.
"This is an emergency. You should be fully aware that investigating a wider area by spreading them out is the fastest way to find the Warring Steel division."
His displeasure turned into a furious wave and engulfed Raon.
"It's fast indeed, but the plan sacrifices the swordsmen as a prerequisite."
Even though Ayad's pressure was getting more and more powerful, Raon wasn't intimidated at all. He raised his cold gaze and shook his head.
"Even the entire Warring Steel division disappeared without putting up the slightest resistance, yet you want to scatter our members one by one. It's pretty much throwing the swordsmen to their graves. Are you trying to pick apples one by one to donate to the thief?"
"We can save them before that happens."
Ayad rolled his hostile eyes. He shook his head, saying that they could figure out the situation before the swordsmen disappeared or were defeated.
"If me, you, and the team leaders hold their positions, we can save our subordinates before a problem occurs. It would be even better if they end up being kidnapped because we can take advantage of that situation to locate the Warring Steel division."
"You are overconfident about your and your subordinates' abilities."
"What?"
"Even a hundred of you won't be enough to observe this entire area. It might be possible for the vice division leaders, but the team leaders won't notice even if someone was kidnapped in their vicinity. It's the worst method that increases casualties for no reason. And…"
Raon briefly sighed while looking at the White Lotus division, who were biting their lips from behind Ayad.
"Our enemies aren't idiots."
"..."
"The Black Tower's perpetrators should be well aware that we are looking for the Warring Steel division. There's no way they would run the risk of kidnapping them once again. They are going to kill them on the spot and disappear. Division leader, you look like you would like to have that trace at least, but it will be completely meaningless."
The Black Tower's demonized humans had already kidnapped the entire Warring Steel division with a special method. Since they must've already achieved their objective, or they were in the middle of doing so, there was no reason for them to run the risk when they knew that people were chasing them.
"They will kill instead of kidnapping, you say. That's even better."
Ayad stepped forward heavily with his right foot instead of refuting him.
"The White Lotus division is different from the Warring Steel division. My subordinates aren't weak enough to be defeated by the Black Tower because those sloppy bastards have already perished."
He also extended his left foot as he spoke.
Ayad's sturdy body looked even bigger. At the same time, his pressure curled up into a sphere and created an aura barrier to prevent the sound from escaping.
Whir.
His mana moved in such a natural manner that no one should've realized that an aura barrier was created. His ability was befitting a monster who had been a division leader for a long time.
'The fact that he created an aura barrier signifies… That he's about to say something that the others shouldn't hear.'
"And it doesn't matter even if they die."
Raon had guessed right. What Ayad said was something that he couldn't say before.
"Those who can get stronger are the chosen few, and most warriors' job is to be crushed to let them shine. It won't change anything even if they ended up dying a bit earlier."
"They are still your subordinates, aren't they?"
Raon created an extremely faint flow of mana behind him while asking that question.
"Subordinates?"
Ayad sneered even harder. Just as he was about to speak, Raon twisted his mana to create a small hole in the sturdy barrier.
"A devoted subordinate should find a clue for the mission at the cost of their life. Most of them are bait anyway. I don't care how many of them end up dying as long as those that I've personally raised survive in the end. It just needs to continue until I become a palace master… Hmm?"
He glared at Raon in contempt, but suddenly stopped himself upon noticing an abnormality.
"Don't tell me, you…"
He realized it so quickly even though Raon was as careful as possible when controlling his mana. It was an ability befitting a division leader.
'However… Everyone already heard you.'
Raon smiled faintly and turned his eyes towards the White Lotus division. Ayad's words had reached their ears through the aura barrier. There was no way they could remain composed after that.
"Hmm…"
"D-division leader?"
"What you said just now…"
The White Lotus swordsmen either bit their lips or glared at his back with bloodshot eyes.
"..."
An interesting thing to note was that there were still a significant number of swordsmen who weren't surprised at all. They seemed to be the aforementioned warriors, the ones that Ayad had personally raised. Their skills and gazes indeed seemed rather extraordinary.
Hey!
Wrath had been hanging on the shoulder like wet laundry and suddenly stood up.
How is he treating his subordinates like that?! Mess him up right now!
Wrath shouted at Raon to draw his sword already since those who didn't cherish their subordinates deserved to have their heads crushed.
No! Give your body to the King of Essence! I'll force him to watch his frozen body for over ten thousand years!
His furious face turned red even though it was none of his business. He really cherished his subordinates.
"What a nasty trick."
Ayad didn't even look back. He confidently straightened his back and stared at him as if he'd never created the aura barrier. Raon honestly hadn't expected that he wouldn't even flinch.
"I don't know about that. Wasn't it because you aren't skilled enough, division leader?"
Raon curved his lips into a slight smile while maintaining his composed expression.
"You must've been trying to create a rift between the White Lotus division, but it's a meaningless attempt."
He turned around to look at the White Lotus division and bobbed his finger.
"Come here if you want to complain about what I just said. I'll let you leave the division."
Ayad acted even more confidently instead of being embarrassed. He looked like he couldn't even feel the shame because a portion of his emotions were cut apart.
"..."
The White Lotus swordsmen were unable to respond and bit their lips tightly.
"Did you not hear my question?"
"We have no complaints!"
Ayad asked the question for a second time, and the vice division leader, team leaders, vice team leaders, and the skilled warriors that he had personally raised shouted with their hands clasped behind their backs.
"Are you threatening them now? I can't tell which one of us is the nastier one."
Raon sneered at Ayad.
"I remember what you told me during the Selection Ceremony. You told me to join the White Lotus division, and you said you would create a path for me to reach even higher. I'm guessing now that you meant the afterlife by that. It's true that the afterlife is pretty high up there."
"You…"
Thick veins bulged on Ayad's forehead, and the White Lotus swordsmen's faces turned pale.
"I have no intention of becoming your stepping stone. That was the case in the past, and the same goes for now."
"Are you seriously going to keep acting like this? You will regret it."
"You know, people who say that to me tend to regret it."
Raon shrugged his shoulders, saying that he didn't really care.
"You keep picking a fight just because we can't fight right now. You must be out of your mind just because you've gotten a bit stronger."
"I'm not picking a fight. I'm simply talking about the line that a human being shouldn't cross."
Raon had never done nor said anything that he would be ashamed of. There was a line that shouldn't be crossed no matter how urgent it was.
"And…"
Raon's lips curved into an angular smile as he tapped Heavenly Drive's scabbard.
"It's true that we can't fight right now, but I'm not exactly afraid of you, division leader. Don't worry about that."
"Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
Ayad's pressure burst out like an erupting volcano. The entire area around the lake was covered by his energy in an instant. It was as if he was saying that he's been playing around so far.
"Of course."
Raon nodded and unleashed his pressure, which he'd been suppressing. Majestic waves of his energy surged like a wildfire and pushed back Ayad's pressure to engulf the space.
Rumble!
The clash between auras turned the sky darker, and a huge tremor occurred from the ground like an earthquake. Even the powerful swordsmen ended up losing their balance and fell.
"If you can't believe it…"
Raon smiled while gently touching his scabbard.
"What about having a match after this mission?"
He casually shook his hand. It looked like Ayad's pressure had no effect on him.
"..."
Ayad nodded without saying anything. His emotionless gaze was almost frightening.
"I'll remember it. Don't forget."
He glared at Raon with a clear scowl on his face before he turned around to leave.
"Wait a moment, there's still something to discuss…"
"We will act on our own, so you should do whatever you want."
Raon was trying to tell him what he'd learned from the previous clash, but Ayad simply left the lake, saying that he didn't need his help.
"Hmm…"
The White Lotus swordsmen bit their lips before following Ayad. Some of them bowed at Raon to express their gratitude. They looked like they were going to leave the White Lotus division soon enough.
"Haaa…"
"Why is this happening?"
"What the hell is going on?"
The Light Wind division sighed deeply and came towards him. Their sweaty foreheads showed that what had just happened was completely unexpected to them.
"Are you going to be okay?"
Burren's sharp eyes were filled with worries.
"It can't be helped. I can't stand seeing something like that."
It would've been a different story if he didn't know about it, but he wasn't tolerant enough to put up with a guy who blatantly tried to use people as bait.
"Good job! That son of a bitch was trying to use all of us as bait!"
Martha slammed Raon's back, saying that it felt so good, just like when the stomach pain was cured.
"You were damn handsome, Raon."
Runaan walked up to him and gave him a big nod to praise him.
"How did a person like him even become a division leader?"
"It's precisely because of his personality that he managed to become a division leader at a young age."
"I knew something was wrong when I saw that the White Lotus division changed their members far too often."
Raon licked his lips while listening to the Light Wind division. Unfortunately, bad guys were bound to gain power in the world rather than the good ones.
"I was wondering why my stomach ached every time I encountered the White Lotus division leader. It was because of his black heart."
Dorian's shoulders trembled as he said that he'd always felt nervous whenever he'd seen Ayad.
"It was nice to see you humiliate that guy, but what do we do now?"
Krein was laughing but suddenly sighed.
"We need to find the Warring Steel division, but there's no way."
He shook his head, saying that he couldn't even start to guess how to find the Warring Steel division.
"Sir Rugen."
Burren waved his hand at Rugen.
"Ah, yes!"
Rugen had been standing there blankly because of the unexpected situation but quickly nodded upon hearing the call.
"Did you already investigate this lake?"
"Yes. Agents who are capable of breathing underwater dove inside, but no corpses nor traces of battle were found."
He sighed, saying that nothing was found in the area even though they didn't manage to check the deepest parts.
"Haa, where are we even supposed to go?!"
Martha stamped her feet in frustration, and Raon raised his hand.
"It isn't here. We need to go to the opposite side."
"How do you know about that?"
"I found a clue a moment ago."
Raon touched his lips while looking at the lake, where the waves were subsiding.
"Huh…?"
"A-a clue?"
"Really?"
The Light Wind swordsmen were surprised and raised their heads like meerkats. It was completely unexpected for them.
"Wh-which part even gave any clue…?"
Rugen also dropped his jaw, unable to comprehend which part contained any clue.
"It was a moment ago."
Raon licked his lips while looking at the frozen lake on the opposite side instead of the clear lake.
"I felt a faint presence from the frozen lake when my pressure clashed against the White Lotus division leader."
The fact that he disliked Ayad's behavior wasn't the only reason Raon had provoked him.
He'd figured that the Black Tower's perpetrators hiding in the area might show their presence if a large amount of aura clashed, and he could feel a person's movement from the frozen lake—just like he'd planned.
"Huh…"
Rugen gasped while looking at Raon.
"Did you really plan all that under Sir Ayad's pressure?"
His chin trembled violently because of how ridiculous it was.
"You shouldn't expect any common sense from him."
"Yeah, that will only bring headaches."
"Monster with no common sense."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan shook their heads, telling him to consider him a different species.
The same went for the other swordsmen. They were surprised but murmured that it was understandable since it was Raon.
"Wh-which means…"
"Are they from the Black Tower?"
"No, that's not the case."
Raon firmly shook his head.
"I couldn't feel any demonic energy."
Those who'd been hiding were using mana, just like any other ordinary warrior.
They seemed to be using some special artifact, but the energy they used was definitely mana.
"Follow me while pretending to examine the frozen lake."
Raon shook his hand after telling them at which tree those warriors were hiding.
"Slowly encircle them, since we can't miss them."
Raon calmly walked towards the frozen lake like a tourist.
Unlike the clear lake, the frozen lake had a dark color mixed into it, as if black ink were included.
However, he couldn't feel anything strange even though he examined the area with aura perception. The lake's color was slightly different from his previous visit, but it didn't seem to be anything significant.
"Search."
"Yes!"
The Light Wind division scattered all around the lake in groups of two as soon as Raon gave the order.
Their movement looked disordered at first, but they were actually following the previous order and were surrounding the Zelkova tree with lots of snow piled up on it, located outside the frozen lake.
Raon slowly observed the lake as he waited. Once the encirclement was complete, he walked up to the tree and raised his gaze.
Whoosh!
The branches swayed from the cold northern wind. The tree looked completely normal, but five people were hiding in it.
Considering the fact that their presence was hazy even though he was right in front of it, they must've been clad in something special on top of being skilled.
"Come down."
Raon continued while bobbing his finger towards the top of the tree.
"Don't try anything funny, since I can see you."
As soon as he said that, violent pressures spread out from the tree.
Even though the tree had nothing but dry branches, the space above it undulated like a curtain and five people wearing black clothes made their appearance with a bright yellow light.
"Ugh…"
The middle-aged man standing at the center scowled. He had a diagonal scar on his left eyebrow. Judging from their pressures and might, he seemed to be the leader of the group.
"Are you from the Black Tower?"
Raon readied his fingers to draw Heavenly Drive while looking into the middle-aged man's panicking pupils.
"N-no, they aren't."
The response didn't come from above the tree but from Rugen behind him.
"He is the Thespian Emperor's subordinate, the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud."
Rugen informed him that he was the founder of White Whale from the Five Divine Orders, the Thespian Emperor's subordinate. He must've seen his face before.
"You heard him. We aren't from the Black Tower. Stop picking a fight with us for no reason and…"
"So why was the Thespian Emperor's subordinate hiding like a rat?"
"It's none of your business…"
"It does concern me."
Raon sneered and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The heat burst out like hellfire to melt down the coldness brimming on the land and engulfed the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and his subordinates.
Their faces turned pale because of the fiery heat.
"Ugh…"
"What do you think you are doing?! Why are you doing this even though you heard who we are…?"
"Tell me what you know before your heads roll."
Raon tilted his chin while looking at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who withdrew to the back. Bloodlust was glowing dangerously from his eyes.
"Because the Five Divine Orders and the Thespian Emperor are all worthless to me."