The Frozen Scent covered her mouth as she watched the Demon Ring turn into a pool of blood without even leaving a corpse behind.
'What did I just witness?'
The Demon Ring's attack was closest to perfection despite his panic.
The ferocious throw of the Sturdy Chakram of Annihilation was imbued with demonic energy that no one should've been able to easily fend off, but Raon casually swung his sword as if he were dealing with a child and managed to destroy the chakram.
'He's far too different from what I've heard.'
Raon was supposed to be an advanced Master according to the tower's information, but he was actually at the highest level of Master.
'However…'
Even for a highest Master, it was still impossible to kill the Demon Ring so easily. There must've been a problem with the balance somewhere inside him.
'Damn it.'
She'd been relaxing and focusing on restoring the boundary since she trusted the Demon Ring's ability, but that was a huge mistake.
She regretted that she hadn't postponed the restoration of the barrier and combined forces with the Demon Ring to somehow stop Raon's assault.
'It will be difficult.'
She was more powerful than the Demon Ring, but there wasn't that big of a difference.
She wasn't confident she could defend against Raon Zieghart's attacks since he'd incinerated the Demon Ring in a single strike.
The only good part about it was that she'd managed to restore the boundary while the Demon Ring was dying, but it didn't seem to be that effective against Raon, since he seemed to be resistant to demonic energy, unlike the others.
"Ugh…"
The Frozen Scent raised her gaze while biting her lip. A frightening amount of bloodlust was rising from the sword that Raon was holding above his head.
It looked like he was planning to immediately cut her off like he'd mentioned before.
'I need a way. A way to weaken him by any means… Huh?'
She rolled her eyes while biting her lip and noticed the demonic energy undulating at the ceiling.
The curse of resentment that had scattered all around the place was wavering once again because the boundary was restored.
A large amount was burnt from the firestorm that Raon had created when he intruded into the boundary, but around half of it fortunately remained.
'That's what I was looking for! That curse is the only way I have!'
Even though it was incomplete and only half of it was left, it was still the curse of resentment that she'd personally created.
No matter how powerful Raon was, he couldn't possibly have any curse resistance since he was a warrior. That was why she needed to weaken his power with that demonic energy no matter what.
Whir.
The Frozen Scent pretended to clasp her hands behind her back and moved her fingers to condense the curse scattered in the air.
Since that demonic energy was made of the curse instead of any martial art or magic, it was bound to hit the target.
"Next? Your arrogance knows no limits."
She pretended to be angry and struck him with the curse that she'd gathered as much as possible.
Whaap!
The curse made of resentment from more than a hundred people's deaths turned into a black shroud and engulfed Raon.
"I did it!"
The Frozen Scent raised her hands while cheering in joy.
'Now I just need to strike while he is confused…Huh?'
She was planning to finish him off while Raon was unable to move from the curse, but his movement wasn't normal.
Whir!
He took out the dagger from behind his waist, and the curse of resentment she'd worked so hard to gather started to be absorbed into the blade.
"Wh-what…?"
The Frozen Scent widened her eyes while looking at the curse being absorbed into the dagger.
"What the hell is that dagger?!"
The yellow ghastly energy emerging from the bloody red dagger was devouring all of the curse of resentment targeting Raon.
"I'm sorry, but a shabby curse like this isn't going to work against me."
Raon completely slashed the curse unleashed by the Frozen Scent and held his dagger in a reverse grip.
"Because the one I have with me holds the greatest resentment in the world."
* * *
Raon smiled faintly while looking down on the Blade of Requiem, which was making the clear sound of sword resonance.
'I didn't expect you to volunteer for me.'
He was obviously aware that the Frozen Scent was controlling the curse a moment ago.
He was planning to tank it and burn it up to prevent it from harming the hostages or the injured people, but the Blade of Requiem had started to resonate, asking him to draw it.
It smoothly absorbed the curse of resentment created from people's deaths as if it was already aware that the curse was born from resentment.
'Thank you.'
It looked like the Blade of Requiem took the initiative since it knew better than anyone about resentment and grudges.
Raon caressed the blade because he felt thankful and sorry at the same time.
"I gave you enough time, didn't I?"
Raon raised Heavenly Drive and unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the maximum output. The Frozen Scent swallowed nervously upon witnessing the crimson astral energy bursting from the blade.
"Let's put an end to this. I don't want to stay in this putrid place anymore."
Raon smiled coldly and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He charged towards the Frozen Scent while smashing the land filled with curse and blood.
"Fuck off!"
Despite her panic, the Frozen Scent still managed to gain distance like sliding across ice by controlling the coldness.
Despite her flexible movement, the speed matched the Supreme Harmony Steps.
"I won't be defeated so easily!"
She scowled like a fiend and extended her hand. An ice tornado was unleashed from the center of her palm and engulfed Raon's body like a snake.
Whaam!
The energy was powerful enough to tear the skin apart through a Master's protective astral energy, but Raon wasn't feeling any pain at all except for the stench from the demonic energy.
'I knew it.'
Raon snickered and swung Heavenly Drive downwards. The flaming astral energy unleashed from the blade easily cut through the Frozen Scent's ice tornado.
"Ah…"
He could see the Frozen Scent's face behind the coldness getting ripped apart. He couldn't stop his smile upon seeing her eyes, which couldn't hide her panic and surprise.
"I-I should've locked you up…"
"You were lacking too much information."
Raon narrowed his eyes while pulling Heavenly Drive backward.
'And it was way too much.'
Because he'd suffered from the Curse of Frost caused by Wrath ever since his childhood, his resistance to coldness was one thing he was proud of.
He could withstand a drake's ice breath without any issue. That was why a sloppy ice tornado like that couldn't even dent him.
Since coldness was the main weapon of the Frozen Scent, he was pretty much her perfect counter.
"Th-that coldness wasn't ordinary, so how…?"
The Frozen Scent's hands were trembling as she murmured that it couldn't be happening. The pieces of ice fell from her fingers and got stuck on the ground.
"It's meaningless even if it's not ordinary. It's still a coldness."
Raon sneered and used the Supreme Harmony's Second Step. He moved to the Frozen Scent's right side in a split second and unleashed his astral energy while scratching the ground.
"Damn it!"
The Frozen Scent reacted quickly despite her astonishment. She created a frozen ground to move to the left and made a thick wall.
Crack!
The astral energy burning in red melted the ice wall in an instant, but she had already gained distance from him.
"Huff…"
The Frozen Scent continued her rough breathing without realizing that her long hair was stuck to her face.
"I like how fast you react because you were previously only moving your finger while lying down on the ground."
Raon smiled while extending Heavenly Drive and his left foot forward.
"I've seen enough. I'll finish you off now."
"You are the one who will be finished!"
When Raon was about to use the Supreme Harmony Step to advance toward her, the Frozen Scent screamed and extended her hand.
Whir!
The space sloshed like a lake, and hundreds of ice weapons appeared.
The ice weapons were even engulfed in black flames of demonic energy, and they flew toward Raon's vitals—like his neck and heart—as if they had eyes of their own.
Every single one of them was as powerful as astral energy.
'She's not a complete idiot.'
Considering the fact that she was throwing ice weapons surrounded by demonic energy as soon as she'd noticed that coldness was ineffective against him, she was capable of quickly adjusting to the battle.
'However… It's still meaningless against me.'
Raon twirled Heavenly Drive like a windmill to draw a circle.
Whaam!
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's Firewall, which was even sturdier and harder than before, destroyed all of the ice weapons as it advanced.
Glenn and Rector's lessons had enhanced his usual techniques to a whole different level on top of teaching him new principles. Even though the realm remained the same, his might was incomparable to before.
Thud!
After incinerating the ice blades raining down on him, he dashed head-on toward the Frozen Scent.
He swung down Heavenly Drive in a curved trajectory while incorporating it with the acceleration of the Supreme Harmony's Second Step and the Fangs of Insanity's ferocity.
"Kuh!"
The Frozen Scent used her sliding footwork once again, but Raon had already finished analyzing its flow since he'd seen it twice already.
He turned his ankle with the Supreme Harmony's Third Step and caught up to her from the side.
"This is as far as you go."
"It's not over yet!"
As Raon was about to cut off her head, the Frozen Scent placed her hand on the ground. Obviously, she wasn't trying to surrender.
A tremendous amount of coldness and demonic energy burst from her fingers, and a frozen wave soared from the ground to the ceiling.
'The Silver White Aurora?'
She was using the same method as Wrath's technique, the Silver White Aurora, even though the output was as far apart as the land and heavens.
'Is she trying to freeze me? It's meaningless.'
Raon sneered and controlled the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's heat the same way as the Frozen Scent.
Whaaam!
The huge fire capable of melting the ground covered in demonic energy soared into the air and completely destroyed the wave of coldness created by the Frozen Scent.
"Ah, ahh…"
Inside the rising steam, the Frozen Scent was stepping backward with trembling eyes. A blunt sound could be heard, which seemed to be her back reaching the boundary.
"You mentioned the vice master of the tower, didn't you?"
Raon tilted his chin while walking towards the Frozen Scent.
"Is he targeting me?"
"…Yes."
The Frozen Scent nodded while biting her lip.
"Even if you manage to get out of here alive, you will eventually get killed by h—"
"Sure."
Raon shrugged his shoulders, showing that he didn't care whatever she thought.
"You bastaaard!"
The Frozen Scent gathered her hands. A silver light radiated from the center of her palms facing each other. The demonic energy and coldness gathered up and condensed before turning into a deep blue ray fired at Raon.
"What a desperate struggle."
Raon quietly raised Heavenly Drive. A red heat ray appeared on the silver blade and spread a frightening amount of pressure around it.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Hundred Flames.
Crimson Slash.
The sharpest strike among the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's techniques cut through the Frozen Scent's final attack.
Crack!
The ray made of concentrated coldness and demonic energy was split apart, and a red line appeared on the Frozen Scent's face that was standing at the end.
"Y-you will never…"
The Frozen Scent couldn't even finish her dying words and was cut in half before collapsing on the ground.
Shring.
Raon casually shook Heavenly Drive, which still didn't have any blood on it, and returned it to its scabbard.
'I definitely got better than before.'
The realm of his swordsmanship was clearly different from before thanks to Glenn and Rector's one-on-one lessons.
He still had not reached the Grandmaster's wall, but he had the feeling that he could win against any Master in the world.
"Wow…"
"I couldn't even see the flow, even though I knew all the techniques he used."
"Wh-what the hell? Weren't they supposed to be floor overseers? Why did they die so easily?"
"Does he ever stop getting stronger?"
The Light Wind swordsmen widened their eyes as they saw Raon easily slay the two floor overseers.
"I-it hasn't even been that long since I saw you at Habun Castle…"
"Uaah…"
"I-is he even human?"
"That's crazy. Crazy is the only way to describe this."
The Warring Steel swordsmen were the same. Their chins were trembling, their eyes telling him that they had never expected such a ridiculous outcome.
"A-are we alive? Did we manage to survive?"
"Aah…"
"Thank you! I'm really grateful."
The people who were kidnapped by the Black Tower sank to the ground and cried.
Raon bit his lip while watching the trembling people with their hands gathered in a prayer.
It was heartbreaking to see innocent people dragged into it as sacrifices because it reminded him of his previous life.
He wanted to get them out of that place as fast as possible.
"Please gather here, everyone."
He shook his hand to gather the Light Wind division, the Warring Steel division, and the hostages to the center.
"How are you planning to go out? All the demonized humans have already died."
"We didn't even leave a single one alive because you told us to kill them all."
"There was no need for words."
Burren Martha and Runaan shook their heads, saying that there was no demonized human alive.
"It's fine."
Raon smiled faintly while stabbing the Blade of Requiem on the ground since it was making a sword resonance.
"This one is going to devour all of the demonic energy forming the boundary."
"Hmm…"
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud slowly opened his eyes upon feeling that someone was shaking his shoulder.
"Huh?"
A man that he'd never expected to be there could be seen from the white blurry vision.
'Why is the White Wolf Saber here?'
The one standing in front of him was the White Wolf Saber, an executive who was one rank higher than himself in White Whale.
"Are you okay?"
"How did you get here?"
"The esteemed one dispatched me."
The White Wolf Saber furrowed his brow while looking at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud's severed arm.
"I was asked to come here since there was a bad omen in heaven, but I didn't expect this to happen…"
He sighed, saying that he had never expected a situation like that.
"What even happened to you? Weren't you supposed to simply hide here and observe the demonized humans who would appear later on?"
"I-indeed. That was the mission we had, but a problem occurred in the process…"
"Problem?"
"Yes. Raon Zieghart suddenly appeared…"
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud told everything the White Wolf Saber that had happened.
"What's wrong with that crazy bastard?!"
The White Wolf Saber frowned, saying that he'd never thought the White Sword Dragon was such a boorish person.
"This isn't time to be angry. W-we should leave for now."
"No, I can't leave like this."
"What? What do you mean…?"
"Even though you were hiding inside Zieghart's domain, cutting your arm off was excessive. The White Whale's pride is at stake here. We can't just leave like this!"
He shook his head, saying that it was trouble between factions rather than individuals.
"I'm going to make him pay for cutting your arm off and threatening you."
"N-no!"
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud shook his head like crazy.
"H-he is just insane! You can't talk sense to him!"
He hadn't mentioned that he was the first one to attack, but he had the feeling that the White Wolf Saber wouldn't change his mind even if he did.
"He will have to listen to me."
The White Wolf Saber twisted his lips while grabbing the saber's scabbard hanging around his waist. He seemed ready to use violence if needed.
"B-but…"
Just as the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was about to shout to plead for him to leave, yellow energy gushed out from the center of the frozen lake.
Whaam!
The fissured ice trembled, and a black dimension opened its jaw. What came out from inside were swordsmen covered in blood and some people who looked ordinary.
"What the hell…?"
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud's jaw dropped as he looked at the Light Wind division.
'Did they seriously manage to kill both the Demon Ring and the Frozen Scent?'
He couldn't see any demonized humans at all, since all of them were either swordsmen or ordinary people. They'd actually managed to barge into a boundary that was pretty much an enemy base and slay the Black Tower's floor overseers. He could only gasp at how ridiculous that was.
"Uaaah!"
The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud was looking for Raon and screamed upon meeting his emotionless eyes. He looked even scarier than when he entered the boundary, and he couldn't even look straight at him.
The White Wolf Saber looked around while listening to the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud's scream. He could see a blond-haired and red-eyed swordsman who could only be described as graceful.
'Is he Raon Zieghart?'
His appearance was as colorful and attractive as the information he had, but the sharp spirit dwelling in his red eyes was even more impressive than his appearance.
'He should be as powerful as the rumors.'
The White Wolf Saber had previously underestimated him, but he put away that idea and straightened his clothes before walking up to Raon.
"Are you the White Sword Dragon?"
"Indeed."
Raon gave a small nod while probing into the White Wolf Saber's eyes.
"I'm the White Wolf Saber from the White Whale. I'll need to make you pay for what you've done to our men."
The White Wolf Saber furrowed his brow while pointing at the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud, who'd lost an arm.
"Are you from the White Whale?"
"Indeed. I won't overlook this matter since you rashly cut off a person's arm. I'm going to complain to Zieghart and…"
"You will come with us in that case."
"What? Why would I go with you?"
"I need to find out how much you are related to this incident. If you don't want to lose your arm just like him…"
Raon bit his lip while glancing at the people who were still terrified. His eyes became frightening enough to make a chill run down his spine.
"Shut up and follow me."