Chapter 271: Chapter 271
Thud!
Gelmia was unable to overcome the Flame Dragon Art, which had become even more powerful than before, and was slammed into the wall.
"Huff! Huff!"
He barely managed to extinguish the Flame Dragon Art that was spreading like hellfire, letting out a rough exhale that made it sound like he was at death's door.
"Wh-Who the hell are you? What the hell is wrong with you?"
Gelmia screamed. He was unable to hide his astonishment as his lips trembled violently.
Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and walked up to Gelmia.
"You know, I've never skipped basic training for even a single day since I started wielding the sword."
Basic techniques were horizontal slash, vertical slash, diagonal slash, and stab. Although most people tended to overlook the basic techniques once they learned proper swordsmanship, Raon had been polishing the basics every single day.
"I was rather confident in stabs, but your swordsmanship enlightened me. I really admired you, that you were able to achieve such a variety and power by using nothing but stabs. However..."
Raon ground his teeth while glaring at Gelmia.
"What was that unsightly cut you showed me at the end?"
During the final clash, Gelmia had created hundreds of astral energies to charge towards his vitals with a single stab.
The technique was marvelous enough to unconsciously widen his mouth, but it was completely empty inside.
The real strike was the technique that had nothing but power hiding behind the Wind Master Swordplay.
"Your pathetic display ruined the fun of it."
It was an opportunity to climb even higher.
The Flame Dragon Art from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation that he'd been using could have evolved into another level, yet the ugly attempt of that damn bastard had ruined the flow. It was such a shame, enough of one that Raon was boiling in anger.
"I'm never going to forgive you for this."
A frightening amount of murderous intent surged from Raon's red eyes.
Huh...?
Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment.
S-So what you are saying is that you are angry at him because he didn't swing his sword the way you wanted?
It was ridiculous. The mistake made by that idiot Galaga or Gelforce or whatever was one thing, but he was certain that Raon had gone crazy because he was angry at his opponent for not using the technique he wanted.
You are seriously nuts!
He'd seen many humans throughout his long life, but no one had ever been as crazy as him.
How did he even turn into a monster like that?
Was the environment the important factor after all?
He thought in the beginning that Raon was a coldhearted, calm, and patient kid, but the person in front of him was literally a crazy bastard.
He figured that it must've been because of the influences from Shitty Ears, the clumsy handed woman, and that head of house geezer.
There's no one like him even among the demons...
Wrath decided once again that he would bring that crazy bastard to Devildom in order to revive the demon race.
"Sh-Shut up!"
A nasty amount of murderous intent was coming from Gelmia as he raised himself up.
"I'm not letting it end like this!"
He thrust his sword with all of his rage. The explosive power of the Silent Demonic Blade burst from the thin sword.
"It's meaningless."
Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced like lightning to swing Heavenly Drive at him, the Fangs of Insanity's principles unleashed upon the blade.
Clang!
The silver blade's fierce roar shattered Gelmia's strike in an instant and pierced his waist.
"Kuh!"
Gelmia stepped back while covering his waist.
"Wh-What...?"
His lips were trembling in disbelief, facing the reality where his Silent Demonic Blade was defeated by just a simple swing of his sword.
Thud!
Raon immediately kicked the ground. He seemed to have no intention of giving him a breather.
"G-Get away from me!"
Gelmia hurriedly thrust his sword. It was the Wind Master Swordplay's stab with maximized penetration and explosive power, but it was meaningless at that point.
Tshing!
Raon charged from the left side and slashed with Frost Pond. The Heavenly Blade, incorporating the principles of extreme swiftness, deflected the thin sword as the blade of frost dashed along the silver trajectory and slashed Gelmia's upper body.
Pssh!
Gelmia's uniform was cut, and blood gushed from his chest. His face turned pale from fear, as he was getting overwhelmed in terms of might.
"I-Impossible... How could you, when you are just at the beginner level of Master...?"
"I already told you that it doesn't matter once the fight begins."
Raon tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes.
"You'd better do your best, because I might end up cutting your head off with the next strike."
"A-Are you trying to kill me? Inside the Central Martial Palace?"
"Why not?"
Gelmia had been targeting his neck and heart from the beginning of the fight. Since he was the one who tried to kill him first, there was no reason for Raon to hold back.
Creak.
Gelmia clenched the grip of his sword. The blood flowing from his mouth was proof that he'd increased his output to a point where he injured himself internally.
Rumble!
It felt like the entire underground space would collapse from the earthquake created by his tremendous energy wave. The rubble from the destroyed walls and ceiling was floating in the air.
"I'm never ever going to let it end like this!'
Gelmia screamed and kicked the ground. He pounced like a furious tiger and thrust his thin sword.
Cring!
The single blade multiplied into hundreds to cover Raon's entire vision. It almost looked like a rain of astral energy.
Rumble!
Although the previous usage was nothing but an empty shell, it was different from that time. The perfect stab was dominating the space without leaving the smallest room for escape.
"It's already too late."
Raon made his declaration in a cold voice as he raised his sword above his head. He swung down, the crimson light radiating from the blade like ink drawing a straight line on a white paper.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Hundred Flames.
Crimson Slash.
The flash looked like the sunlight as it melted away the rain of astral energy and distorted the space.
Crack!
The Wind Master Swordplay's special technique was shredded, and Gelmia's right arm was getting torn apart behind it. Shock and fear were overflowing from his distorted green eyes.
"Kuaaah!"
Alongside an extremely painful scream, his right arm fell to the ground.
"Kuh! M-My arm..."
"I went easy on you."
Raon walked up to Gelmia with a cruel look in his eyes.
"I could've killed you instead."
Since the direct line of the house was involved, the lord's manor had to put an end to the incident. It was unfortunate that he couldn't just finish him off right there.
"M-My father is definitely going to kill you! He will never..."
"Crying for Papa now?"
Raon snickered and looked down at Gelmia.
"Your pettiness is making me speechless. You are going to need another beating."
"W-Wait!"
"Shut your mouth if you want to keep your tongue in one piece."
"L-Listen to m...Kuah!"
Raon raised his strength to the maximum and smacked Gelmia's chin.
Smaaack!
The second team leader of the department of justice, Terrond, brought everyone left in the department of justice to the Central Martial Palace as soon as he heard the news of the Light Wind's forcible execution.
'The Light Wind squad is in danger!'
The Severing Steads was a powerful squad. The Light Wind squad was no match against them no matter how motivated they were, since they were pretty much newbies.
Gelmia was especially dangerous because of how cruel he was, despite his appearance. Even though the Light Wind had Raon with them, it was possible that they would end up being killed.
'Th-The door is destroyed...'
His anxiousness puffed up like a balloon as soon as he witnessed the destroyed main gate of the Central Martial Palace.
'Stay alive, please.'
He walked over the destroyed gate and entered the Central Martial Palace, praying for no fatalities.
"Stop the fight right now! The department of justice is now... Huh?"
Terrond started shouting in order to stop the fight, but his jaw dropped.
'Wh-What's happening...?'
The fight was already over. That was something he'd expected, but the result was far different from his expectation.
'Why are the Light Wind members standing while the Severing Steads are on the ground?'
The Severing Steads were lying on the ground in their green uniforms, their mouths wide open, and the Light Wind members were standing on two feet even though they looked rather exhausted.
'I-Is this a dream?'
The Severing Steads were veteran swordsmen who'd completed countless missions already with Gelmia Zieghart as their head. He couldn't believe that they'd lost against the Light Wind squad, which was only getting started.
"Wh-What?"
"The Light Wind squad won?"
"Huh..."
"How is this even possible?"
The swordsmen of the department of justice swallowed nervously. The situation was difficult to believe for them, just like it was for Terrond.
"Haa..."
Terrond took a deep breath in order to come back to his senses and looked around him.
'I can't see Raon or Gelmia!'
He couldn't find Raon nor Gelmia, even though they were the most important people in the incident as the leaders of the two squads.
His heart pounded violently, as it could become a catastrophe if one of them died from the fight.
"Sir Gambling Monster!"
Terrond ran up to the Gambling Monster, who had Goman kneeling in front of him.
"Where is Raon Zieghart?"
"He is right below us."
He pointed at the floor with his finger. Terrond tried using his aura perception, and he could hear the small banging sounds from underneath.
"N-No way, is he currently fighting Gelmia Zieghart...?"
"Yes. They must be having a good fight."
"Then why are you standing here doing nothing? You should be stopping him!"
"Stop him? Stop who?"
"I'm obviously talking about Gelmia! He might end up killing Raon!"
"Kuhahahaha!"
The Gambling Monster covered his forehead with his palm and burst into laughter despite the seriousness of the situation.
"S-Sir Gambling Monster?"
"A weakling like Gelmia, kill that monster? I didn't expect a team leader from the department of justice could make such a funny joke."
"Whaat?"
"That's never going to happen. It might be the other way around though."
"Haa."
Terrond sighed and shook his head. It was impossible to talk sense with him, which was the feeling he already had from the man's time as a senator.
"I'm going to get those two. The second team should clean up the mess here..."
"It's unnecessary."
The Gambling Monster casually shook his hand. He grinned while pointing at the ground once again.
"They will come out soon enough."
"This isn't the time for jokes! It would be a huge problem if one of them ended up dea..."
Terrond ignored Gambling Monster's and was about to enter the Mansion of Wisdom.
Baaam!
An earthquake engulfed the entire Central Martial Palace, and a huge hole was created at the location the Gambling Monster had pointed, where one person surged up like a fountain.
"Th-That's—!"
The Severing Steads squad leader?
It was Gelmia. He was flying into the air with his eyes rolled back, missing his right arm.
'Why is he there?'
His mind went blank because he was unable to comprehend the situation. He felt like his brain was rusted over.
"I-It's not time for that!"
It wasn't the time to think about such a thing. Gelmia was obviously going to die if he fell from that height.
Thud!
As he was about to run towards him, another person soared from the hole in the ground and caught Gelmia.
Noticing his blond hair and red eyes, Terrond realized that it was Raon Zieghart, who was supposed to be fighting against Gelmia.
"Brat, you are too slow."
The Gambling Monster snorted at Raon.
"I'm sorry."
Raon smiled faintly after putting Gelmia down on the ground.
"There was something I wanted to learn."
"Learn? You are scaring me again."
The Gambling Monster frowned, murmuring that he was doing it again.
"Huh..."
Terrond's mouth widened like an idiot, as he was still unable to accept the situation.
'Wh-What's happening right now?'
The situation clearly implied that there was a fight between Raon and Gelmia, yet Raon was completely fine despite being a beginner, while Gelmia lost an arm and fainted despite being an intermediate.
"So this..."
It was actually a simple matter, but his brain was incapable of accepting it.
'Did Raon really win against Gelmia?'
Was that even possible?
The level of difference was wider the stronger the person was.
Even though Raon could be considered above average in the beginner level of Master, and Gelmia was right in the middle of the intermediate level, their difference should've been tremendous. He simply couldn't understand how such a result was possible.
"Ah, you are from the department of justice."
As he was trying to think with a brain that was refusing to function, Raon came up to him.
"I-I'm the second team leader of the department of justice, Terrond."
Terrond straightened his back and introduced himself.
'I can't show a disgraceful side anymore.'
He was shocked because the situation was too surprising in various ways, but it was necessary to regain his composure. Terrond resolved to stop being surprised, no matter what happened.
"What is this situation right now, when I heard that you were carrying out a forcible execution for Burren Zieghart, who was hiding inside the Central Martial Palace? If you can't give a proper explanation, you might be sentenced to death."
Terrond glared coldly at Raon.
"Gelmia and the Severing Steads kidnapped Burren and locked him up below. They said they were trying to control him by brainwashing him."
"What?"
"The reason they tried to brainwash him was in order to kill me."
The casual smile on Raon's face made it look like he was talking about somebody else's business.
"Uuh..."
Terrond's jaw dropped. He'd resolved himself to not be surprised anymore, yet it didn't even last for ten seconds.
"S-Seriously?"
"You can confirm by checking the secret room down there."
Raon pointed at the hole in the ground. Terron went to his knees to examine it, and he could see multiple layers of walls made of special materials.
"The victim is coming out over there."
Raon pointed at the Mansion of Wisdom behind him. With silent footsteps, Burren made his appearance. He was dragging out a team leader from the Severing Steads with a bruised and emaciated face and tattered clothes.
"Hah..."
Did they really kidnap him?
He couldn't tell about the brainwashing yet, but his appearance suggested that he really had been kidnapped. He was dumbfounded that Gelmia was crazy enough to kidnap his own brother in his home.
"L-Let me organize my thoughts."
Terrond slapped his own cheeks and closed his eyes. Raon chuckled while watching Terrond's behavior.
'He must be confused.'
He must've been there to simply stop the fight between the Light Wind squad and the Central Martial Palace, yet it ended up being an extraordinary event where Gelmia had kidnapped his own brother to brainwash him. Raon could understand his reaction.
'Let's see...'
Raon left him alone so that he could calmly think about it, and looked at Burren instead as he walked towards him.
"I told you, you can count on me."
Burren raised his fist with a grin on his face. Judging from his satisfied expression, he must've gained something from the fight against Olan. Raon thought that it was worth counting on him.
"Yes, good jo..."
"Woaaah!"
"Sir Burren is here!"
"Sir Burren is back!"
"Burren! Burren! Burren!"
As Raon was nodding his head, the Light Wind swordsmen burst into cheers as they found Burren.
"E-Everyone..."
Burren covered his mouth, overwhelmed with emotions.
"Woaaaah!"
"Sir Burren! I missed you so much!"
"Burren! Burren! Burren!"
They were apparently not satisfied with calling his name. They even used footwork to run up to him and started tossing him into the air.
"Thank you. I'm really thankful and sorry for making you worry..."
Tears welled up in Burren's eyes. It was natural to be moved to tears, as his companions had risked their lives to save him, unlike the brother who'd kidnapped him to brainwash him.
"Where was that... Ah! Let him ride this!"
Dorian took out a large sedan chair from his belly pocket and placed Burren on top of it. The Light Wind members took the legs of the sedan chair and raised Burren.
"Burren! Burren! Burren!"
The Light Wind squad kept shouting Burren's name as they went towards the main gate of the Central Martial Palace.
"Uhh..."
"Wh-What is going on...?"
The swordsmen from the department of justice watched them blankly instead of stopping them because their behavior was far too unpredictable.
"It's enough. Your feelings have reached my heart."
Burren gave them a big nod after wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. He looked like he was moved from the bottom of his heart.
"My life will be for the Light Wind squad from now on. I'll sacrifice everything I have for you..."
"Burren! Burren! Burren!"
Burren made his declaration, but it wasn't enough to stop the sedan chair. They left the Central Martial Palace and went to the right, where the North Grave Mountain was located.
"H-Hey? We aren't heading to the base right now. Why are we going to the mountain...?"
"Burren! Burren! Burren!"
"Grrr! Training!"
"Woof! Training!"
The eyes of the Light Wind swordsmen gradually turned red as they looked at the North Grave Mountain. The madness they'd vented on the Severing Steads was returning to them.
"T-Training? What? What's wrong with your eyes? They are completely red! Hey!"
"Grr!"
"L-Let me down! You bastard!"
Burren finally realized that something was going wrong and tried to get out, but the swordsmen squeezed up while holding the sedan chair to leave no room for escape.
Raon nodded in satisfaction while watching the reunion between Burren and the Light Wind squad.
"Yes. That's perfect."
What the hell is perfect? You guys are all crazy!
Wrath's lips were trembling as he watched the panicking Burren.
Shitty Eyes was confined for a whole week and even had to fight afterwards! He's really going to die at this rate!
'People don't die so easily.'
Raon shook his hand, telling him it was okay.
Aah...
Wrath covered his forehead with his palm and sighed deeply. It was impossible to talk sense to him. It felt like everyone's brains were turned upside down.
You are all crazy! This is madness!
He was so confused over a situation where humans were showing their malice towards Burren when even he was worried about him despite being a demon king.
'Wait, maybe this is actually Devildom, and where I used to live is the human world.'
Wrath started to seriously reconsider his identity while scratching his chin.
"Stop, everyone!"
When the Light Wind squad was really about to climb the North Grave Mountain while carrying Burren, Terrond shouted by using his aura.
"This incident has surpassed my jurisdiction. You will have to accompany me to the lord's manor!"
He bit his lip, since there was no other way.
Raon nodded with a smile on his face, since he knew it was bound to happen.
"Of course."
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