Chapter 354

Shing!

Toten Robel unsheathed his sword. A frightening atmosphere engulfed the training ground as the sound of friction between his blade and the scabbard resounded throughout the area.

"Did you say that you were tired of waiting?"

He pointed his deadly blade at Dorian.

"I'll grant your wish. Draw your blade right now."

"Teach that arrogant mouth a lesson so that he will never be able to blabber again."

Palen also ground her teeth while glaring at Dorian.

"Ugh…"

Dorian's face turned pale as he looked at Raon behind him. His eyes were begging for him to help.

I know you have no intention of helping him, but you could give him a piece of advice at least.

Wrath frowned while looking at Dorian's trembling eyes.

Rather than lacking might, he has a weak mind.

'That's exactly why.'

Raon cheerfully waved his hand towards the terrified Dorian. He even added a cheerful smile as a gift.

That's why, you say?

'You should be aware that Dorian definitely isn't weak.'

He is as weak as an ant from the King of Essence's perspective.

'...'

What's wrong?

Wrath tilted his head. He apparently wasn't joking about that.

'…That's probably true for you, but you should know that he won't lose this single-handedly.'

It was true that Toten Robel was at the highest level of Expert, but he had barely managed to pass the entry stage.

He was excellent for his age, but he was still far worse than the Light Wind's team leaders.

That's true.

'Dorian believes that he's at the entry stage of the advanced Expert, but he has actually almost reached the wall towards the highest level Expert.'

Dorian managed to surpass the entry stage with his continuous training while he was alone.

His skills escalated quickly as he absorbed the ocean soul's leaf while Raon helped him with the cultivation, and he kept training him on the way with real battle experiences. That was why Dorian was right behind the wall to the highest level of Expert.

'However, he doesn't know that fact.'

Because Raon kept beating him up by adjusting his skills to a novice Master while sparring against Dorian, Dorian was unable to objectively view his own performance.

That was why he still believed that he was weak.

'The same goes during the tournament in the Owen Kingdom. He lost too easily because he had to face another member of our squad.'

Dorian lost to another Light Wind swordsman during the tournament, but he could've won if he had gone all out.

And the reason why he didn't go all out was simple.

'He doesn't use his strength for his own sake.'

Hmm, indeed…

Wrath faintly nodded in agreement.

'On the other hand, he only uses his strength and mustered his courage for someone else's sake. You saw how he spread the Continent Chaser Fragrance on me back then, didn't you?'

Raon closed his eyes and remembered the day when he was kidnapped.

'It was completely unexpected.'

The last thing he saw before Merlin's artifact sucked him in was Dorian spreading the Continent Chaser Fragrance on him.

No one would've expected him to do that since he was the most cowardly person in the Light Wind squad. His surprise was apparent even though he was being kidnapped.

'Dorian can do it when it comes down to it. The problem is that he does it for other people's sake.'

Raon slowly opened his eyes. Dorian was standing there with trembling shoulders, without even drawing his sword. He kept glancing backward, hoping for salvation.

But this method still seems too harsh. You should use a gentler approach…

'I admire how much you care about your subordinates, but you are wrong this time.'

His eyes turned serious as he watched Dorian's trembling hands reach for the hilt of his sword.

'We have to push Dorian down the cliff right now so that he can get strong enough to climb back up on his own.'

It was impossible to change Dorian's cowardly personality right away. It was even possible that he might not change for the rest of his life.

'But he needs to change here at least.'

The reason his personality became like that was because his siblings and their followers kept humiliating him and bullying him.

He needed to climb the cliff back up with his own limbs to destroy that past.

Push him down the cliff, you say…

Wrath was quickly moving his hand with his head turned. Raon looked at him since he got curious about what he was doing. Wrath was writing it down on his palm.

'What are you doing?'

Can't you tell from looking? He is writing it down.

'Why would you do that?'

The King of Essence is going to raise demons like you when he returns to Devildom.

He grinned while saying that Devildom's domination wasn't a dream if he had two subordinates like Raon.

'I don't think that will work.'

Nonsense. The King of Essence is going to clone the Raon Ziegharts to rule over the entirety of Devildom and the continent alike!

Wrath started telling him about his plan to dominate Devildom and the land even though no one asked.

'It's impossible to create a second Raon Zieghart. I don't even understand my own personality.'

He was an assassin in his previous life. He grew up with Sylvia's love and contempt from the house in his childhood. Rimmer, who was slightly insane, was the most influential person to him from his trainee period until recently, and Glenn's character had started to affect him.

His personality and character were continuously changing thanks to his new life and the countless people around him.

'It must be one of the stepping stones to achieve the Sword Field Creation.'

Sword Field Creation wasn't a simple technique. It was the representation of life for a Zieghart swordsman.

His Sword Field was always being created in his mental world.

'Anyway, I'm planning to let Dorian handle his own.'

It didn't matter whether he managed to break through the wall of the highest-level Expert or not during the fight. Raon was just hoping for him to open his mind and advance.

'Well, he'd better defeat someone like him though. After all, I've been giving him individual lessons for over a month now.'

By the way, those weren't spars. They were one-sided beatings…

'Same difference.'

No, there's a huge difference…

"Dorian!"

Raon cut Wrath off and waved his hand towards Dorian, whose chin was trembling.

"You said he was a shitter! Beat him up already!"

...

Dorian's teeth chattered upon hearing Raon's voice coming from behind him.

'What's wrong with him today?!'

He had always been slightly insane, but he seemed to have breached the midpoint towards complete insanity.

He looked like the worst version of playful Rimmer.

"Hey."

The frightening glow in Toten Robel's eyes told him that his patience had reached the limit.

"Draw your sword already. I'm going to attack you regardless if you don't draw within five seconds."

He didn't seem to be lying, as his pressure turned into a bloodlust that was meant to oppress his body.

"Ugh…"

Dorian bit his lip and unsheathed his sword.

"I'll make you unable to run your mouth ever again!"

Toten Robel kicked the ground and charged at him. He slashed while bouncing forward, and the aura blade bursting from his sword felt extremely terrifying.

"Hieee!"

Dorian used the Flowing Cloud Footwork to move to the right.

"You aren't running anywhere!"

Toten Robel suddenly changed his direction to chase him. The auras storming at him from both sides were as sharp as an awl. As a swordsman, he was proficient with Sharp Sword and Swift Sword.

"Hwah!"

Dorian looked like he was gliding as he moved backward and unleashed his swordsmanship, the Ten Flowing Forms.

The flow of his aura blade was as smooth as silk, and it clashed against Toten Robel's sharp aura blade.

Clang!

Dorian was pushed back significantly because of the powerful impact while Toten Robel only took three steps back.

"You are skilled enough to justify that big mouth. However…"

Toten Robel frowned while looking at his slightly trembling blade.

"That's hardly enough to reach me!"

He charged once again with an angry glare. He was even faster than before and the aura blade surrounding his sword turned into a deep blue color, which showed that he was going for real this time.

Wham!

A small crater was created at the center of the training ground from the second clash.

"Kweh!"

Dorian lost in the contest of power and ended up rolling on the ground while Toten Robel took four steps back by increasing his aura.

"What are you doing right now?! Crush him so that he won't even be able to raise his head!"

Palen pointed her finger at Toten Robel, who was narrowing his eyes.

"Be patient, please."

Toten Robel glared at Dorian while grinding his teeth.

"You've been hiding this technique."

A large amount of blue aura undulated above his shoulders. It looked like he was intending to use his full power.

"I-I don't have anything like that…"

Dorian gritted his teeth while shaking his head.

'This technique? What technique is he talking about?!'

All he did was instinctively deflect the aura blade that Toten Robel had unleashed. There was no hidden technique in that.

Cring!

Toten Robel closed the distance in a flash and consecutively slashed. His aura blade curved into a circle to assault Dorian from all directions, like a whip hitting a horse.

Clang! Claaang!

Dorian unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms' techniques from the beginning to the end.

His aura blade floated like a cloud and spread around as smoothly as a melody, but it wasn't enough to withstand Toten Robel's ferocious aura blade.

Creak!

The Ten Flowing Forms' aura blade was mercilessly torn apart, and Dorian felt nauseous from the rebound.

"Huff…"

Dorian suppressed his groan and solidified his defense by combining his swordsmanship and footwork. However, Toten Robel's attacks continued endlessly.

It became more and more difficult to properly react, and he was getting less and less room for escape.

"Is that all you have? How dare you boast with those skills? Your head would've been rolling already if this was a battlefield!"

Toten Robel must've really believed in what Raon had said, since his strikes kept becoming sharper and sharper with his eyes turned red.

"I knew it. You won't get any better even if you practice swordsmanship."

Palen crossed her arms and sneered. She seemed to have finally regained her composure.

"Dorian! What are you doing?! I know you can destroy him in an instant with your full power! Use your Infinitely Looping Invincible Demonbane Art!"

Raon smiled while sprouting bullshit once again.

'What the hell is Infinitely Looping Invincible Demonbane Art?!'

Dorian got the urge to smack his handsome face for the first time.

Dorian gritted his back teeth to the brim.

'Why is everyone doing this to me?!'

He got angry at Toten Robel, who was deceived by Raon's strange acting and was attacking him over and over, his sister Palen, who was still looking down and laughing at his brother who had returned after nine years, and Raon, who was taking his joke too far for some reason.

Creak.

The resonance throughout his body sounded like some kind of shell surrounding the bitterness in his heart had shattered.

"Damn it!"

Dorian swore and engulfed his blade with angry emotions.

Wham!

The Ten Flowing Forms threw away the softness and created a powerful wave to smack Toten Robel's strike.

"Ack!"

Toten Robel groaned briefly and took five steps back while Dorian rolled on the ground.

"You swine!"

Toten Robel crushed the floor to run at Dorian with his eyes turned completely red. He almost looked like a fruit fly attracted to the sweetness of a fruit.

"Come at me!"

Dorian's feet, which kept running away from him, weren't moving anymore. He incorporated his boiling anger into his sword without trying to hide it.

'I don't even know anymore!'

Since Raon seemed to have no intention of helping him, he had to solve it by himself.

His willingness to beat up all those idiots reached the limit, and the shattering sound of the unknown, bitter shell in his heart could be heard.

Whoosh!

He unleashed the eighth technique of the Ten Flowing Forms, the Flowing Sky of the Hill.

"A technique like that is ineffective against me!"

Toten Robel must've already understood the Flowing Sky of the Hill's mechanism, as he charged from below to strike upwards.

"You idiot. Dumbass!"

Dorian twisted his wrist sharply. The elegant flow of the Flowing Sky of the Hill's aura blade suddenly changed into a ferocious burst.

Whaam!

Alongside the powerful explosion, Toten Robel took seven steps back.

Rumble.

However, Dorian wasn't rolling on the ground anymore. He had to take ten steps back, but he was still standing.

"You've been hiding your strength all along. What a nasty guy."

Toten Robel started to spout bullshit once again and charged from the right. His sharp aura blade was targeting his arms, shoulders, and legs.

'He's definitely a powerful opponent. I almost want to cry from the pain, however… This isn't as bad as I thought.'

Toten Robel's aura blade was definitely powerful, fast, and sharp at the same time.

However, he was no match for Raon Zieghart, who he had to spar against every day on the way to his home. The blue aura blade trying to attack him looked weak, probably because he had gotten used to Raon's sword.

Cring!

Dorian unleashed the Ten Flowing Forms' special technique, Spinning Flow's Heavy Art. His aura blade flowed as gently as a cloud to deflect all of Toten Robel's aura blades. The shattered pieces of the aura blades faded away after scratching the floor.

"What impudence!"

Toten Robel couldn't suppress his anger and dashed by himself to strike. Dorian didn't step back, instead slashing upwards while scratching the ground.

Clang!

While the two swords clashed, Dorian and Toten Robel met each other's eyes.

"Whatever you are hiding isn't going to change the outcome!"

"I'm not hiding anything, I said!"

"Shut up!"

He pushed the sword and turned his wrist. Deadly energies burst out one after the other on his silver blade, and dozens of aura blades assaulted Dorian at once. It even surrounded him from all directions by turning around, which gave him no room for escape.

"You won't be able to run your mouth ever again!"

His attacks were mostly targeted at Dorian's face—his mouth, to be precise. He must've been serious about ruining his mouth.

Whoosh!

Dorian quickly looked around. Toten Robel was certain about his victory, while Palen was sneering at him and Raon was still smiling. His irritation against those three people exploded once again.

"What have I ever done to you?! You damn bastards!"

He shouted his pent-up emotions, and an explosive noise resounded throughout his body, which sounded like the shell of the bitterness in his heart had completely shattered.

Claaang!

Power was overflowing from his body—as if his shackles had been released. He felt like he could achieve anything in that state.

Whap!

Dorian unleashed his aura to the highest output. A tremendous amount of energy that he'd never felt before engulfed his sword and created a huge fog.

The last special technique of the Ten Flowing Forms, the Great Ten Flows Slash was making its appearance.

"You idiots! I'm telling you I've never done thaaaat!"

He fired his cross-shaped aura blade while shouting, and it completely destroyed Toten Robel's aura storm before mercilessly pounding his body.

Whaam!

The entire training ground was filled with brown dust from the huge shockwave coming from the impact.

Whoosh!

The wind came from somewhere to blow the dust away and revealed the duel's result. Toten Robel was slammed on the ground with his eyes rolled back while Dorian was catching his breath roughly on top of him.

"Ah?"

Palen looked like her jaw had been dislocated as she witnessed the scene.

"H-how is this happening…?"

She was unable to continue in disbelief. Just like Raon had asked, her mouth was perfectly shut down.

"I-I won, y-you idiots."

Dorian's trembling hands showed that his excitement still remained. His face had turned completely red.

"Dorian!"

Raon called Dorian's name. Dorian anxiously looked around because he'd been sprouting bullshit all along, and Raon raised his hand with a smile.

"Are you planning to end it like this? That's not cool!"

"Argh!"

Some kind of emotion surged from his heart upon hearing that. It wasn't the bitterness anymore, but an aspiration.

Dorian bit his lip and bobbed his hand towards the two warriors behind Palen.

"Who's next?"

* * *

Raon was making a warm smile while watching Dorian's confident demeanor.

'He finally reached it.'

The highest level of Expert. He should've reached it when Raon opened the mana circuits all around his body through cultivation after he ate the ocean soul's leaf, and the path had finally been connected.

Since Raon had been sparring with him at a novice Master's level all along, defeating Toten Robel was a natural course of action.

'But… He's such a nice guy.'

All he said while burying the hatchet was 'It's not me! You idiots! Dumbasses!'. He was a 100% kind guy who couldn't even insult his opponent.

'See? I was right.'

Wrath had fallen silent, and Raon tapped on his head before pointing at Dorian.

'I told you that he could manage this on his own.'

Yes. He saw it.

Wrath nodded and rolled his lips into a smile.

The emotion he felt upon breaking through his wall was clearly wrath! It's a perfect choice for the King of Essence's subordinate!

The grin on his face showed his satisfaction towards Dorian's wrath, which allowed him to break through the wall.

'For real.'

Raon kept thinking he was Gluttony because of how much he usually ate, but he really was the demon king of Wrath after all.

"Come at me!"

Dorian bobbed his hand towards the other warriors after flicking his nose with his thumb.

'He's so excited.'

He seemed excessively excited because he managed to win against an opponent more powerful than himself for the first time by unleashing his full power. Raon felt like provoking him was worth it.

Shouldn't you stop him? He's going too far.

'Wait a moment.'

Raon shouted with a grin on his face.

"Good job, Dorian! Your sister shut her mouth just like you planned!"

He was talking to Dorian, but Palen could hear him far too well.

"Argh…"

Palen ground her teeth, her eyes glowing red.

"Beat him up right now!"

She turned around and glared at the two remaining warriors.

"Immediately!"

The two warriors chuckled while looking at each other upon hearing Palen's shout.

"It can't be helped if that's our lady's will."

"I'll take care of him."

The bulkier man shrugged his shoulders. When he was about to move out, a middle-aged man who looked like a mercenary walked out from the darkness.

"I don't want this night shift to continue."

He shook his head and walked up to Dorian.

"Come at me at any moment!"

Dorian swirled his sword, his eyes brimming with emotion. He looked like he was out of his mind from the joy and excitement of reaching the highest level of Expert.

Are you planning to let this continue?

Wrath frowned while watching Dorian.

He's a Master!

He frowned while watching the new challenger unsheathe his saber.

'Yes, he's a Master.'

Moreover, he was a mercenary Master who had more than a bit of battle experience.

Don't tell me that you believe he can win against him.

'No, it'll never happen.'

Why did you provoke him then…?

'His confidence is now reaching the sky, so I need to drag it down a notch by having him beaten up.'

It was similar to drinking. Children end up developing bad habits if they don't have any adults to supervise them. It was necessary to properly educate Dorian in his excited state to prevent a futile death on the battlefield.

'Well, that's not the only reason though.'

Raon's gaze turned cold as he looked at Palen Sephia.

'She also needs to learn the lesson. That Dorian's might isn't the only thing he's earned during the last nine years.'

Raon slowly turned his shoulders and ankles to get ready to move out at any moment.

A-are you saying that you are planning to watch how cruelly his confidence gets destroyed after you gave him that confidence?

'Yes.'

You…

Wrath gasped while watching Raon's scary smile as he warmed himself up.

…should really try becoming a demon king. How does that sound?

'I think he will become the most evil demon king in history!'