Raonâs lips parted as he looked at the Gambling Monster.
âThe Conference of the Six Kings would beâŠâ
âAs the name implies, itâs an occasion for the heads of the Six Kings to gather in one place to discuss the past and the future.â
The Gambling Monster slowly nodded.
âI seeâŠâ
The Conference of the Six Kings was held back when he was working under Derus Robert.
Obviously, he wasnât allowed to get anywhere near the conference hall and had to stay underground, as he was a dweller of the underworld.
âBut why are they suddenly holding the Conference of Six Kings?â
Raon tilted his head.
âIt shouldnât be time for it yet.â
He knew that the Conference of Six Kings took place periodically, and it wasnât time for it yet. Considering they broke that rule, something serious mustâve happened.
âHmm? Wait a second. Could it beâŠ?â
As he was wondering about the Conference of the Six Kings, an appropriate reason came to his mind.
âYou look like youâve realized it.â
The Gambling Monster chuckled and raised his finger. His thick finger was directed at none other than Raon.
âYes, itâs because of you.â
âBecause of Raon?â
Rimmer narrowed his eyes, asking what the hell he was on about.
âIt was all thanks to him that we managed to find out that Eden had set up a branch in Cameloonâs vicinity, and that the White Blood Religion kidnapped people from a neutral city in broad daylight and set up their sorcery array.â
The Gambling Monster clicked his tongue, complaining that he shouldnât need to explain the obvious details.
âThe conference will be about how to deal with Eden and White Blood Religion, who are getting more and more active and violent.â
âAh, I see.â
Rimmer grinned and nodded his head.
âBut how did you find out about this, old man? You arenât usually interested in stuff like this.â
He murmured that it was unexpected while looking at the Gambling Monster.
âGuess why.â
âHuh?â
âItâs because youâve been playing around for a whole week without even leaving a message! Thatâs why the news reached me!â
The Gambling Monster ground his teeth violently while glaring at Rimmer.
âYou obviously didnât even realize what was happening with the Conference of the Six Kings because you donât care about your work! You stupid, long-eared bastard!â
Raon sighed deeply while watching the Gambling Monsterâs fist tremble violently at Rimmer, who was going âEhe~â with a smile on his face.
âHeâs right about that.â
There was normally no way Rimmer would be unaware of the Conference of the Six Kings. He mustâve been too focused on playing around during his vacation.
âAhahaha. I have no excuse.â
Rimmer smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head. He looked like a gambler whose cards were found out.
âI didnât even see you at the gambling house you usually frequent. Where the hell have you been?â
âI donât have too much luck around here.â
He licked his lips while rubbing his fingers against each other. His eyes were halfway closed.
âHaaâŠâ
Raon sighed deeply.
One day, Shitty Ears is going to either ruin the house or bring glory to the house. Crazy bastards like him never stay average.
âThat might be true.â
However, he felt so peaceful as he watched Rimmer being scolded for gambling. He felt like he was finally back home.
âLetâs save our talk for later.â
The Gambling Monster raised his fist towards Rimmer before turning his head towards Raon.
âYou said you wanted a sparring partner, right?â
âYes.â
âThe heads of respective factions arenât the only ones who participate in the Conference of the Six Kings. The brats that have started getting famous will also be there. Itâs to allow the future prospects of the houses an opportunity to get to know each other.â
âAhâŠâ
He didnât know about that because he wasnât really interested in the Conference of the Six Kings.
âEven though itâs supposed to be a social meeting, itâs actually a bragging meeting.â
Rimmer snickered and shook his hand.
âThe kids imitate the adults and say stuff like âIâm better than youâ, âyou are better than meâ. Itâs pretty fun to watch.â
âWell, heâs not exactly wrong.â
The Gambling Monster nodded in agreement even though he was still acting aggressively towards Rimmer.
âThey even hold spars between the brats in the social meeting. It should be the perfect place for you to find sparring opponents, as theyâve learned the best martial arts properly despite being young.â
âMoreover, guys usually like to show off because they want to look cool in front of the girls. They will start picking a fight on their own even if you donât do anything.â
âThatâs true.â
Raon nodded.
âI can already see it happening.â
Young warriors were usually impatient and didnât have many opportunities to use their skills. Since it was a gathering of young warriors from the strongest factionsâthe Six Kingsâand men and women would be in the same place, they were bound to contend for supremacy for one reason or another.
âThat sounds pretty good.â
Although he shouldâve been far weaker than them, experiencing the best martial arts of the other Six Kings with his eyes and body should allow a drastic improvement to his realm.
âActually, your participation is compulsory.â
âCompulsory?â
âYes. The lordâs manor sent an official document stating that you must participate no matter what. You should get readyâthey are departing in a week.â
The Gambling Monster murmured that he should complain to them if he wanted to refuse.
âIs the head of house also going there?â
âThe head of house has never personally attended the conference. Heâs always sent a proxy instead. That hoodlum has also acted as a proxy once.â
âAh, indeed.â
He pointed at Rimmer, and Rimmer waved his hand with a grin on his face.
âWhereâs the location?â
âOwen.â
âOwenâŠâ
The name Owen reminded him of their third prince, Greer se Owen, whom he met when he was a trainee. Since a long time had passed since theyâd last met in Cameloon, Raon guessed that he mustâve gotten a lot stronger since then.
âThe Conference of the Six Kings will be more helpful than you think.â
Rimmer chuckled and drew a small circle with his finger.
âBecause kids arenât the only ones who will be participating.â
He climbed the training groundâs wall after telling him to look forward to it.
âWhere do you think you are going? I told you we need to talk!â
âAh, let me go! Why do the old men love me so much?â
The Gambling Monster hurriedly chased after him when he realized he was running away, but Rimmer had already jumped under the wall.
âArghâŠâ
The Gambling Monster ground his teeth while glaring at the wall that Rimmer had climbed over.
âWhy is he turning into a kid?â
âDonât worry about him. Heâs always been like that.â
âHeâs like a troublemaker brat.â
âThen would you be my opponent instead of the brat, Sir Gambling Monster?â
Raon smiled faintly and walked towards the Gambling Monster.
âI received some enlightenment when I was kidnapped. Iâd like to piece it together.â
âSeriously?â
The Gambling Monster exclaimed and furrowed his brows.
âI thought my eyes were playing a trick on me because of how much aura you had when I first saw you, but that wasnât the case. How did you get stronger than before when you were kidnapped by Eden, out of all groups?!â
âI know it sounds strange, but it just happened.â
Raon simply shrugged his shoulders.
âYou must be aware that Iâve been craving revenge.â
The Gambling Monster smiled coldly and raised his sword.
âOf course.â
Raon nodded and clenched Heavenly Driveâs hilt.
âCome at me.â
As soon as the Gambling Monster bobbed his finger, Raon stomped the ground. The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivationâs heat dashed through his mana circuits, which had become even thicker and broader after recovering from his injuries.
The powerful energy engulfed his entire body in an instant to create a crimson flame on Heavenly Drive.
âHmm!â
The Gambling Monsterâs pupils expanded upon witnessing how quickly he was controlling his aura. Raon loosened his grip slightly and finished drawing Heavenly Drive.
Cring!
A clear sword resonance burst from the violent scratch of the blade on the scabbard. The Blue Rainâs resonance dashed towards the Gambling Monsterâs eardrums, even more powerful than before.
Clang!
Although the Blue Rainâs speed and power were incomparable to the past, the Gambling Monster slashed the aura wave inside the sound with a simple swing of his sword.
âYouâŠâ
However, the Gambling Monsterâs face didnât look too good. His extremely distorted face revealed his feelingsâheâd witnessed something that shouldnât have been possible.
âItâs not just your aura, but even your swordsmanship has improved. What did you even eat over there?!â
âItâs too early to be surprised.â
Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps to advance. When his diagonal slash was about to reach the Gambling Monster, blades rained down from the thin air.
The energy spreading from the dark blades felt powerful enough to shatter the earth.
Thud!
Raon regained his posture by using the River Footwork before slashing Heavenly Drive upwards. The Fangs of Insanityâs ferocious teeth dwelling on the silver blade roared violently.
Claang!
The earth-shattering strike from the Gambling Monster and the sky-splitting strike from Raon clashed in the middle.
Clang!
As soon as the two swords bounced away from each other, Raon and the Gambling Monster used their footwork to advance once again.
Whap!
Raon engulfed his blade with the rotating flame of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and slashed downwards. It almost looked like the sun covering the entire sky after turning into a sword to fall upon him.
âHmm!â
The Gambling Monster frowned and swirled his sword. His blade multiplied in a conical shape to create dozens of black lines.
Claang!
Raon and the Gambling Monster were pushed back at the same time from the frontal clash between the swords.
Pssh!
A long cut on the Gambling Monsterâs sleeve was making it flutter in the air.
âYouâŠâ
He frowned while looking at the large cut on his sleeve.
âWas it the same technique you used during our first fight?â
âYes.â
Raon nodded.
âI chose it because that way, I can show you how much stronger Iâve gotten.â
He used the exact same technique that heâd used during the Promise of Three. He wanted the Gambling Monster to witness his growth, and he looked even more surprised than he thought.
âItâs ridiculous how much stronger you got. I almost want to pull your hair out in irritation.â
âItâs a relief that I have lots of hair.â
âAnd your arrogance also became worse.â
The Gambling Monster smiled coldly as he pointed his sword forward.
âLetâs begin the real fight.â
âSure.â
Raon nodded and increased the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivationâs output to the maximum.
They kicked the ground at the same time, and the two swords showed their fangs against each otherâs necks.
Claang!
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
âWow!â
Rimmer exclaimed while watching the fight between Raon and the Gambling Monster from above a tree behind the fifth training ground.
âThis is great.â
He took out the liquor bottle hanging around his waist and gulped it down.
Drinking the cool and sweet liquor was awakening his mind. The liquor and weather were both great, and the fight was icing on the cake.
âBy the way.â
Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he watched Raon push the Gambling Monster back.
âHe got stronger once again.â
He was surprised when he saw him at Edenâs branch because he was already stronger than before, but heâd gotten even stronger than he was then. He couldnât understand how he managed to increase his realm when heâd been bedridden all along.
âIs he sucking away the powers of an extremely powerful existence or something?â
It was completely nonsensical, but he couldnât help imagining it. It was normally impossible to grow so quickly, after all.
âHe should be able to defeat even an advanced Master right now.â
Even though Raon was an intermediate Master, Rimmer had the feeling that he would be able to defeat an advanced Master if he tried.
âThis is terrifying.â
It was frightening to think that a nineteen-year-old monster who kept getting stronger all the time could even exist. Rimmer thought he would have nightmares every day if he were an enemy of such a person.
âThat geezer must be feeling a chill running down his spine right now.â
It looked like the Gambling Monster was soon going to have to fight with his full power, considering the rate of Raonâs growth. Rimmer was relieved that he wasnât the one facing him.
âThe Conference of the Six KingsâŠâ
Rimmer licked his lips while watching Raon control fire and ice at the same time.
âItâs going to be interesting.â
The only reason Zieghartâs reputation was piercing through the sky was the head of house. Although Raon had shown his heroic side, he ended up getting kidnapped and he only managed to escape through othersâ help.
âWhich means, Raon⊠Will be most likely looked down on during the conference.â
Raon became famous throughout the continent until the incident because of his continuous victories against the apostles and Edenâs demons, but people completely stopped talking about his might after the kidnapping occurred.
Glenn was all everyone was talking about, and no one even mentioned Raonâs might. Rimmer could guess that there would be enough people picking a fight with Raon at the Conference of the Six Kings to fill a cart.
âAh, this is going to be so fun.â
He couldnât hold back his smile in anticipation of the monster trampling over the arrogant children of the Six Kings.
âThey are going to need at least the Twelve Stars of the Continent if they want to stop Raon.â
Even though the Twelve Stars of the Continent were expected to become the supreme beings in the future, that was how strong they needed to be to stop Raon. Someone with poor skills wouldnât even be able to swing their sword against him.
Rimmer grinned and finished emptying the bottle.
âI need to follow him.â
Since Glenn wasnât going to participate in the Conference of the Six Kings anyway, he decided to follow Sheryl, who should be acting as the proxy, to have some fun. He wanted to enjoy watching the great descendants of the Six Kings be trampled over by Raonâs feet.
âYou damn bastard! Fine! Letâs see the bitter end!â
The Gambling Monster ground his teeth and lowered his finger. Black energy spread out from the ground under his feet to engulf Raonâs body.
âHmm.â
Even though Raon was getting dragged into the Gambling Monsterâs sword field, he didnât seem surprised at all and watched him with sparkling eyes instead. It almost looked like he was probing something.
âHuh?â
Rimmer gasped while watching Raon disappear into the dark sphere.
âIs he already probing into the sword field? In this caseâŠâ
He could even trample half of the Twelve Stars of the Continent.
* * *
Zieghart
Lordâs Manor
Audience Chamber
Glennâs lips slowly parted as he looked at Martha, who was lowering her head.
âAre you alright?â
âYes.â
Martha slowly raised her head. Her eyes were clear and straight, without any sign of wavering.
âIâm fine now.â
The colors of her eyes and hair, and even her appearance were extremely similar to the White Blood Religion's leader. Her body mustâve originally belonged to Marthaâs family, just as Raon suspected.
âAre you sure?â
âYes.â
Martha nodded firmly.
âI heard that even the head of house mentioned that there should be an opportunity to save my mother. I have no time for sadness or despair when my mother is going through difficult times.â
Her eyes were frighteningly calm. She seemed to completely believe in what Glenn and Raon had said.
âIâm relieved to hear that.â
Glenn smiled faintly. He was planning to scold her if she was depressed, but her clear eyes made him proud.
âIâd like to ask a question.â
âIâm listening.â
âWhat should I do to get stronger?â
Martha bit her lips tightly.
âYou are already pretty strong, even if we donât consider your age. Trying to advance at a faster pace would turn you into a sandcastle with holes in it.â
âBut RaonâŠâ
âRaon is incomparable to even myself in the past. His advance has a completely different pace, so you shouldnât try to catch up to him. Try to learn from behind him instead.â
Glenn slowly closed his eyes before opening them.
âYour strength is your instinct that allows you to notice the enemyâs weakness and your swordsmanship that combines attack and defense through Titanâs aura. You are currently nurturing your power by focusing on that strength, but you should try a larger variety.â
âA larger varietyâŠâ
âYou should watch the other martial arts and learn them to understand their pros and cons by yourself. You are still too young to narrow down your choice. You need to experience a larger variety if you want to reach higher and further.â
He smiled gently and raised his hand.
âThe Conference of the Six Kings will be held. You shall join it as well.â
âUnderstood. May I ask another question?â
âIâm listening.â
Glenn nodded, and Martha bit her lip tightly before she opened her mouth.
âW-will I be able to use the Sword Field Creation?â
âSword Field Creation is a bloodline martial art that is only available to Zieghartâs lineage. Itâs impossible for you to use it since thereâs not even a faint trace of Zieghart blood in you⊠was what I used to think. However, you must know that thereâs a man who broke that rule.â
âThe squad leaderâŠâ
âHe maximized the power of his affinity to make up for the flow dwelling in Zieghart's blood. You should be able to gain some hints if you ask him directly. However, I donât exactly recommend it.â
He nodded, telling her to ask Rimmer about it if she was really curious about it.
âThank you.â
Martha straightened her back and bowed confidently.
âYou may leave.â
âYes.â
She turned around without hesitation and left the audience chamber.
âI like her confident behavior.â
A refreshing smile appeared on Sherylâs face as she looked at the door Martha had left through.
Theft is never good, try looking at [ pawâead.com ].
âYes. I was worried about her, but she seems even more determined.â
Roenn also smiled faintly as he nodded.
âDenier got himself a really nice daughter. Iâm looking forward to her future.â
Glenn also nodded. He seemed satisfied with the conversation he had with Martha.
âThen how about you act the same way towards Raon? It was perfect today.â
âAhem!â
Roenn narrowed his eyes, and Glenn turned around while clearing his throat.
âI know I should.â
And he obviously wanted to do so. He wanted to be kind towards Raon, but his body and face stiffened whenever he saw Raon.
âMy lord.â
Sheryl stepped forward and stood in front of Glenn.
âShall I participate in the Conference of the Six Kings just like the last time?â
Glenn had never participated in the Conference of the Six Kings before. She figured he wasnât planning to participate like always and volunteered to go.
âSince we will be bringing Raon and the children, I shallâŠâ
âNo.â
Glenn slowly shook his head.
âIâll be going this time.â
âWhat?â
âHmm!â
Sheryl and Roenn widened their eyes at the same time. Their faces were filled with astonishment because it was completely unexpected.
âAre you really planning to join the conference in person, my lord?â
âAre you sure about it?â
âItâs about time I joined.â
Glenn closed his eyes as if it wasnât a big deal.
âAnd I could brag about him, too.â
âWhat?â
âThatâsâŠâ
âHmm?â
Glenn shook his head towards those two and suddenly furrowed his brows.
âSheryl, Roenn.â
Glenn called their names with a serious face.
âStay outside for a while.â
âYes.â
They stared at Glennâs stiffened expression before they nodded and left the audience chamber.
Cring!
Glenn raised his chin inside the audience chamber, which had been engulfed in silence.
âCome forward.â
As soon as his quiet voice faded away, a dimensional rift was created in front of the door.
Cring!
The space was torn apart like paper and an old man with long blond hair hanging down his back came walking out. A mysterious, otherworldly atmosphere and an overwhelming flow of mana surrounded him at the same time.
âItâs been a long time.â
The old blond man walked to the center of the audience chamber, supporting himself on a cane. The weak resonance of his voice felt like it was coming from an entirely different world.
âYes, itâs been a very long time.â
Glenn furrowed his brows while looking down on the old man.