Raon clenched his teeth as he stared at the Black Tower Master, who seemed to have become darkness itself. The moment the Black Tower Master had broken through the ceiling and descended, an overwhelming wave of [Demonic Energy] crushed down on his entire body. Normally, he shouldn’t have been able to move a single finger. But Wrath’s fury snapped his mind back into focus and granted him the strength to move. ‘Thanks to that, I was able to kill Garet, the Demon Thunder.’ (T/N: Apparently, there is a mistranslation with Garet’s name. It’s supposed to be Garet not Masengro. I’m changing it moving forward to Garet) The Black Tower Master, confident in his own [Demonic Energy], hadn’t gone all out during the surprise attack. Like an elephant thoughtlessly crushing an ant, he simply swung his [Demonic Energy]-coated hand. Garet, the Demon Thunder, fully trusted the Black Tower Master and made no effort to defend—he only retreated. Raon had taken advantage of that moment, deflecting the Black Tower Master’s hand and beheading Garet. If those two hadn’t let their guard down, the one whose head fell would have been him. The Black Tower Master trembled, not looking at Raon, but at the already lifeless Garet. The sorrow emanating from him made the entire tower seem darker. So the rumor was true—Garet had been the butler who raised him since childhood. There must have been a deep bond between them. Raon glared at the Black Tower Master, tightening his grip on the Heavenly Drive. ‘He came down before completing his spell.’ From what Raon could sense, the Black Tower Master had not yet finished casting his magic. He had forcibly broken through the ceiling to stop Garet’s death—and failed. The psychological shock must be immense. ‘In that case, provoking him a little more would be best.’ Even transcendent beings couldn’t endure the death of a loved one. Raon hadn’t expected the worst [Demon] like the Black Tower Master to grieve so deeply for a butler, but now was the perfect moment to take advantage of that crack. – You’d best be cautious. Wrath narrowed his eyes as he scanned the Black Tower Master. – That one’s twisted in many ways, but his strength is real. He shook his head, saying Raon only survived the first attack by sheer luck. ‘I know. But I can’t let an opportunity slip away.’ Raon bit his tongue and stepped forward. “Even someone like you has feelings?” He twisted his lips as he looked at the trembling Black Tower Master. “You trample over countless lives, but mourn the death of a piece of garbage? That’s beyond laughable.” Grinding his teeth, he recalled Rensia begging him to protect her siblings as she died. “A worm like you doesn’t deserve to feel grief. Just die, consumed by your own malice.” There was no reason to pity the Black Tower Master just because he felt sadness. Whatever feelings he had, he was evil through and through. The Black Tower Master slowly raised his gaze. Flames of hatred burned above his blood-red eyes. “I’ll drag everyone you know into the inferno of [Hellfire] and make them suffer a pain worse than death.” Muttering a curse-like threat, he reached out his hand. The black, writhing claw descended toward Raon’s head. “Your head will fall first.” Raon bit his lip as he watched the hand slowly lower. ‘I can’t dodge this.’ It wasn’t that his body couldn’t move—he simply wasn’t confident he could avoid it no matter where he went. This wave of [Demonic Energy] was on a different level from the first strike. Karoon, having come to his senses, forced his trembling hand to move and slashed his sword down. His desperate sword strike pierced through the defense of the Black King Sigel and struck the darkness surrounding the Black Tower Master. Though it didn’t shake the darkness enveloping the Black Tower Master, it was enough to bring Raon back to his senses. Raon held his breath and dropped to one knee, driving his Heavenly Drive’s flame and the Soul Requem Sword’s frost into the descending claw. ‘If I run half-heartedly, I’ll be caught. I have to go all out!’ If escape wasn’t perfect, then a counterattack was the best defense. This wasn’t the time to retreat—it was the time to break through. With the Heavenly Drive, he unleashed [Sky Slash]. With the Soul Requem Sword, he summoned [Heavenly Thunder Art — Violent Thunderstorm]. Celestial lightning coiled over both blades, slightly twisting the darkness of the Black Tower Master. Raon didn’t miss that slight gap and used [Supreme Harmony Steps] to move beside Karoon. Without looking back, Raon thanked Karoon. “That wasn’t me. Just focus on the battle.” Karoon waved off the gratitude, saying there was no need for meaningless thanks. “No. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been caught immediately.” This wasn’t false humility. If Karoon hadn’t briefly drawn the Black Tower Master’s attention, Raon would’ve been swallowed by the darkness. “You little rats sure love to huddle together.” With a flick of the Black Tower Master’s finger, pitch-black flames surged up, trapping both him and Karoon. It was a cage of [Black Flame]. Raon struck the black flames with the Heavenly Drive, but the cage merely trembled—it didn’t break. Karoon also delivered a transcendent slash, but the flames weren’t severed. – You can’t cut through it like that. Wrath raised a brow as he looked at the black flames. – This isn’t just [Demonic Energy]. It’s [magic]. He shook his head, urging Raon to see through it properly and erase it. “I won’t kill you two.” The Black Tower Master raised his fingers, and the [Black Flame] cage rapidly shrank. Raon’s [Black Dragon Robe] ignited, the searing heat seeping through to his inner uniform. It truly felt like [Hellfire] had been summoned. “I’ll let you watch your families die from inside there.” He unleashed massive [deathly energy] as though he really intended to drag all of their loved ones here to die. ‘See through it properly and erase it?’ Wrath never said meaningless things. If he said to see through and erase it, there had to be a way. Raon activated the [Demonic Eye of Wrath]. He could read the flow of [Demonic Energy] forming the black flames. He could clearly see where and how to cut. ‘But I can’t cut it .’ He focused on the frost rising from the Soul Requem Sword. [Wrath] was a power that overwhelmed [Demonic Energy]. No matter how strong the magic was, it couldn’t overcome wrath. He imbued all his accumulated rage into the frost of the Soul Requem Sword and slashed. The silver-flashing blade sliced through the black flames, splitting the cage imprisoning him and Karoon in two. The Black Tower Master’s eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined the [Black Flame] cage could be broken. Raon gestured to Karoon and kicked off the ground. Karoon sensed the signal even before it came and escaped the [Black Flame] cage, which was starting to rejoin. Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the white-hot Soul Requem Sword. ‘Good thing this is the Black Tower.’ The [Demonic Energy] of the Black Tower didn’t just empower [Demons]—it also gave him strength. If he’d been trapped in that cage elsewhere, he might not have been able to break free. “What did you just do?” Karoon narrowed his eyes, unable to comprehend. “Just got lucky. More importantly, now we should… mm!” Just as Raon tried to speak, the small embers clinging to his [Black Dragon Robe] flared up and engulfed his body. Karoon, too, was wrapped in flame as the embers on his uniform suddenly ignited. “Did you think you’d escaped?” The Black Tower Master sneered, shaking his head. As his eyes narrowed, the black flames surrounding them flared even more intensely. Raon bit his lip as the flames obscured his vision. Turning tiny embers into a prison capable of restraining transcendents—this wasn’t normal magic. Unlike before, there wasn’t even room to swing a sword. The heat was so intense, it was hard to breathe. “You’ll never escape—not even in death.” The Black Tower Master clenched his fist, saying he’d show them hell on earth. Just as the thick chains of flame fell toward them, a blue light erupted from inside Raon’s pocket. The candy he had stored shattered, and the space where the flames were descending split open. From the torn space stepped a girl wearing a large witch’s hat—Chamber, the Archmage of Illusion, who had been waiting outside the tower. “Old men shouldn’t play with kids.” Smiling, Chamber snapped her fingers, and the [Black Flame] imprisoning Raon and Karoon turned into black paper and scattered. It was more like sorcery than magic. “Your opponent is right here.” She jerked her chin, inviting the Black Tower Master to face her. As she gripped her staff, a noble blue-green radiance enveloped her. That majestic light pierced the darkness of the tower and became a blue sun in the world flooded with [Demonic Energy]. “You worm of a girl…” The Black Tower Master grit his teeth, glaring not just at Chamber but also at Raon behind her. “Bring me that bastard before I rip your tiny body to shreds.” He reached out a hand formed of [Demonic Energy], demanding Raon. Though his [Demonic Energy] was far stronger than before, it couldn’t penetrate Chamber’s light—it wavered and dispersed. “You’ve already failed. Our ill-fated connection ends today.” Chamber smirked, declaring that she would erase the Black Tower. The Black Tower Master gave a chilling smile and nodded. As he clasped his hands and twisted them, the [Demonic Energy] permeating the tower—and this world—began to distort. “This much [Demonic Energy] is more than enough to kill you all!” The darkness swirling at his fingertips opened the blackened sky. “Shaded Spirit World.” Burren wiped the blood off his forehead and exhaled. “I really almost died.” He shook his head at the sight of a [Demon] lying dead with a burst heart. Thanks to the full cooperation of the Light Wind Palace, they managed to take down a high-ranking floor master. But the toll on their [Aura] and stamina was immense. It had been a brutal fight—worthy of a [Tower] floor master. Martha nodded from where she leaned against the wall. “That little bastard was disgustingly strong.” She frowned at the hand holding her sword. Runaan bent over, trying to catch her breath. “But we have to keep going…” She pressed her lips tight as she looked up at the ceiling. Mark Gorton brushed blood off his blade and nodded. “It’s only right that subordinates handle the subordinates.” In fights between masters, the smallest difference could decide victory. They needed to head up and support Raon so he wouldn’t be distracted. Despite trembling at the overwhelming [Demonic Energy] above, Dorian insisted on continuing upward. “You sure you’re okay? You look scared.” Krein gave a wry chuckle. “I’m not okay. But I have to go.” Dorian gagged but pressed on, saying it was the right thing to do. “Then let’s move. I’ll lead—just follow and control your breathing.” Trevin nodded and turned toward the door to the next floor. Yua stepped in front of Trevin, shaking her head. “The tower is crying.” She trembled as she said the entire tower was groaning. “What are you saying?” Martha approached her and gripped her shoulders. “The walls, the ground… everything is trembling in fear…” Just as tears welled in Yua’s eyes, the ground shook and the ceiling began to collapse. Even the tower’s outer wall, which had withstood Raon’s blade, shattered like paper, revealing a sky swirling with enormous [Demonic Energy]. The massive [Monsters] that had circled the top of the Black Tower began to flee in fear. “We need to get out! The tower is going to collapse!” Sensing it not with force, but with hearing, Yua shouted that they had to escape. The Light Wind Palace swordsmen looked at one another and nodded. Years of trust made them believe even a child’s words. “Everyone, outside the tower!” Following Burren’s shout, the swordsmen leapt out through the crumbling walls. Looking up from the wind-filled void, they saw a massive darkness devouring the world. The [Demonic Energy] was so vast, it looked small in comparison. Martha trembled at the sight of the all-consuming darkness. “Th-that’s what the Black Tower Master was preparing?” She gasped, overwhelmed by the scale of the magic. The swirling [Demonic Energy] tore through the tower they had just left and sent even stronger shockwaves. “We’d be dead if we were still there.” Krein gasped. If they had ignored Yua’s warning, they wouldn’t have left a trace. “B-but what now? If we fall from here, we’ll be injured or worse…” Dorian swallowed dryly at the sight of the monster-covered ground below. At the cheerful voice that didn’t match the situation, everyone turned. Chamber, sucking on candy, came into view. With a light smile and a nod, she gently lowered all the swordsmen safely to the ground. Burren fell to his knees, exhaling deeply. He looked up at Chamber as if asking whether they were finally done. The answer came not from her—but from Raon. “It’s just beginning.” “What do you mean, beginning…?” Krein blinked in confusion. “It can’t be anything else.” Raon brushed his blood-soaked hair back, looking up at the black sky that had swallowed the tower. “The [Gate to the Devildom] has opened.”