N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 282
The Seventh Apostle narrowed his eyes as he looked at the fallen people on the ground.
"What on earth has happened?"
The humans who had received the energy of Hyulhyeon remained unharmed.
Not a single person had died.
They didn't even appear to be injured.
In contrast, all of the believers surrounding them were lifeless.
"Is this even possible?"
He had expected the believers to die, given that Raon would swing his sword to them.
But it was still a bit shocking.
It was just hard to believe that the bugs that had been much closer to them than the dead believers had merely passed out.
"Unless the Aura control extends beyond human…"
The gesture of ringing the sword lightly for those nearby and deeply for the believers far away implied that Aura couldn't manipulate any further, but even he seemed to find it difficult to believe that he could control Aura that way.
"Indeed."
The Seventh Apostle raised his head and looked at Raon, who was aiming his sword.
"Impressive."
He applauded with calm composure, acknowledging the unexpected situation.
"I can accept this level of distortion."
Because this wasn't all there was to it.
Bringing humans imbued with energy and giving them the choice to live or die was just a theatrical device to mock Raon and break his spirit.
The real thing was the sorcery above the sky that was still growing.
Blood nexus.
"Raon Zieghart."
The Seventh Apostle raised his finger, pointing to the sky.
"The name of that sorcery is Blood nexus. Do you know what it means?"
"...."
Raon didn't answer, his sword still aimed.
"Of course, you probably don't. You likely didn't even know about that sorcery's existence. Blood nexus signifies the manifestation of the strangeness of blood in the world. It represents creatures like these bugs that will feed on us and has another meaning..."
With a slight smile, the Seventh Apostle raised his energy.
"The believers become stronger under that sorcery. However, it's not ready yet, and if blood nexus is properly activated, the amplification effect of energy will be more than double what it is now."
"...."
Despite the immense energy emanating from the Seventh Apostle, Raon's expression remained unchanged.
His eyes remained calm, fixed on the Seventh Apostle.
"Now I will bring you true despair. Die under the stars of energy."
When the Seventh Apostle snapped his finger, it was a signal to Tusa to activate the energy.
"Hmm?"
However, nothing changed.
The energy of blood nexus continued to absorb the surrounding energy and swelled without any response.
Thunk!
He snapped his finger more forcefully, yet the energy still didn't activate.
"Tusa!"
Even calling his name yielded no change.
"What is this...?"
"What, did I say I didn't know about that energy?"
With a chilly tone, Raon's eyes turned away from the Seventh Apostle to Blood nexus.
"Using the children for this? You should never have done that. Attempting to sacrifice those young ones as offerings, you are nothing more than beings as low as animals."
Raon stared at the Seventh Apostle with a chilling gaze.
"Entrusting such a despicable act to the one who detests it the most. Tusa, the one who despises such deeds, is probably by now a headless corpse."
The Seventh Apostle's eyes wavered as if hit by a wave when he heard Raon's words.
"Did you... really know? About blood nexus? How?"
How could he know?
The fact that the children closest to blood nexus's activation would become sacrifices was also known to him; he seemed to have a deep understanding of the ritual.
"Dammit..."
With a bitter laugh, the Seventh Apostle pointed at blood nexus.
"You are right, I didn't know the name for sure. However..."
He continued, pointing at the sorcery.
"You should know more about that sorcery than I do."
"What have you done to Tusa?"
The Seventh Apostle's confident demeanor wavered.
"You should not have used the children. To entrust such a vile act... You lot are not even worth considering as human, let alone animals."
Raon gazed at the Seventh Apostle with an eerie look.
"Let's get this started."
Raon held the Blade of Requiem in his left hand and Heavenly Drive sword in his right.
"Because even the air you breathe is too precious."
*****
Two hours ago.
Watching Luna converse with Tusa, Martha swallowed hard.
"It was true."
Just as Raon had said, Luna and the children from the back alley had gathered at Tusa's store in response to his call.
"So, it's him, Tusa."
Tusa was a middle-aged man with a cheerful appearance that made one naturally want to say he looked nice.
"To say all that nonsense with such a face..."
With a face like that, it would have been easier to manipulate the children.
Abandoned children long for affection, after all.
"You damn bastard."
She wanted to chase after him and give him a piece of her mind.
"This time, I'm counting on you."
Tusa smiled and handed each child a small stone and a silver coin.
"Yes!"
"Don't worry!"
With smiles of joy for receiving money, the children nodded eagerly.
"Uncle, I got five silver coins."
"Oh? I got five too."
"Usually it's one or two. You gave us too much."
The children who received five silver coins didn't seem pleased; rather, they tilted their heads in confusion.
"That damn guy..."
Is he giving this as funeral money for crossing the river to the afterlife?
It was obvious why he was giving more silver coins than usual.
As Raon had said, it was the value of the offerings for using the children as sacrifices.
"Oh, there's one more favor today."
"One more?"
"What is it?"
"Instead of asking me right away, wait in your spots and bury the stones when I give the signal."
Tusa asked with a smile.
"How do we know when to do it?"
"I'll make a sound. You'll hear it clearly."
"Oh!"
"Got it!"
The children, happy about receiving five silver coins, left without complaining and went to their designated spots.
"Hmm..."
But Luna, who was at the back, didn't leave like the others.
"Luna?"
"Uncle, I..."
She parted her lips slightly, as if she had something to say.
"Yeah?"
"Oh, no, never mind!"
Luna seemed to consider something, then shook her head and stepped back.
"I'll tell you after we're done today."
"Sure, then."
Tusa nodded gently, as if saying to do as she pleased.
"Phew..."
Martha let out a quiet breath.
She had worried about what to do if Luna spoke, but convincing her that he was dangerous had been worth it.
As soon as the children left, ten men and women with stern expressions appeared by Tusa's side.
Their attire was ordinary, but they clearly belonged to the White Blood religion.
"Go."
As soon as they received Tusa's orders, they dispersed in the direction the children had gone.
"Now it's our turn. Disperse as previously planned."
"Okay."
As Martha gestured, the members of Group 1 set off in the direction the White Blood religion believers had moved earlier.
It was a double pursuit—following the pursuers of the children.
Martha continued to observe Tusa from behind a rooftop sign.
An hour passed, the sun disappeared, and night fell.
People who had been wandering the city seemed to enter nearby buildings as if they had an appointment.
Not a single dog remained on the streets of the city, known for its noise.
"This too..."
It was just as Raon had predicted.
He had said that after sending the children and the sun set, the people would vanish, and that's exactly what happened.
"That guy truly is a monster."
Not only did he possess the talent for the continent's top swordsmanship, but also this level of analysis and judgment.
Martha didn't even feel jealous anymore.
Thud.
After the sun set and the people disappeared, Tusa finally stepped outside.
He looked completely different from before.
Wearing the robe of a high priest, he walked down the empty street.
"Now it's my turn."
Suppressing the surging energy with effort, Martha disappeared into the darkness.
*****
Luna sat down weakly at the spot where she was supposed to bury the stone.
She looked at the silver coins she had received from Tusa and let out a deep sigh.
"Ugh..."
She should have spoken up.
There was no way that Tusa, the man who took care of abandoned children like her, could be a dangerous person.
Although Martha, the older sister she had met yesterday, didn't seem to be lying, Luna felt conflicted because it seemed like betraying Tusa.
"Yeah. Let's talk later. That's better."
Deciding to confess to Tusa about last night's events after this was over, Luna nodded her head.
"Hmm? What's this...?"
When she regained her senses, the world had turned dark.
It was so pitch black that it could easily be mistaken for midnight.
"How could it be this late already?"
Even if she considered the time she had been pondering, it couldn't have turned from afternoon to night so suddenly.
"Ugh!"
In her puzzlement, she looked around, raising her head.
The sky had lost the sun, and balloons of reddish clouds were inflating against the absent sun.
"What are those clouds?"
"Luna."
At the sound coming from behind her, Luna turned her head.
Tusa was approaching with a kind smile on his face.
Although the smile looked the same as usual, there was something different about it.
It sent shivers down her spine, just like when she encountered a beast in the mountains.
"Oh, Uncle?"
Luna pointed at the darkening sky and the reddish clouds, her lips trembling.
"What... what's going on?"
"It's nothing to worry about."
Tusa smiled as if to reassure her.
"More importantly, what was that thing you wanted to tell me earlier?"
"Huh?"
"About telling me later."
"That... um..."
Luna couldn't find her words.
Tusa's appearance felt too unfamiliar, just as Martha had described yesterday.
"Oh, you don't have to say it if you don't want to."
Tusa gently extended his hand as if to say it was fine.
"It doesn't matter what the deceased say anyway."
"Well, what...?"
"Go ahead and bury the stone now."
"Uncle?"
Although Luna had intended to refuse Tusa's command, her body moved unnaturally, and she turned her back.
'Huh...?'
She wanted to stop, but her arms and legs wouldn't listen.
It felt as if someone else had taken her body.
"Luna, you've done so much for us. Because you came first, the other kids began to trust me too."
Tusa's voice was the same as usual, but there was a chilling aura mixed within it.
"So, I thought of leading the religion through you, but unfortunately, your body was too weak. It's been a year at most. But your siblings are doing fairly well."
He smiled softly, his voice tinged with a hint of regret.
"I'll make sure to take good care of those kids."
"Ah..."
No, it can't be! It can't!
She desperately wanted to scream it out, but all that came out was a low whimper.
Luna's body moved toward the spot where the stone should be buried, betraying her will.
Her hands, which felt hard and stiff, dug into the ground and lifted the stone again.
"Ugh..."
Her palm hurt.
The intense pain felt as if she had grasped a stone embedded with thorns.
"Ah, the Bloodstone inside you is absorbing your life energy, so don't worry too much."
Tusa whispered in a gentle voice.
"Ugh..."
"It'll be gone soon."
Despite his words, the pain only intensified.
"Ah, but it's the last one, so I suppose it's better to hear your voice."
When Tusa made a gesture, Luna's locked-up voice was released.
But all that came out was an expected scream.
"Ah, aaah!"
It felt as though she had thrust her hand into a burning fire as she let out a scream of unbearable agony.
Her vision began to blur, and even her consciousness started to fade.
'Please... anyone...'
It could be anyone.
Even if she died, it didn't matter.
She prayed fervently that her siblings wouldn't be taken by that demon.
But naturally, nothing changed.
There was no god, like when she nailed planks to shield her siblings from the rain in the back alley.
That damned god.
That worthless god!
It was the moment to curse that wretched god.
Kyaah!
Just as she screamed, something flew at her from behind, causing the red stone in her hand to shatter into pieces.
"Who... argh!"
As Tusa's scream rang out, her body began to move.
She turned around urgently.
Thud, thud.
Tusa's left arm lay on the ground, and in front of it stood Martha, who had a gray fluid dripping from her sword, the one Luna had seen yesterday.
"You damn son of a bitch!"
Martha spat out curses that didn't match her face and charged at Tusa.
"Grk!"
In a hurry, Tusa stepped back and swung his remaining arm.
From his grip, gray tendrils spread out, forming a wall that blocked Marta's advance.
"Uuugh!"
Martha, using her aura, shattered the wall and lunged at Tusa, her body encased in a dense haze.
"You damn woman!"
Tusa twisted his face so much it looked distorted, uttering bizarre words.
Ka-gyagya-gyagya-geong!
Sharp thorns shot out from the air and the ground, sweeping toward Martha.
"You miserable excuse for a bastard! You only know how to do disgusting things that match your appearance!"
Martha shattered the wall of life energy with her sword, striking down with her sword even faster than before.
"Huhu."
Tusa summoned a blood golem with a chilling smile, made from his own blood.
"Grrrr!"
As expected, Martha swung her sword towards the summoned blood golem right next to her.
"Let's finish this in one go."
Anticipating the situations, Tusa built a double-layered wall of vitality and memorized an advanced spell that could tear Martha apart in an instant.
"The Bloodbane Spear should be enough."
Just as he quickly memorized the Bloodbane Spear spell and was about to cast it towards Martha, something unexpected happened.
Quaaaaaang!
Martha's attention was diverted to the blood golem, leaving Tusa astonished, and she shattered the wall of vitality with a single blow, rushing towards him.
"It's already too late!"
Tusa quickly stepped back, unleashing the Bloodbane Spear.
A crazed warrior would never avoid that spear.
They would attempt to shatter the spear with their sword, and that would be the last thing they did.
However, the outcome was completely different from what he had imagined.
Hooong!
Martha's red eyes flashed sharply, and she deflected the incoming spear before lowering her sword towards his head.
"Groan!"
Tus desperately tried to raise a shield of vitality, but it was already too late.
Splat!
Martha's sword cleaved through the vitality, piercing Tusa's chest diagonally.
"Gah...!"
Tusa staggered backwards, his jaw trembling as if he couldn't believe it.
Grayish blood oozed incessantly from the gaping wound.
"I... I was certain she was in a frenzy..."
"Why bother losing your senses?"
Martha approached Tusa while twirling her sword.
"You can't stay trapped behind the same barrier forever."
She wiped the blood from her cheek with the back of her hand and then gripped the sword with a reversed grip.
"Apologize to the people you used while you die! You damn bastard!"
Martha screamed in anger as she thrust her sword through Tusa's heart.
"Guh... why... should I apologize? I granted the protection of the Blood God... they should be thankful to me..."
Tusa, even at the brink of death, remained fanatical. It was fortunate that he died feeling extreme agony.
"Ugh..."
Martha lowered her sword and collapsed onto the ground.
Covered in wounds from her use of vitality and the struggle to maintain her sanity, it felt as if her insides were being turned upside down.
"Sis..."
Luna approached, biting her lips.
Her trembling gaze held fear, guilt, and confusion.
"Come here!"
Martha impatiently gestured, and Luna hesitantly approached.
"Show me your hand."
"What?"
"Can't you hear? Show me your hand!"
"Oh, okay."
Luna extended her hand towards Martha.
Her palm was sliced open as if she had tightly gripped a pineapple peel.
"Tsk, I should've acted sooner."
"Oh, no! I doubted you..."
"Shut up."
Martha, with a wrinkled brow, used an aura to push away the vitality stained on Luna's hand.
"Ah..."
"Don't you know better than to trust someone you just met? You fool!"
Luna felt a gentle energy tickling her hand, even though Martha's words were rough.
Warmth that didn't match her harsh voice.
It reminded her of the past, a tenderness that could make her forget everything.
*****
Quaaaaaang!
The Heavenly Drive sword and the Greatsword clashed head-on, creating a powerful shockwave.
The colorful buildings around them crumbled like sandcastles, and amidst the chaos, Raon and the Seventh Apostles clashed once more.
Krrrrrack!
In a split second, there were five clashes of power and speed.
Power against power, speed against speed, creating a cacophony.
"Grrr..."
Seven Apostles shielded his eyes as he brought the Greatsword up from below.
An enormous surge of vitality surged like waves on the sea.
Goooong!
Raon, with a faint smile, swung down the Blade of Requiem.
The sharp blade and the powerful aura combined, emitting a brilliant light.
Kwaaang!
Upon impact, the ground beneath them twisted, and between them, Raon and Seventh Apostles clashed again.
"Kuhaha...!"
Seventh Apostle squinted his eyes as he raised the Greatsword, countering the impact.
His eyes were full of disdain as if mocking the situation.
"As expected of you. You've managed to grasp my strategy, tactics, and even my combat skills. It's truly praiseworthy."
With a calm expression, Raon lifted the Blade of Requiem onto his shoulder as he approached Seventh Apostles.
"But there's something you're mistaken about."
"Mistaken?"
"That spell. It's not over when the spellcaster dies."
Seventh Apostle tightly gripped the handle of the Greatsword and began chanting something incomprehensible, a solemn aura emanating from him.
Without pause, the resonating words spread, and an eerie pressure filled the air, sending chills down the spine.
"Get ready. The Blood nexus will explode now."
Along with his smile, the swirling maelstrom of vitality burst forth, engulfing the sky above Grand Cenebill.
"Now, the Blood nexus will explode, and this entire place will be obliterated. Only you and I will remain, perhaps."
Seventh Apostle opened his hands wide, and an eerie gleam filled his eyes.
"Don't worry. I'll drink your blood, drop by drop, until the last."
"Don't you remember what I said earlier?"
"What?"
"I told you. I understand that spell better than you do."
Raon formed a faint smile as he conjured an aura of energy, shaking the atmosphere to its very core.
Kwoong!
He flicked his finger like someone flicking a piece of dung.
"Remember how I enjoy poking fun at you? Let me show you once more."
With a light smile, Raon snapped his fingers.
Thwick!
An abrupt, resounding sound accompanied the explosion of the Blood nexus, causing it to tremble violently.
Thump-thump-thump!
Like rain of meteors, the destructive aftermath of the explosion rained down upon Grand Cenebill, extending beyond the city's borders.
"Seventh Apostle."
Raon stood before Seventh Apostle, ignoring the cascading blood energy.
His eyes held a mixture of awe and disdain as he smiled.
"It's me, remember? Once I defeat an opponent, I never lose to them again."
Adjusting his Greatsword, Seventh Apostle looked up at Raon's confident eyes.
"I mean it. You'll be defeated by me, here."
Raon's eyes shone with a fiery determination as he lifted his swords.
"This is your grave."
