N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 286
Quaaaaaaaang!
The Ten Apostle unleashed terrifying bursts of energy, shattering hundreds of spells with a single wave of his hands.
Despite being covered in wounds all over his body, his eyes burned with even greater intensity and madness.
"Merlin!"
"Too late. The date's already over."
Merlin grinned while holding the sealed shadow pridon.
"This lunatic is persistent to the end!"
The Tenth Apostle swung his spear down with immense energy.
The concentrated force of the spear strike poured down upon Merlin's head.
"Today ends here."
As Merlin flicked her finger, her entire body shimmered and faded like a constellation.
"You can't escape!"
"Unpopular are the persistent ones."
"Shut up!"
The Tenth Apostle lunged forward through the air, and terrifying explosions erupted in succession from the underground.
"Argh!"
Dorian trembled as he lifted himself up.
He pounded the ground with his fist, propelling himself forward despite his immobile legs.
"Damn it!"
This was not supposed to happen...
Having spent his trainee days closest to Raon, Dorian knew him better than anyone else.
Raon seemed to navigate crises wisely, but he was always shouldering more than he should.
Always putting others before himself, he risked his life for them.
Dorian had trembled with fear but hidden his feelings, knowing Raon even before the direst situations.
Even as he was being sealed into Merlin's box, Raon sent a gaze that seemed to say, "Escape while you can," filled with concern for Dorian.
He was that kind of man, willing to sacrifice his life to help others, but there was nothing Dorian could do.
"This... is the best option."
Though he might find a device to stop that box from sealing if he rummaged through his bags, it was meaningless now.
Even if Raon were to emerge again, there would be no escaping those two.
For now, the best course of action was to think about finding Raon again and move accordingly.
"Merlin!"
"Ugh!"
Dorian gulped dryly as the Tenth Apostle's roar echoed from the direction of the Colossal.
If not for the urgency of the situation, it would have been a bone-chilling sound.
"I... I have to escape."
Getting caught by that monster now wouldn't just mean death—it would mean losing any chance of finding Raon again.
He couldn't deliver "that" message.
"I have to run as fast as I can... Ah!"
Dorian sprinted as far away from the Tenth Apostle as possible but came to a sudden halt.
"This was the moment when I shouldn't have moved..."
Recalling what Raon had said during their training on Mount Bukmang, Dorian remembered.
"When you want to escape a master, it's better to hide and control your breathing than to run away. Even if they are a master, it's not that easy to catch you if you adjust your movements to match the environment, moving like an ordinary person. The most important thing is to ease the tension. If you calm your mind and suppress your presence, it's not easy for them to find you."
Recalling the concentration-enhancing training he had done with Raon, he took a deep breath.
Slowly, quietly, like a dying person, he regulated his breath and concealed himself beneath a wall.
"That advice was right."
They called him the Grandmaster.
Even if he left the city, there was a possibility he'd be followed.
Playing dead and hiding was far better in this dire situation.
Did he know that such a situation would occur?
The training he had deemed useless was now saving his life.
He felt grateful to Raon once again.
"Raon always thought ahead."
Just in case...
He took out a small glass vial containing red liquid from his bag and slipped it inside his sleeve.
He closed his lips tightly and crouched down a bit more.
Quaang! Quaaaaaaaang!
The enraged Tenth Apostle's sounds of destruction echoed all around.
The prolonged roars gradually subsided, and the energy that the Tenth Apostle had exuded like madness scattered like dust.
"Phew..."
Dorian only managed to get back on his feet after another thirty minutes had passed.
His body was still trembling.
His heart, beating like a frantic drum, hadn't settled down yet from the reckless fear he had felt.
"I might die."
Holding his pounding head and trying to steady his breath, he moved towards where the Grand Assembly was supposed to be.
Just in case...
When he was about to leave the city, he saw over thirty people entering.
There were some unfamiliar faces, but most of them were members of the Light Wind squad.
Suppressing the tears welling up in his eyes, Dorian rushed towards Burren.
"You little...!"
"You chubby fool! Where were you?"
Burren and Martha came running with furrowed brows.
They were angry, but worry filled their eyes.
"Damn it!"
Dorian bit his lip so hard that it might bleed while looking at the Light Wind squad.
"Ra...?"
He exhaled as if his breath was blocked, pushing out a breath that felt like it was stuck.
"Raon... has been kidnapped."
"...."
"Damn it..."
Burren and Martha lowered their heads to the ground, their fists clenched.
"For crying out loud!"
"Did it have to be this way?"
"Probably... the one who fought against the Tenth Apostle. It was Merlin who wore the mask of Jester. She must have been targeting Raon."
The Light Wind squad must have anticipated some sort of result from seeing Merlin fighting against the Tenth Apostle.
"You idiot! What could you have possibly done between two Grandmasters!"
Martha struck the ground with her fist, channeling her emotions through her clenched hand, which resonated with everyone's hearts.
"He sacrificed himself again to save us."
Burren gritted his teeth and said this.
He pressed his fist so hard that it turned white and lowered his head.
"Ah... Ah..."
Runaan remained seated, his trembling hands still raised.
She seemed to be in a state of panic.
"Which side did he get kidnapped to?"
"Merlin of Eden. He was dragged into some strange box..."
Dorian explained the situation he had witnessed to everyone.
"Of course it would involve teleportation..."
"Doesn't that mean finding him is impossible?"
"No! If we act quickly..."
"The Tenth Apostle missed her. A magician like Merlin wouldn't leave any traces even with teleportation..."
"Raon..."
"For God's sake!"
"Raon. That damned kid..."
Sounds of people sobbing could be heard from various directions.
"I think there's a way to find him."
Dorian's hoarse voice sparked a bright light in the eyes of the Gale Faction.
"A way? What is it?"
"What's the way?"
"Open your mouth!"
The Light Wind squad rushed over and grabbed Dorian by the collar, shoulders, and arms, their faces filled with anxiety and urgency.
"Speak, quickly! Hurry!"
"From your mouth!"
With a sense of urgency, the Light Wind squad surrounded Dorian, each holding onto his clothes and limbs.
"Uh, wait a second!"
Dorian backed away, and from his bag, he took out a small glass vial containing red liquid.
"A glass vial?"
"What is that?"
"It's the liquid extracted from the Red Snake Tail Orchid."
He opened the vial.
A faint fragrance tickled his nose.
"Continent-Tracking Perfume!"
The young woman who wore a rose blindfold and was sandwiched between the members of the Light Wind squad screamed.
"Continent-Tracking Perfume! You sprinkled Continent-Tracking Perfume!"
"Uh? Who's this...?"
Dorian raised an eyebrow as he saw her for the first time.
"It's Dening Rose, the head of the Black Market here. Let's start with the explanation."
"Oh, he's right. This is called the Continent-Tracking Perfume. Once it's sprayed, it can trace from Zieghart in the north to the Robert family in the south, serving as a tracking liquid."
"So, you..."
"No way!"
"Yes. Just as he said, this is the Continent-Tracking Perfume. Dorian spread this liquid before Raon entered the box."
Dorian nodded with a faint smile.
"Dorian."
"You little brat!"
"What, this coward doing something for once!"
Runaan, Burren, and Martha embraced Dorian, and the members of the Light Wind squad smiled with hope.
"But the smell is hardly noticeable. Can you track it?"
"Strong smells dissipate quickly. You need a special artifact to detect this scent."
Dorian nodded and took out a ring from his bag.
It was an artifact with a red gem embedded in the center.
"When you wear this ring, you can smell the scent of the Red Snake Tail Orchid. In other words, no matter where young master Raon is, you can find..."
"I see."
A chilly voice from behind sent shivers down their spines.
The figure of the Tenth Apostle appeared in the astonished pupils of the Light Wind squad.
"Ugh!"
Quickly, Dorian put the perfume and the ring back into his bag.
He tried to run, but his neck stiffened and his body started to freeze.
Before his hands stopped moving, he quickly rolled up his sleeves.
"You're coming with me."
The Tenth Apostle grabbed Dorian's neck like a stone statue.
"No!"
"Die!"
The first to react were Runaan and Martha.
They drew their swords and charged towards the Tenth Apostle.
Crack!
The Tenth Apostle lowered his hand.
The aura that emerged from his lightly descending hand aimed for the hearts of both of them.
"You little brat!"
"Heup!"
Runaan erected a wall of frost in front of the dazed Martha.
Crack!
The powerful aura ruthlessly shattered the wall of frost, and Runaan was thrown back, spewing blood as he crashed to the ground.
"Ugh!"
Martha's gaze was fixed on Runaan's fallen form, her eyes bloodshot with madness.
She exploded in fury, swinging her sword and detonating all the auras she held.
Crash!
The Tenth Apostle flicked his fingers.
The aura line extending from his index finger shattered Martha's sword, piercing through her shoulder.
"Idiot! Die even if you have to!"
She screamed, extending her sword with hatred.
Thud.
The Tenth Apostle caught Martha's descending sword with a weak hand.
His gaze narrowed as he looked at the necklace that had fallen between the torn fabric of her robe.
"I see. That time."
"Kugh..."
He licked his lips briefly, flicking his fingers.
Martha, who had fallen to the ground like a limp doll, rolled over.
"Forget about Raon and this guy."
As the Tenth Apostle withdrew his hand, a red puddle formed beneath him.
"That's your path to survival."
Before he finished speaking, he and Dorian sank into the puddle.
"Aaaargh!"
Runaan crawled forward, pounding the ground where the Tenth Apostle disappeared, with his bare hands.
Blood oozed from his hands, but he didn't stop.
"Kugh..."
Burren approached, stealing blood from his mouth, and stood by Runaan's side.
As if he had lost his mind, he too began to dig into the ground.
"Dorian..."
"Dorian!"
"Damn bastards!"
Except for the unconscious Martha, the other Light Wind squad swordsmen gathered around and pounded and clawed at the ground.
Dening Rose watched them for a moment, then her eyes widened as she saw a glass bottle rolling toward her from the right.
"Wait a minute!"
Holding the glass bottle, she called out to everyone.
"With this, we can find him!"
"But the ring..."
"We use the Continent-Tracking Perfume too. With just the scent, we can create a tracking artifact!"
She didn't know why the Continent-Tracking Perfume, which had been in the hands of the Tenth Apostle, was here, but with this, she could trace it effectively.
"No matter what happens, I will find him."
Dening Rose's blindfold gleamed with a clear light.
"I stake the name of the Fourth Heir of the Black Market."
*****
Dorian rolled his eyes and swallowed a dry gulp as he looked around.
'Where is this...?'
A spotless, snowy-white room, blood-painted red columns, and an elegant, noble-looking altar atop them.
Even he, who lacked perception, seemed to know who the owner of this room was.
The Tenth Apostle knelt in the center of the room.
"Greetings, Master."
'Hmph!'
His ominous thoughts proved correct.
There was only one person whom the Apostle would address as "Master."
The owner of this eerie room was none other than the White Blood religion's leader, the White Blood religion Leader, whom Dorian had never wanted to meet in his life.
Hwaaah.
A shadow, as if painted in blood, emerged from behind the red feet that covered the altar.
Despite no apparent force acting upon it, her presence suddenly manifested like something rising from the ground.
'This is...'
His paralyzed jaw seemed to tremble.
A mystique different from Glennn's zeal permeated the entire room, seeping out in waves.
Even though her feet were hidden behind the altar, she could create such an atmosphere—it was astonishing.
"The Seventh has returned to the embrace of the Blood God."
A warm feeling, as if coming from within his feet, carried a voice that flowed gently.
It was as if joy, sorrow, affection, and disdain were all interwoven into a single voice.
"I apologize."
The Tenth Apostle lowered his head, closing his eyes.
"Is there anything to apologize for? That child was just not talented enough. The Blood God will embrace even such a child; don't worry about it."
Although the White Blood religion Leader's voice was still affectionate, a hint of impatience and anger seeped through.
To laugh even though his disciple had died, Dorian couldn't understand it.
It made the situation even more terrifying.
"Raon Zigheart?"
"Heu, when I found him..."
The Tenth Apostle opened his eyes and recounted the events that had taken place in Granseville.
"Merlin. It's Merlin. Disturbing things again."
The White Blood religion Leader's voice contained a gentle tone, but it was suffused with mild annoyance and anger.
"So, who is that child?"
"I brought him because I heard he sprayed the Continent-Tracking Perfume on Raon and has an artifact that can track him."
"Artifact?"
"Yes, it's in my bag, but I can't take it out."
The Tenth Apostle frowned, looking at Dorian's bag.
"It seems to be a special artifact."
"Interesting."
When the White Blood religion Leader gestured with his foot again, Dorian's body floated as if he were tied to something.
He was pulled toward the altar.
'Hiiiiik!'
Internally, Dorian screamed.
His heart constricted so much that he felt he would stop breathing any moment.
'W-Well, I'll probably die. Still...'
He must not hand over the ring.
He must not hand it over, even if it meant throwing away Raon's favors.
He had left behind some of the Continent-Tracking Perfume in his sleeves, so he could create a different tracking artifact.
Everyone would save Raon, so he needed to endure here.
Thud!
Just as he had risen up, Dorian descended in front of the altar, as if he were landing softly like when he had floated up.
Perhaps the energy center that had been blocked by the Tenth Apostle had opened up; his arms and legs began to move.
"Y-You... If you kill me, the bag won't open! The ring will never...!"
"You've been through a lot."
"Uh...?"
Instead of the torture he had anticipated, a soothing voice flowed from the White Blood religion Leader.
"To hide your body in a battlefield to aid your master..." (Raon)
A hand emerged from the red foot.
Dorian's head was covered in dust, yet the hand that touched his head was so white and beautiful that it seemed to emit light.
His chin trembled slightly in the warmth and softness.
"You don't know how much I have suffered."
"W-Well, it's not... Ah!"
She lifted his head slightly to say that it was futile, but when he met the dark eyes that seemed to capture the very essence of darkness, his mind went completely blank.
"If you stay like this, your master's soul (Raon's) will become prey for a monster worse than a beast."
"T-That's..."
"Give me the ring."
The White Blood religion Leader extended her hand, which had been caressing Dorian's head.
"Let your master find higher ground through me."
"Uh..."
Dorian nodded with a dazed expression and took out the ring with the red gem from his bag, handing it to the White Blood religion Leader.
"Thank you."
As the Blood White religion Leader gestured, Dorian collapsed to the side.
"The path to finding a new disciple seems quite interesting."
She smiled lightly as she gazed at the ring glowing red.
"I'll be able to see the faces I've missed for so long."
*****
Chad, the head of Vian Assembly, hurriedly walked towards the audience chamber like never before.
Normally, he would have knocked and waited, but he opened the door and entered right away.
"Sir Chad?"
Sheryl, who was gripping the collar of Rimmer's robe, and Roenn, who was smiling behind her, looked up in surprise.
"Oh! Have you come to find me?"
Rimmer shook his head with a dazed look.
"I'm sorry! It's an urgent matter!"
Without answering the three of them, Chad knelt in the center where Glenn was visible.
"I bring an urgent report from the Granseville Black Market. Light Wind squad vice leader has been kidnapped by Eden's Merlin!"
Chad's lips trembled as he spoke.
He raised his head nervously, not knowing how they would react.
Rumble!
Rimmer's eyes, which were covered in mischief just a moment ago, flickered like a spirit.
The intensity of Sheryl's gaze revealed her deep anger, and the air around Roenn turned as cold as ice.
"Tell us the details."
Glenn's expression remained unchanged.
His face retained the same coldness as when they first met, making it even more fearsome.
"Tell us everything."
"Yes, sure. Light Wind squad learned that a magic array was installed throughout Granseville..."
Chad summarized the letter he received from Dening Rose as briefly as possible and reported it.
"Eden. Those wretches..."
"Do they think this is their domain?"
"They seem to have been alive for too long."
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn's energy began to surge.
The anger of the three of them shook the audience chamber.
"Chad."
"Yes, yes..."
Glenn's indifferent voice sent shivers down his spine.
Chad felt a stronger anger in his subdued voice than from the three of them.
"How did the crystal given to Raon react?"
"I investigated, and it's responding from the sky and the sea. It seems to be in a place where space and time are distorted."
The crystal necklace Glenn gave to Raon was a locator that could track its position anywhere on the continent.
However, they couldn't get a proper signal.
It seemed to be enveloped in a highly advanced barrier.
"...So, it's impossible to find?"
"No."
Chad quickly shook his head.
"What we need now is the physical location. Doran's tracking perfume seems to solve this. By using both the necklace and the tracking perfume, we can find him. The successor of the Black Market seems eager to help, so it shouldn't take much time."
One of the successors of the Black Market had created a magical artifact that could trace the track and was ready to start the search.
As they were skilled in locating people and items, they would surely find it.
"Sheryl, gather all the important figures within the family. Roenn, summon the members of the Bongsinga division."
"Yes!"
"Yes."
The two of them left with a grim look on their faces.
"Chad, even if you have to mobilize the forces of Dai and Dan, you need to monitor the movements of Eden and the White Blood religion. We need to find out as soon as possible."
"You mean the White Blood religion too?"
"The White Blood religion uses magic that defies the laws of the world. If they have a ring that can trace magic, there's a good chance we can find Raon's location."
"Ah, I understand!"
Chad clenched his fist and stood up. He felt his pride for the Zieghart house surge within him.
"Rimmer, help Chad."
"......"
Rimmer stood behind Chad without saying a word.
His usually cheerful atmosphere turned as cold as a northern wind.
"And..."
"I will inform the branch."
After bowing her head to Glenn, Rimmer left the audience chamber with Chad.
"Phew..."
Glenn bit his lip and gripped the armrest of his throne.
The pressure was so strong that the wood turned into powder.
"Eden, White Blood religion."
His pupils glowed with a crimson light.
"Erase them all."
No matter where they are in the world.
*****
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ceiling that seemed to be made of logs.
'Where is this...?'
A slight headache emerged as he recalled the item called shadow prison that Merlin had used.
'Using even a legendary-grade consumable...'
An incredibly precious legendary-grade artifact.
Among them, to use a consumable that disappears after a single use was beyond his expectations.
It seemed he had underestimated that crazy woman too much.
"Hmm..."
He sat up.
When he pulled away the soft feather-like blanket, he saw pristine white clothes without a speck of dust.
It looked like something Merlin would have dressed him in.
"There's the necklace. Huh? The sword...?"
Not only the crystal necklace but also neatly laid out by his bedside were his well-tailored attire, Heavenly Drive Sword, and Blade of Requiem.
"What's going on?"
Was this part of the kidnapping?
He could understand leaving behind the attire and necklace, but he couldn't comprehend why the Heavenly Drive sword and the Blade of Requiem were left behind as well.
Have you finally woken up?
Wrath leaned over, assuming a posture for writing and thrusting his face forward.
Well then, how will you move next? Impart some wisdom to the king.
The smirk on his face seemed to indicate that he now believed he was the one planning and moving everything.
'Planning...'
Raon mused as he grasped the Heavenly Drive sword.
'Upon closer examination, it's not that bad.'
While listening to Merlin and the Ten Apostles' conversation, he had thought that if he were to be kidnapped, it would be much better by Eden's side than the White Blood religion.
'Because they said there's a strong monster's soul in the helmet.'
Having fought the self-proclaimed Demon King since he was young, he had the confidence that he could defeat anyone inside a helmet.
'Escape is quite possible.'
Not just getting out of here, he might even get stronger and return.
'As expected, Wrath gives generously... huh?'
It was when Raon held the Blade of Requiem and smiled.
He felt a sharp gaze from behind.
Growl!
At the warning of the Blade of Requiem, he turned around and drew his sword.
Clang!
A white skull-shaped helmet floated.
Inside its hollow eye sockets, golden flames flickered, emitting a scent of death.
"Death Knight's helmet…"
