N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 344
Regal lightly knocked on the door where Derus was staying.
"Come in."
Derus' gentle voice came from inside the room. Regal carefully opened the door and entered.
"What's the matter?"
Derus, who was sitting at a neatly organized wooden desk, raised his head.
His voice was completely different from before he opened the door. The gentleness was gone, replaced by an icy coldness.
Regal swallowed dryly as he looked into Derus' calm eyes.
'He seems to have found his composure already.'
There was no longer any anger in Derus' gaze. Despite the destruction of Zone 9 and the children being released just before completing their brainwashing, he had returned with a calm demeanor.
'But he'll never forget it, I'm sure.'
The one who orchestrated this wasn't Borini Kitten. If he was the Derus he knew, he would search the entire continent to find the culprit and destroy everything he had.
Regal lowered his head and approached the desk.
"It's information from Martio. The plan is proceeding smoothly, and he promises to return with good news from this expedition."
"I see."
Derus nodded slowly and lowered his gaze. He seemed to trust Martio completely.
"Hmm..."
Regal observed Derus like that for a moment.
"Is there any problem?"
"I heard there's a dangerous monster below the dungeon, according to Cossini. Martio's injury hasn't fully healed yet, so I'm concerned."
Martio were the same age as Regal and had survived together until now. They were like brothers who had spent a long time together, so he was worried.
"There's no need to worry. With Martio and Cossini, they should be more than capable of handling it."
Derus lightly nodded.
"That responsible fellow is bringing good news this time, so it's right to trust him."
Martio hadn't forgotten his mistake in the Owen Kingdom. If he's saying that, he'll make sure to retrieve the artifact at any cost.
"Right now, he's come a long way from being the leader of the remote village."
He looked down with a solemn gaze.
"Let's trust him."
* * *
Martio swallowed hard as he looked at the sharp blade.
'I'm in trouble!'
Concentrating on his senses behind him, he hadn't imagined someone would suddenly attack from the side. It felt as if his body had stiffened.
'I have to block it…'
But he couldn't just let himself be killed. He couldn't prevent the blade from piercing him, but he had to minimize the damage.
The problem was that the assassin's blade was trembling, so he couldn't be sure which part of his body it was aiming for, his throat or his heart.
'At times like this…'
His heart.
Assassins typically aimed for the heart, as it was the most lethal area. Unlike the throat, even a slight cut would be fatal.
"Ugh!"
Martio bit his lip and twisted his upper body as much as possible.
Sssching!
At that moment, just as he had anticipated, the intruder's blade was aimed at his heart.
Thunk!
Due to the bent waist, the blade didn't pierce his heart but sliced through the center of his chest, his sternum.
Thud!
Martio clutched his chest and quickly moved away, standing next to Cossini.
"Ugh..."
He felt excruciating pain. The sternum was not only the pathway for the body's mana circuit but also a critical point. Although he had avoided the heart, the damage was severe. He didn't think he could use even half of his usual strength.
"But... I can endure it.
If it were just me, it might be different. With the Shadows and Cossini by my side, handling an assassin like that was entirely possible.
"Capture that rascal... What?"
Martio was about to give the order to attack, pointing at the intruder, but he stopped abruptly, his lips quivering.
"It can't be..."
Jet-black hair, sharp features on a pale complexion, and a small scar under the right eye, a face that seemed ordinary until you saw it up close.
"Oh no..."
The person who shouldn't be here, no, the person who shouldn't exist in this world, was standing right before him.
"Raon..."
His heart felt like it was about to burst. Assassin Raon. The leader of the former Shadows he had personally trained, Raon, was standing right in front of him.
"Raon?"
Cossini's voice trembled, and she widened her eyes.
"It really is Raon!"
Her voice cracked with astonishment.
"How are you here? No, how are you alive?"
Martio shouted in disbelief.
"It's impossible."
It couldn't be!
Martio was the one who killed Raon, and he had disposed of the body. He had melted the bones and flesh, erasing all traces of existence. How could he be alive?
"I've returned." (I'm vengeance, haha)
Raon smiled wickedly and drew his sword. At that moment, all three of the stunned Shadows dropped to the ground simultaneously. It was the Black Assassin's Sword he had personally taught them.
"I've come back to take you and your master to hell."
"Ah..."
His voice was the same as before. The chill ran down his spine, and blood started oozing from the wound on his chest.
"It's nonsense! Such a thing can't happen... Urgh!"
Martio shouted in anger, but when he saw Raon's sword, his pupils trembled.
"The Heavenly Drive Sword?"
Raon raised the sword without any intention of hiding it. It was unmistakable. That was the Heavenly Drive Sword that Raon Zieghart had used recently.
"No way..."
"That 'no way' is correct."
Raon seemed to be enjoying this, and he raised his hand to conjure flames. His face began to change along with it. His black hair turned into golden blonde, and a reddish hue appeared in his black eyes.
Goooaar!
An unusual appearance for a human. But the distinctive feature of the well-known Zieghart was clearly displayed, his golden blonde hair and the same red eyes.
"Raon Zieghart..."
"Yes."
[I am the Raon that you raised and devoured. I have returned to drag you down to hell.]
The last words came in an aura message, but he didn’t have the mind to realize it. He felt like his head was empty.
"He's..."
Derus was right!
The prediction made by Derus, who believed that the assassin Raon and Raon Zieghart were the same person, was not wrong.
'I have to kill him. No, I have to inform him first.'
Even if he's not in great shape, with Cossini by his side, Martio can handle Raon, at least to the level he saw in the Six Kings Assembly.
However, there is no way that that monster-like bastard came here just like that.
‘What I have to do now is….’
Martio drew his sword and gave orders to the Shadows.
[Get out of here and inform lord Derus! Tell him that Raon and Raon Zigheart are the same person!]
It might sound strange, but the Shadows, who were nearly in their twenties, immediately followed his orders and ran to the dungeon's exit, avoiding Raon.
"It's me."
Raon stood still in his place, not chasing after the Shadows, and smiled.
"I haven't forgotten what I learned from you."
"What?"
"Assassination means creating the situation I want to succeed."
He snapped his fingers, and as the sound echoed, the dungeon's ceiling collapsed on the Shadows who had run to the back, burying them under rocks and dirt. None of the Shadows in their twenties survived.
Thud.
Raon, still smiling, took a step closer. His soft footsteps were out of place in this place, and it made Martio's throat dry.
"The only ones who can leave this place..."
His voice was low, lower, and lower.
"...are the dead."
* * *
Raon looked at the pale-faced Martio and Cossini with a chilling smile.
'It seems to have worked.'
Initially, he aimed for Martio's solar plexus even though he could have struck his neck, but it was to see the shocked expression on his face. Seeing the lifeless expression on the always calm guy's face gave him a slight sense of relief, as if twenty years of resentment were slowly fading away.
"Eek..."
Martio's hand holding the sword trembled violently. Even in this situation, he seemed to be greatly shocked, despite the fact that the Shadows were wiped out by his own command. Laughter involuntarily escaped him when he saw the expression filled with despair and astonishment.
“Let’s end this, Martio.”
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive Sword and aimed it at Martio's heart. Martio's forehead was sweating with the freezing momentum.
“W, what to do….”
“You idiot!”
Kosini slapped Martio's cheek, who didn’t know what to do.
"It's natural to be surprised! I thought my heart was about to drop too. But are we going to die here? If we die here, where do you think that guy's sword will go?"
"Ah..."
Upon hearing that, Martio's trembling subsided. His pupils began to regain their composure.
"Your words are correct."
Martio nodded and slapped his own cheek on the opposite side.
"For the sake of him, we have to kill that guy by any means necessary."
A strong determination surged in his eyes.
"Cossini, fight with all your might."
"I know. I don't want to die either."
With their agreement, the entire dungeon shook.
Vrooooom!
Martio was naturally the first to move. Despite his injuries, he dashed forward and swung his sword downward. A thick black aura fell towards Raon's throat.
Shraaaaak!
Raon lightly raised his body and sword, opened the iron bars that had caged the ferocious beast of fangs of insanity, Thunderstrike Explosion, clashed with Martio's sword.
Screeeeeeech!
Even with sheer determination, one couldn't overcome severe injuries. Martio couldn't withstand the impact of fangs of insanity sword technique and was pushed against the wall.
Wooooong!
When Raon attempted to move forward to pursue him, a powerful wave of mana surged. It was Cossini Zion, using her special ability, Mind Fragment Magic.
"Futile."
When the Ring of Fire was active, it acted as a mental attack immunity. The rotating Ring of Fire melted away Cossini's mana that was attempting to control Raon's mind.
Fwaaaaah!
Raon pushed off the ground with his toes and moved forward. In a moment, he moved in front of Kosini and created the wind of 설풍검결 (Snow Wind Sword Form)
"Ugh!"
Cossini quickly unfolded a multiple shield, but the blade of the sword with blue wind embedded in the Heavenly Drive sword broke through three layers of walls and headed for her neck.
Screeeeeeech!
Just as blood was about to spurt from Cossini's throat, Martio intervened, deflecting the Heavens Drive Sword.
"This bastard!"
The sword of Matio, with black power burning, rotates. The sharpened knife stabbed into the left chest.
"Slow."
Raon twisted his ankle and drew the Heavenly Drive sword with anger. The sword, which was filled with fangs of insanity, revealed its blood-stained fangs.
Screeeeeeech!
After a powerful collision, Martio was pushed back, bleeding profusely. The combined injuries from the previous fight in the arena and the chest wound were taking a heavy toll.
"Eat this!"
Cossini reached out behind Martio. Yellowish lightning threads shot forth from her hand. Chain Lightning, her most confident brain-element spell after mind manipulation.
Zzzzzzzap!
Raon pressed his foot and activated Supreme Harmony steps, drawing his Blade of Requiem with his left hand. The smoothly drawn crimson blade, as gentle as raindrops falling from the roof, mercilessly tore through the lightning threads.
요혈 (Nullify, Magic Nullify/Absorption), which erased magic. It was a trait that was a disaster for magicians
"Still a long way to go!"
From Cossini's hand, dozens of lightning bolts burst forth from the circular lightning formed. Plasma Bolt, the most potent offensive spell she could use.
"I told you. It's futile."
Before the Plasma Bolt could fully form, Raon thrust with his Blade of Requiem. The suffocating energy from the blade interfered with Cossini's mana just before the Plasma Bolt could complete.
Zzzzzzzap!
In the explosion of mana that erupted right before her eyes, Cossini was half-buried in the ground.
"Ugh..."
Spitting out blood, Cossini struggled to open her eyes. By the time she did, Raon was already before her. He had come to ensure she couldn't escape using Blink, but Martio intervened, blocking his sword.
Screeeeeeech!
Raon twisted the blade away, using the Black Sura's Secret Technique. A powerful shockwave radiated outward, causing Martio and Cossini to tumble on the ground.
"Ugh..."
"Ugh..."
Overwhelmed by the tremendous force, both of them turned pale.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you too easily."
Raon gazed at Martio and Cossini with a dry stare.
"You'll have to spill everything you know, and what you don't."
"Ugh!"
Cossini grabbed her shoulders and shivered, saying, "I can't use mind manipulation or brainwave magic. He is...monster."
[Use me.]
Even as Martio clenched his fist until it bled, gripping Cossini's shoulders, the message from his aura resonated.
[Use me. I'll unleash my power. Cast Berserker on me.]
Cossini's expression froze at the request.
[Using Berserker while in an aura explosion state...]
[It doesn't matter.]
Martio nodded with determination.
[His blade will reach the Lord eventually. We must end this here.]
Cossini nodded at Martio's voice, which had hardened.
[Okay.]
Cossini stepped back and stretched out her hand. The mana operated from her fist distorted in the opposite direction of the normal mana distribution and settled on Martio's entire body.
Berserker magic. That too, the highest effect of rage.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Martio's eyes turned red as his muscles swelled like an orc. It wasn't just his body that changed. The energy he possessed exploded like a volcano, enveloping the space.
'Hmm….'
Raon frowned as he looked at Martio's appearance.
'Aura explosion?'
Aura, the life force innate in humans from birth. It seemed like Martio had drawn on that power, a force that couldn't be recovered once used.
'And on top of that...'
It seemed that he had used Cossini's Berserker magic to amplify that power. Just in terms of aura, it seemed to have increased by about three times.
"Die!"
Martio crushed the earth beneath him, swinging his sword down. His blade, once thin and sharp, now resembled a massive, thick axe. Unlike Martha's frenzied state, he remained completely in control, coldly thrusting his Black Shadow Sword downward.
"Give it your best shot."
Raon chuckled coolly, planting his heel on the ground.
“I was almost disappointed because it was too easy!”
He unleashed the Azure Blossom of the Wind Dragon technique, redirecting the upward-spiraling wind towards Martio's sword strike.
Crash!
It was an impact that made their bones shudder, a force more than three times greater than before, combining the aura explosion and Berserker, it seemed.
Raon smiled as he fought Martio.
'This is how it should be.'
He had to repay him more than he had inflicted upon him.
Kuung!
He blocked Martio's sword. The blade was like a massive wave crashing into a cliff, an overwhelming force generated through the synergy of aura explosion and Berserker, exceeding three times its previous strength.
Zzweeeee!
As Raon fought Martio, he continued to smile.
Raon coordinated attacs disrupted Martio's defense completely.
"Is that all?"
Martio yelled as he extended his sword. The blade, infused with aura, spread out like spider silk, confronting the flames head-on. It was the Black Shadow Sword's ultimate move, Changyeong-gwii.
Kwaaah!
The crimson aura Raon unleashed and the black energy Martio drew clashed, causing a tremendous explosion.
Kugugugugu!
Shockwaves spread across the floor, and the previously solid ground crumbled.
Thud!
Raon landed on the uneven ground, shrouded in dust. Visibility was low, but he could sense Martio and Cossini standing on the opposite side.
'This is serious.'
It seemed like his right arm, the one that clashed with the sword, was injured. Facing a long-standing enemy who had tormented him for twenty years, such a straightforward ending was much preferred.
Huuung!
Raon cleared away the dust with his Heavenly Drive sword. Martio glared back at him with even more intense red eyes.
'What's going on?'
'Had he become even stronger?'
Martio's aura was burning more fiercely than before, surpassing Raon's previous expectations. It was an absurd situation where using his aura seemed to increase it instead of depleting it.
"You said only the dead can leave this place, didn't you?"
Martio smashed the ground as he charged. Though it was the Black Shadow Sword and Black Light Shield that Raon knew, his speed and movements were on a completely different level.
"You, too, cannot escape this place alive!"
"I'm an exception. Because I'm the host."
"Shut up!"
Raon drew a line in the ground with the tip of the Heavenly Drive sword that he was holding back. Following that trajectory, a wave of blue emanated. The twin blades of the Ice Blossom/Frost Lotus Sword technique aimed for Martio's sword and neck.
Zzweeeee!
Martio, with his strengthened aura, easily blocked the ice blades with his sword. His overwhelming strength made it impossible for Raon's attack to have any effect.
"It's futile!"
His aura grew even stronger. Whether it was due to the overwhelming aura explosion or something else, it was incomprehensible how his aura was increasing instead of diminishing.
It felt like dousing his entire body with cold water. Martio seemed to be aiming for a suicide attack.
"Now you've realized? I'm a bomb right now."
Martio grinned, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
"Whether you attack me or not, your fate is death."
Raon gazed into Martio's eyes, filled with vitality, and furrowed his brow.
'He's staked his soul on this.'
Martio was using Kosini's magic to draw out power beyond his life force, even his soul
Kyaahh!
Raon used Martio's power to step back, realizing the impending explosion could bury them all.
'If it goes off like this, we'll be buried alive.'
No matter how well he knew the geography of this place, he couldn't withstand Martio's self-destruction. He had to defeat him before the explosion.
'First, I need to find a space to absorb that power and then use the sword's silvery dream.'
While searching for a way to pull Martio into a different space, Raon noticed something familiar on the wall. It was the distinct mark of Exalted Swordsmanship he had seen in the dungeon above.
'This is different.'
However, the flow of the sword technique was different from before. Instead of being limited to certain areas of the wall and floor, the entire space was filled with the continuous flow of Exalted Swordsmanship.
'It's endless, unlike what I saw in the entrance.'
Realizing this, a red line appeared in Raon's mind. The second Exalted Swordsmanship, as his hand traced the Exalted Swordsmanship on the wall, he felt the sensation of a vast expanse.
'Unbroken.'
Unlike the house Robert swordsmanship, which flowed like a river, becoming a sea, this Exalted Swordsmanship seemed to embrace everything from the beginning.
Bapjijik!
As soon as he realized it, a red line was drawn on the wall. The Divine Sword, containing the essence of the Exalted Swordsmanship left by the ancestor, moved forward.
"No matter what you do, it's already too late."
Martio charged forward with a face full of bulging veins. His body, swollen like a balloon about to burst, turned crimson.
"You will die here."
Power rises endlessly on his sword. It looked like a black mountain made of power had risen.
"No, you're the one who's going to die here."
Raon's sword sparks in front of the mountain of power that devours the space.
Hwaryeok!
The sea of flames created by Raon's sword swallowed the mountainous surge of chi.
'No matter what you do, it's already too late.'
Martio charged forward with a face full of bulging veins. His body, swollen like a balloon about to burst, turned crimson.
"You will die here."
Power rises endlessly on his sword. It looked like a black mountain made of power had risen.
"No, you're the one who's going to die here."
Raon's sword sparks in front of the mountain of power that devours the space.
Hwaryeok!
The blade, which rotated along the trajectory of the wall, soared into the sky like a firebird, drawing a lofty line.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation: Baeghwa (White Flower).
Exalted Swordsmanship.
The horizontal line traced by the flood of flames engulfed the black mountain.
Note: Wow no Wrath in this chapter, lol
