N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 345
The brush was heading towards the all-encompassing sea. The waves piled up and formed a threat to devour the world.
Roar!
The vast red sea created by Yeonhaemukhyeol (crimson sea destruction) crushed Martio's black mountain.
Kugugugugu!
With a deafening roar as if the world was crumbling, Martio's power melted away. The energy he had gathered for self-destruction and the river energy he had been unleashing all vanished.
"Ah..."
Martio's desperate groan accompanied the loss of his right arm.
"Ugh!"
Martio staggered backward, gritting his teeth.
"wha... what was that swordsmanship?"
The fiery waves consumed everything.
Not only the river energy imbued in the sword but also the energy he had gathered in his heart were swept away. He couldn't make sense of what had just happened.
"Tha…that swordsmanship... it's somewhat similar to the house Robert's swordsmanship. Just like the lord's..."
However, there was no time to think about the swordsmanship. Raon, with eyes blazing like a raging sea that had devoured everything, stood right in front of him.
"Ugh..."
When their crimson eyes met, his breath caught. No thoughts crossed his mind. The fear of wanting to live, which he had forgotten for a long time, resurfaced.
Gnash.
Cossini bit his lip until it bled as he watched the terrified Martio.
"That guy's a monster."
Even for a grandmaster completely nullifying mental manipulation magic was impossible. It was so unbelievable that she couldn't speak in disbelief.
"It's all over..."
Martio had poured his life into that sword strike, and even Spider Memory, the most potent mental manipulation magic, had no effect. There seemed to be no way out now.
"As it is, I'll..."
Cossini glanced at Raon.
"He doesn't care about me."
Raon seemed to be focused on Martio..
"This is my chance."
As his gaze turned toward Martio, this was the only moment when she could escape from that monster.
Vroom.
Cossini cautiously manipulated mana. She set coordinates for the sea above the dungeon and slowly arranged the mana.
Vroom.
Just as she was about to activate teleportation magic using the arranged mana, she felt an excruciating pain in her shoulder.
"Ugh!"
Lowering her head, she saw a sinister dagger stuck under her shoulder.
"Insane..."
Shivers ran through her entire body as she looked up. Sinister crimson eyes were glaring at her.
"It's... Okay."
Raon noticed, but it didn't matter. The mana arrangement for teleportation was already completed.
"It's too late!"
Cossini stepped back and activated teleportation.
"Now you're a dead man. Lord Derus will... huh?"
As she cast the curse, she should have disappeared from this space. However, the arranged mana remained still.
"Th-this can't be..."
Cossini trembled as she looked at the dagger stuck in her shoulder. The aura emanating from it was blocking the activation of the magic.
"You'll die if you remove that."
"Ah..."
When she tried to grab the dagger with trembling hands, Raon's eerie voice echoed. In the spine-chilling fear, her hand instinctively lowered.
"Cossini! Go quickly! Deliver the message to lord Derus!"
Martio yelled while holding onto Raon with his one remaining arm and leg.
"Ugh!"
Cossini gritted her teeth and pulled the dagger stuck in her shoulder. Even though some aura remained, it didn't matter.
Vroom!
As she swiftly completed the spellcasting and attempted to use teleportation again, the world tilted.
"Oh..."
Instead of moving the mana, she couldn't even speak.
With a small jolt in her head, all she could see was her tilting body, Martio screaming with his remaining left arm, and Raon's crimson eyes.
'ppAm I dead?'
She realized she was dead, but strangely, a sense of relief washed over her. She could escape from the terror in those crimson eyes.
Thank goodness...
* * *
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the blood-soaked Blade of Requiem.
It is literally a natural enemy of magicians.
The magical blood of the Blade of Requiem is activated even when separated from him. The moment the Blade of Requiem is stabbed into a magician, the battle is over.
It may not work if Cossini was not flustered, or if she was a higher-level magician, but it was amazing that such a thing was possible.
Thank you for your help.
Raon affectionately stroked the Blade of Requiem before sheathed it back at his waist.
Kkuuuuhhh...
Wrath sharpened his teeth until he made a grinding noise.
Shut up!
He shouted and thrust his face forward.
What the hell are you, you bastard!
‘Hmm….’
'How do I lie?’
Raon slowed his breathing, as Wrath seemed to inquire about the situation. He had conveyed the essential information through aura messages, but he had also revealed things that shouldn't have been shown. To be honest, there was no clear answer.
'Well, you see…'
Why did you go in to a trance again?
'Huh?'
However, Wrath was more concerned about the fact that he had entered the trance twice in a row, rather than the bizarre situation.
Is the trance a local restaurant for you? Go in to eat and come out when you're full?
Wrath sighed as if he couldn't believe it.
The King has lived for an extraordinarily long time, but encountering a lunatic who enters the trance twice a day is a first! Is the trance your living room?
"This time, I got lucky."
He was able to enter the trance this time because he had been intensely focused on blocking Martio's self-destruction and had glimpsed traces of Yeomhaemugyeol (crimson sea destruction). It was not due to his skills but purely luck, so there was nothing to say.
You make me so angry! I'm going to go crazy!
"Is this inferiority complex?"
What inferiority complex! Even the gods will slap you if they see you!
Raon shook his head and approached Martio.
"Kkuuuugh!"
Martio was groaning heavily, having lost both arms.
"Martio."
Raon knelt down and locked eyes with Martio.
[Does it hurt?]
"You..."
[I've felt it too.]
Wrath might have caught on to some extent, but just in case, he sent another aura message.
[When I stabbed beneath the fingernails and toenails with needles, when I dug into the vital points of the body with a knife, when I was torn apart by a beast, and when my only friend died... it hurt.]
Raon held Martio's sword and stabbed his thigh. It was a pressure point that caused excruciating pain, enough to paralyze the whole body.
"Ugh..."
Martio groaned as if struggling for breath, his head trembling.
Thunk!
He stabbed the back of Martio's knee for the second time. It was a pressure point that caused pain akin to ants devouring the entire body.
"Aaaargh!"
Martio writhed in agony, his screams tearing through the quiet dungeon.
"Don't worry. There's still a long way to go."
"Aaargh!"
Raon, wearing a mask-like expression, continued to probe Martio's pressure points. His screams filled the silent dungeon.
"Do you find this amusing?"
"Ugh..."
"Did you enjoy doing this to children who couldn't even speak properly? Was it fun?"
The message meant for Aura flared up and slipped out of his mouth in excitement. No, he had been in a state of excitement ever since he came here.
But he wouldn't regret it even if Wrath found out. He couldn't ease the emptiness of waiting for revenge for 20 years by simply slitting someone's throat.
"Enough..."
"Did you ever listen to the pleas of the children who begged you to spare them, to save the ones who died because of you? Even once?"
Memories from a past life flooded back—children who had died after being tortured, children torn apart by dogs, children who became playthings for officers, and even the closest friends who died. Faces of innocent children who couldn't even close their eyes appeared, and he bit his lip to hold back tears.
"Uuuaargh..."
Martio's breath shook as if it would be cut off. He was in a near-death state, depleted of his strength and tortured to the brink of death.
"Relax. You won't die."
Raon simultaneously manipulated the flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier. He pushed Glacier into the left mana circuit and flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation into the right.
Wuuuuung!
The two energies clashed in Martio's torn spine, creating a powerful wave.
"Aaaargh!"
Martio's scream was the loudest yet. His diamond-shaped pupils twisted as the mental shock and physical pain merged into one.
"What is Derus targeting?"
"Uuuh..."
Even in this state, Martio refused to answer. He remained fanatical to the end.
"Let's raise the intensity a bit more."
Raon chuckled coldly as he amplified the energies of Glacier and flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
"Aaargh..."
Martio's pupils rolled back, and his limbs contorted like an octopus.
"I've endured this pain since I was born. It's bearable for any human. So, try to endure it."
The pain Martio was experiencing now was no different from the agony he had suffered every day of his life until the curse of extreme cold disappeared.
"I've used up all my energy. I'm going to..."
"I told you. You won't die."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"Two types of aura are competing in your body, creating artificial vitality. You won't die until that energy completely dissipates."
"Ah..."
"In other words, you might have to endure that pain for the rest of your life."
"Uuuh!"
Of course, it was a lie. It could last for a while, but it couldn't last that long.
"G-Goddamn..."
However, it seemed to have an effect on Martio. His expression was so distorted that he couldn't say anything.
"Finally, I'll ask one last time. What is Derus planning?"
"......"
"You don't have to say it. I'll keep doing this until I leave this place."
"He's... spreading terror on the continent..."
"Terror? Is it a war?"
"...Yes."
Martio nodded. The ecstasy of breaking the fanatical spirit of the zealot who had devoted everything to Derus sent shivers down Raon's spine.
"With the Six Kings and Five Demons, right?"
"That... is correct."
"How is he planning to start a war?"
Raon narrowed his eyes. Both the Five Demons and the Six Kings had too much to lose, so starting a war wouldn't be easy. He didn't understand how he planned to do it.
"It's... similar to..."
"...Kidnapping of direct descendants, perhaps?"
Martio didn't answer, but his expression alone was enough to confirm it.
"Very well."
Raon chuckled coldly and nodded.
"You're a filthy one."
"You... you will eventually die at His hands..."
"I'm not afraid of him. I'll kill him before he kills me."
With that, Raon turned and left.
Martio's breath finally ceased with those words. Considering how much energy he had expended, his survival until now was quite an achievement.
'I've done everything I needed to.'
He had revealed his true identity to Martio, inflicting mental and physical pain, and obtained hints about Derus's plans. It was no exaggeration to call it the ultimate revenge.
Raon inserted his sword into Martio's heart and closed his eyes.
"May all of you rest in peace."
He prayed that the souls of the children who had died at Martio's hands would find peaceful slumber.
"Sigh..."
Raon sighed and turned around.
...
Wrath had his fists clenched, staring at Raon. It was time to explain.
'What's the best approach here?'
Revealing the truth about reincarnation was out of the question. He needed to weave at least a partial lie.
*Perhaps tempting with food is the way to go.'
Approaching Wrath, Raon cleared his throat.
"Wrath, this situation..."
Raon Zieghart.
Wrath's voice calling out his name felt heavier than usual.
'I see…'
It seemed like Wrath had figured something out, as he met Raon's gaze.
"Hmm..."
As expected, Las had caught on.
Let me be clear. I don't have the right to hear your story.
Wrath released his clenched fist and lowered his gaze.
To be honest, Raon, it's not about you.
"What?"
I've already seen your dreams by chance. It was when you saved the young humans in the orphanage.
At the time, I thought it was strange that he kept quiet, but I guess he saw the scene of me fighting with the 9th in my dream.
No matter how good or bad our relationship is, it's hard for us to deceive each other. But it's also not fair to ask you to reveal everything. So I'll wait."
Wrath smiled faintly and raised his hand.
"Hah... "
Raon opened his mouth wide and looked at Wrath. A natural and confident look. For the first time, he looked like a demon king. Like a real monarch.
"You're cool."
Wrath looked cool because he was completely different from himself, who had tried to deceive him in any way.
I was always cool and beautiful. Don't judge me lightly, human.
He seemed to want to keep this atmosphere going, so he waved his hand with his back turned.
"I'll feed you anything you want to eat as soon as we get out of here."
He was serious. He wanted to do anything Wrath wanted to do because he was grateful and sorry to Wrath.
"……."
Wrath didn't turn around. It was the first time he didn't move even for food.
Raon smiled and walked up to Wrath, but then stopped in his tracks.
First, pizza is a must, and the lamb chops we had last time were good. Oh, we're in South, so lobster and grilled fish would be good too. And we need some fruit juice to wash it down...
Wrath was writing down a list of food he wanted to eat on the palm of his hand. In less than five seconds, he had already flipped through more than one page.
"..."
Wrath kept writing without turning around. This was the first time he had seen someone order food so seriously.
"I'll make sure you get all the food you want once we're out of here."
He was sincere. He wanted to do everything Wrath asked for, both out of gratitude and remorse.
I thought he had changed, but no.
Even though he showed the majesty of a king, he couldn't fix his gluttony.
Raon shook his head and looked down at the floor. He felt the murderous aura of the creature, which was filled with anger at the noise and vibration, and curled his lips.
'Only one thing left.'
