Chapter 503
The Robert family's grand garden, where the trees sway in the breeze even in the middle of winter.
As Derus Robert gazed at the moonlit clouds, a small woman dressed in a maid's uniform knelt behind him.
"I have received a message from Siris."
The maid raised her bowed head and revealed her dry, expressionless eyes.
"Who has come?"
"The leader of the Holy Sword Union arrived with his sword army. Yonghyeon Swordsmaster is now an amputee, and there was a man who appeared to be the disciple of the Holy Sword Union leader.”
"Disciple? Quirel?"
Derus seemed intrigued and asked about Darkan's disciple.
"No. It is said that he is the new and youngest disciple, and he has already reached the realm of Grandmaster.”
"His youngest disciple is a Grandmaster? He wasn't just hiding, was he?"
He nodded with a faint smile.
"What about the other side?"
"The White Blood Religion's leader came personally with the Third Apostle and the Tenth Apostles."
“Those demons always does things that are unexpected. So that's two of them. He hasn't arrived yet, I guess.”
"Lastly..."
The woman in maid uniform hesitated briefly before continuing.
"Merlin appeared."
"Merlin?"
Derus lowers his gaze for the first time, surprised.
"How, Eden shouldn't have any free time right now."
"It seems that Merlin was alone targeting Raon Zieghart. She is said to be confronting the Tenth Apostle."
"Even after that incident, she still hasn't come to her senses?”
He clicked his tongue in pity.
"What is the situation?"
"Inside the city, the Holy Sword Union leader, the White Blood Religion leader, and the heads of the Five Divine Rulers are fighting evenly. The leader of Heavenly Blade division and Zieghart's Sword of Light are blocking Yonghyeon Swordsmaster and the Apostle... and..."
The woman in a maid's uniform paused for a moment before continuing.
"Outside the city, Raon Zieghart is said to have defeated the Holy Sword Union leader's disciple."
"What?"
Derus's sunken eyes widened.
"Kubara."
"Yes."
"You said that the Holy Sword Union leader's disciple is a Grandmaster."
"That is correct."
"So Raon Zieghart has reached the realm of Grandmaster?"
"That is not the case."
The woman named Kubara did not shrink back even in the face of Derus' terrifying gaze as she slowly opened her lips.
"He used the sword field creation."
"Ha! sword field creation?"
Derus held his forehead and let out a sigh.
'A sword field at the age of 21? It must not be the perfected form. No, even so...'
It is more amazing than reaching the realm of Grandmaster.
He has studied countless books and records, and even kidnapped and dissected a direct line that could use the sword field, so he knows more about sword field creation than Zieghart's swordsmen.
Zieghart's sword field is a barrier that manifests the swordsman's life and imagination into the present world. Its operating method is limitless and can change depending on the swordsman's growth.
Because it is filled with life, it takes a lot of time to achieve, even for a genius. But this crazy bastard Raon Zieghart created a sword field at the age of just 21.
'This is beyond comparison to any of the achievements he has achieved so far.'
He thought there was nothing more to be surprised about regarding Raon, but this surpassed even his imagination.
"What kind of sword field was it?"
"I don't know."
Kubara shook her head slowly.
"What does that mean?"
"Siris mentioned that the moment Raon Zieghart’s sword field vanished, he could discern that his energy had depleted. Siris stated he would launch an immediate attack and then abruptly severed communication."
She sighed, saying that Siris had moved without waiting for orders.
"Will you stop him?"
"Hmm..."
Derus stroked his chin as he looked at the swaying green leaves.
‘That's not entirely incorrect.’
The sword field is the trump card of Zieghart's swordsmen. Once it is unfolded, it drains the body and aura to the point of exhaustion.
If the battle within Barena were in perfect balance, there would be few people to come to Raon's rescue.
If experienced Siris moved, it meant he saw a definite opportunity. It seemed reasonable to trust in that.
"Let him be."
Derus, framing the cold moon with his fingers, said, "Regardless of what happens, Raon Zieghart won't survive today."
* * *
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Raon halted his steps behind a tree the size of an adult male's torso. He released the aura that had barely filled up and scanned the surroundings.
'Of course, it's the movement of an assassin. And that one...'
It's the same as the Shadows.
Assassins have distinctive traits depending on their factions.
Blood Membrane pursues the fastest speed, and the Church of Death values secrecy above all else.
However the Shadows change the way they move depending on the situation. When secrecy is required, they move more stealthily than the Church of Death, and when speed is crucial, they move faster than the Blood Membrane to eliminate the target.
'The fact that those Shadows guys are approaching with a little bit of noise means...'
It means that they know that his physical condition is at its worst.
It was clear that the Shadows were running to eliminate him quickly before he could recover his stamina and aura.
It seemed that they had been watching the situation from a high place.
However, moving so quickly while erasing their presence, each one appeared to be an elite assassin.
'Well, that guy wouldn't send anyone ordinary.'
Those sent by Derus are unlikely to be ordinary assassins, they surely conceal something special.
'I have to avoid head-on confrontation.'
Fighting head-on now, with his aura and stamina depleted, was not a good choice.
Haaamm.
Wrath, knowing that the Light Wind division was safe, yawned and went into the flower bracelet, satisfied.
It's boring. Wake me up when it's over.
'Anyway...'
Raon pulled out the Blade of Requiem while biting his lips thinly.
'My condition is at its worst, but there is a way.'
Let's go back to the old days.
Pretending to run away, he entered the forest. Although it was winter, the trees and bushes were empty, but he used stealth as he passed by the large tree roots.
It was not the Shadows martial arts he had learned in his previous life. It was the White Shadow Steps, which was improved based on the martial arts he had acquired in his new life.
With the White Shadow Steps, he completely killed his presence and climbed a tree.
'I've arrived.'
Even a peak Master level might not be aware that this area is now filled with assassins.
Raon looked around and held the Blade of Requiem upside down.
'As expected, they can't find me.'
Unlike when they were running towards him, the assassins, unable to detect his concealed presence, were wandering around.
'However, it's also difficult for me to find them properly...'
Because his stamina, mental strength, and aura were all at rock bottom, it was challenging to pinpoint the assassins' locations.
'This feeling hasn't occurred in a long time.'
The battle between assassins is different from that between warriors.
It is a battle of information in which the opponent's position and condition are identified, and moving without any thought could result in a silent battle where one's throat could be cut off.
'All of them have the best stealth skills. He really raised these guys well.'
There was no presence or vitality felt, as if he were a dead man. They were the ones who surpassed the best in terms of stealth skills.
Raon exhaled his breath to the sound of the wind and spread his aura even more finely.
'They hide well.'
With his physical condition at its worst, the enemies' auras were faint, and their vitality did not exist, so it was difficult to identify the exact location of the enemies.
'And I can't use the Perception of the Legend either.'
The Perception of the Legend consumes not only wrath, but also aura and mental strength.
If he uses it and can't find the positions of all the assassins, it will became a significant problem. Now is the time to be patient.
Raon placed his hand on a thin branch and closed his eyes. He rotates the Rings of Fire that were slowly swirling around his heart, to find the enemies as quickly as possible.
Chiiing!
The seven rings resonate strongly, sharpening his senses. He overcomes the fatigue and exhaustion, dyeing the forest white.
In the white space where only nature exists, dark beings ignite a remnant fire. They were the auras of the assassins.
'Found them.'
Surrounding the forest like a net, the location of the twenty-four assassins was pinpointed. However, even knowing their hiding spots, detecting their presence was challenging. They truly seemed like lifeless beings.
‘Did he create a new martial art that even kills vitality like corpses?’
When Raon considered that Derus might have created a martial art that could kill even the vitality, a subtle ripple spread throughout the entire forest.
[You hid your hair so well.]
A strangely distorted voice, seemingly using an artifact to obscure the location.
[The White Sword Dragon of Zieghart hiding in front of the enemy, if rumours spread about this, it would be embarrassing, wouldn't it?]
Raon calmly nodded at the taunting voice mixed with mockery.
'As expected.'
There must be a leader.
In these assassination missions, there was always a leader giving orders to the shadows. The one speaking now seemed to be that leader.
'Where could he be.'
Among the twenty-four assassins whose locations were identified earlier, there was no leader. It seemed that his hiding technique was more exceptional.
[If you keep dragging out time here, your beloved Light Wind members will all die, you know? I've sent someone there too.]
The leader of the assassins began to provoke him, as if to urge him to come out quickly.
'Tsk.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly inside his mouth.
'That's unlikely.'
Derus had no interest in the Light Wind division. All he desired was the death of the human named Raon Zieghart.
'He's trying to shake my mind?'
I'm confident in that aspect too.
Raon stepped on the White Shadow Steps and moved behind the closest assassin.
The assassin was hiding under the tree stump to the right and looking at the center.
‘Indeed, the aura feels different.’
Even being this close, there was no sense of vitality. It seemed that Derus Robert had actually created a new martial art.
Swept up in the moment, Raon covered the assassin's mouth and pierced his throat with the reverse grip of the Blade of Requiem.
‘No movement at all?’
Even though they were assassins, he hadn't expected not to see any signs of life as they approached death. It felt like stabbing a doll.
‘How deeply were they brainwashed?’
Thinking Derus was ruthless, Raon moved beside him. Once again, covering the mouth, he slashed through the heart.
"Groan!"
The blood flowing from the assassin's chest touched his wrist, and the flesh melted as if burnt.
‘Poison? No, that's impossible.’
Even for an assassin, carrying venom potent enough to melt skin would be absurd.
‘Wait a moment... When I approached to cover their mouths, all of them had abnormally low body temperature. Like corpses.’
Thinking of the assassins as corpses, he recalled Derus's plan from a past life.
‘These things can't be!’
As Raon released the assassin's corpse and attempted to step back, the voice of the leader leading the Shadows reached him.
[Found you.]
As the voice echoed, the assassin he had killed moments ago turned his neck 180 degrees. Like a zombie, he reached out with a pierced heart.
Thud thud thud!
The first one, with the pierced throat, sprinted forward with a broken waist. The hidden assassins all revealed themselves, rushing in to attack.
‘This is insane!’
Raon stepped back, biting his lip.
‘Did he finally complete it?’
The envoys.
Now I could understand why those assassins seemed lifeless. They were all dead bodies. It seemed like Derus Robert had finally completed his plan to turn them into assassin corpses.
[Wow, you're not a dragon, but a rat, huh? Like a rat, escaping so skillfully.]
A mocking voice followed behind the assassins trying to stick together. It was evident that this guy was manipulating the assassins.
'Assassins with acidic poison in their blood. Well, that seems to have come true.’
Actually, the scariest part about the envoys assassins wasn't that they were already dead bodies. There was something else that was truly terrifying.
‘He's probably aiming for that too.’
It seemed necessary to prepare to escape this situation using that advantage.
"Argh! Come out!"
Raon, pretending to be severely shocked, fended off the rushing assassins.
The corpse-like assassins naturally had no fear. Even with limbs cut off, they continued to attack, spewing toxic blood until the end.
‘Just a little more.’
Raon, feigning to avoid the toxic blood, circled around as the four immortal assassins moved simultaneously, then drew Heavenly Drive.
Swoosh!
With a sound as if it echoed with tension, the sharp sword strokes extended, beheading all four assassins simultaneously.
At that moment,
[Got you.]
Along with a laughter, the bodies of the assassins whose necks had been cut off flashed as if they had been covered in oil.
‘Here it comes!’
Raon clenched his lips, concentrating the remaining aura into the mana circuit of his foot, unleashed the Supreme Harmony steps. Stomping forcefully on the ground, he retreated.
Kwaaaaaang!
As soon as he escaped from the assassins whose necks had been cut off, an enormous explosion occurred as if a strong blast had exploded, and a bottomless pit was dug in the space where he had been standing just a moment ago.
‘Ugh…’
Raon frowned as he looked at his hands and legs.
‘I got a little hit.’
The explosion was too close for him to completely avoid it. He had severe injuries on the backs of his hands and thighs.
‘That's why they're called envoys.’
Those assassins were called envoys, meaning that they would drag the living to the underworld like a water ghost.
‘But the plan should have worked…’
The one controlling the assassins probably believed I was dead due to the explosion a while ago.
He needed to be prepared to strike when the person descended.
[Hmmm...]
The assassin sighed while observing the exploded area without revealing himself. After a silent moment, he chuckled.
[You didn't die, did you? That's impressive.]
Those words sent a shiver down Raon's spine.
‘He knew that?’
He didn't create a shield of aura to avoid suspicion, and he only dodged with his footwork, but he didn't expect such a remark. Whether it was his intuition or his ability, he was no ordinary man.
‘There is no choice..’
Even if his internal injuries worsened, he seemed to have to use the Perception of the Legend to determine the assassin's location.
As Raon sighed and rubbed his aching abdomen, a small movement occurred behind him. He tensed up, thinking it was an assassin, but the sound was very small, and it came from the ground.
BOOM!
A mole with a snow-capped head poked its head out from the ground.
'A little while ago, is it because of the earthquake...'
"Are you having a hard time?"
The mole spoke.
'Merlin?'
Raon opened his mouth wide and quickly took a deep breath.
"Aren't you fighting the Tenth Apostle?"
“I am, but you need to be looked after too.”
Merlin tilted her head as if to ask why he was asking such an obvious question.
"I saw you use the sword field creation. It was a truly beautiful dawn."
Blushing, she gently patted both her cheeks.
"Now is not the time for such words."
"Shall I help?"
"Huh?"
With a mischievous smile, Merlin chuckled and disappeared back into the ground from where she emerged.
'What is that supposed to mean?'
Offering for help and then going somewhere without explanation.
Just when he thought she was an utterly unpredictable woman, the sky brightened. Lifting his head, he saw dozens of magic circles rising like constellations, emitting a vast light. They began to rain down indiscriminate bombardments.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
Successive explosions occurred as magic detonated, trees were uprooted, and the earth split, yet the tree he was hiding behind suffered no damage from the onslaught.
'It's Merlin.'
It was clear that Merlin, who had disappeared a little while ago, realized my condition and was helping me.
‘I can't afford to miss this.'
He wasn't foolish enough to not eat the soup he was given. Concentrating the remaining aura in his hands and feet, he operated only the Ring of Fire.
Kugugugugugugu!
Amidst the chain of exploding magic, a very faint movement occurred. It was the presence of a living person, different from a corpse.
Gooooooooooooooooooo.
Red streams of aura erupted from Raon's pupils.
'Found you.’
