Chapter 504
Raon didn't miss the thin and slender aura of the assassin who was controlling the assassin zombies. He hid his body in the explosions that shook the ground and very slowly observed his movements.
'He's not fast, but his presence is even smaller than a corpse.’
It seemed that Derus had created a new footwork, as the assassin was walking with a footwork that had less presence than the Black Shadow Steps.
If it hadn't been for Merlin, he would have only found it after operating the Perception of the Legend (Veil of the Snow Flower).
'I shouldn't be blindly follow him.’
Judging from the fact that he recognized I was still alive, he must be an experienced individual.
The assassin did not retreat even though he was in danger of dying due to Merlin's magic.
It was clear that he was a high-ranking executives of the Shadows who had accomplished many assassinations, as he was able to reduce the damage by controlling the assassin zombies while not letting his guard down against this side.
If I approach hastily, I might knock on the door to the afterlife due to the assassin zombies’ self-destruction.
'My current condition is the worst.'
Even if the assassin's level of power is at Master, it would be crazy to face him head-on in my current physical condition.
He had to continue fighting the assassin as planned at first.
'I'm confident in the endurance battle.'
Raon moved in the same direction as the assassin while enduring the explosion. The aftermath of the explosion was touching his body, but he held his breath, believing in the protection of the Black Dragon Coat.
*Kugugugu*
As Merlin's magic bombardment subsided, the scenery that had been filled with gray dust began to emerge a little.
The ground was all torn up, and the bodies of the six assassin zombies had exploded.
However, the assassin did not stop his footwork. He did not release his stealth and constantly circled the area so that he could respond to any situation.
Raon bit his lip.
'My energy center is starting to ache.'
Because the White Shadow Steps is a footwork that hides himself in nature, it consumes more aura than the Black Shadow Steps.
Because he had overused his aura in his injured state, his stomach was throbbing.
*Sssshhh*
The assassin finally stopped his footwork and hid his body behind a towering tree that had its trunk torn out.
'He's finally settled in. But....'
It's not time yet.
The assassin's guard was not yet lifted. He was still guarding the surroundings with his sharp senses.
'But there is a way to break in.'
Of course, the assassin's senses spread out from the back, and the assassin zombies were also placed on the side and back to protect him. He had a feeling of how to approach the man.
Raon walked forward, wrapping the still smoldering dust and the darkness of the night around his body.
Neither left nor right. He walked towards the tree where the assassin was hiding.
'Slower than a turtle.'
If he became impatient because the aura was running low, the assassin zombies would run in and commit suicide. He had to be calm at times like this.
'I can't expect any more help either.'
Merlin poured magic bombardment on this place while fighting the Tenth Apostle.
If he couldn't finish the remaining situation on his own, he didn't deserve to survive here.
He took one step at a time towards the tree, like a baby taking its first steps.
The man, as an assassin, was still concentrating his aura on the back. He was not interested in the front that had begun to come into view.
Raon approached the base of the tree where the assassin was hiding, using the quiet dust and the humid shadows as a springboard, and bent down.
‘This is where it gets important.’
Even if the aura is concentrated in the back, there is a possibility of being counterattacked if he stabs now. He had to wait for the man to let his guard down.
Raon held the Blade of Requiem in reverse and held it upright, and took a depth breath.
'It will definitely come.'
* * *
Siris clenched his teeth, suppressing any sound, and chewed on the inside of his cheek.
‘Damn it.’
He was on the verge of killing him, so what the hell just happened?
As he had assessed from the hill, Raon Zieghart's condition wasn't good.
It was unexpected that he managed to escape the self-destruction of the envoys (assassin zombies), but the aura remaining in him was extremely minimal.
It should have been a simple task to scatter the remaining assassin zombies and find him to finish it, but suddenly, magical bombardment from the sky messed up everything.
‘Six of them are dead.’
The magical bombardment caused the six assassin zombies to explode. Four of them self-destructed, and two were damaged beyond repair, leaving only twelve.
‘No, this should be enough..’
It must have been Merlin who used the magic just now.
She must have meant not to kill Raon because she was targeting him, but she was currently fighting the Tenth Apostle. It would be impossible to use a magical bombardment of this scale again.
‘I have to kill him as quickly as possible.’
The situation changed. He had to finish off Raon before Merlin used magic again or someone else came to help.
Siris spread the twelve assassin zombies around. He placed them in places where Raon could hide and then stroked the artifact in his left ear.
It was an artifact that amplified the sound of his whispers to the desired location.
[I know you're alive. If that stubborn survival instinct is still there, crawl if you have to...]
He tried to provoke Raon as he had done before the magical bombardment, but Siris' words didn't continue until the end.
That's because a red dagger was already touching his abdomen.
Piaaack!
The blade of the dagger that pierced Siris's abdomen flashed with bright yellow ghastly energy.
"Gurgle!"
Siris's movements froze due to the explosion of ghastly energy, and the red dagger took advantage of the gap to tear apart his energy center.
Zizzizizik!
A sound like a energy center splitting open rang out, and Siris tumbled backward, trembling all over. His eyes were lifted upward, showing signs of intense pain.
"Kuhh!"
Raon, the owner of the red dagger, curled his lips as he looked down at Siris, who was moaning in pain.
"Now it's fair."
* * *
Raon let out a sigh of relief as he looked at the assassin zombies that had turned to stone like plaster.
‘That was close.’
He didn't know how the assassin controlled the assassin zombies, but it was clear that he used aura.
He aimed for the energy and center instead of the heart or neck because he needed information from the assassin, and fortunately, he hit the mark.
"Kughh…."
The assassin's moans continued. It was clear that the energy center was completely destroyed, considering that a Shadows, who had undergone pain resistance training, could emit such moans.
Raon removed the assassin's mask. He was a young man with blue hair and a kind-looking appearance that could be seen anywhere.
‘Siris?’
He was the vice leader of the 5th division when he was the head of the Shadows in his previous life. He looked a little older than he did then, but he couldn't be mistaken because Raon had personally trained him.
‘Has he risen to the point where he can control assassin zombies?’
Well, his skills were certainly solid.
As can be seen from this battle, Siris is a man with excellent situational awareness, stealth skills, and adaptability skills.
It was not strange that he had survived and been promoted so far.
However, he used to kill or massacre people unnecessarily, and it seemed that his personality was still the same as he was now, judging from the fact that he could control assassin zombies.
"Kughh…."
As the ghastly energy that erupted from the broken energy center subsided, Siris slowly raised his body. His forehead was sweating with pain.
'Even as an assassin, is he still weak against pain?'
The chances of getting information have increased.
"You, you...!"
Siris raised a blood-stained hand.
"What are those?"
Raon brushed off Siris's hand and pointed to the assassin zombies that had stopped behind him, pretending to know nothing.
"There's nothing you can hear from me."
"Is that so."
He placed his hand on Siris's left chest, who had his lips tightly closed.
"Kill me quickly. Torture is a waste of time..."
Raon covered Siris's mouth, who was muttering, and used the Rage Worm knockout technique, which he was now familiar with, to slap his chest.
Peueueueuek!
Siris's body bounced off the air by the elasticity and fell.
"Guh, such pain is nothing..."
"I know. It's nothing."
Raon nodded slowly.
"So I'll start from now."
He drew all the aura that had accumulated in his energy center and pushed it into Siris's body. He activated the torture method he had used on Cloud three times stronger.
"Torture is meaningless... Guaaaaak!"
Siris couldn't even endure for 10 seconds, and he screamed and shook his entire body.
It seemed that even the pain tolerance he had gained when he was raised as an assassin had no effect, and veins rose up on his neck.
'Naturally, he can't endure this.'
The current torture method causes him to feel pain, itching, heat, and cold at the same time.
Because the four of them stimulate each other and become stronger, it is impossible for a human to endure it even if they have pain tolerance.
Neither Siris's silence nor his lifespan will last long.
"Kkhh, kh, kh..."
Raon left Siris flapping and quickly recovered his aura by operating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier.
'If I leave him alone for a little longer, he'll beg on his own.'
Siris also knew that he was going to die, but it was clear that he would open his mouth to die faster and more comfortably.
"Please stop! I'll tell you everything!"
Before ten minutes passed, Siris clutched his thigh and begged in despair. The estimated time was fifteen minutes, but as expected, his patience was lacking.
"What are those?"
Raon pointed to the assassin zombies with a cold gaze.
"They are... beings called as the envoys.”
"The envoys?"
He pretended not to know.
"They are… Assassin zombies created using warrior corpses."
"Using corpses? Is it the work of a necromancer?"
"Yes, that's right. Developed through the research of necromancers and corpse manipulators.” (corpse sorcerers)
"So that's why their movements were so natural. I understand why their blood is poisonous and they explode."
If a necromancer makes a dead person move like a living person, a corpse sorcerer fills the clumsy-moving corpse with poison and explosion.
It is because the two of them created it together that such monsters like assassin zombies were born.
"Sizzle."
Raon, seeing the assassin zombies standing idly without receiving orders, clenched his fist until it dripped with sweat, staring at them.
'Derus Robert...'
That devil-like guy.
mocking even the dead by putting a noose around their necks, Raon's chest filled with anger that felt like it would burst
Derus had already shed his human disguise. He was a truly wicked being.
"Hoo..."
Suppressing the boiling rage within, Raon glared at Siris.
"Where are the assassin zombies created?"
"Ugh..."
Siris remained silent, as if waiting for the Rage Worm hidden in his heart to awaken.
"Annoying."
Raon, with a narrowed gaze, resumed the torture he had momentarily stopped.
"Aaaaargh!”
Siris couldn't take it much longer, his shaking jaw thrashing wildly.
"I'll tell you! It's Capeoli Village! Th-there's a factory th-there... cough!"
He died as he spoke the word "factory." It seemed that the shock of having his energy center broken was compounded by the torture.
‘Thankfully, I got the last bit of information.’
He was relieved to have obtained information about the place where the zombies were made.
However, the name of the village that Siris had said seemed strangely familiar.
"Capeoli?"
Why does it feel familiar when I haven't been there?"
As Raon was wondering what was strange and licking his lips, the mole that Merlin had possessed stuck her head out from under Siris' feet.
"I knew you could do it."
Merlin smiled brightly and nodded.
"Thank you. I owe you my life."
"I have to protect what's mine."
She closed her eyes, saying that she didn't need any thanks.
"Please don't say that…”
"Ugh!"
Merlin, who had been chuckling, suddenly clutched her chest, letting out a groan.
"It's nothing. I got hit by a spear."
Merlin waved her hand, saying she was fine.
"A spear? From the Tenth Apostle?"
"Yeah. This is the second time. It's not my heart, so don't worry."
"Hmm..."
He knew why she called it the second time. The magical bombardment earlier came from where Merlin's original body was. She had been hit by a spear then.
"Are you okay? Can you endure?"
"What's this? Worried about me?"
Merlin teased, stroking her blushing cheek with her tail.
"If I knew it would come to this, I should have taken a few more hits."
She murmured happily, but the conversation was abruptly cut off.
"I should probably focus a bit. Don't worry about me, escape from this place."
With Merlin's smile, her presence vanished. The mole, surprised, went back into the tunnel it had emerged from.
'She was hit by a spear...'
If it was a regular warrior, it wouldn't matter. But the spear of the Tenth Apostle, a Grandmaster, would definitely be a serious injury. He was worried about her condition.
'The debt just keeps piling up.'
Instead of repaying the accumulated debt, I just keep receiving help, and I feel like a mountain of debt is piling up.
Especially since it seemed like she didn't want anything, it felt even more bitter.
"Fuu..."
Raon, using the Tenth Thousand Flames Cultivation to cremate Siris’ body, rose to his feet.
'I need to send them off too.'
He wanted to send off the people who were abused by Derus even in death, but their bodies were harder than Siris', so it required a lot of aura.
'I don't have time to recover here.'
When he was wondering what to do, the energy of Wrath flowed into him from the ice flower bracelet.
"This is..."
Touching the dead is a dirty act.
Wrath peeked his face out of the bracelet.
Whenever the King of Essence witnessed individuals engaging in such vulgar acts, he would unfailingly smash their heads.
He went back into the bracelet and wagged his tail.
It's annoying, so hurry up and deal with it.
‘I told you you have a soft heart.’
Raon laughed and tapped the bracelet.
Who! Who said the King of Essence was soft! The King of Essence was the cruelest demon in Devildom...
'Whoever it is, it's some demon king somewhere.'
If I safely arrive in Cameloon, I should buy an ice cream.
* * *
"Losing focus in front of me is not sane."
The Tenth Apostle frowned as he looked at Merlin with holes in her shoulder and chest.
"Why did you use magic there?"
He pointed to the forest where Raon and Siris were.
"There were dirty bugs over there."
Merlin shrugged her shoulders as if nothing had happened. When her hand brushed against the wound, the blood was erased as the hole-ridden robe swelled.
"You're still crazy."
The Tenth Apostle' spear glowed with a terrifying light as the raging astral sphere bloomed on the spear shaft.
"Let's finish this quickly. I need to kill you and offer that guy to the lord."
"That's impossible."
As Merlin flicked her finger, an incalculable number of magic circles appeared behind her. Seven lights burned on the magic circle spread like wings.
"I won't hand over mine to anyone."
"You can't beat me in that condition."
The Tenth Apostle threw the spear with a dark voice as if he had pulled it up from hell. The storm of astral sphere that sprang from the spear shaft tore through space and rushed forward.
"I'm sorry, but..."
As Merlin drew her hands down like conducting an instrument, the brilliant light that spread over the magic circle flashed and became a bloody glow.
"This is my prime."
A hideous flash spread out from the magic circle that became one with her smile reflected on the mask.
Kuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
* * *
"Hurururururu!"
Raon turned his head after burning the bodies of Siris and the assassin zombies.
'What was that sound just now?'
A tremendous force collided in the distance. Judging from the flow of mana that flowed here, it sounded like Merlin and the Tenth Apostle.
'Should I go and see?'
No, I'd just be in the way.
Thanks to Wrath's energy and the slightly recovered aura, he was much better off than before, but he wasn't in a position to fight strong opponents of similar level.
Now, it was more important to join the Light Wind division and get out of here as quickly as possible, rather than helping anyone.
'I need to get going right away.'
Raon headed towards Cameloon and kicked the ground. He moved as quietly as possible, as there might be other enemies.
Coward. When The King of Essence had no energy left, he walked around with his shoulders straight.
Wrath chattered as he moved between the trees.
'I'm not a demon king, so...'
Hmph! You lack that kind of guts! The courage to win no matter what comes! Not blinking even if something happens…
As he continued to babble, a message appeared in front of his eyes.
[You have achieved an impossible feat.]
[All stats have been increased.]
[Attributes...]
It seemed that the rewards for winning the battle against Cloud and Siris had come all at once.
Urk...
Raon smiled, pointing to Wrath's eyelid, which was trembling.
'Did you blink?'
Shut up!
