N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 534
Denzel, the vice leader of the Black Fleet directly under the command of the Black Market’s master, concealed himself behind the cover of a tree, casting a watchful gaze over Bayon Lake.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaa!
Suddenly, a disturbance from underground caused ripples on the lake's surface.
'It looks like something went wrong.'
The Black Market’s master ordered him to treat Raon as his master.
He tried to protect him with his life, but Raon asked him to subdue only the people outside, saying that he could handle them all on his own.
He was well aware of Raon's power, the White Sword Dragon, or rather, the Dragon Slayer now. However, given that the adversary was an unknown secret organization, he couldn't help but worry about him.
"Hmm."
"Vice leader."
While Denzel was holding his head, wondering if he should go in or wait, his subordinate, Sifin, approached him.
"The cleanup on the side of the iron ore factory is complete."
"Did you kill them all?"
"Yes. As Raon-nim said, we killed all those who hid their identities and released the civilians. However, we failed to capture them alive."
Sifin bowed his head as if he was sorry.
"I didn't expect it anyway. It's not an easy task."
Denzel patted Sifin on the shoulder and then turned his gaze back to the lake.
'So, all the people outside have been dealt with...'
Since the assassins who guarded the lake were also killed, the only ones left were the bastards hiding in there.
'Stop worrying and let's go in. Just in case.'
Denzel decided to go in and injected mana into the rock in front of the lake in the way that Raon had told him.
Shwaaaaaaaa!
As the mana path was connected in the prescribed way, the lake that was churning was split in half like it had been cut with a sword.
'It really works...'
Raon said that he learned how to operate this rock after seeing it only once. Showcasing his remarkably keen eyesight.
"We're going in."
Denzel led Sifin and his subordinates to the center of the lake. He injected mana into the rock that looked like a turtle that was protruding in the center again.
Uwuwuwung!
The upper part of the rock opened like a lid, and a passage appeared that could lead inside.
Denzel went down into it first. The passage was wide and deep, and there was no one in it.
Since the situation seemed to be over, no noise came out.
"Move."
He ran down the passage with his footwork at full power. After running for a while, he saw a bizarre-shaped hill in the center of the passage.
'No, it's not a hill...'
That was a corpse. It looked like a small hill because more than a hundred corpses were piled up.
While Denzel was dumbfounded, iron bars installed on both sides of the passage caught his eye. Fortunately, those inside the bars showed signs of life.
"Hurk!"
"The, they really came!"
"Save us!"
"Please, just let us go!" The lifeless-looking captives, who had been silent until now, pleaded as they looked at Denzel and the members of the Black Fleet.
"They really came? What does that mean?"
Denzel approached a one-eyed captive and inquired.
"The middle-aged person who killed him said that someone would come to rescue us soon,". The captive blinked with his remaining eye as he mentioned that the person had said they would come to rescue them.
"Huh…"
‘Could he have predicted that I wouldn't be able to resist entering?'
Raon had instructed him to only deal with external assassins and to guard the entrance and exit. However, from the words of those around, it seemed that Raon had predicted that he would enter as well.
'The more I see, the more fascinating it becomes.'
He shook his head and looked at the man that Raon had killed.
‘A Master.’
Despite some time passing since the man's death, his entire body was still filled with mana. Just by observing his well-trained physique and the well-organized mana circuit extending through him, one could discern his exceptional strength.
However, Raon had cut down this Master with a single sword stroke.
‘It's not just him.’
The assassins and warriors who had fallen in the corridors had also had their hearts crushed by a single dagger. All of this had happened in a single move. It was a level of skill that was hard to believe, even though he had seen it with his own eyes.
'He claimed to be familiar with this kind of fight....’
Was it really true?
‘He is someone who should not be made an enemy.’
Denzel felt a level of danger from Raon akin to the heads of the Six Kings and swallowed dryly.
* * *
Advance chapters: Tinyurl.com/Albnlfff For Indonesian: Tinyurl.com/Aldbnlff
"Rescue these people."
He ordered half of his subordinates to rescue the captives before climbing the stairs at the end of the passage.
Entering the factory that was said to be full of necromancers and assassins.
The ceiling, floor, and walls were ruthlessly smashed, and there were corpses everywhere. They all seemed to have died with a single blow, just like the assassins below.
And there was Raon....
"You've come."
Sitting next to a woman whose eyes were red from crying and trembling, Raon sat with a cold gaze.
“That woman...”
"There's something I need to tell you, vice leader. (Denzel)."
Raon left Recia, who was convulsing as if she were about to die, and gestured to Denzel.
“What….”
"I obtained information from this woman. It seems that similar factories exist elsewhere."
"I-Is that really true?"
Denzel widened his eyes in surprise, as if he hadn't expected Raon to gather information in such a short time.
“Yes. I heard it before you arrived, Denzel-nim.”
Raon coldly smiled while looking down at Recia.
"She couldn't withstand much torture."
Recia, contrary to her bold words, couldn't withstand the torture for long and spilled everything she knew.
As the wind energy intensified, it added a pain that felt like it was tearing through the skin. Recia, the first target of this torture, who had confidently spoken earlier, revealed all the information she knew before the time for even one meal had passed.
"There are factories in Beshir Village and Sopensi. And the place that supports these two places is the Yuhwa Guild that built this iron ore factory. In the end, they are all one gang."
Raon told Denzel all the information he had heard from Recia.
"Whew..."
Denzel let out a sigh as if he couldn't believe it.
"Sifin. Did you hear that?"
"Ah, yes sir..."
Sifin looked at them with dull eyes as if he couldn't believe it.
"I will confirm it quickly and come back!"
He shouted as he ran out to inform the Black Market.
"So, did you find out who is behind the organization?"
"…That's something we have to find out from now on."
Raon approached Recia and put his hand on her forehead. She trembled all over her body like she was sick, then slumped down and exhaled warm breath.
“Please, stop. Just kill me. Kill me instead..."
Recia pleaded, shouting to stop the torture, grinding her cracked lips.
"Ugh..."
Denzel let out a low moan as he looked at Recia with his eyes squeezed shut.
'What kind of torture could this be...?'
Denzel would have expected that someone capable of such work had undergone training in torture and pain resistance. However, it was surprising to see her reacting this way. Denzel felt both terror and curiosity about the nature of this particular torture.
"This is the last question."
Raon put his finger on Recia's head.
'I won't be able to hear it, though.'
Now that the Black Market had found out about the other factories and the guild that ran the organization from Recia, the only question left was one. And that answer would probably not be heard.
"Tell me the name of the person who ordered this."
"Uhhh..."
Recia, who seemed like she would answer anything, closed her mouth tightly.
"Okay. Then let's start again."
As Raon smiled wryly and concentrated his aura on his fingertips, Recia's mouth quickly opened.
"Th-ack!"
She couldn't make a sound, as if she had been cursed with a silence magic. She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, then died with her tongue sticking out.
"Huuh!"
Denzel rushed over and checked Recia's condition.
"She's dead. Her brain seems to have melted..."
He bit his lip as he looked into Recia's eyes, which were losing vitality.
Raon looked down at Recia with a bitter look in his eyes, even though he was calm.
'As expected.'
Mentioning Derus' name didn't trigger the Rage Worm, instead, it initiated a cruel form of brainwashing that began by melting one's own brain.
No matter how much he thought about it, Derus was a devil in human disguise.
"They are more wicked than I thought."
Denzel's complexion turned pale, genuinely bewildered.
"Let's organize things first."
Raon, after erasing all traces of aura left on Recia's body, stood up.
"I'll take care of the traces, vice leader, gather the information from this place. It will surely be helpful."
"Understood."
Denzel nodded, and started collecting documents and books left by the necromancers.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Recia's corpse.
‘Now he must have heard the news as well.’
Derus would have realized that not only the assassins but also others had died due to the Rage Worm. It wasn't just the deaths of the assassins, other factories were exposed, and the association that provided the money is also on the verge of collapse.
The financial and temporal losses he was about to incur would surpass imagination.
‘Several decades of work gone....’
Raon thought about Derus' confident expression crumbling and raised the corner of her mouth.
"Now, how are you going to move?"
Derus Robert.
* * *
Kubara was summoned by Derus, and she headed to the outskirts of the Grand Garden.
"What's the matter, my lord?"
She could tell that something was wrong. Usually, Derus never summoned anyone when there were so many people present.
‘The supplies have been delivered, is it because of Balmeil's return? Or...’
Thinking about what the problem might be, she approached Derus from behind and abruptly stopped.
"Ah..."
Derus' presence was chilling, as though the mere movement of his fingertip could slit a throat.
"Balmeil, Recia, Shufel, and Juran are dead."
Derus said that everyone at the envoy factory was dead without even turning around.
"What...?"
"It's not just the four of them. The signals from all the Shadows there have been cut off."
Derus turned his gaze at those words. The chill-inducing anger was churning in his blue pupils, which seemed to be calm at first glance.
"So Balmeil was being tracked?"
"No, the factory was exposed from the start, and Balmeil's arrival was the spark that ignited it. At least Juran, Shufel, and Recia should have survived if it was a simple surprise attack."
Derus was calmly assessing the situation, even though he was dazed and dizzy.
"Your words are correct, my lord"
Kubara nodded slowly. There is an exit that leads to the lake at the factory. The fact that they couldn't escape through there meant that everything had already been exposed.
"Huff..."
Derus took a chilling breath and took off his leather gloves. His palms were dripping with blood.
"Send all the Shadows, agents, and artifacts in the vicinity to gather information about the situation. Gather as much information as possible."
"...Understood, my lord."
Kubara felt the tension as if a sword were touching her neck, and she nodded.
"After that, I will personally take action."
Derus left that word and headed back to the center of the Grand Garden, where Lephon Robert's birthday party was being held.
"Derus-nim, you must be happy. Your youngest son is also no ordinary talent."
The head of the Larian family, one of the famous families in the south, approached with a smile.
"All of your children are geniuses, one after another. I'm so envious."
"He still has a lot to learn. Please give me many teachings, Sikan-nim."
"Hahaha, of course, of course!"
Derus, who had just learned that there was a problem at the envoy factory that he had been preparing for decades, smiled cheerfully and greeted the guests.
"......"
Kubara looked at Derus' back and bit her lip. She felt a chill down her spine. Even though she had served him day and night, the more she saw him, the more fear she felt.
She closed her eyes as if to erase Derus' fear, and she quietly disappeared, avoiding the gaze of the people.
* * *
The next day.
Raon went to the top of Haro Mountain, where the iron ore mine is located. He hid his body so that no one could find him, and he looked at the view of the Capeoli village and Bayon Lake with his breath held.
Why are you hiding and eating jerky again when it's all over!
Wrath frowned as if he didn't like it.
'It's not over yet. In a way, it might be just the beginning.'
Derus' personality would be to send agents to investigate first, and if he couldn't get any information from them, he would definitely move in person.
'You can tell if someone comes to that village, right?'
Hmph. The King of Essence is the king of Devildom and the Monarch of Wrath! In such a distance, nothing in this world can escape his senses!
Wrath snorted, as if it was a silly question to ask.
‘Then, can you inform me if a transcendent being enters there?’
No.
He shook his head firmly.
Why would the King of Essence help you, you little prick who always acts so proud!
‘I'll extend the duration for you to indulge in your desired food by an additional week once we return.’
Two weeks!
'Ten days.'
Fine!
Wrath nodded as if he had been waiting for it.
'Phew...'
Honestly, he didn't want to use this method, but this time, it wasn't just about him, but the lives of other people were at stake, so he had no choice.
Heh heh heh. What should the King of Essence eat this time?
'......'
While Raon was ignoring the demon king, who was humming at the thought of eating, Denzel approached quietly from behind.
"I've sent all the villagers outside."
"Was there any resistance?"
"Of course there was."
Denzel sighed as if he was tired.
"However, the kidnapped martial artists were a great help. Thanks to them, I was able to handle it relatively quickly."
He blinked, implying that the Sikeron family and other martial artists had provided testimony, allowing the villagers to evacuate.
"What happened to the bodies?"
"As you suggested, I identified their identities and informed their families."
Denzel sighed, saying that the families were coming.
"Thanks to that, rumors about a secret organization that was making assassins out of corpses have spread throughout the continent. In this situation, will that secret organization take action?"
He tilted his head as if not understanding.
"They will come."
Raon nodded with confidence. If it were Derus' personality, he would certainly come in person to check if the Black Market had truly done it. We need to be prepared in case he erupts in rage, and the village, even this mountain, could disappear.
"Even if they don't come, it's better to be prepare."
"That's right."
Denzel scratched his head as if he was embarrassed. He said he would prepare and then quietly disappeared.
After Denzel left, Raon took out a bread that made you lose your appetite from his spatial pocket.
Na, Nadine bread! Are you crazy!
'Nadine bread is the best for stealth.'
You said you would give the King of Essence what he wanted to eat!
'I'll give you the good stuff after we finish this.'
Kugh, I'd rather you eat jerky! It's at least...
'I ate it all.'
Then just eat dirt or grass! It's better than that weird bread!
Wrath screamed, urging Raon to chew on grass if he were going to eat Nadine bread.
'It tastes good though.'
Your taste buds must be off if you think that's good.
'Try it first and then talk.'
Raon ignored Wrath and chewed and swallowed the Nadine bread. A strange taste like chewing burnt rubber spread throughout his mouth, but it wasn't bad.
When he chewed it well and swallowed it, his stomach was filled up as if he had overeaten.
Kugh...
Wrath seemingly overwhelmed by the taste, rolled his eyes and fell backward.
Yes, you will surely fall into hell....
'Maybe.'
Raon smiled lightly and didn't take his eyes off Capeoli Village.
A day passed like that, and when two days had passed, a chilling cold wind, sharp as a blade, began to blow.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he saw the black shadow rising in front of Bayon Lake.
'He's here.'
