N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 560
Raon activated the mechanism installed in the rock. A large rock, shaped like a turtle's head, silently slid open, revealing a path leading down underground.
Breathing in the cold dawn air, he stepped unhesitatingly into the pitch-black hole.
As he descended the stairs that Bels had taken, the same bright yellow light as dawn illuminated the cold floor.
However, there was one thing different this time. Rakion's swordsmen. The swordsmen, their eyes filled with red magic, blocked his path.
'It's meaningless, though.'
Raon wrapped the darkness of the corridor around him like a cloak and brushed past the swordsmen to stand before the central door where Basion was staying.
"Hmm..."
"What, what is it?"
"The entrance door is open, but no one is coming downstairs.”
House Rakion's swordsmen spread out their senses and searched the surroundings, but none of them could detect Raon's presence.
"Ahem..."
The middle-aged man who seemed to be the highest-ranking swordsman among them frowned and knocked on Basion's door.
Knock knock.
The moment the second knock ended, the door opened and Basion, the second son of Juan Rakion, jumped out.
"What is it!"
Basion wiped the blood from his cheek and frowned. He used the gap in the door to look inside the room.
Shielen was slumped over with bruises on her arms and thighs, and her nanny's flesh on her shoulders was torn off as if she had been bitten by a beast.
Both of them were unconscious, not moving at all and only exhaling very faint breaths.
Did that bastard hit the child too?
Wrath forehead wrinkled as if in disbelief.
'And he only hit the parts that could be covered with clothes so that it wouldn't be noticed.'
That wretched scoundrel! No limits to what he'll do, even to a child!
'I agree with you for once.'
Raon clenched his fist, suppressing his boiling emotions.
"Who's there, knocking on the door!"
Basion, knowing that the rock had opened, shouted and looked towards the stairs.
"Uh, the door is open, but no one is coming down."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
He twisted his lips and stepped out of the room.
Hooowooooong!
The moment Basion took the second step, Raon punched him in the face with his clenched fist.
Puh-ah-ah-ock!
Basion's face crumpled and he was slammed into the wall with a sound like rocks breaking.
"Ugh, ugh..."
Raon grabbed Basion's scruff as he groaned belatedly and drew the Blade of Requiem with his left hand, cutting off his arm.
"Aaaaaarghh!"
Basion's right arm fell to the cold floor as he tried to instinctively counterattack, and he let out a piercing scream.
"You, who are you!"
"You think you can live after doing such things in house Rakion?"
“Release him immediately!”
The Rakion swordsmen raised their auras, glaring with intensity.
“Shut your mouth.”
Raon, with the Blade of Requiem aimed at Basion's neck, lowered his voice.
“If you open your mouth or move even a finger, your master will die.”
As he said this, he lightly slit Basion's throat. Red blood soaked the Blade of Requiem.
He showed the demons who had abandoned human life that it was not Basion, but he who ruled this place now.
“Keugh….”
Basion touched his severed shoulder with his left hand and gnashed his teeth.
“D, do you think I'll succumb to such a threat!”
Perhaps because he was possessed by magic, new flesh was growing on his shoulder.
“Attack! This bastard can't kill me anyway! Cut his throat right now!”
Basion shouted that they must attack Raon, asserting that he didn't matter.
Cheeeeiiing!
The Rakion swordsmen, who had been waiting for the order, charged forward and unleashed their swordsmanship. The blades wrapped in dark magic rushed in like a storm.
In return, Raon struck Basion's spine with the Blade of Requiem he held in reverse.
Puh-deuduk!
The sound of bones crunching rang out, and Basion fell limply to the ground.
Kukuuk.
As the Rakion swordsmen's swords approached his neck, he gripped the hilt of Heavenly Drive with his right hand.
The Blade of Heavenly Drive mercilessly tore through the blades burning with magic.
Kuwajajajaaaaaaang!
A tremendous explosion ensued as the onslaught of magical sword strikes and house Rakion's swordsmen turned into ashes, filling the view in front of his eyes.
Kugugugugu!
Due to the formidable force contained in the sword strikes, the ceiling above collapsed on the ground, and warm sunlight bathed the underground, which had been filled with yellow light.
“Y, you bastard….”
Basion couldn't move a single finger, as if his whole body was paralyzed from the shock to his spine. His lips only trembled.
Raon met Basion's eyes and took off the mask that covered his face.
“T, that blond and red eyes. Raon Zieghart? What are you doing here….”
"It's not my name that you should be asking about. Why did you think I wouldn't kill you? Hostage?”
“That's….”
“Right. I won't kill you now. I need that magic you're using.”
He curled the corners of his lips as he looked at Basion's regenerating shoulder.
“However, once your usefulness is over, your head will fall off too.”
“Keugh….”
“If you want to live a little longer, keep your mouth shut.”
Raon stepped on Basion's head and entered the room. He first used the Divinity that that Bloomed from the Darkness to heal the nanny's serious condition, then approached Shielen.
“Y, you were Raon Zieghart?”
Shielen, who had woken up from the explosion, trembled her thin eyelids.
“Yes.”
Raon nodded after lightly breaking the iron chains that bound Shielen's arms and legs.
“Can you stand up?”
“Ah, yes….”
Shielen nodded at Raon and grabbed the wall to stand up. Her legs wobbled from kneeling for so long, but she quickly steadied herself.
"From now on, I will fight against your family. To prevent this fight from escalating, the crimes of house Rakion must be fully exposed."
Raon lowered his heavy gaze and met Shielen's transparent eyes.
"Can you do that? I won't force you, knowing it's difficult. But if you step forward, we can minimize the damage.”
"Keeping Basion alive enables him to create evidence in one way or another. However, if Shielen explains the situation in her own words, there's a chance to awaken those who haven't been influenced by the magic.”
However, she witnessed the members of the Sinigeon branch dying before her eyes and is currently imprisoned and tortured. So, he understands even if she didn't help him.
“I will. Please make sure you do it!”
Shielen nodded, looking at the still unconscious nanny and the fallen Basion.
“In return, can you save our family?”
“Hoo….”
Raon exhaled softly, listening to Shielen's trembling voice.
‘I guess this is what it means to be a family.’
Despite feeling fear from her father and brothers, this child wanted to save them.
It seemed that she had tried to tell the Sinigeon branch about her family's story because she wanted to keep the family intact.
“I will do my best.”
He nodded without giving a definite answer.
“Is it, is it over?”
Dorian, who had been waiting below the mountain, climbed up upon hearing the noise, raising an eyebrow from the collapsed ceiling.
“I thought there was a landslide….”
“Dorian, come down.”
“Ah, yes!”
As soon as Dorian came down into the cave, he held his nose and wrinkled his nose.
“Ugh, this place really smells strange.”
“It's the stench of magic.”
Raon opened the door to the next room where Shielen had been. People wearing house Rakion attire were piled up in a corner, dead.
‘Those vicious bastards....’
Seeing that the bodies were shriveled up without a single piece of flesh, it seemed as if all of their vitality had been sucked out.
Raon walked to the center, which was connected to several rooms. The stench of magic was the strongest and darkest here.
Kwaaaang!
As he stomped his foot, the ground cracked open and the inside was revealed. Something like a tree root, giving off a foul stench of magic, was planted upside down.
‘This is….’
Hmm?
When he rubbed his fingertips because he didn't know what it was, Wrath's eyes widened as he looked at the root.
Why is the root of the Life-Draining Tree (명주목) here?
‘Life-Draining Tree?’
The King of Essence doesn't know why there's only a root, but it's a tree from Devildom. It's a gluttonous bastard that quietly digs into the ground and sucks up all the nutrients around it. Because its appetite is so strong, even demons don't live around the Life-Draining Tree.
The guy snorted, expressing his dislike, mentioning that it resembled a glutton.
‘Did they sacrifice people to this root to gather magic?’
However, he didn't feel that much magic from the root itself. It was just the stench that was terrible.
“Dorian. Take this.”
Raon threw the root of the Life-Draining Tree to Dorian, even though it didn't contain much magic, the lingering scent of magic on the root could still serve as crucial evidence.
“Ugh!”
Dorian showed his fear by gingerly holding the root with his fingernails.
“Are you ready?”
Raon grabbed the hair of Basion, who was lying unconscious in front of the door, and lifted him up.
“Urgh, w-what do you mean ready…?”
“You know what I mean.”
Raon twisted the corner of his mouth as he met Basion's trembling eyes.
“I mean, are you ready to lose everything you have?”
* * *
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Kuwoooooong!
Juan Rakion kicked the platform and ran out of the audience chamber. Bels and the other executives followed him outside.
“Heuk!”
“W-what is that…?”
“Why is there smoke coming from Mount Bakin?”
The swordsmen of house Rakion trembled as they saw gray smoke rising from the middle of Mount Bakin to the east.
“You bastard! What the hell have you done!”
Juan glared at Rimmer as he walked out slowly. A chilling murderous intent emanated from his black eyes.
“Are you finally showing your true colors? Your eyes are leaking magic.”
“W-what nonsense are you talking about!”
Juan's lips trembled even more than when the mountain erupted. Not only that, but the executives protecting him around him also had a strange glow in their eyes.
“Oh, I was just kidding.”
Rimmer shrugged as if he had misunderstood.
“But why are you so flustered? Just say no if it's not magic.”
He raised his chin with a mocking smile on his lips.
"Someday you'll die because of that big mouth of yours.”
“Maybe I will. But won't you be before me?”
“Bels!”
Juan turned his head and called Bels, seemingly not wanting to deal with Rimmer anymore.
“Yes.”
Hearing Juan's rough voice, Bels stepped forward respectfully.
"Go and see. Find out what happened!"
"Understood.”
“No need to go.”
Rimmer waved his hand lightly.
“Our mad dog will be coming this way with a bone in its mouth.”
“…Raon Zieghart.”
Juan seemed to realize who Rimmer was talking about and bit his lip.
“Oh, our mad dog comes when I call it.”
Rimmer smiled brightly and raised his finger. Raon could be seen running towards the lord's manor, stepping on the roofs one after another.
“H-he seems to be carrying someone?”
“Huh? That, that person is!”
“Basion! It’s Sir Basion!”
The swordsmen of house Rakion widened their eyes as they realized that the person in Raon’s hand was Basion.
Boom!
While everyone was surprised, Raon lightly kicked the wall and landed in front of Juan.
"Hey, you're late. The guests have been waiting.”
Rimmer put his hands on his hips and frowned.
“I had a lot to find.”
As Raon replied, he tapped Basion's head lightly.
“B, Basion….”
Juan bit his lip as he saw his second son, whose arm had been torn off and who could barely control his body.
“What is the meaning of this!”
“Even if you’re a Zieghart, how dare you act like this!”
“This is absolutely unforgivable!”
The swordsmen of house Rakion drew their swords, as if they were about to attack immediately.
“Fighting, huh.”
Rimmer gently wrapped his hand around the hilt of his sword, and the members of Light Wind adjusted their spacing, ready to deploy their formation at any moment, exuding a sharp aura.
“I couldn’t find your second son, so I looked for him, and he was hiding in a hole like a mole.”
Raon lifted Basion up so that he could meet Juan’s eyes.
“Ah, Father….”
“You scoundrel!”
Juan glared with his blackened eyes.
"What is this madness! Do you realize the consequences of what you've done…”
“Hey.”
Raon cut off Juan’s words as he drew his sword.
“Your second son is in my hands, so how long will you keep up the act?”
He laughed and twisted Basion’s left arm. With a bone-crushing sound, the bastard’s arm drooped like a broken string.
“Kuaaaah!”
Basion screamed and shook his shoulders. His broken spine seemed to have been regenerated by magic, and some of his senses had returned.
“Ugh….”
Juan could not answer and only chewed his lips. It wasn’t just him. Bels and the other swordsmen also kept their mouths shut.
This meant that most of the people here were in cahoots, unlike the Sullion family.
“What does that mean!”
“Don’t insult our lord!”
“What did the second young master do!”
However, the swordsmen who were young or too old to be chosen by Juan raised their voices confidently, as if they knew nothing.
"It seem there are people who don't know, I guess I'll have to tell them.”
Raon smiled warmly, facing the heated gazes of the swordsmen.
“This bastard. No, not just him. The head of house Juan Rakion and the executives in front of you now have joined hands with the Holy Sword Union and offered the swordsmen of house Rakion as sacrifices to their Cursed Sword.”
“Hah, nonsense! Nonsense!”
“That’s right! Why would our family join hands with the Holy Sword Union!”
“Bring the evidence!”
Perhaps because it was something they could not have imagined, the voices of house Rakion's swordsmen, which had been shouting confidently, sank like they were buried in mud.
“You’ll know if you look at this.”
Raon turned Basion around to reveal his torn shoulder. The magic that had merged with his body was forcefully regenerating his arm.
"Regeneration ability? No, that's magic…”
“T, then what you just said….”
“That’s right.”
He nodded as he listened to the swordsmen’s words.
"The attack on the Sinigeon village and branch, the act of pretending to be bandits, and killing some of the previous executives after they left—all of it…”
Raon raised his index finger and pointed at Juan Rakion.
"Was done by your lord and executives.”
As these words ended, house Rakion's swordsmen stared at Juan. Their eyes, shattered with disbelief, wavered like waves
"I-It's unbelievable!”
“That’s right! Couldn’t you have used magic on him!”
However, there were still many who could not believe this fact.
“M, my lord!
“Is it a lie?”
“Please tell us!”
“Do you not trust your lord?”
Bels stepped forward and revealed a firm gaze.
"Believe. If we don't trust our lord, who will!”
He shouted for them to believe, emphasizing that Zieghart was trying to split house Rakion.
"No need for counterarguments."
Juan, too, without blinking an eye, continued spewing lies.
“That bastard is the one who did it, and he is trying to blame it on us.”
"Exactly!”
"They call him the White Sword Dragon and the Dragon Slayer, but he was more like someone possessed by a demon!"
“He’s an enemy! He’s an enemy that must be killed right away!”
The swordsmen cursed, even though they knew in their heads that Juan’s words were false, but their hearts could not accept it.
"Yeah. I expected it to be like this.”
Raon chuckled and nodded. To them, Juan was a respected lord, so it was naturally difficult to accept.
“Come out.”
With a snap of his fingers, Dorian came forward, bringing Shielen with him.
“Oh, Miss?”
"Miss is also captured…”
"No, it's not like that.”
Shielen shook her head sharply and stepped forward.
“I was not captured by sir Raon, but by my second brother. During that time….”
She revealed everything that had happened in front of all house Rakion members.
Ironically, Shielen’s miserable appearance made her testimony more credible.
“M, my lord!”
“How could this happen!”
"Please say something!”
Juan lowered his head without answering.
He exhaled heavily and raised his gaze. His eyes were dark and cloudy.
"Lord?"
"I'm sorry."
As Juan stretched out his hand calmly, the hearts of the swordsmen who were demanding the truth burst open, and black spheres were sucked into his hand. It was polluted magic with an extreme stench.
"Ah..."
"L-Lord..."
"Ugh!"
The swordsmen fell without even closing their eyes, as if they couldn't believe their own deaths.
"Your deaths will be a great foundation for Rakion to stand tall."
Juan nodded as if he meant it.
"You're amazing. They say the most terrifying thing about Raon Zieghart is not his swordsmanship, but his insight, and it's true."
He looked up at Raon and frowned.
"But you don't know me. You don't know how I've lived, how I've persevered until now!"
Juan raised his voice towards the sky as if shouting at the world, not Raon.
"I did nothing wrong."
"What?"
Raon looked at Juan with a puzzled expression.
"Do you know the life of a vassal?"
Juan shook his head and snickered.
"Vassal. It's a nice word, vassal. But it's nothing more than a slave. They're just dogs that have to run when Zieghart call."
He continued, scratching the back of his hand with his nails.
"When I became the successor, Zieghart devoured Rakion. Do you understand what that means? It means this family has never truly been mine. Despite being the lord, there was always Glenn Zieghart above me!”
Juan paused, clenching his fist, and suppressed his laughter.
"The shame. The shame of being beneath someone from the very beginning!”
"I know."
Raon nodded calmly.
"I also know that life where you are ignored, ridiculed and mocked even if you do nothing."
Born into the direct line, but lived as a collateral line, enduring numerous humiliations. Even though he has now attained the position of vice division leader, members of the direct line still regard him with disdain and display expressions of disgust.
That's why he could understand what Juan was saying.
"But so what?"
"What?"
Juan's eyes widened as if he didn't expect such an answer.
"You should have overcome those scornful gazes, that humiliating mockery, with your own strength, not relying on someone else's power especially not by receiving a cursed sword from the Holy Sword Union.”
Raon curled his lips and smiled coldly.
"You haven't escaped from Zieghart. You're just a dog that has changed its tail-wagging target to the Holy Sword Union."
"Ugh..."
Juan couldn't answer and his throat trembled. He must have had that thought himself.
"Then try wagging your tail at me too. Who knows, I might give you a swordsmanship lesson?”
“Shut up!”
Leaning his upper body forward, he let out a roar.
“Oh, father.”
Shielen clasped her hands together and looked at Juan.
“Please stop. Stop here!”
The child realized that this was her last chance and ran forward to stop her father.
“Shielen.”
Juan shook his head briefly.
“You. You ruined everything. It’s all your fault.”
“Ah, father?”
"You should never have been born!”
He gritted his teeth and stretched out his hand. A sphere of black magic and aura shot towards Shielen’s chest.
“Ah….”
Shielen froze on the spot, unable to even think of avoiding it. She felt the approaching death and closed her eyes.
However, she felt no pain. She opened her eyes to see Raon’s back with his black cloak fluttering.
“S, sir Raon.”
“I’m sorry.”
Raon turned around and smiled bitterly.
“I’m afraid I can’t grant your request.”
He said that and lightly tapped Shielen’s neck.
“Ah….”
He caught Shielen, who let out a low moan and passed out, and handed her over to Dorian.
"I entrust her to you."
"Whatever happens, I'll protect her."
Unlike usual, Dorian nodded with determination in his eyes.
Raon bit his lips tightly as he looked at his trembling hands.
‘It wasn’t a threat.’
Just now, Juan had really tried to kill Shielen.
If he had been careless, the little girl would have disappeared without a trace. The anger he had forcibly suppressed began to burn uncontrollably.
“Oh, father.”
Basion stretched out his left arm, which had regained sensation, towards Juan.
“Please save me. Please….”
"Don't worry. Since you absorbed my power, you won't die. I will definitely save…”
Raon raised his right hand and snapped Basion's neck.
Crack!
With the sound of bones twisting, the light faded from Basion's eyes.
Since Raon had severed his magic line within his body with the Divinity that Bloomed from the Darkness, he was unable to regenerate and died on the spot.
“B, Basion!”
Juan trembled as he witnessed Basion's death.
"I've taken care of your son, who's unnecessary in this world.”
Raon shook his hands and smiled coldly.
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“You, how you dare!”
As he reached toward the ground, the earth cracked like a spider web, and a strange sword with dozens of blades attached to it was pulled out, as if uprooting a tree root.
The blades had an eerie black glow, and the structure seemed alive, as if made of wood.
‘Is that the Cursed Sword?’
It seemed that he had hidden the Cursed Sword deep in the ground to hide the stench of magic.
‘But it looks like it’s made of wood.’
It's not that it looks like it's made of wood, rather, it's that it was made of wood.
‘What?’
After draining the life force of humans with the roots of the Life-Draining Tree we saw earlier, it releases magic through that stem. It’s an interesting way to use it.
Wrath sighed, saying that he didn’t know the Life-Draining Tree could be used in that way.
Kugugugugu!
As Juan pierced the sky with the cursed sword, a dark liquid sprayed from the cracked ground, engulfing the land and darkening the sky.
It was a bizarre phenomenon that befitting the name Cursed Sword.
“I’m not the only one who gets stronger with the Cursed Sword Kreatus. No one here will survive!”
As Juan said, a strong aura erupted from the swordsmen behind him. The magic in their bodies seeped into the aura and began to exude a different kind of energy.
“Kuugh….”
“What, there are so many crazy Cursed Swords….”
“Ugh.”
Not only the ordinary swordsmen, but also the captains like Burren, Martha, and Runaan bit their lips as if they were overwhelmed by the magic.
Kuung!
Raon stomped his foot. The red flames erupted and devoured the darkened earth.
“Listen up, Light Wind Division.”
The majestic aura emanating from him pushed away the polluted magic and created a clear light.
"I shall punish the head of house Rakion, as well as all the executives, for the crimes of collusion with foreign enemies, murder within the family, and human sacrifice.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Light Wind members, who had been overwhelmed by the magic, held their swords upside down and took the oath, letting out a roar that pushed away the darkness.
Raon nodded as if asking for a favor and stepped forward. The darkness began to melt away, feeling fear at the flames burning under his feet.
“I will make you feel how insignificant the power you have gained by abandoning your family, throwing away your pride, and destroying your family is.”
Raon thrust Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem into the ground.
“Sword Field Creation.”
His deep voice tore through the magic-stained space, summoning the Red and Blue Swords.
“Divine and Demon Harmonization”.
The golden barrier that enveloped Raon, like the moment of dawn when the sun and moon intersect, pushed away the hideous darkness.
“From now on.”
Raon raised his Divine sword. He glared at Juan with eyes redder than the flames burning on the blade.
"I shall execute immediate judgment.”
