N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 637
The office of house Robert.
Derus Robert was examining documents by the soft light of the moon.
When the crescent moon, which resembled a woman's lips, reached the center of the sky, his hand, holding the pen, suddenly stopped.
“……”
Derus Robert put down the pen and removed his gloves. Sticky blood dripped from the inside of the black leather gloves, falling onto the antique desk.
He gazed at the blood flowing from the back of his hand for a moment, then turned his eyes toward the door.
“Kubara.”
As soon as Derus called, the office door opened. Kubara, dressed neatly in maid attire, entered and bowed.
“You called for me, sir?”
“Raon Zieghart has entered the tomb as well, right?”
“Yes. Though a bit later than other factions, he entered on the first day the tomb opened.”
Kubara reported Raon's entry status while bowing her head.
“……”
Derus remained silent, staring at the blood flowing from the wound on his hand.
Kubara also closed her eyes, waiting for Derus to speak again.
“The situation will be resolved by this evening, correct?”
Derus wiped the blood off the desk with a handkerchief and slightly turned his head.
“Yes.”
Kubara responded without hesitation.
“However, it might take a bit more time to manipulate the scars on the corpses.”
“Hmm….”
Derus clicked his tongue while looking at the soft glow of the moonlight.
“It seems I’ll have to go there myself.”
“What?”
Kubara raised her head, unusually questioning.
“The area around the tomb is extremely crowded. If you’re seen…”
“I won't go near it.”
Derus shook his head while looking at his hand again.
“I just need to confirm something.”
Although he didn't believe in superstitions, blood flowing from the wound on his hand only happened when his carefully laid plans went awry.
“Raon Zieghart.”
You again.
He thought there would be no problem unless the head of the Six Kings and Five Demons came, but the intervention of Raon, the variable itself, bothered him. It was because nothing ever went smoothly when that guy showed up.
'Not this time.'
An astronomical amount of resources had been spent to set up the tomb of the Saber Sword Sovereign. Failure would mean not just a loss but potentially the collapse of the grand plan itself.
He couldn't just wait this time.
“My lord, you trust Delphiros and the Demon Rain Division leader. Didn’t give them the power to control the entire tomb? And we also have 'that'..."
“Yes, the plan is perfect. But…”
Derus Robert calmly shook his head.
“Raon Zieghart. He has continuously defied my predictions.”
He stood up and licked the blood flowing from the back of his hand. Even the moonlight seemed frightened as a bizarre darkness enveloped the office.
“I need to see it for myself.”
* * *
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As Raon was about to follow the path the Light Wind division had opened to reach Delphiros,
BOOM!
Heavy shockwaves exploded from the left and right, pushing the Light Wind division back.
“Are we invisible to you?!”
“You arrogant brat.”
It was the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Sixth Apostle. The two old masters blocked the path of the Light Wind division with their subordinates.
“Let's go too!”
“There’s no way back now that we’ve come this far!”
“If I kill Raon Zieghart, I can become the Saber Sword Sovereign too!”
Perhaps because Delphiros had mentioned a new Saber Sword Sovereign, the warriors of neutral factions who had been holding back also joined the fray, surrounding the Light Wind division.
“Fools.”
Raon sneered at the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Sixth Apostle.
“Do you really think he’s going to give you the Saber Sword Sovereign’s martial arts book?”
He glanced at Delphiros, who was leisurely drinking tea, and scoffed.
“It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t.”
The Ghost Demon Swordmaster twirled his thin sword and shook his head.
“We can kill you and then kill him too.”
He smiled coldly, confident.
“I don’t like you, regardless of the martial arts book.”
The Sixth Apostle frowned as he looked this way.
“The leader wants you alive, but who will know if you die here?”
He displayed intense killing intent as he formed a stance. White bloody energy flared like heat waves.
However, even while glaring at Raon, the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Sixth Apostle did not lower their guard against each other.
“Hmm….”
Raon took a short breath and surveyed his surroundings.
‘Is there no one to stop these guys?’
In the Owen Kingdom, the Scholar Sword Krasel had come with the knights bearing the buffalo emblem, the Koman Knights, who were said to be the strongest in melee combat.
From the Balkar side, the Thunder Hammer, Barpil, whom he thought was dead, was forming a magic circle with the mages.
However, both factions seemed to have no intention of helping Zieghart, watching the situation with subdued eyes.
‘It looks like they encountered doppelgangers disguised as the Void Sword division on the fourth floor.’
Considering that Balkar had been eyeing the Void Sword division, it was clear, as Serena had predicted, that they had been attacked by doppelgangers disguised as the Void Sword division swordsmen.
“Hehe.”
Delphiros chuckled, raising his chin. He seemed confident that everything was going according to his plan.
‘I’ll wipe that smug look off your face.’
Raon thrust Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem between the vicious energies exuded by the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Sixth Apostle.
Incomplete Sword Field Creation.
Harmony of Heaven and Demon.
He thought it was complete, but realizing his own shortcomings, he again gave it the name "incomplete."
Swooosh!
A red fire ignited on the silver blade of Heavenly Drive, embodying divine power, while silver ice rose on the red blade of the Blade of Requiem, forming a chill.
Divine and Demonic Swords. The overwhelming energy emanating from these two swords completely pushed back the energy of the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Sixth Apostle.
“Sword Field Creation….”
The Sixth Apostle bit his lip as he looked at the Divine and Demonic Swords blazing with different lights.
“Even seeing it with my own eyes, it's hard to believe. But….”
The Ghost Demon Swordmaster narrowed his eyes and curled his lips.
“It’s meaningless.”
“The only meaningless thing is your life.”
Raon raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at the Ghost Demon Swordmaster.
“You bastard!”
The Ghost Demon Swordmaster couldn’t hold back and charged. Moving at extreme speed like a streak of light, he aimed his sword at Raon's heart.
Raon raised the Divine Sword to block, but a cheerful breeze came from behind him.
Chiing!
Rimmer stepped in front of Raon and blocked the Ghost Demon Swordmaster’s sword.
Clang!
The Ghost Demon Swordmaster’s sword strike was deflected by the wall of wind Rimmer created.
"It seems your opponent isn't here."
Rimmer turned his head slightly and wore a cool smile on his face.
“Can you handle it?”
"Who do you think I am? I'm a servant of the devil."
Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, signaling Raon to move quickly.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
The Sixth Apostle, as if waiting, thrust his spear. It was a very violent martial art, but there was a profound mystery within it.
Just as Raon was about to draw an icy line with the Demonic Sword, a massive energy descended like a lightning bolt from above.
Boom!
It was Serena. Despite her severe injuries, she moved forward as if nothing was wrong and pushed the Sixth Apostle back with sheer force.
“Void Sword division! Support the Light Wind division!”
“Yes!”
Following Serena’s orders, the Void Sword division joined the Light Wind division, raising their heavy aura blade. There was no hesitation in their swords.
“A resurrected corpse dares…”
The Sixth Apostle bit his lip as he generated astral sphere above his spear.
“Void sword division leader?”
"I almost fell for it."
Serena turned her head back and gave a faint smile. It was the first time Raon had seen such an expression on her face.
“Excuse me?”
"Your words and actions reminded me of the former self of the head of house, whom I used to admire."
“I thought the head of house was here too.”
Rimmer chuckled as he narrowly deflected the Ghost Demon Swordmaster’s sword.
“Raon, go.”
Serena nodded towards the throne where Delphiros was seated.
“We'll hold them off. Do what you need to do.”
She smiled as if to say she'd block the path even if it meant her death.
“Thank you.”
Raon bowed to Serena and Rimmer, then turned towards Delphiros. Despite the situation, Delphiros was still leisurely drinking tea.
Just as Raon tightened his grip on the Divine and Demonic Swords and was about to charge at Delphiros,
“Stop.”
“Sorry, but you can’t go any further.”
The commander of the Koman Knights and the Thunder Hammer stepped in front of the platform.
“What are you doing?”
Raon glared at Koman Knights commander Kusan and Thunder Hammer Barpil. He hadn’t expected these two to intervene.
“We were attacked by Zieghart.”
“You need to explain yourselves properly before you can pass.”
They drew their swords and readied their staffs, looking earnest.
“Are you breaking the pact of the Six Kings?”
Raon bit his lip as he looked at the Knight commander’s sword and the Thunder Hammer’s staff.
“You’re the ones who broke the pact first.”
“You attacked us on the fourth floor!”
The Thunder Hammer glared at the Void Sword swordsmen, while the Koman Knights gritted their teeth at Raon, Rimmer, and the Light Wind swordsmen.
“That was a fake. We were attacked by doppelgangers….”
“If they were doppelgangers, wouldn’t they have transformed into our appearances?”
“Do you think we’re fools? Enough with the nonsense.”
The Knight commander and the Thunder Hammer shook their heads, dismissing Raon’s words.
“Besides, you have no proof. We, on the other hand, were actually attacked.”
“If you offer your head, we might listen.”
“……”
Raon looked into the eyes of the Knight commander and the Thunder Hammer as they spoke. Their eyes were filled with greed, like the other people who had come here.
“If you’re going to say that, at least abandon the obvious greed in your eyes.”
Raon twisted his lips as he looked at the Knight commander and the Thunder Hammer with the Divine and Demonic Swords.
“Shut up!”
The Knight commander swung his sword without hesitation. Despite its appearance, it was a fast and sharp strike.
Swoosh!
The Thunder Hammer finished his incantation in an instant, summoning five streaks of lightning.
Bang!
Raon moved with the Supreme Harmony Steps, sliding to the left. He thrust the Divine and Demonic Swords at the incoming lightning and sword strike.
Boom!
The enormous impact felt like it was crushing his shoulders. Raon bit his lip and looked up.
‘Are they serious?’
The Knight commander and the Thunder Hammer’s attacks were filled with a deadly intent, as if they genuinely meant to kill him. It was hard to comprehend.
“Kill them all!”
“We outnumber them!”
“Don’t back down!”
"The Saber Sword Sovereign’s martial arts is right before our eyes!"
The Owen Knights, the mages of Balkar, the Holy Sword Alliance, the White Blood Religion. And even the neutral factions—all swung their swords and weapons with red fervor in their eyes. They seemed completely mad.
'Are they all crazed by the treasure?'
No, this is impossible.
Even if they killed him and obtained the martial arts books, they couldn't immediately become Saber Sword Sovereign. It would only lead to endless fighting.
He couldn't understand why they were acting so recklessly.
"Damn it!"
"Kill them! Don't just block, kill them all!"
"How dare you…."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan also switched from defensive to aggressive sword formations, pushing back
the Five Demons and the neutral factions. Even the Light Wind swordsmen had a strange fervor in their eyes.
"They're fired up. This is how a fight should be."
Delphros sipped his tea with an amused smile, as if he had expected this.
'Something's wrong.'
Raon frowned as he deflected the Koman Knights commander's sword.
'This doesn't make sense.'
Even if others were affected, the Light Wind swordsmen being this frenzied wasn't normal.
There was definitely some other force at play besides the greed for treasure.
'Wait. Another force?'
There was only one other force acting on this land.
"Don't run away!"
"Where do you think you're going!"
The Koman Knights commander generated astral sphere, and the Thunder Hammer summoned lightning from the sky.
A barrage of unavoidable attacks came from both the sky and the ground.
Chiing!
Raon activated the Supreme Harmony Steps. He used the Demonic Sword to draw an icy line and the Divine Sword to carve a red flash, creating a diagonal shield of sword strikes.
Clang!
Barely blocking the Koman Knights commander and The thunder Hammer's attacks, Raon looked down at the ground.
'It was this barrier.'
Derus seemed to have manipulated the barrier and array on the fifth floor to fill people's minds with greed for the treasure and battle.
The fact that not only the Five Demons and the neutral factions, but also Owen, Balkar, the Light Wind division, and the Void Sword
division were all engulfed in madness was proof of this.
'What a great plan.'
Derus Robert's plan was impressive enough to earn Raon's admiration.
'But…'
It won't go as you wish.
Since arriving on the fifth floor, Raon had been steadily analyzing the array and the barrier.
With a bit more effort, he could restore the original barrier that Derus had disrupted.
Raon smirked as he watched Delphiros raise his teacup, as if to toast.
'I'll break that teacup before I take your life.'
* * *
"The expected person hasn't arrived yet."
Delphiros smiled deeply as he looked at Raon, whose expression was dark.
'No matter how strong you are, this must be shocking.'
Seeing that the Six Kings, who should be allies, were attacking first, Raon must be at a loss.
Raon might be flustered, but this was the expected result.
'This is the real plan.'
The fifth floor was where the actual legacy of the Saber Sword Sovereign lay, and where the barrier's power was strongest.
Derus Robert never intended to kill everyone on the fourth floor from the start.
He wanted to cast a barrier on the confused warriors, who had been attacked by their comrades or allies, making them fight each other.
'Normally, this would be impossible…'
But with him, it's possible.
Derus Robert manipulated the barrier installed in the tomb to create a new barrier that made the warriors lose their rationality.
Like the alcoholic scent in a tavern, it slowly eroded their minds, so unless they were transcendent level, they wouldn't even realize what was happening to them and would fight until the end.
Delphiros smiled as he watched Raon dodge the Koman Knights commander and the Thunder Hammer's attacks.
'This is the end for you.'
No matter how strong Raon Zieghart was, it was impossible to face both the Koman Knights commander and the Thunder Hammer simultaneously.
With Rimmer and Serena, the Light Wind division, and the Void Sword division also losing their minds and fighting, the situation was already over.
'As expected, he is thorough.'
He had come out himself, worried that Raon might ruin the final plan, but it was pointless. There were no errors in his plan.
As Delphiros leisurely raised his teacup, Raon Zieghart suddenly jumped back and crossed the Divine and Demon Swords.
Clenching his teeth, Raon created a clear sound by rubbing the Demonic Sword against the Divine Sword's scabbard.
Wooong!
The sword's cry, which seemed to awaken the mind rather than the ears, rose through the dim space and spread in all directions.
"Hmph!"
Delphiros shook his teacup with a sneer.
"Useless effort."
He knew what that sword technique was. It was a sword strike that targeted the opponent's sense of hearing with the sword's cry, stimulating their nerves. Raon was probably trying to awaken the warriors who were losing their minds by affecting their nerves.
But this barrier was different from simple brainwashing. Although it couldn't be maintained for long, it couldn't be broken by such means.
"Instead of pointless actions, you'd better focus on surviving a bit longer. You…huh?"
Delphiros's lips trembled as he laughed at Raon.
"What is this…?"
The Koman Knights commander, who had been charging at Raon, stopped his sword, and the Thunder Hammer lowered his lightning.
"Wh-why am I attacking Raon Zieghart…?"
"What…?"
The two looked at their weapons in disbelief, their lips trembling.
"Ah…"
"What, what's happening! Why was I attacking Zieghart?"
"Why…"
"What happened to me?"
The Koman Knights and Balkar's mages swallowed dryly and stepped back.
Hoooo!
The battle on the field halted in an instant, and silence fell.
"You, you bastard! What have you done?!
Delphiros yelled, extending his hand towards the now-composed Raon.
“I told you. This land belonged to Zieghart.”
Raon nodded with a calm smile.
"I changed the barrier back to before you manipulated it."
“What?”
“I erased the mental manipulation embedded in the barrier.”
He pointed his finger at the ground and muttered that he had crushed the barrier Derus had created.
Crack!
The teacup Delphiros was holding fell. The luxurious cup shattered into pieces upon hitting the platform.
“Impossible….”
The barrier installed here was personally set by Derus himself. It was unbelievable that such a young boy had undone it.
“Why were we fighting?”
"I just wanted to check each other, why were we trying to kill each other..."
Even at this moment, people were regaining their senses and lowering their weapons. What he said was the truth.
"Why else?"
Rimmer pointed his sword at Delphiros.
“Because that mutt farted.”
“Grrr!”
Delphiros bit his lip until it bled, shaking his head.
“Demon Rain division leader, are you watching?”
[…Yes Sir.]
The Demon Rain division leader’s delayed response suggested he was just as shocked.
“Send it down.”
[But it’s not yet time….]
“It’s already too late. The plan is ruined.”
Delphiros glared at Raon, his lips tightly pressed together.
“By any means necessary, that bastard must die.”
* * *
Raon smiled as he watched the flustered Delphiros.
‘I’m glad I prepared in advance.’
If he had to break the barrier suddenly, it would have taken a considerable amount of time. However, he had been studying the barrier since arriving here, enabling him to quickly decipher it.
By resonating the Blue Rain according to the flow of the ancestor’s barrier, the original barrier was restored, awakened everyone's minds.
“I, I’m sorry.”
The Koman Knights commander bowed his head.
“It wasn’t my will… it was my fault!”
Despite it not being his own will, he acknowledged his fault and bowed his head.
“I’m the same.”
The Thunder Hammer sighed.
“I think I wasn’t in my right mind due to severe injuries.”
He apologized, lowering his staff.
“It’s alright. Just don’t get in the way.”
“Not just that. We’ll help you.”
The Koman Knights commander declared he would step back from claiming the Saber Sword Sovereign’s legacy, deeply regretting his actions.
Raon nodded calmly and stood in front of the platform where Delphiros was seated.
“It’s really time to come down now.”
As he tried to climb the steps, an invisible, transparent wall blocked his path.
"You're ugly to the end."
Raon twisted his lips, holding both the Divine and Demonic Swords. The brilliantly shining fire and the shimmering ice emitted a moonlight-like light and shattered the wall in front of the platform.
Rumble!
Standing before the breaking wall of aura, he turned his chin.
“If you don’t come down, I’ll….”
“I’ll open it for you.”
Delphiros twisted his lips.
“What?”
"I'll open the way for you."
When he gestured, light came into the back of the platform, which had been in darkness until now. It was more like a door to go outside than a new space.
"I, I want to get out! I can't stay here anymore!"
"Me too! I don't want to die!"
Warriors from the neutral faction, who had been fighting irrationally, ran towards the open door.
“Wait!”
Raon reached out to stop them, but those consumed by fear didn’t halt.
Then.
Pciiiiik!
The bodies of dozens of warriors running towards the door were sliced apart like sheets of paper. Blood sprayed like rain, soaking the ground. It was an unreal sight.
Goooooooo!
From within the gentle light, a tall man emerged.
An elderly man with a large frame, holding a blue sword in his left hand and a red saber in his right. His face was full of wrinkles, yet his skin was as clear as a child’s.
He walked slowly and raised his head. His black and white pupils were reversed, reflecting a gaze no living being should possess.
“He’s the one you’ve been waiting for.”
Delphiros stood up with a twisted smile.
“Saber Sword Sovereign. Kill them all.”
