N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 671
Splat.
The demonic energy, trampled underfoot, wriggled like insects. As if feeling fear, the demonic energy trembled grotesquely before flowing down between the railings.
Tsk.
Raon clicked his tongue as he climbed the stairs filled with sticky demonic energy.
‘It’s endless.’
If it weren't for the <Wrath> he received from Wrath, he would have exhausted all of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier's energy just getting here.
It seemed that the reason why Baurun was doing such nonsense at the top of this tower was because he thought he couldn’t break through this terrible path of demonic energy.
Grrrr…
Wrath landed on Raon's shoulder and shook his chubby fist.
This isn't what the King of Essence wanted! He didn’t put wrath in your soul for this!
He screamed in frustration every time he climbed a step. He seemed unable to believe that his authority had become Raon’s.
‘I’ll buy you ice cream when this is over, so be quiet.’
Raon sighed, pressing Wrath’s head.
Hmph.
Wrath shut his mouth. It seemed like he had been aiming for this. He was a demon king that was truly hard to get used to.
“Hey.”
Saintess Olga beckoned from behind.
“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
”Pushing myself too hard?”
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief at the sight of him pushing away the demonic energy so effortlessly.
“If you’re somehow consuming your life force…”
“I’m not as reckless as you, so don’t worry.”
“You little… I’m worried about you, and you act like that.”
Olga gritted her teeth, glaring at Raon.
“What do you mean you’re not as reckless as her?”
Rimmer looked at Raon as if asking what he was talking about.
“That fake saintess. When she runs out of holy power, she uses her life force.”
“What…?”
“The black lines on her arms and legs aren’t tattoos, but the result of her skin melting when she converts life force into holy power.”
Raon frowned at Olga’s pouting lips.
“Hey. That’s like an usurious loan you can never repay! Why do you live like that?” Rimmer, who had also lived in such a way, opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
“It’s none of your business how I live.”
Olga waved her hand dismissively.
“You shouldn’t waste holy power unnecessarily.”
Raon jerked his chin towards Olga’s crumpled expression. Their personalities were polar opposites, but her actions reminded him of Merlin, making him uncomfortable.
“I’ll take care of my own neck, so shut up.”
“You’ll die before you can even throw a punch.”
Wrath added one more piece of information about Olga’s condition.
‘Early death.’
He said that people born with their upper energy center open from birth cannot live long.
‘Is that woman really not going to live much longer?’
The King of Essence has told you! Her upper energy center is open much wider than the pineapple girl’s, so she can’t live long even if she wants to!
Wrath snorted, asking how many times he had to say it.
‘I understand why Baurun said that.’
The reason why King Baurun told Olga that he would kill the God must be because he knew about her lifespan.
‘I never thought I’d see someone as mad as Merlin.’
Olga, shortening her already short lifespan to save others, was like a moth flying into a fire with straw.
“You…”
As Raon narrowed his eyes, looking down at Olga, Wrath suddenly jumped up.
Wait! With all this chaos, there’s no way the ice cream shop is safe! Get out of here now!
‘Then we can buy it somewhere else... Ah, above.’
Raon, trying to persuade the clinging Wrath, looked up. The flow of demonic energy was getting rapidly thicker. There was someone up there.
As he climbed the stairs, he saw priest Piren and the commander of the royal guard Danieff standing on the gray ground where holy power and demonic energy seemed to be mixed.
“I didn’t expect you to come back.”
Priest Piren widened his eyes in surprise.
“…”
Danieff remained silent as usual. He just looked this way with calm eyes.
“Piren! Danieff!”
Olga shouted the names of the two as soon as she climbed the stairs.
“You bastards!”
Her shoulders trembled as if they would collapse from how angry she was.
“Olga.”
Priest Piren smiled, calling Olga by her name, not her title.
“You poured out all your holy power to protect the entire kingdom, and now you’ve come here. You’ll really die.”
He shook his head calmly, seeming to know her secret.
“Yeah, I’ll die. But I’ll take care of you bastards first.”
Olga gritted her teeth and raised her fist.
“You are even more incomprehensible than Olga.”
Piren let out a low sigh and looked at Raon.
“It’s not holy power, aura, or mana, so I don’t understand how you’re breaking through the demonic energy. What kind of power do you have…”
“…”
Raon didn’t answer Piren’s question. He stepped onto the gray floor and headed towards the stairs leading to the next floor.
“I apologize, but this is as far as you can go, Raon!”
“…”
Priest Piren thrust out his fist burning with white energy, and Danieff drew his sword, aiming for his neck.
Raon didn’t even look at priest Piren and Danieff. He walked calmly towards the stairs.
Whoosh!
Before Piren’s fist and Danieff’s sword reached Raon, a white light and a blue wind surged up.
Clang!
It was Rimmer and Olga. They blocked Piren and Danieff’s attacks perfectly, standing to Raon’s left and behind him.
“Your opponent is me!”
Olga gritted her teeth, blocking Piren’s fist with her forearm.
“He told me to catch you from the start.”
Rimmer clicked his tongue, crossing swords with Danieff.
Without looking at Olga and Rimmer’s battle, Raon continued up the stairs filled with even denser demonic energy.
“Hey!”
Olga furrowed her brow as she looked back at Raon.
"Grab that fucker by the scruff and drag him here!"
"If he's alive."
Raon nodded lightly and climbed to the next floor. He didn’t look back or slow his pace, showing complete trust in the two of them.
“Stop!”
Piren’s body blurred as if melting into the mist. He headed for the stairs to catch Raon, but Olga, taking the same form, blocked his way.
Boom!
Holy-powered fists collided, sending a powerful shockwave through the surroundings.
Clang!
Danieff also sent an astral sphere attack towards Raon, but it was deflected by Rimmer’s sword, causing a ground-shaking vibration instead.
“Move aside...”
"Once you've sat at the table, you have to play your hand. Where are you trying to go?" Rimmer tilted his head, looking at Danieff’s wavering eyes.
“Olga! You must trust his majesty!”
Piren trembled as he pushed back Olga’s fist.
“Trust? You want me to trust a king who sacrifices his people and allies with demons?”
Olga sneered at Piren.
“It’s a time of chaos. The six kings and five demons, and even greater monsters, roam this continent. This is the only way to survive! His majesty is doing this to save this kingdom...”
“I also think God is a son of a bitch. Deaf and blind. But you lot, you don’t even have eyes or ears!”
She gritted her teeth, punching with a fist wrapped in holy power.
Thud!
Piren easily deflected her lightning-fast punch and struck her abdomen with a knife-hand strike.
Thump!
Olga blocked Piren’s strike with her elbow but winced as she was pushed back.
Thud!
Olga pushed off the ground, charging at Piren with a flurry of punches.
It looked chaotic, but it was a precisely honed technique built over long years.
However, Piren seemed to read all of her moves, deflecting every punch effortlessly.
“Olga.”
Priest Piren assumed a similar stance, shaking his head.
“Have you forgotten who taught you these techniques?”
He narrowed his eyes, his fist igniting with holy fire.
“Yeah, I learned from you.”
Olga nodded solemnly.
“Forgotten? Absolutely not.”
She recalled her childhood, imitating Piren’s martial arts with her tiny hands. She remembered Baurun and Danieff smiling behind her, the sun stiffening their collars, and the cool breeze soothing her sweat-drenched hair. She hadn’t forgotten a single thing.
Because those memories were etched into her mind, she had to stop her teacher, who had forsaken humanity, with her own hands. Even if it meant ending her life here.
“Olga. You can’t defeat me.”
"They say a teacher's greatest joy is when their student surpasses them."
Olga’s stance lowered, almost grazing the ground. She looked like a lioness stalking her prey in the bushes.
“What about you?”
Scars appeared on her shoulders and thighs as her skin melted away.
Sizzle!
Olga, appearing not to feel any pain, stomped the ground with a dignified expression. She reappeared to Piren’s left, her fist, veins bulging, shooting towards his waist.
“Hmph.”
Piren, slightly startled, raised his hand to block Olga’s punch.
Whoosh!
Olga, seemingly anticipating that her punch would be blocked, stepped closer to Piren and delivered a series of rapid punches. The shockwaves from her fierce strikes exploded.
“To surpass me, you need to... hm?”
As Piren deflected Olga’s punches, he shuddered.
‘What is this….’
Olga’s punches began to deviate from expected trajectories, and their power started to penetrate his defenses, rattling his bones and organs. This wasn’t the strength he knew Olga possessed.
Bam!
The impact from Olga's fist was so strong that it became increasingly difficult to defend. The moment his fingertips trembled from the intense pain, her fist struck his waist directly.
“Cough!”
Piren coughed up blood and was thrown back. His waist was deeply gouged like crumpled paper.
“H-how….”
“Don’t be so surprised.”
Olga, clenching her teeth, approached Piren and threw another punch.
“Grr!”
Piren raised both hands into a defensive stance. He redirected all his holy power to defense, abandoning any offensive moves.
But Olga’s fist bent like a whip, bypassing Piren’s defense and striking his shoulder and abdomen.
Bam!
Piren, spitting blood, crashed into a wall covered by demonic energy.
“W-What is this….”
"I always wanted you to be above me."
Olga, standing over the trembling Piren, bit her lip.
“Could it be….”
Piren, lips quivering, shook his head.
“Were you hiding your strength…?”
"As my life neared its end, my martial arts skills improved like crazy."
Olga nodded heavily.
“Maybe it’s a gift from death?”
She twisted her lips downward and threw her left fist.
“Grr….”
Now, Piren couldn’t even withstand a single one of Olga’s punches, rolling on the ground after being hit in the right chest.
“Get up. I’m not done yet.”
“A-amazing. But….”
Piren spat black blood and clasped his hands together. Unlike before, black demonic energy rose above his white holy power.
The wounds that had exposed his flesh from the punches began to wriggle and regenerate.
“I can’t back down here either!”
Piren charged with a ferocious roar. His once-kind face was now filled with ferocity.
Rumble!
His fists, enveloped in a blend of holy power and demonic energy, emitted a massive force that seemed capable of erasing the entire space.
Boom!
Olga stepped forward fiercely. Her eyes were filled not with fear but with conviction.
“This is the last technique you taught me.”
The faint white light in Olga’s small fist glowed brightly like sunlight.
The fragments of holy power, scattered by the demonic energy, intertwined like threads, shining brilliantly.
Kwaaang!
Olga and Piren's stances were mirrored, yet the master and disciple chose different paths, and their will decided the outcome.
Smash!
Olga's fist, having never wavered from its path, or rather, never even considered the downward spiral, shattered Piren's demonic energy and struck his right cheek heavily.
“Courghh….”
Piren’s cheekbone crushed, and he spat out all his white teeth as he collapsed. His eyes lost their light as if he had been knocked out by a single blow.
“Huff….”
As Piren fell, Olga collapsed, spitting out black blood. Three more black lines were etched onto her legs. It was a miracle she was still alive.
“Shit….”
Olga cursed, looking up at the ceiling, grinding her teeth in frustration at her inability to move.
“Drag him down!”
* * *
"The disciple surpasses the master."
Rimmer nodded towards Olga while facing off against Danieff.
"It's what every master wishes for. Is it the same for knights?"
“…….”
Danieff, without a word, raised his sword from below. The sword imbued with astral sphere narrowly missed Rimmer’s hair.
“Knights have chivalry, don’t they? Does chivalry allow this kind of action?”
“…A knight stakes their life for their lord.”
Danieff, slashing his sword diagonally, revealed a sinister glint in his eyes.
“A knight must enter the flames of hell if commanded by their lord.”
“No.”
Rimmer shook his head, lightly pushing Danieff’s sword aside.
“You have a very wrong idea about what a knight is.”
“A lowly swordsman dares to….”
“Indeed. Let this lowly swordsman show you the true meaning of chivalry.”
On the white blade he held, blue wind and red lightning swirled.
“Sword Field Creation. Song of Wind and Lightning.”
As his clear voice echoed, the world filled with demonic energy twisted.
Winds infused with the energy of nature and lightning roared, emitting a powerful light.
“This is the end.”
Rimmer tilted his head slightly as he drew back the sword imbued with wind and lightning.
“…….”
Danieff, seemed to accept the one-strike duel, gripping his sword with both hands and drawing out all his aura. The astral sphere blazing on his blade surged like ocean waves.
Drip.
As a drop of demonic energy fell from the ceiling and hit the ground, the swords of the knight and the swordsman became beams of radiant light.
Rumble!
The astral sphere surging from Danieff’s blade cascaded down like a tidal wave, threatening to erase everything of Rimmer’s. The demonic energy in its path was mercilessly torn apart.
Sizzle!
As Rimmer’s eyes flashed blue, the wind and lightning that were surging from all directions subsided, seeping into his blade.
Sword Field Creation: Eye of the Storm.
As Rimmer activated his second sword field, he unleashed a new sword technique that combined the final strike of Eye of the Storm with the Song of Wind and Lightning.
It was made possible by the Light Wind Style’s wind.
The wind that ruled the atmosphere summoned a storm of lightning from the darkness.
Danieff's blue astral sphere wave was caught in the single trajectory where the lightning storm struck.
Crack!
Danieff’s astral sphere wave, containing all his strength, split, and his sword shattered.
Puaak!
Blood gushed from Danieff’s chest like a fountain. He knelt, dropping his broken sword as his strength left him.
“I, I h-how….”
Danieff, unable to believe it, trembled as blood poured from his lips.
“What should I have done?”
His question wasn’t about his defeat but how he should have stopped Baurun.
“A knight isn’t just a puppet following their lord.”
Rimmer, recalling the Thunder Hammer Barpil and commander of the Koman Knight Kusan, who died saving Raon in the tomb of the Saber Sword Sovereign, bit his lip.
“The knights I’ve seen, even if they committed sins, were people who could rise again for their lord. If the lord took a wrong path, they would risk their lives to stop them. If a lord strayed, a true knight would kick their butt to set them on the right path.”
“Kick the butt of a lord on the wrong path….”
Danieff looked up and clenched his fist tightly, seemingly regretting not stopping Baurun.
“Don’t worry. My king will bring down your foolish lord.”
“Your king?”
“Yes. I don’t even need to kick him, he’s a rascal who would kick me instead.”
As Rimmer nodded, the demonic energy covering the upper floor split, and golden fire erupted. He pointed at the young man with blond hair and red eyes standing in the fire and smiled.
"That boy is the young king of Zieghart, whom I follow."
