N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 686
Ogram twisted his shoulder in a spiral, further amplifying the energy contained in his fist.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a majestic light, his fist extended, sweeping away the bloody energy and suppressing the energy of death.
However, the bloody energy and the energy of death seemed to intensify, pushing back against the punch with even greater pressure.
‘From here on, it’s the real fight.’
The White Blood Religion’s leader and the man in the blue dragon helmet’s energy were each stronger than him.
To defeat both simultaneously, he had to infuse his punch with the essence of the Raging Sea.
Wooong!
Ogram increased the Raging Sea outputs to the maximum. The colorless energy blooming from the tip of his fist drew a grand concentric circle, blocking the increasingly violent bloody energy and energy of death.
“Argh….”
The immense force from the bloody energy and the energy of death caused a pressure that felt like his fist would be crushed.
Despite the pain that felt like his limbs would burst, he couldn’t back down.
He trusted his body, trained through relentless practice, and thrust his fist forward to the end.
Wooong!
The energy of the Raging Sea, like a salmon swimming upstream, split the bloody energy and the energy of death, penetrating the bodies of the White Blood Religion’s leader and the man in the blue dragon helmet.
’I did it!’
Since the wave of the Raging Sea touched their bodies, it would cause a powerful shock to their souls.
‘At this rate… huh?’
As he concentrated to finish it in one stroke, the presence of the man in the blue dragon helmet, who should have been on the right, completely vanished. Only the soul of the White Blood Religion’s leader could be felt.
‘Where did he go?’
Even as he struck the White Blood Religion’s leader’s soul with the Raging Sea and spread his aura perception, he couldn’t detect any trace of the man in the blue dragon helmet.
‘This is dangerous….’
Just as he felt a chilling sensation down his spine and tried to retreat, he felt a cold blade pierce through his chest.
“Cough!”
When he looked back, the man in the blue dragon helmet, with a large wound on his left upper body, was stabbing a black sword into his chest.
It seemed like he had penetrated through the energy with his bare body to erase his presence. He was truly a madman.
“Keugh….”
The energy of death coiled around the blade penetrated his body and soul, causing unbearable pain.
“You filthy scoundrel!”
Ogram tried to pull out the sword embedded in his chest, but it wouldn’t budge. This meant the opponent’s strength was greater.
“What, what is this….”
He couldn’t believe he was being overpowered in physical strength, something he never imagined, causing his lips to tremble.
"Is this the strongest body among the Six Kings and Five Demons?"
The man in the blue dragon helmet shook his head with a hollow laugh.
“You, you weren’t the White Blood Religion’s leader’s ally….”
Ogram bit his lip deeply. The White Blood Religion’s leader was in a state of shock from being struck by the Raging Sea alone.
It was unbelievable that a transcender would abandon an ally and stealthily attack like an assassin, even with a severe wound.
“We were not allies, just aligned in interests. And….”
The man in the blue dragon helmet gestured toward the White Blood Religion’s leader.
“If she dies from something like this, that’s all she’s worth.”
He smiled leisurely, as if he didn’t care if the White Blood Religion’s leader lived or died.
“Cough….”
Ogram bit his lip as he met the hollow eyes glinting from within the helmet.
‘This guy is dangerous.’
There was no one like him among the Six Kings and Five Demons. It wasn't just his strength that was problematic, but his entire way of thinking was dangerous.
He didn’t seem like an absolute martial artist who had reached transcendence, but more like a thug who would do anything to win.
“What is your goal….”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet let out a faint laugh. This time, it didn’t seem like he was mocking Ogram.
“Union leader!”
“Where are you!”
Just as Ogram was trying to gather his strength to escape this situation, the voices of Sran tribe leader and Garona could be heard from behind the black veil created by the man in the blue dragon helmet.
“Leave this place at once!”
Ogram shouted, grabbing the sword that pierced his chest to prevent the man in the blue dragon helmet from moving.
“Return to the union and request help from Zieghart and Balkar!”
“Do you think they can escape?”
The man in the blue dragon helmet’s eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
"Don't underestimate my disciple."
Ogram lifted his leg and pressed down on the man in the blue dragon helmet’s waist.
Boom!
The man in the blue dragon helmet smirked and struck Ogram’s abdomen.
“Cough….”
Ogram spat out blood and bent his waist. His body, infiltrated by the energy of death, could no longer maintain its iron-like hardness.
The relentless pain and continuous bleeding gradually blurred his vision.
Despite this, Ogram didn’t let go of the sword embedded in his chest. If this monster moved, Garona would be left with nothing but death.
Thud!
The man in the blue dragon helmet struck again with his left hand. The pain from his crushed bones and muscles made his knees buckle, but he held onto the sword to the end.
“Cough….”
The White Blood Religion’s leader groaned as she stood up. She had taken a severe shock but seemed not to be at the point of death.
‘Ha….’
Ogram scanned the area behind the black veil with his dwindling aura perception.
Garona, as if making a resolution, turned around and started to run.
Though he seemed simple, he had excellent situational awareness, so he should be able to escape on his own.
‘For some reason….’
That guy comes to mind.
Watching the backs of the surviving White Blood Religion’s leader and Garona, he thought of Raon, whom he had trained with.
Though he had passed on the Raging Sea to several Beast Union’s executives, it seemed only Raon and Garona would be the ones to reach its peak.
'I leave Garona to you...'
* * *
“Leave, what do you mean….”
The Sran tribe leader looked at the opaque black veil and trembled.
“Union leader!”
As if not hearing Ogram’s words, he approached the veil.
"You can't...."
Garona raised his arm to block the Sran tribe leader. He bit his lip until it bled and shook his head.
“Un, Union leader wouldn’t say such a thing without reason.”
“Hmm….”
The Sran tribe leader swallowed dryly and stepped back.
Seeing Garona, who seemed more likely to go wild with rage, forcibly maintaining his composure, he calmed down.
“The Union leader is strong. If he said that, it means we’re a hindrance. We must retreat.”
Garona, with trembling fingers, ordered the warriors and shamans behind him to retreat.
‘If we stay here, both sides will be in danger.’
If Ogram said to leave, it meant he was also in danger.
‘There must be another opponent besides the White Blood Religion’s leader.’
As the White Blood Religion’s leader’s blood arts grew stronger, they would glow white. That veil, which conceals what's inside, was definitely a technique from a force like the Black Tower.
If we escape, Ogram can retreat more easily, so running away is the right choice.
“Retreat!”
The Sran tribe leader, understanding the implication, nodded.
The warriors and shamans, seeing their eyes, turned and ran back the way they came.
However, as if not wanting to let them go easily, the white blood fanatics of White Blood Religion jumped out from the black veil.
Boom!
Garona’s punch and Sran tribe leader’s spell simultaneously extended, bursting the charging white blood fanatics.
“We’ll handle this!”
“Move quickly!”
Garona and the Sran tribe leader defeated all the white blood fanatics emerging from the veil and followed the warriors and shamans.
"Are you really alright?"
The Sran tribe leader frowned, looking at Garona. Even he was trembling, so there was no way his disciple wouldn't be worried about Ogram.
“I’m fine.”
Garona nodded with a refreshing smile.
“As long as we escape well, master will return safely.”
He called Ogram master instead of union leader and waved his hand.
“Yes. I can’t imagine him losing.”
As the two smiled, showing their trust in Ogram, a chilling tearing sound erupted, and the neck of a shaman running at the front was ripped out.
A monstrous figure, clad in a red robe from head to toe, soared above the shaman's corpse, gushing blood.
Despite not being an apostle, its exuded power beyond that of an apostle.
“……”
The monstrous figure tilted its head, blocking the path. It seemed to be inviting an attack.
“I’m in a hurry right now….”
Garona clenched his fist and looked up. The energy of the Raging Sea, which hadn’t been maintained until now, burned fiercely above his fist.
“If you don’t want to die, move aside!”
* * *
Kwoong!
The White Blood Religion’s leader frowned as he looked at the fallen Ogram, eyes closed.
'He's a real monster.'
Even though bloody energy and the energy of death had infiltrated Ogram’s mana circuits and blood vessels, he didn’t collapse until the very end.
His mental strength was astonishing.
It made one think that his specialty might not be the strongest body, but the strongest mental strength.
‘But….’
The White Blood Religion’s leader glared at the man in the blue dragon helmet with narrowed eyes.
‘He’s even more than that.’
Beyond mere strength, his way of thinking was fundamentally different from others.
Even in a situation where he could have won through normal combat, he ensured that Ogram couldn’t escape by attacking from behind.
He didn’t care about getting seriously injured as long as he won. This wasn’t the fight of transcenders.
If she had simply observed the fight, she would have been impressed, but since she had become the bait for that guy, her stomach churned with anger.
“You’re still alive.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet waved lightly.
“If you had died, I would have been disappointed.”
“I almost did.”
The White Blood Religion’s leader frowned, swallowing the blood rising in her throat.
“Thanks to you.”
She had suffered a severe shock to her soul from blocking the Raging Sea alone because the man in the blue dragon helmet had hidden his presence and used her as bait.
Her body and mind were aching to the point where it wouldn’t be surprising if she collapsed, but she pretended to be okay and waved her hand.
If she collapsed here, there was no telling what that guy would do to her.
"You have to deceive your allies to deceive your enemies."
The man in the blue dragon helmet shrugged.
“Is that what you call it?”
“Thanks to that, I caught the prey.”
He laughed, pointing at Ogram, who was breathing shallowly.
“As ordered, he’s alive, and his soul and body are separated, so he won't be able to break free on his own.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet kicked Ogram lightly, saying as if he were a gift.
“Hmm….”
The White Blood Religion’s leader calmed the bloody energy gathering in her hand. She licked her lips as she looked at the blood flowing from Ogram's chest.
‘With that….’
The Blood arts grow significantly by absorbing the blood of strong warriors.
It was unimaginable how strong she could become by continuously absorbing the blood of the Beast King Ogram.
“The deal is complete with this, right?”
The man in the blue dragon helmet tilted his chin.
"Yes. I'll recommend you for a seat among the Five Demons."
The White Blood Religion’s leader nodded, taking her eyes off Ogram.
“There’s one more thing.”
“…I know. A request.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet had proposed that if he captured Ogram alive, she would recommend him to the Five Demons and grant one of his requests.
Honestly, she didn’t trust him and had prepared multiple escape routes, but she hadn’t expected him to actually capture Ogram.
“But….”
The White Blood Religion’s leader twisted her mouth as she looked at the eyes inside the helmet.
“What should I call you and your organization?”
The man had never revealed his name or his organization’s name. He was a man full of secrets.
“My name is still unknown. As for the organization… call it the Shadow.”
“Shadow? You mean that assassination group….”
"Another star will fall soon, so I'll tell you for sure then."
“A star will fall…?”
The White Blood Religion’s leader furrowed her brows. The man had also referred to Ogram as a star.
It meant that one of the other Six Kings or Five Demons would fall.
"Tell everyone that you captured Ogram today. It means nothing to me."
The man in the blue dragon helmet waved his hand as if he wasn’t interested in Ogram.
“So, we don’t need to catch the ones who escaped?”
“It doesn’t matter. They won’t have seen anything. No, it’s better to let them live.”
He played with his fingertips as if finding it amusing.
“What is your goal?”
The White Blood Religion’s leader frowned as he looked over the man in the blue dragon helmet.
‘I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.’
He thought the man wanted fame because he wanted to join the Five Demons, but he gave away the fame of capturing Ogram, making it even more confusing.
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet repeated what he had said to Ogram, nodding his chin.
“…Right. I don’t need to know.”
The White Blood Religion’s leader snapped her fingers, and the Tenth Apostle emerged from the darkness, lifting Ogram onto his shoulder.
“There’s going to be another interesting event soon. Want to join?”
“No.”
She shook her head. It would take a considerable amount of time to recover from the soul shock and absorb Ogram’s blood, so she couldn’t move for a while.
"Your injuries seem severe."
A sound of tongue-clicking came from inside the man in the blue dragon helmet. His gleaming eyes seemed to be contemplating whether to attack or not.
“Try it if you dare.”
The White Blood Religion’s leader laughed coldly, turning her head.
"Are you relying on the blood spirit (soul) orbs you prepared beforehand?"
“You…”
"With twelve passages, you could escape no matter what happens."
The man in the blue dragon helmet nodded lightly, as if knowing everything.
“What are you….”
The White Blood Religion’s leader swallowed dryly. She had actually prepared 15 passages to escape from any situation.
It was unbelievable that he had figured out 12 of them.
“I’m just kidding.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet smiled lightly, saying it was a joke.
"...I'd like to drink your blood someday."
The White Blood Religion’s leader disappeared into the white blood mist, frowning.
The Tenth Apostle glared at the man in the blue dragon helmet before following his leader into the blood mist.
"There are actually 15 of them."
The man in the blue dragon helmet laughed as he brushed off his hands, the wounds on his body slowly healing.
All the scars disappeared as if he had never been injured. His regenerative abilities were even greater than a troll's.
After a while, a woman in a black mask bowed deeply beside him.
“All traces are erased. Shall we return?”
She said everything was done, offering a pair of black gloves.
“There’s still work to do.”
The man in the blue dragon helmet shook his head, taking the gloves.
His atmosphere changed drastically. Though his voice remained the same, his previously playful demeanor now exuded the majesty of a conqueror.
Fweeek.
The man in the blue dragon helmet removed the glove he was wearing, and sticky blood flowed from inside.
He burned the blood-soaked gloves and put on new ones, brushing off his hands.
“By work….”
“They’re here.”
He smiled, looking at the brilliant golden light flashing in the sky.
"The slow-witted lizard folks."
* * *
“Hoo….”
Raon took a deep breath and looked up.
Beside the eight rings of fire rotating like guardians of the mental world, the swords of the transcenders extended freely.
It looked the same as when he first entered, but there was a slight difference.
‘It’s lower.’
The transcender swords were still out of reach, but as he trained with them, they seemed to be lowering gradually.
It seemed that the swords descended towards the ground as he grew stronger and became more familiar with their swordsmanship.
‘Thanks to that, I also got a hint.’
As he trained with the Trancenders’ swords with all his might, he realized how to unleash all of his power at once.
Following Wrath’s advice to use one's emotions was another story, but he had certainly grasped the clue to creating a new sword field.
‘Shall I go back now?’
A lot of time had passed since he entered the mental world.
If he stayed here too long, his physical body in reality might suffer, so it was time to prepare to return.
As Raon raised his sword to make the final arrangements, a yellow energy fluctuated at the center of the mental world, and a giant clad in a black coat emerged.
‘That’s….’
Raon widened his eyes as he saw the black coat.
‘Black dragon coat?’
The giant’s attire looked like…. black dragon coat. No, it was the black dragon cloak. It had more scales than when he wore it.
Whooong!
The giant in the black dragon cloak thrust his fist fiercely, as if facing an enemy.
The formless energy contained in his fist fluctuated following the flow of the Raging Sea.
‘Could it be….’
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the back of the giant unfolding his punch.
‘Sir Ogram?’
