N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 705
Baaaaaang!
As the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet stretched out his arm, the energy of death entwined around his blade shot out in hundreds of flashes.
"How trivial."
Even as Glenn watched the surging energy of death, he did not retreat. Instead, he advanced and swung down Heavenly Tremor.
Crackle!
The lightning that exploded on the pure white blade devoured all the energy of death.
The only trace left by Heavenly Tremor was a faint breeze, so gentle it couldn’t sway even a single strand of hair.
"Did you intend to face me with just this level of skill?"
Narrowing his eyes, Glenn lowered the spotless Heavenly Tremor. The energy of death trampled by the lightning dispersed like mist at his feet.
"It's too early to judge me."
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet smirked and wagged his finger.
"Let's hold off on evaluations until everything is finished!"
As he flipped his wrist, a dark sphere of condensed energy of death surged from the void.
Kwaaaaaa!
The pitch-black sphere crushed the space around it, aiming straight for Glenn's heart.
"I told you, it’s useless."
Lowering his left hand, which did not hold Heavenly Tremor, Glenn caused the approaching sphere to drop abruptly like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing into the ground.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
The energy of death exploded from the underground, turning the river and its water upside down.
"Borrowing the words of your grandson…."
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet laughed delightedly as he rested his sword over his shoulder.
Not only the blade but his entire body began to blaze with the energy of death.
"You've got a long way to go!"
With a roar-like shout, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet flew at Glenn with his black sword. The pressure, now more than double what it had been during his previous strike, weighed down on Glenn's entire body.
"The weight of that child’s words…."
Glenn’s gaze turned icy cold. On the blade of Heavenly Tremor he extended, anger-infused lightning sprouted.
"...is different from the likes of you."
The blood-soaked lightning blade blocked the charge of the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet.
Kuwaaaaang!
At the moment the swords met, a tremendous shockwave erupted, causing space to crack as if it were being torn apart, yet Glenn did not budge an inch.
He stood his ground, pressing down the swordsman in the dragon helmet with just one hand.
Crunch!
With a chilling sound as if bones were being twisted, the legs of the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet began to buckle.
"You're pretty strong for an old man, but..."
Even under the pressure of Heavenly Tremor, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet smiled leisurely.
"This isn't your full strength, is it?"
He lightly shrugged his shoulders, as if to say this wasn't enough.
"……."
Glenn frowned as he looked into the eyes of the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet.
'He's holding back his strength.'
Even though Glenn used a similar level of power as when he faced the leader of the White Blood Religion, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet seemed relaxed, indicating that he wasn’t fighting with all his might either.
‘That fool was right to call him dangerous.’
Ogram had said that even in a one-on-one fight with the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet, he couldn’t guarantee a victory.
At first, he thought it was because of the menacing energy of death he exuded, but that wasn’t the issue.
The guy himself was strong, regardless of the energy of death. He was a formidable opponent, among the heads of the Six Kings and Five Demons, there were few who could match him.
‘I should make him reveal his hidden skills.’
Such a warrior wouldn’t appear out of nowhere. It seemed best to make him reveal his true abilities to understand the origin of his martial arts.
Thud!
The moment Glenn twisted his wrist, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet was violently pushed back.
“This is….”
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet widened his eyes, not knowing what had just happened.
“I’ll show you the difference in our levels.”
Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor and aimed at the gleaming eyes within the blue dragon helmet. The mere gesture of the swordsman, who had reached the sky, caused the heavens and earth to tremble.
A noble wave of energy, as if the person himself had transformed into the sword of the heavens, spread out in all directions.
“A lot of unexpected things are happening today.”
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet shuddered as if overwhelmed by Glenn’s energy.
“But I still have a job to do.”
He shook off the shock remaining in his right hand and lunged to Glenn’s right. The black sword, imbued with the energy of death, shot out like a flash of lightning.
Clang!
As Heavenly Tremor and the black sword clashed, their energy intertwined as if trying to devour each other.
Boom!
In the narrow space where their breaths mingled, Glenn and the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet exchanged blows. It was a pure contest of martial skill, not just powerful energy.
Rumble!
After dozens of exchanges, the swordsman in the dragon helmet was flung backward.
Each step he took back dug deep into the ground. He couldn’t fully withstand Glenn’s strength.
“Gahh….”
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet spat blood onto the ground and panted heavily.
“There’s no way I can win.”
He bit his lip, acknowledging that Glenn surpassed him in swordsmanship, energy, and even endurance.
“Are you satisfied now?”
The South-North Union leader approached with a smirk.
“Not yet.”
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet shook his hand.
“At least I got a taste.”
“Then let’s start the real fight.”
As the South-North Union leader extended his hand, water surged up like a dragon ascending and gathered in his grasp, forming a blue spear.
It was the Sea Dragon Spear, one of the ancient weapons said to choose its own master.
Whoooosh!
The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet wiped away his composure and raised the black sword above his head.
The energy of death emanating from the blade grew darker and darker, then suddenly flared up as black lightning, as if he were mimicking Glenn.
"Crude from beginning to end."
Glenn, revealing his sharp killing intent, held Heavenly Tremor in the middle stance. The lightning energy rising from the sword's blade covered the sky and the earth, radiating a red brilliance.
"Sword Field Creation."
His calm voice twisted the world.
"Seamless Perfection."
* * *
"Whew…."
Dorian let out a sigh of relief as he held the control stick.
"We somehow survived."
He said it was a relief, but he still seemed tense, dry-heaving as if he couldn't relax.
"It's thanks to the division leader. It looks like this guy never even considered the possibility of losing."
Krein exhaled a sigh while looking at Raon, who was lying down with his eyes closed.
"Of course not. Raon must have been confident of victory from the moment he started the duel to death."
Burren muttered, shaking his head at how terrifying he was.
"That guy has never broken a promise. We just need to trust him."
Martha applied ointment to Raon's abdomen with a faint smile.
"Those words don't suit a Rakshasa Woman."
Runan shook his head as he looked at Martha.
"This is really…."
"Today, Roan is in super handsome mode."
Ignoring Martha, who was about to pounce, she gently brushed Raon's hair aside.
"Everyone, stay alert."
Rimmer, standing next to Raon, clapped his hands loudly.
"It's not over yet."
Unlike his usual self, he looked around with deeply sunken eyes.
"We need to be especially careful of the parts that differ from Roan's predictions."
"The parts that differ..."
"Eden."
Rimmer frowned as he looked at Dorian.
"Raon predicted that the Black Tower, not Eden, would come. It's a significant variable."
He tapped his fingertips, saying he had a bad feeling.
"Hmm…."
Mark Goetten nodded and moved to the bow of the boat to spread his aura perception.
"But who is the Eden member working as the division leader's informant?"
Burren squinted his eyes at Rimmer.
"Judging by what the Fallen said, it seems like it's an executive…."
"It must be Merlin."
Rimmer stroked his chin and lowered his gaze.
"M-Merlin?"
"That madwoman?"
"Yes. Merlin pretended to capture Raon but kept blocking the intervention of the Five Demons. At the time, we were too busy to notice, but looking back now, it seems very strange."
Merlin appeared every time Raon was in danger and dealt with the other Five Demons.
At that time, I thought she was just crazy, but after hearing the Fallen's words, it became clear that she was the one providing information to Raon.
"I-I saw it too!"
Dorian raised his hand, his eyes wide open.
"Remember when we all almost died before, and Merlin suddenly showed up looking for the division leader?"
He swallowed dryly as he spoke of the time when the entire Light Wind division almost died at the hands of the Blazing Flame Demon Commander.
"I understand that Merlin is on Roan's side. But..."
Martha bit her lip as she looked back.
"The fact that the division leader didn't know Eden was hiding here, despite Merlin being his informa..."
"It means that Merlin…has been exposed."
Burren nodded as he looked at Raon.
"T-then, Merlin now…."
"She's either already been captured or is in a very dangerous situation."
"Ah…."
"That's…."
"For now, let's just think about getting out of here. We'll figure it out the re…."
Rimmer turned his head abruptly, cutting off his own words. Numerous presences were moving in the rear.
"Prepare for battle."
Rimmer placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned around.
"Prepare for battle!"
As Burren repeated Rimmer's order, the entire Light Wind division spread out on the deck and drew their swords. They raised the winds of the Light Wind Style to maintain the Great Light Wind Formation on the swaying deck.
About a minute passed.
With a sound like a knife slicing through the river, small fast boats appeared.
There were also two warships, and it seemed that the unit leaders had come personally, as powerful energy waves rippled on the decks.
"Found them! Over here!"
"I see Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind division! Increase speed!"
On land, those who appeared to be members of the White Blood Religion and assassins followed. Seeing the presence of an archbishop, it was clear they were not to be underestimated either.
Rimmer frowned as he looked at the South-North Union chasing them from the river and the assassins pursuing them from the land.
'At this rate, we'll be caught.'
Though Dorian's boat was fast, it couldn't navigate the river properly, so they would be caught before long.
They had to turn the battlefield from here to the enemy's warships.
Shrring!
Rimmer drew his sword, wrapped in the wind of Garunua.
"Protect Raon here. I'll be back soon."
He gave orders to the three team captains and then jumped into the river.
Splash!
Riding the wind and currents, he reached the first approaching fast boat.
"Th-The Sword of Light!"
"Attack!"
The water bandits and mountain bandits (South-North Union’s warriors), with surprised eyes, charged at him with swords and sabers.
"I don't have time to play with you."
Rimmer unleashed his astral energy not at the armed bandits, but at the deck of the fast boat.
Crash!
The central deck of the fast boat exploded, and the bandits fell into the river.
Thud!
Rimmer kicked off the sinking bow and moved to the next fast boat, drawing his sword again.
"Stop him!"
"He's trying to destroy the boat!"
Ignoring the frantic bandits, he destroyed the boat.
Boom!
After sinking all the fast boats chasing Dorian's boat, Rimmer moved towards the warships.
'If I just destroy these warships, we can escape easily.'
With distance growing between them and the White Blood Religion, they could return to Zieghart without any damage if they destroyed the warships.
"Whew."
Rimmer caught his breath and boarded the warship.
"Kill him!"
"Stop him from destroying the ship!"
The bandits rushed at him from all directions, as if they had been waiting for him.
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry today."
Clenching his teeth, Rimmer raised the wind. The green energy blooming from his sword sliced through the bandits' chests.
Slash!
The bodies of the charging bandits split in half and fell. They flailed their arms, not even knowing what had hit them.
“Are you the leader?”
Rimmer was about to approach the unit leader who seemed to be the captain of the warship.
Screeeeech!
A grotesque roar echoed from high in the sky.
“T-that’s….”
Rimmer looked up, his lips trembling. A massive figure with bones as white as snow, burning with dark mana, was moving. It was a bone dragon resurrected as an undead, flying towards them.
Rumble!
Behind the bone dragon, an army of undead composed of gargoyles, wraiths, and specters was also advancing.
Whoosh!
The robe of the eerie figure riding on the bone dragon's back was blown off, revealing a skull mask with glowing golden eyes.
“Specter?” (Manghongwi)
Rimmer bit his lip as he looked at the skull mask. There was only one person who wore that mask. It was undoubtedly the Specter,
who had been killed by Raon in house Arianne.
‘Has he been resurrected?’
The Specter, wearing the mask of an arch lich, had the ability to resurrect, and it seemed he had come back to life using that power.
‘Of all people….’
The Specter was a mage whose true power shone not in one-on-one battles, but in large-scale, chaotic battles. In such situations, he was the worst possible enemy.
‘And….’
He’s grown stronger.
The level of dark mana emanating from the Specter and his undead had increased. He hadn’t just come back to life, he had returned even stronger.
“Let’s start with a greeting.”
The Specter's eyes flashed menacingly as he raised his finger, and the bone dragon opened its jaws wide. A stream of dark breath surged from its pitch-black maw towards Dorian's boat.
Kwaaaaaa!
The Light Wind swordsmen maintained the Great Wind Formation in a defensive stance to block the bone dragon's breath.
However, the boat seemed to take a significant impact as its speed suddenly decreased.
“Kill them all!”
At the Specter's command, the undead army guarding the bone dragon rapidly descended towards Dorian's boat.
“Dorian! Increase the speed!”
Rimmer jumped off the warship into the river and sent blades of wind flying.
However, there were too many undead to block them all.
“First, we need to hold them off… Huh?”
As he ran, he looked down at the water surface and let out a breath.
‘They’re down there too?’
He felt violent movements from within the water. The Specter's undead army was not only in the sky but also targeting Dorian's boat from the river.
‘Damn it.’
At this rate, no matter what they did, it seemed impossible to prevent Dorian's boat from sinking.
“Come out! Come out now!”
The Specter was attacking Dorian's boat from all sides, as if trying to lure someone out.
As the undead army flew in on top of the Great Light Wind Formation, which had been shocked by the bone dragon's breath, the swordsmen became disorganized.
Boom!
Eventually, to protect the boat and Raon, the Light Wind swordsmen scattered in all directions, causing the Great Wind Formation to collapse.
“If you don’t come out now….”
The Specter ground his teeth and raised his hand, dark mana gathering above his head to form a giant sphere.
“I’ll destroy him completely!”
The black sphere made of dark mana descended towards Dorian's boat.
The Light Wind swordsmen tried to reform the Great Wind Formation, but there wasn’t enough time.
‘Too late!’
Rimmer bit his lip until it bled. The sphere was moving too fast. Neither the Light Wind swordsmen nor he could stop it.
Whoosh!
As he was about to shoot an astral sphere to minimize the damage, a translucent light flashed in front of Dorian's boat, and Merlin, wearing an old woman’s mask, emerged.
Crackle!
White flames burst from the magic circle Merlin had created, blocking the black sphere shot by the Specter.
Boom!
A massive explosion rocked Dorian's boat, nearly capsizing it.
“Thank you! Thanks to you… huh?”
Rimmer started to thank Merlin but trailed off, trembling. Her mask was half-crushed, and her robe was soaked in blood and torn in several places.
“You’ve finally come out!”
The Specter let out a chilling laugh, nodding.
“Yes. I knew you would come out if I targeted Raon Zieghart.”
He clenched his fist, saying he could finally take his revenge.
"Obsessive men are the worst."
Merlin let out a mocking laugh, her voice breaking intermittently.
"While I was trapped in the Golden Fish Tank, I thought of nothing but how to kill you. How to torment you. How to torture you. How. How. How!"
A chilling madness flared in Specter's eyes.
"If the Fallen hadn’t saved me, I would have gone completely insane there."
"You seem already insane."
Merlin waved her hand, saying it was too late.
"Yeah. Let's see how far that composure of yours goes."
When the Specter snapped his fingers, an innumerable army of undead emerged from his subspace.
"Hoo."
Rimmer, while Merlin and the Specter were conversing, boarded Dorian's boat again to catch his breath.
"Merlin. Let's stop them here. If you help..."
"No."
Merlin turned her gaze away and shook her head.
"We can't stop them here."
She looked intently at Raon, who was held by Federick, and drew a faint smile.
"What? What does that mean..."
"I'll hold them off here. You save Raon."
As Merlin gestured lightly, Dorian's boat floated into the air and started moving at an incredible speed as if caught in a storm.
"Merlin!"
Rimmer shouted towards Merlin, who had quickly become a dot, but she didn't move.
"..."
Even as the boat sped like a beam of light, Merlin kept her eyes fixed solely on Raon.
‘It’s done now.’
Raon would climb even higher through today's duel to the death.
Unlike herself, who had walked in darkness, she had no regrets after seeing him walk a path filled only with light.
"After being beaten nearly to death and fleeing, you show up when Raon is attacked? You must be truly insane."
Specter sneered as if he couldn’t believe it.
"You foolish woman. Do you think Raon Zieghart will accept you? You're just a tool to be used and discarded."
He shook his head in disdain.
"That's right. Raon won't look at me. We won't be together."
She nodded calmly.
"Knowing that, you still do something so foolish..."
"It doesn't matter."
Magnificent wings formed from a magic circle spread behind Merlin. Even as she coughed up blood over her mask, she twisted her lips into a smile.
"My love has always been one-sided."
