C799
"Are you saying there’s no way right now?"
Raon's fingertips trembled. He had placed great expectations on Lawrence, so hearing that there was no solution made his heart sink.
'No, wait...'
That’s not the look of someone who has completely given up. Contrary to his words, Lawrence’s golden eyes had a small glimmer of light. It seemed there was a way, although it was difficult.
"Lawrence, don’t tell me..."
Raon frowned as he looked at Lawrence.
—You’re not saying it’s so difficult that it might not exist, are you?
"Oh...?"
Lawrence blinked as if he had been caught off guard.
"Well, that’s..."
"That kind of indirect speech doesn’t work well in today’s fast-paced world. It’s actually too obvious."
Raon shook his head, expressing his disappointment.
—No, it’s just that... Well, you’re right, but... Hmm...
Lawrence stumbled over his words before lowering his head. As expected, there was a way, but it seemed he had said there wasn’t because it was too hard.
-Dude, don’t you have any sense of compassion?
Wrath rolled his bloodshot eyes.
-How can you say those things after hearing the story of that poor man!
"Lawrence said it himself. We should change the mood; staying sad is more disrespectful."
- Weren’t you the one who left that grasshopper feeling down?!
He pointed at Lawrence, who had his head down.
- From now on, I’ll consider you an angel! Angelic bastard!
Wrath gritted his teeth and said he could almost see white wings on Raon’s back.
"Sigh, I wonder what’s wrong with that guy’s tongue."
Lawrence shook his head as he looked at Raon.
"That guy's mouth never stops; the Alliance Leader must be tired of it."
"For me, he’s the most well-mannered grandson anyone could have."
The Rector lowered his hand and told them not to compare Raon to others.
"That’s different from Edgar in that aspect."
Lawrence looked at Raon with his eyebrows lowered.
—Ah, you’re right. I said there was no way because it’s incredibly difficult. I... didn’t realize it would be so obvious...
He scratched his cheek, seemingly embarrassed.
"From now on, try to get out of the Holy Sword Alliance more. There are many good places; I’ll introduce you to them."
Raon extended his hand with a slight smile.
-Forget it. Going out with you would drive me crazy.
Lawrence gritted his teeth, firmly refusing.
“Anyway, there is a way to save my comrade’s mother, right?”
Raon took a step closer to Lawrence, suppressing his trembling heart.
"Yes."
Lawrence nodded firmly, as if to confirm it.
"The method is..."
"Please wait a moment."
Raon raised his hand to cover Lawrence’s mouth.
"Wait?"
"I don’t think I should hear this story alone."
If Martha were in Zieghart, it might be different. From that moment on, he wanted to hear it with her.
"You mean you’re going to call your friend."
Lawrence rubbed his chin as if he understood.
"Yes, that would be correct."
He crossed his arms and said he would wait there.
"Martha will be in the mansion."
The Rector smiled as if telling him to come back quickly.
"Yes. Then."
Raon bowed to the Rector and Lawrence before immediately descending the mountain.
"Alliance Leader... No, Old Man."
Lawrence drew a slight smile as he watched Raon’s back.
"Your disciple has regained common sense, and you’ve got a very crazy grandson. You will be blessed in your later years."
"Not just in my later years."
The Rector smiled softly as he placed his hand on Lawrence’s disheveled hair.
"You are also my blessing."
* * *
As soon as Raon opened the door to the mansion, Martha leaned forward.
- Why are you so late?! I’ve already prepared the food!
Martha frowned and told him to wash his hands and sit at the table.
"One moment."
Raon closed the mansion door and called Martha aside.
"Hmm?"
Martha approached, still holding a plate of food, seemingly realizing it was urgent.
"I'm sorry, but we will eat later. Something important has come up."
"Something important?"
"It’s about your mother..."
He briefly explained everything that had happened so far.
"Ah..."
Martha collapsed on the spot, as if her legs had given way. The plate of meatballs she was holding rolled to the ground.
"Is... is that true? All of that..."
"It’s true."
Raon nodded heavily.
"I’m sorry for telling you your secret without permission. But to hear the truth..."
"That doesn’t matter!"
Martha gritted her teeth as she lifted her dark gaze.
"If there’s a way to save mom, I’ll do anything."
She stood up with effort and said they needed to go to the cave immediately.
"Then let’s go..."
"Wait."
Martha was about to follow Raon but turned around.
"Hey! Get out!"
At her gesture, Runaan and Burren, who were hiding behind the dining room wall, peeked their faces out.
"I’m sorry..."
"W-We’re sorry. We didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but we couldn’t help it..."
Runaan and Burren bowed their heads.
"Either way, you already knew everything."
Martha shook her head calmly.
"You two come too."
She gestured for the two to join them.
"Oh...?"
"We too?"
-Don’t you plan to help?
Martha wrinkled her nose, telling them not to ask such obvious questions.
"Of course we’ll help! Helping a comrade is what a Zieghart swordsman must do!"
Burren nodded, looking a bit dazed.
"The business of Miss Rakshasa is my business."
Runaan replied resolutely, contrary to her usually vacant expression.
"Then let’s go."
Martha took the lead, stepping out of the mansion and heading toward the mountain.
"Yes!"
"I-I’m okay."
Runaan and Burren followed Martha without hesitation.
"It’s nice to see."
Raon smiled warmly as he watched the three backs.
"It seems they are finally understanding each other."
-It’s a pleasant sight, but you orchestrated all this, didn’t you?
Wrath scoffed mockingly.
-A sly guy like you wouldn’t forget to place an aura barrier. You let them hear everything, hoping that the flesh girl would react like this!
He raised his chin as if he knew it all.
—Ah, you figured it out! You’re getting smarter too!
-Don’t underestimate me! I’m above you in terms of humanity!
'That’s a bit sad...'
It hurt every time Wrath said something that sounded like he truly lacked humanity.
"Anyway, it’s good that they are becoming a family now."
Raon nodded in satisfaction while watching Martha, Burren, and Runaan walking in a line.
"Who’s family?"
Martha turned around and rolled her eyes.
"Being family with such a violent person is a bit..."
Burren shook his head as if the idea was a burden.
"I’m a refined lady."
Runaan blinked with her empty eyes and said not to compare her with Miss Rakshasa. The three grumbled different things, but that only made them seem closer.
"Let’s go a bit faster. They’ll be waiting for us."
With a smile on his lips, Raon led everyone to Lawrence’s cave.
"I’ve brought them."
He made a slight bow and placed Martha in front of Lawrence.
"You are the..."
Lawrence looked at Martha, unable to finish his sentence, and let out a long sigh.
"Alright. I've accepted everything."
Unlike Lawrence, who struggled to move forward, Martha nodded calmly.
—Just tell me. There really is a way to save my mom, right?
She leaned forward as if pleading. Although she seemed confident, her shoulders trembled. She looked so tense that it weighed on her heart.
"Yes, there is a way, but it’s almost impossible."
"Please tell me."
Martha bit her lip as if she was ready to hear anything.
"There are three conditions. Each one is difficult."
Lawrence raised three fingers.
"The first condition is to subdue the leader of the White Blood Religion. You can’t kill her, but you must bring her to the brink of death."
He continued to frown.
"As you know, bringing that monster, who gets stronger over time, to the brink of death is extremely difficult. Even among the leaders of the Five Kings and Five Demons, only a few could achieve it."
"I suppose so. Currently, among the Five Kings, only our Head of House could subdue the leader of the White Blood Religion."
Excluding the Beast King Ogram, who had lost his martial prowess, the Silent Sword Master Lecross, the Magician of the Eternal Flame Chamber Larian, and the Archmage could potentially face the leader of the White Blood Religion. However, only the Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart, could subdue her and bring her to the brink of death.
"If the first condition is extremely difficult, the second one isn’t easy either."
Lawrence shook his head slightly.
"The second condition is that there must be a body close to which the leader of the White Blood Religion can transfer."
"A body to which she can transfer..."
"The leader of the White Blood Religion is a monster that has lived for hundreds of years transferring between bodies. She has the ability to possess the body of another person in her spiritual form."
He continued with a look of disgust in his eyes.
"However, that monster only controls the body without killing the original owner's soul. It’s like a condition of the contract that allows her to squeeze the body’s potential and use all its abilities."
Lawrence clicked his tongue briefly and said that’s why Martha’s mother was still alive.
"Puaj..."
Martha bit her lip and grabbed the cheap necklace. She finally understood why the leader of the White Blood Religion wore the ancient necklace that she had combined with her mother’s.
"When the leader of the White Blood Religion moves to a new body, she completely kills the original owner’s soul before leaving, to erase the memories and the blood energy that would remain in the previous body."
Lawrence tilted his head, as if apologizing for having to say that.
"However, if a critical moment comes, she will immediately extract her soul regardless of what happens with the original body. Without that, there’s no way to save the original soul."
He exhaled deeply and said that was the only way.
"The problem is that there are very few bodies that can accept the soul of the leader of the White Blood Religion. The Blood Demons are sending sacrifices to the main altar to find those bodies, but they are not easy to discover."
Lawrence frowned and said that the second condition could be even more difficult than the first.
-Then what’s the third condition?
Raon asked, looking at Lawrence’s second finger.
"The third is that you must kill the fugitive soul of the leader of the White Blood Religion before she enters a new body."
Lawrence shook his head briefly.
"You mean to kill her in her spiritual form?"
"Yes."
He nodded briefly.
"The leader of the White Blood Religion can control all the blood energy in the world. If she enters a new body, she could use the previous body with the remaining blood energy as a hostage."
Lawrence bit his lip and said that none of this was easy.
"That’s why I said there was no way. It’s almost impossible..."
"I can be the second hostage."
Martha hit her chest with her fist.
"Mom and I are the same. There must be space in me for that damned woman to enter."
She nodded, saying that the tenth Apostle had recognized and targeted her before.
-Then I’ll take care of the first.
Raon stepped forward, as if picking up on Martha’s words.
"I will capture the leader of the White Blood Religion."
He spoke of one of the strongest people on the continent, the leader of the White Blood Religion, as casually as if she were a neighborhood bully.
"Then we will be the support."
Burren swallowed hard and clenched his fists.
"Yes, anything."
Runaan also nodded and said she would do whatever was necessary.
"No..."
Suddenly Lawrence stood up.
"Did you hear what I said? It’s not something you can talk about so easily..."
"We heard everything. We just need to subdue the leader of the White Blood Religion and kill her when she tries to transfer to another body, right?"
Raon condensed Lawrence's long and desperate murmurs into a single phrase.
"W-well, that’s true, but..."
Lawrence’s jaw trembled in disbelief.
"Even if Martha could potentially be a new body for the leader of the White Blood Religion, how the hell are you going to subdue her and kill her?"
"We will fight, train, and become stronger. That’s why we came here in the first place."
Raon nodded as if it were a simple matter.
"It’s easier said than done..."
Lawrence looked at Raon and Martha smiling with confused eyes.
"We were sailing through a vast ocean without a map, and suddenly, a nautical map appeared before us. Even though we have to cross lava and overcome typhoons, we’re happy."
Raon smiled warmly at Lawrence.
"Because now we have a path."
Despite not knowing how to save Martha’s mother, they were determined to do so, and now Lawrence had given them a plan. No matter how difficult it was, they couldn’t help but smile.
"Thank you."
Martha pulled out her sword and performed the Zieghart salute. It was the first time they had seen her show such a respectful greeting.
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
Runaan and Burren also expressed their gratitude for helping their friend.
"Then let’s go down."
Martha turned her back without hesitating for a moment.
"Go down?"
"We need to train. We don’t have time to sit around."
She nodded, saying she needed to become a Grand Master to minimally help.
"Alright..."
"I guess we’ve finished eating."
Burren and Runaan shrugged and followed her.
"No..."
Lawrence’s jaw trembled as he watched the three kids leave without hesitation.
'Don’t those kids feel any fear?'
If they hadn’t seen the leader of the White Blood Religion, it would be understandable, but they had faced her and still showed no fear. It was surprising that they were so confident they could win despite knowing her strength.
'How the hell...?'
He had sworn to take revenge on his mother, but he hadn’t left the cave under the pretense of training in Reverse Wave Arts. Even after reaching transcendence, he still feared the leader of the White Blood Religion. But those kids, much younger and weaker than him, were preparing to face her head-on.
He couldn’t lift his face due to the shame bubbling in his chest.
"It’s tough. It’s scary, and it’s hard."
Raon nodded as if he understood Lawrence’s feelings.
—But it’s something we have to do. Don’t you feel the same way, Lawrence?
At those words, Lawrence’s lips trembled.
'Something we have to do...'
Hearing those words reminded him of the smiling face of his real mother as she died. He had sworn to take revenge with her soul, but he had become a coward without realizing it.
«This must be my last chance.»
It was something he could never do alone, but thinking about doing it with those kids strangely gave him courage.
"That’s right. I’ve been burying in my heart the task I must accomplish even after death."
Lawrence nodded with a tearful smile.
"I will also help. Whether as a trampoline or as a sword, I will do whatever it takes in that fight."
He revealed his bright golden eyes as if he had reached a spiritual enlightenment.
"Then let’s start by helping me with my training."
Raon nodded in approval.
"Eh...?"
Lawrence blinked as he looked at Raon.
"Training T?"
"You said you would do anything."
"No, I didn’t mean now, I meant I would join you when you fight against the leader of the White Blood Religion..."
-D-Don’t worry. Get up. We don’t have time.
Raon gestured to Lawrence with his finger.
"Huh? Eh..."
Lawrence sighed as if he had been lifted again and stood up.
The Rector smiled amusedly as he watched the nervous Lawrence.
- I told you not to get carried away by the atmosphere.
Wrath also shook his head as if he were exasperated.
- A leech never lets go once it has latched on!
* * *
The swords of Martha and Jaira clashed as they aimed one at the other’s neck, causing bright red sparks to fly. Martha's sword contained explosive energy, but Jaira's direct and precise thrust nullified all that power.
"At this rate, has nothing changed from before?"
Jaira clicked her tongue in disappointment.
"I’ll talk about that when this match is over!"
Martha gritted her teeth and spun on her left foot.
"I’m different from Raon."
Raon had advised her to find her own path. However, unlike Raon, she didn’t have the ability to absorb others' strengths, so there was only one path she could take.
'Power and recklessness.'
She had considered learning to be gentle to improve her stagnant skills, but the path that suited her best remained direct aggression. Thanks to the swordsmen of the Holy Sword Alliance who had walked a single path, she could be sure that her path was not wrong.
'I’ll continue like this!'
Martha took a decisive step. A supreme cut imbued with the Gale Wind Style over her Titan aura of maximum power. She unleashed the same sword technique as before, but with a completely different mindset. Like a tree with deep roots that doesn’t sway in a storm, Martha’s powerful sword clashed with Jaira’s precise sword, creating a massive shockwave.
Although a violent shockwave erupted, powerful enough to overturn the ground like before, the result was different.
"Puaj..."
Jaira was lying on the ground with a frown, and Martha was standing in front of her.
"Ha..."
Jaira looked at Martha and let out an ironic laugh.
"You’ve really changed. In just a month..."
She shook her head and said it was incredible.
"Congratulations on reaching the pinnacle of the Master level and for finding your path."
Jaira let out a genuine laugh, seemingly congratulating her opponent’s growth.
"Thank you."
Martha bowed her head and took Jaira’s hand. Unlike her pursuit of greater strength, her personality seemed to have softened. Raon watched Martha and Jaira talking with smiles, then turned around and headed toward the mountain.
-Everyone is changing.
Wrath nodded in approval.
-That’s right. And for the better.
Not just Martha, Runaan and Burren had also grown significantly, both in martial arts and mentally. It was good that he had brought them all here.
«Now it’s my turn to change.»
After learning about Lawrence’s situation, a month passed traveling through the Holy Sword Alliance, participating in life-or-death combats with strong opponents. As Rector had said, there were many eccentric swordsmen in the Alliance who followed a single path, and thanks to them, he was able to greatly improve his stagnant Ten Thousand Swords technique.
While in the clearing halfway up the mountain, thinking about his growth and his changes, Lawrence's voice came from inside the cave.
"Hahaha, don't you ever get tired of this?"
Lawrence shook his head and said it was exhausting.
One would think he would give up if there was no effect in attacking every day, but he is relentless.
-I'm also tired of hearing that, so come down quickly.
Raon chuckled and gestured with his hand.
"And today will be a little different."
"You're a leech."
Lawrence let out a short sigh and jumped into the clearing.
"Let's begin."
He nodded his chin, saying there was no need for preliminaries and to simply attack him.
"Very well."
Raon drew his Heavenly Drive sword while controlling his breathing.
-Wouldn't it be better to use the Sword Domain now?
Wrath frowned and said he was tired of watching Raon lose.
"It's pointless."
The possibility of winning with the Sword Domain was low, but even if he won, it wouldn't make sense. He wanted to overcome Lawrence's special ability with swordsmanship alone.
"It's not about ability against ability; I need to win with the sword."
He closed his eyes and opened them again as he took a breath. Considering Lawrence not as an enemy, but as another master, he silently extended his left foot.
* * *
Lawrence lowered his eyebrows as he watched Raon's familiar stance.
—Still not yet, huh?
Raon's swordsmanship was developing rapidly, but he still couldn't overcome the wall. Despite his talent and patience, it seemed it would take time to break through the shell.
-Then what I can do is...
Block with all his might. Thanks to Raon, his own Reverse Wave Arts were also slowly growing. Being a firm wall for everyone was the best he could do. With a sharp sound, Raon's sword surged forward, tinged with silver. At a speed that seemed to transcend the word "fast." The boy's sword had become even faster.
"He's improving a lot. At this rate... huh?"
Just as he was about to employ his Reverse Wave Arts while admiring Raon's swordsmanship, Raon's sword, which had been executing a sword technique, suddenly changed. It was twisting the flow of the Reverse Wave Arts backward.
-
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