C828
Slash!
Raon ripped open the Second Apostle's left chest and stepped onto the sandy beach.
"Urgh..."
Even though her heart had been cut out, the Second Apostle didn't die. She staggered back, seemingly converting the remaining bloody energy in her body into vitality.
"Sword Control..."
The Second Apostle pulled out the Demon Sword embedded in her back and threw it to the ground.
Despite spitting out a terrifying amount of blood from her chest and back, she glared at Raon with murderous intent. With a slight movement of Raon's finger, the Demon Sword embedded in the sand rose up and moved behind his back.
"Did you realize?"
Raon tilted his chin and looked at the Second Apostle whose entire body was trembling.
'I see you're not a Transcendent Warrior for nothing.'
Realizing he had used Sword Control in such a critical situation was truly the sharp observation of a Transcendent Warrior.
"It wasn't just Sword Control. What the hell did you do?!"
"Why would I tell you that?"
Raon shrugged and watched the Second Apostle gnash her teeth.
-Since the fusion of Sword Control and Spatial Sword is still far from perfect, he must have planted the sword beforehand where that vampire would move.
Wrath narrowed his eyes and looked at the blood-stained Demon Sword.
-Well, that's true.
At his current level, he couldn't harmonize Sword Control and Spatial Sword as Alice wanted.
To prevent a possible counterattack from a clumsy offensive, he observed the Second Apostle's movements and placed the Demon Sword in her path, creating a trap where she would inevitably be impaled.
Of course, he had been beaten like a punching bag and was full of external and internal wounds, but now the Second Apostle's condition had become even more severe than his.
The flames of the Divine Sword and the cold energy of the Demon Sword continuously burned the Second Apostle's vitality and bloody energy.
-You truly have an exceptionally sharp mind.
Wrath let out a sigh, as if he were admiring him.
«Sir Lawrence would have won more easily than I.»
The Second Apostle certainly possessed terrifying speed, but she lacked the absolute presence that other Transcendent Warriors felt.
A dangerous monster solely because of her speed. That was all.
'I wonder if Aunt is okay.'
He let out a short sigh, looking at the Second Apostle coughing up pale blood.
-To kill that troublemaker, they would need to send some pretty well-known demons.
Wrath shook his head, indicating that there was no need to worry about Alice.
-They might confine her, but she won't die or get hurt.
- "It's a relief then."
-The most important thing is that you focus on finishing off that vampire now.
'I know.'
Raon nodded heavily.
"But it's not a good option for me to make the first move."
Even a cornered mouse would bite a cat. Since the light hadn't completely faded from the Second Apostle's eyes, it was better to observe her intentions and act accordingly.
-You understand well.
Wrath gently stroked his chin.
-No matter how close to death that vampire is, she already crossed the line. She'll fight to the end, so stay focused until the very last moment.
He had barely advised concentration when the Second Apostle's aura erupted explosively.
**Boom!**
A bloody energy even more powerful than when they first fought. The Second Apostle wasn't trying to escape with her life, but she seemed determined to kill him at any cost.
It was fitting for an apostle of the White Blood Religion, which was said to have the most lunatics among the Five Demons.
"Even if I die, I'll take you with me."
The Second Apostle gritted her teeth and stomped. Her body transformed into a beam of white light and disappeared.
"Ugh."
Raon exhaled heavily and gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands.
"She's become even faster."
This is going to be dangerous.
It would be too late to defend after feeling the Second Apostle approaching. He had to predict where she would appear and strike with his sword.
'With her life on the line, she'll move more instinctively.'
Of course, he had to prepare for any possibility. Ugh!
The moment Raon sensed the Second Apostle's presence, he stepped forward with his right foot and swung his Divine Sword towards her left chest, which she had been persistently aiming for.
**Sizzle!**
But the Second Apostle twisted her body forcefully, crushing his ankle. Her fist aimed for his neck instead of his left chest. A chilling shiver ran down his spine.
"You're not the only one who can deceive!"
The Second Apostle grinned with a bloody sneer, as if she were sure of victory.
"We'll die together!"
The Second Apostle erupted a powerful bloody energy on her fist, prepared to die along with her enemy.
**Boom!** The aura of her punch deepened his internal wounds and his knees almost buckled.
"Sorry, but..."
Raon remained unyielding even in the face of the Second Apostle's terrifying bloody energy.
"My deception isn't over yet."
Just before the Second Apostle's fist could pierce his neck, Raon summoned the Demon Sword that was floating behind his back.
**Boom!** The stationary Divine Sword and the descending Demon Sword met in a cross, creating a magnificent radiance.
Raon Zieghart's style of swordsmanship. Sixth form, Divine-Demonic Harmony Technique: Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
The Divine Sword held with both hands and the Demon Sword controlled by Sword Control created a storm of flames and frost, devouring the bloody energy that the Second Apostle had summoned with her life on the line.
**Clang!**
The sword strike, living up to its name of invincibility, completely devoured the bloody energy before piercing through the Second Apostle's body behind him.
"Ugh..."
The Second Apostle, with her body split in two, collapsed onto the sandy beach.
"D-Damn it!"
The Second Apostle's lips quivered, seemingly frustrated that she couldn't kill Raon despite betting her life.
However, her complexion began to darken, as if her life was reaching its limit.
"Why are you seeking the Soul Crystal?"
Raon asked, pointing his sword at the Second Apostle's neck.
"Haha..."
The Second Apostle let out a faint sigh and weakly raised her gaze.
"You'll die soon..."
She smiled coldly, as if she were casting a curse.
"I've heard those curses countless times, so don't worry about it and just answer. Why did you aim for the Soul Crystal?"
"Curse? It's not that. When I die, that person will move."
The Second Apostle revealed her teeth, stained with white blood, as she spoke of someone who was coming.
"That person?"
While Raon frowned, the Second Apostle trembled and uttered her last words.
"The thirteenth..."
The Second Apostle exhaled her last breath after mentioning "the thirteenth". Her expression remained resentful until the end.
"Huh..."
"H-Has the Apostle fallen?"
"And it's the Second Apostle..."
"Impossible. It's a full moon night!"
The Blood Demons of the White Blood Religion trembled all over, seemingly unable to believe the defeat of the Second Apostle.
"A Grand Master defeating a Transcendent Warrior..."
"Is that the King Slayer, Raon Zieghart?"
"Not even 'monster' is enough to describe him..."
The demonized humans of the Black Tower couldn't hide their surprise either, swallowing dry saliva.
"This is our division leader!"
Rimmer smiled happily and pointed his sword at the members of the White Blood Religion and the demonized humans of the Black Tower.
"Only the remnants remain! Crush them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
Emboldened by Raon's victory, the Light Wind division finished off the members of the White Blood Religion and the demonized humans of the Black Tower with an even sharper aura than before.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Don't retreat! Fight to the end!"
"Kill at least one of them!"
Not a single Blood Demon of the White Blood Religion or any demonized human of the Black Tower fled; they all faced the Light Wind division head-on. Usually, when there's a difference in strength, at least some would flee. But these guys were fighting to the death; they were truly a group of lunatics.
"Ugh."
Raon wiped the black blood dripping from his mouth as he sheathed his weapons.
"That wasn't easy."
Although the external wounds were severe, the internal wounds were even worse and made him dizzy. Facing a Transcendent Warrior, even in a defensive stance, was no easy feat.
'But...'
Raon frowned as he looked at the Second Apostle's corpse.
'What is that about the thirteenth?'
As far as he knew, there were only 12 apostles in the White Blood Religion. That's why they were called the 12 Apostles of the White Blood Religion. He couldn't understand what that thirteenth meant.
**Clap, clap, clap!** While Raon pondered, stroking his chin, he heard applause behind him.
"Well done!"
When he turned his head, he saw Alice clapping with a refreshing smile.
"It was worth trusting you with this."
Alice patted herself on the head and said that he had really done a great job.
"Did you see?"
"Yes, though only the final scene."
Alice nodded, saying that she saw the scene where he used the Invincible Azure-Red Sword with the sword in his hand and Sword Control.
"Harmonizing the sword in your hand with Sword Control: that was a brilliant idea."
She smiled, expressing genuine admiration.
"Still, I couldn't harmonize Sword Control with Spatial Sword."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Alice.
"It was even harder to do it in actual combat. I felt like my brain was getting tangled."
"I pushed you, but it's not something that happens overnight."
Alice shook her head, suggesting that they should progress steadily.
-What happened to you, Aunt?
"That smoke bastard said he'd let me out if I found the door in the black space."
She frowned and mentioned that she had been trapped in a completely dark room.
"Ah, so you found the door and..."
"No! I beat the crap out of that smoke bastard and cut the space to get out."
She smiled and said that she had broken through the same space of demonic energy that she had been dragged into.
-Breaking through that barrier by force couldn't have been easy...
Wrath let out a sigh, as if he were stunned.
-She really is a troublemaker beast...
He shook his head, seemingly horrified.
-Well then, let's get going.
Alice raised her finger, pointing to the opposite shore of the island.
—Lawaine! You said you remembered the location, right? Tell me the way.
—Yes! That emerald-colored pentagonal stone is still etched in my memory!
Lawaine answered confidently and walked into the forest. Since Giran Island wasn't very big, they were able to reach the opposite shore in a short time.
"Where is it?"
Alice waved both arms, saying that she wanted to find the Soul Crystal quickly to wake up her cute niece.
"..."
Unlike his initial confidence, Lawaine stood still, unable to move.
—Hey! Why aren't you moving?
When Alice approached Lawaine and tilted her head, he rolled his eyes like a puppy that had done something wrong.
"W-Well, those White Blood Religion bastards messed everything up, so I'm not sure where it is..."
Lawaine swallowed with difficulty and said that he couldn't see the emerald-colored pentagonal stone.
"Then..."
"I think we'll have to search the whole area."
He lowered his head, looking ashamed.
"..."
Alice slowly turned her head to look towards the shore. She closed her eyes tightly as she saw countless stones piled up.
How long will it take to search all of this?!
Unable to hold back any longer, Alice kicked Lawaine's butt with all her might.
"Aaaargh!"
Lawaine collapsed on the spot, clutching his butt. He was the first serious casualty of today's battle, apart from Raon.
* * *
All the members of the Light Wind division and the Azure Wind crew entered the beach to search for the Soul Crystal. Since the minimum requirement to find the Soul Crystal was to be a Middle-Level Grand Master or higher, everyone except Raon, Rimmer, Alice, and Lawaine only searched for pentagonal stones based on eyewitness accounts.
"Damn it! I can't see it! Where the hell is it?"
Alice yelled, throwing the stone she was holding towards the horizon.
"Calm down. Let's keep our cool."
Rimmer shook his head as he slowly examined the stones, as if he were evaluating jewels.
"You're surprisingly enthusiastic?"
Alice wrinkled her nose as she looked at Rimmer.
"It seems our division leader has realized the importance of family. We must do our best to help."
Rimmer shrugged, as if to say it was natural.
"It's one thing to have an agenda and another not to have one..."
Alice narrowed her eyes with suspicion.
"There isn't one. I'll get a bonus even if I don't help with this."
Rimmer shook his head, insisting that he was being sincere.
"You've changed a lot too."
Alice clicked her lips briefly.
-No, I'm the same as always.
Rimmer shook his head and said that he hadn't changed at all.
"Hmm, well, anyway..."
Alice smiled softly as she looked at Raon, who had gone further ahead.
"Our nephew is really rewriting the history of the continent."
"Indeed. Defeating a Transcendent Warrior at the Grand Master level is probably a first in history."
Rimmer nodded firmly, as if he were proud of Raon.
"The whole continent will be in an uproar, won't it? This could be an opportunity to attract the neutral forces who were hesitant between the Five Kings and the Five Demons."
He looked at Raon's back with warm eyes, as if he were even more excited about the future.
"It shouldn't just be an uproar, it should be something upside down!"
Alice nodded vigorously.
"If it doesn't turn around, I'll do it myself! I'll spread the news all over the continent as soon as we get back!"
She waved her hands, insisting that this news had to be spread no matter what.
"Ah, I should tell Encia and Siyana too, and we should publish a book!"
Alice smiled and said that they absolutely had to turn it into a book.
"S-Siyana? When did you meet my sister?"
"We got close while talking about Raon."
She laughed and said that mentioning Raon's name usually worked.
"Hmm, she's like a blank slate, she shouldn't run into troublemakers..."
Rimmer lowered his eyebrows, seeming genuinely concerned.
—Then you should be the first one to leave! She was so kind, I couldn't believe she was your sister!
Alice slapped Rimmer's back and shook her head.
"Stop hitting me... Hmm."
Rimmer looked Alice in the eye and tilted his head.
"Are you really happy? Why do you look so melancholic?"
"For someone so dumb, you're surprisingly perceptive."
Alice lowered the hand that was hitting Rimmer and let out a short sigh.
"Looking at Raon reminds me of my damn son."
She bit her lip as she looked at the moonlit horizon.
"That's what I wanted for Sif. Someone who shows his own strength and at the same time values family. I did my best to raise him, but being a father is really difficult."
Alice lowered her head and said that it seemed like Sif wouldn't come back because of his own mistakes.
"I said before that Raon values family nowadays."
Rimmer gently grabbed Alice's shoulder.
"You're part of that family too. Don't get depressed."
He said this and then continued on.
"..."
Alice looked at Rimmer and Raon standing in front of her, curling her trembling lips.
—Of course I know! He's my nephew!
She kicked Rimmer and started searching for stones again.
* * *
"Ugh..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he touched the stones in the water that reached his thighs.
'How long is this going to last?'
Lawaine had said it was a pentagonal stone, but it could have been deformed by the waves for a long time, so they couldn't ignore even the small stones.
There were countless stones, but only four people could detect the Soul Crystal, making the search extremely difficult.
-Pathetic fool.
Wrath shook his head as if he were disappointed.
'What?'
-Seeing you struggle to find even this, you're still a rookie.
—Then how do you find it? Do you know?
Raon frowned as he looked at Wrath.
—I'm the ruler of Devildom! If I release this enormous soul, the presence of the Soul Crystal will naturally be drawn to it!
Wrath nodded, affirming that he could find it instantly with his soul.
-Then do it, please.
Raon bowed his head to Wrath.
'Once Sia wakes up, I'll organize a party full of food just like you want and pile up mountains of ice cream.'
—D-Really...! Who do you take the Demon King for?! I don't make deals with lives!
Wrath stretched out his chubby arms and said that he would do it anyway. However, after a while, he couldn't move an inch.
'What are you doing?'
-Ugh...
Wrath blinked with narrowed eyes.
-I forgot, but I, the Demon King, can't exert my power externally right now.
He shook his head and said that he was having trouble interfering with the current world.
"I thought so."
Even before leaving for this mission, Wrath had warned him to be careful because he didn't have any useful forces for now. He had hoped it wouldn't be like this, but it turned out as he expected.
-Nnngh...
Wrath's lips quivered as if he were embarrassed.
-Alright. The truth is, I didn't believe you.
—K-Kid!
'I'm kidding.'
As Raon shook his head slightly and was about to resume searching for the Soul Crystal, he heard a metallic sound. Turning his head, he saw a large sea otter opening clams with a pentagonal stone in its belly.
"Pentagonal?"
The stone was not only pentagonal but also had a slightly dark emerald color.
"It could be..."
—Wait! T-That could be that crazy one!
Wrath shouted a warning and hid behind his own back.
'I don't care if it's Merlin or Lust!'
Without a moment's hesitation, Raon reached out for the stone that was in the sea otter's belly.
-
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