C1031
“Haaa…”
Martha lowered her stance, breathing heavily as if she were ready to spring into action at any moment.
“Wait a moment!”
Krein ran towards her and grabbed her wrist.
“You can’t just throw yourself into battle!”
He shook his head with a pale expression, suggesting that there were things they needed to do first.
“Please calm down… huh?”
Krein blinked in confusion as he told Martha to calm down.
“Why are you so calm?”
Krein had run expecting Martha to go crazy at the sight of the White Blood Religion, but her eyes remained coldly composed.
“I may have a terrible temper, but I’m not an idiot.”
Martha raised her fist and tapped Krein on the forehead.
“Ugh, I’m sorry…”
Krein rubbed his forehead while raising an eyebrow.
“Then first, we should contact Lord Raon…”
“Communications are blocked.”
Martha frowned as she looked at the white fog enveloping the port and the village.
“That fog must be blocking visibility from the outside and controlling the flow of mana.”
Since communication with Raon was cut off as soon as the ghost ship of the White Blood Religion entered the port, that white fog clearly had the ability to block external communications.
“Raon probably realized it, but just in case…”
Martha threw the crystal sphere she was holding to the ground. With a loud thud, instead of shattering, the crystal sphere disintegrated into dust as if it had never existed.
‘This will transmit the message.’
This crystal sphere was an artifact created by the magic tower. It was generally used for communication; when shattered in emergencies, it would reveal its location to other connected crystal spheres. However, knowing Raon, he would have already prepared to navigate here before she broke the sphere.
“Good job. Now we should fight…”
“Wait.”
Martha raised her hand to stop Krein, who was about to leap forward.
“Huh? Why...?”
“Because we need to know what those bastards of the White Blood Religion are doing.”
They needed to understand how the White Blood Religion erased ports without leaving a trace to save the people who had disappeared. Now was not the time to fight, but to observe.
“Ah, understood.”
Krein nodded with wide eyes, apparently surprised by Martha's calm judgment.
“Look! It’s the White Blood Religion!”
“The White Blood Religion is attacking!”
“That white robe… could it be an Archbishop!”
“These damned blood demons!”
The white robes of the White Blood Religion were so infamous that people recognized the blood demons and recoiled with trembling lips.
“Filthy blood demon!”
A mercenary with a sword strapped to his back stepped forward, wrinkling his nose.
“How dare you come here!”
He unsheathed his sword while shouting at them to leave immediately.
“Oh, foolish citizens.”
The Archbishop stepped forward and removed the hood covering his face. Displaying his elegant features with golden hair and blue eyes, he addressed the people at the port as 'citizens' in an arrogant tone, as if he were royalty.
“The mercy of the God of Blood has descended upon your ignorant souls.”
The Archbishop smiled benevolently as he ignored the mercenary’s sword pointed at his neck.
“This bastard…”
Unable to contain his anger, the mercenary swung his sword at the Archbishop.
“Very well. I will grant you the first blessing.”
As the Archbishop clasped his hands with a sinister smile, the mercenary’s sword halted mid-swing.
“W-what is...?”
The mercenary turned his sword and stabbed himself in the abdomen. With a sickening sound, he stared blankly at the blood flowing from his stomach, unable to believe he had harmed himself. As the Archbishop moved his finger, the blood falling to the ground rose and flowed towards him.
“What did you do to me...?”
The mercenary gasped painfully, unable to comprehend the situation.
“First, I must taste a bit.”
The Archbishop smiled at the bewildered mercenary before licking the floating blood with his tongue.
“This isn’t bad at all.”
He nodded, saying that this blood would be worthy of offering to the God of Blood.
“Then, let’s begin.”
As the Archbishop clasped his hands, a massive wave rose in front of the ghost ship he had arrived on, sweeping through the village and its people. This was no ordinary wave. It was a malignant surge imbued with bloody energy.
“Arghhhh!”
As soon as the wave struck him, the mercenary dropped his sword and collapsed where he stood. The blood flowing from him seemed to have a will of its own as it was absorbed by the ghost ship.
“Damn it!”
“What is happening?”
“I can’t move my body...!”
“It’s blood demon magic!”
Other mercenaries and villagers trembled helplessly, unable to move their limbs as the wave dragged them away. With a resonating hum, the Archbishop unleashed his blood magic, causing the bloody wave to intensify and relentlessly destroy buildings and homes.
The villagers seemed to lose all their strength, ceasing their resistance and freezing in place with vacant eyes.
“Let’s go.”
The blood demons moved as if they had been waiting, putting collars on the physically and mentally restrained people and dragging them towards the ghost ship.
'Now I understand.'
Martha twisted her lips as she watched the wave of bloody energy approach, destroying the port itself.
'Why the ports were annihilated without a trace.'
The reason people disappeared without a trace was because of that Archbishop. His mental manipulation abilities and the wave of bloody energy prevented people from resisting as they were dragged onto the ship.
'The reason we couldn’t sense the bloody energy...'
Martha frowned as she looked at the sailing ship of the White Blood Religion that was creating the waves of bloody energy and white fog.
'It’s because of that ship.'
Although she didn’t know what kind of magic was used to create it, that ghost ship had the ability to absorb the blood of people and the bloody energy. They used that ship to perfectly erase any trace of bloody energy, making even Raon and her believe it was just ordinary seawater that had passed.
“Please…”
“Forgive us!”
“Kill us here instead!”
While some people remained conscious, they could not move their bodies due to the wave of bloody energy and were captured and dragged by the blood demons.
“Consider the blessing of the God of Blood an honor.”
As the Archbishop nodded with a pious smile, the blood demons drew their scimitars from their waists. When the White Blood Religion attacked villages, they would devour half the people on the spot and abduct the other half to take them to their headquarters, and it seemed they intended to follow that doctrine today. With a sharp cut!
Just as the members of the White Blood Religion were about to strike their scimitars into the necks of the people they had dragged, a yellow light grazed their heads.
With a dull thud, as the light faded, the heads of the White Blood Religion members who were about to kill the people fell to the ground, and Martha, with her red hair tied up, planted herself in front of the Archbishop.
“It’s the Natchal Division! Protect the people!”
“Yes, Commander!”
As she stamped her foot and lowered her sword, the swordsmen of the Natchal Division who had been hiding among the people surged forward with fierce winds, cutting down the remaining members of the White Blood Religion.
“If it’s the Natchal Division…”
The Archbishop lowered his trembling gaze as if he hadn’t expected it.
“It’s the Light Wind Palace of Zieghart!”
He swallowed hard as he met Martha’s fierce gaze.
“It’s the Rakshasa of the Light Wind Palace!”
“She hasn’t left yet!”
The people sighed in relief as they called Martha’s name and title, believing they were saved.
“I’m not the Rakshasa.”
Martha frowned at the people who had called her Rakshasa while looking back.
“Even at a time like this…”
Krein shook his head as he murmured how incredible this was.
“Thanks to you, all the mysteries have been solved…”
Martha advanced through the waves mixed with the blood of the blood demons and turned her chin towards the Archbishop.
“Now it’s your turn to die.”
***
With a crack, Raon furrowed his brow as he saw Martha’s location at the port appear on the crystal sphere he was holding.
‘So they did arrive there after all?’
He had started preparing to set sail as soon as communication with Martha was cut off, thinking that something was wrong, and he was glad that judgment had not been incorrect.
“Master of the Palace! The preparations are complete!”
Lawaine bowed to him, saying they could move immediately.
“The Sikot Port where Miss Martha is located is just nearby, so it won’t take long.”
Despite his words, he bit his lip in anxiety.
“Then let’s set off immediately.”
As Raon nodded, Lawaine turned and called for the crew.
“Set sail! At maximum speed!”
Due to the urgent situation, Lawaine took the helm himself.
“M-Master of the Palace! I’ve also contacted everyone else!”
Dorian panted, saying he had informed all the scattered swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace about Martha’s location at Sikot Port.
“Good job.”
Raon patted Dorian on the shoulder and gestured to the swordsmen on the ship.
“The attack has probably already begun. Prepare completely to fight as soon as we arrive at the port.”
“Yes!”
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace let out a resonant battle cry with their hands on the grips of their swords, as if telling him not to worry.
“...”
As Raon watched the flowing sea, Dorian paced back and forth on the deck, restless as if he needed to use the bathroom.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m worried about Miss Martha and the others…”
Dorian bit his lip, saying he was worried about Martha and Krein because he had read Paros’s fear with his Mental Eye.
“Krein may be hard to trust, but Martha is there.”
Raon shook his head calmly.
“She will protect everyone without a single casualty until we arrive.”
Martha only acted impetuously as a cargo commander because she trusted herself. If she found herself in a leadership position giving orders, she would undoubtedly move more wisely and calmly than anyone else.
“Really?”
Dorian blinked as if he couldn’t believe it.
-Hmm...
Wrath let out a low groan while looking at him.
-This king likes the girl of flesh, but I’m not so sure about the wise part.
He blinked, saying he couldn’t imagine Martha moving wisely and calmly either.
“You’ll see when we arrive. What worries me instead is…”
Raon furrowed his brow as he observed the sea becoming increasingly agitated despite being a sunny, cloudless day.
'This smell of blood.'
They hadn’t even reached Sikot Port, but the smell of blood and an ominous energy began to flow from the sea. This wasn’t just a feeling: something in the sea was truly changing.
‘What the hell is going on...?’
Just as Raon bit his lip while watching the agitated sea, the Blade of Requiem, which had been silent until now, began to vibrate violently as if it were about to break his waist.
‘It can’t be...’
Raon swallowed hard as he gripped the Blade of Requiem, which trembled violently as if it had found its mortal enemy.
‘Those behind this...’
***
With a thunderous roar! Martha knocked down a heavy Astral Ring, shattering the wave of bloody energy that had been holding the villagers captive.
“I can move…”
“My legs are free from the wave!”
“Quickly, retreat!”
“Don’t flee alone, help others too!”
The people freed from the blood magic scrambled, escaping towards the back of the village.
“Stay back there.”
Martha nodded approvingly at the villagers before approaching the Archbishop standing in front of the ghost ship.
“I heard you had left, and yet you were hiding here for over a month.”
The Archbishop frowned as if he were dumbfounded.
“We’re a bit stubborn, unlike you who give in to impulses.”
Martha snorted disdainfully at the White Blood Religion itself.
“You’re not Raon Zieghart; someone like you means nothing.”
The Archbishop shook his head violently as he raised his bloody energy.
“Before the blessing of the God of Blood, nothing…”
“You’re noisy.”
Martha twisted her lips and lowered the sword she had raised above her head. With a resounding boom! The Archbishop hurriedly raised his bloody energy to block Martha’s terrifying downward strike.
“Ugh…”
His entire body trembled as he struggled to block the attack delivered casually by Martha.
“I’ve already figured out all your tricks, you know?”
Martha curved her blood-red lips as she tightened her grip.
“Just die.”
As she let out a chilling smile, the weight of her sword increased at a terrifying speed, cutting through the Archbishop’s bloody energy and splitting his body in half.
“Huh? Arghhhhhh!”
The Archbishop fell to the ground, belatedly screaming as if he hadn’t even felt his body being torn apart.
“Shut up.”
Martha stepped forward and crushed the screaming Archbishop’s head.
“Huh…”
The blood demons froze in place, apparently surprised by Martha’s martial prowess in killing the Archbishop with a single blow.
“Take care of those.”
Martha gestured to the swordsmen of the Natchal Division and climbed the white stairs descending from the sailing ship.
‘This is the first thing.’
There must be a device on this ship that controlled the waves of bloody energy and the fog. She needed to destroy that first to save not only individuals but the entire village.
“Understood!”
“Leave it to us!”
Krein and the swordsmen nodded confidently and began to fight the remaining blood demons in the port. After confirming that the swordsmen were overwhelming the blood demons, Martha boarded the sailing ship known as the ghost ship.
‘How clean.’
Unlike its worn-out exterior, like a ghost ship, the interior was immaculately maintained as if it were newly built. Although blood magic was deeply etched into the deck and walls, strangely, no trace of bloody energy could be felt. This magic seemed to erase any trace of bloody energy from the outside.
The blood demons on the deck unsheathed their scimitars, wary of her intrusion.
“How do I stop the tidal wave and the fog?”
Martha moved her chin towards the blood demons radiating killing intent towards her.
“...”
The blood demons didn’t respond and slowly approached. Although they must have instinctively felt the vast difference in martial prowess, they didn’t retreat.
“Right. They’re that kind of group.”
Martha muttered “fine” as she swung her sword at the blood demons to her right. As her sword passed through, the blood demons behind exploded without a trace.
“I guess killing everyone and destroying everything will stop it.”
Just as Martha twisted her lips and approached the blood demons inside, the door to the cabin on the deck creaked open. A middle-aged bald man with a round belly like an apple came out, holding two women with vacant eyes in his arms.
“You fools…”
The middle-aged bald man clicked his tongue disapprovingly and kicked the blood demon in front of the cabin. With a thud! Although the kick wasn’t particularly strong, the blood demon spat out crimson blood and never got up again.
‘That’s…’
Martha frowned as she looked at the dead blood demon.
‘Did he explode it from the inside?’
Although it looked like a light kick, he had clearly killed the blood demon by exploding energy from within. Although not transcendental, he was a martial artist of a higher level than her.
“You…”
Martha bit her lip as she looked at the pot-bellied blood demon.
“You’re an Apostle.”
“Don’t you know me?”
The middle-aged bald man lifted his chin arrogantly and frowned.
“I am the Ninth Apostle who serves Her.”
He called himself the Ninth Apostle while smiling sinisterly.
“You’re quite pretty. I should grant you the blessing of the God of Blood as well.”
The Ninth Apostle licked his lips as he looked Martha up and down, then bit the neck of the woman beside him.
“Hmmm…”
He slightly frowned as he watched Martha standing calmly despite seeing someone die.
“The Tenth Apostle said you were like a beast, but this is unexpected.”
The Ninth Apostle spat the woman’s flesh onto the ground with a cold smile. He seemed to have heard everything the Archbishop had said, as he knew her identity.
“I didn’t expect the provocation wouldn’t work.”
“If I fell for such cheap provocation, the one who taught me would cry.”
Martha raised her sword while maintaining an unwavering gaze.
“I won’t say I’ll save you. However…”
She nodded without taking her eyes off the women dying in the Ninth Apostle’s clutches.
“I will ensure your revenge.”
Martha charged towards the Ninth Apostle, emanating an aura of rage darker than killing intent.
-
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