C1059
"..."
Denier showed no reaction to Raon's provocation. He knelt down and bowed his head, as if only waiting for the Leader of the White Blood Religion's call.
"You've become a tied-up dog. Is that why you betrayed Zieghart? To live like this?"
Raon sneered as he retrieved the *Wooden Ring Sword* that the Leader of the White Blood Religion had thrown away.
"..."
Denier still didn't open his mouth, only looking at the Leader of the White Blood Religion's back.
"It's useless to provoke him or ask him anything. That's how they've made him."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion scoffed that provocations wouldn't work on Denier.
"Now you're sucking up words instead of blood? I wasn't talking to you. Don't butt in."
Raon waved his hand at the Leader of the White Blood Religion as if he were shooing away a fly.
"Insolent brat..."
Unlike Denier, the Leader of the White Blood Religion seemed susceptible to provocation, frowning as she glared at him.
-Even at a time like this, you're provoking... you really are something else.
Wrath let out a hollow laugh as if he found it absurd.
"If you're not going to talk, I'll have to force you."
Raon leaned his body deeply forward like an axe blade. Just as he was about to charge, Denier pulled Martha towards his arms.
"If you move one step from there, I'll kill this person."
Denier pulled Martha towards his left arm and pointed his sword at her neck, as if he meant it.
"F-Father..."
Martha's pale lips trembled as she saw Denier, whom she had followed as much as her mother, trying to kill her.
"Please..."
She closed her eyes tightly, as if she didn't want to believe this reality.
-W-What is this?! What the hell is he doing?!
Wrath gritted his teeth as he saw Denier's sword touching Martha's neck.
-In what world is it possible for a father to kidnap his daughter and take her hostage?!
He seemed genuinely angry, emitting a fury as intense as Raon's.
-Summon me right now! I'll kill that bastard and the mosquito woman too!
Wrath jumped up and down, saying he would save Martha and trap Denier and the Leader of the White Blood Religion in a frozen hell.
'That's a decision we should only make when there's truly no other answer.'
Using the demon king's summoning would permanently reduce both his and Wrath's power. Since they don't know how much strength and realm they would lose, that path should be avoided as much as possible.
'We still have a path to take.'
Raon lifted his left foot as he looked into Denier's eyes, which were flowing with cold energy. He advanced with determination, ignoring Denier's words to not move a step. Denier lightly pressed the blade against Martha's neck, as if to show that he meant business. Red blood flowed from her white neck.
Raon didn't stop walking even after seeing Denier cut Martha's neck.
"Didn't I tell you not to come?"
Denier frowned, showing emotion for the first time.
"You can't kill Martha."
Raon nodded his chin towards Denier, whose voice had risen.
"If you still believe that this person is my daughter, you're making a big mistake."
Denier lifted his chin as if human relationships had no effect on him.
"R-Raon..."
Martha slightly opened her eyes and called out his name. In her trembling eyes, there was no betrayal, but pain and sadness.
"It's okay. You won't die."
Raon nodded at Martha, telling her not to worry.
"No, she dies."
Denier pushed the sword deeper into Martha's neck, as if he meant it. Blood red enough to make one's skin crawl dripped from her neck, staining the white ground.
"Ugh..."
Martha groaned in pain and fear, but she pressed her lips together as if she believed him.
-Hey, you! Stop! The girl's going to die!
Wrath shook Raon's shoulder as if telling him to stop moving.
"Can you stop grandstanding?"
Raon twisted his lips as he looked at Denier and the Leader of the White Blood Religion in turn.
"You're planning to use Martha as the new body for the Leader of the White Blood Religion, right?"
"Hmm..."
Denier's hand holding the sword trembled slightly, as if he hadn't expected Raon to notice that part.
"If that's not the case, there's no reason to take Martha hostage instead of King Lecross."
Despite knowing that taking the severely wounded King Lecross hostage would be the best option, Denier threw him aside and took Martha instead. It was an illogical move.
"I-Is that true?"
Balder's eyes widened as if he hadn't even considered the possibility.
"I'm sure. If they really didn't need Martha, they could have killed her immediately while retreating."
The fact that they had completely paralyzed her and taken her away instead of killing her clearly indicated that Martha had an important role to play.
"Also, the Leader of the White Blood Religion's current body has reached its limit."
Raon frowned as he pointed at the Leader of the White Blood Religion, whose hands and arms were covered in white scales.
"For the Leader of the White Blood Religion to use all her blood energy, she needs to find a body with a matching soul wavelength. She's currently occupying Martha's mother's body, so it's not strange that she's targeting the adult Martha."
Raon gritted his teeth so hard that his gums were pressed together.
"Denier might have had Martha adopted by Zieghart to make her a suitable body for the Leader of the White Blood Religion to transfer into."
Although he didn't want to imagine it, considering the situation so far, that seemed like the most likely possibility.
"..."
Denier said nothing and just glared at him as if he wanted to kill him.
"Ha..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion let out a hollow laugh as if she found the situation ridiculous.
"Your little brain works quite well."
She wrinkled her nose as if acknowledging his judgment.
"Now that I've confirmed that my prediction is correct..."
Raon leaned his body forward like a taut bow and took a step towards *Supreme Harmony Step*. He advanced as if he were bending the ground and swung *Crimson Slash* towards Denier's neck. Denier blocked *Crimson Slash* with his sword, pulling Martha back as if to show that Raon's judgment was correct.
"As expected."
Raon drew a cold smile at the veins popping out on Denier's temple.
"Raon Zieghart..."
Denier gritted his teeth audibly as he pushed back the flames of *Crimson Slash* with his blood energy.
"You better give it your all."
Raon lifted his chin as he pressed Denier with his strength.
"I'm quite angry today."
He swung *Heavenly Drive*, infusing the flames burning on him with his anger. The golden flames imbued with anger instantly incinerated the white blood energy and extended towards Denier's heart. Denier realized that a head-on collision would be difficult and retreated without hesitation after raising a wall of blood energy.
"Protect this person."
Denier handed Martha, who was gasping for air, to the Archbishop before standing in front of Raon again.
"How much was sincere and how much was a lie?"
Raon asked as he looked at Denier, who had lowered his stance as if he were tense.
"Everything was sincere, and everything was a lie."
Denier disappeared with a white air current after saying those words. It wasn't magic. His movement was so fast that he seemed to vanish before Raon's eyes.
'As expected...'
Raon frowned as he felt Denier moving to another location before entering his aura perception.
'Was speed Denier's specialty?'
He had felt it since Denier avoided *Frost Snap* in the *Divine-Demonic Harmony* state, but Denier's skill seemed to be extreme sword techniques and movements that even his senses couldn't grasp. Raon's shoulder cracked and blood splattered as he extended his aura perception thicker to find Denier's position.
The sound of the sword wind followed only after the blood hit the ground. It seemed that Denier was moving faster than sound and firing sword strikes.
'He's certainly not below me.'
As he had initially felt, Denier possessed martial prowess almost equal to his own.
'This time from behind!'
Denier moved behind him in an instant, thrusting his sword towards Raon's neck as if to kill him with one blow. Raon blocked Denier's thrust with the *Blade of Requiem* held in reverse grip, narrowing his eyes.
"Seems like attacking from behind is your specialty. Or maybe that's all you can do."
Provocations still work on Denier after all. Raon wagged his finger arrogantly to provoke him.
"Hmph!"
Denier snorted and increased his speed even further. His afterimages reflected like mirrors as he moved, making it seem like there were hundreds of Deniers in front of Raon.
"Die."
With that chilling scream, Denier's afterimages, each in a different stance, lunged simultaneously. They weren't clones, but they felt like clones, and Raon couldn't find Denier's real position. It felt like fighting magic instead of martial arts. Raon barely deflected Denier's sword strike aimed at his chest by concentrating all his attention on his aura perception.
'It's not heavy, but it makes my bones vibrate.'
Denier's sword was imbued with the mysteries of fast and sharp extreme sword techniques, causing pain as if skin and muscles were being torn even when blocked. A chill ran down Raon's spine at the sharp energy that seemed capable of taking a life with a single stab.
"You're still far from that."
Denier left a chilling voice as if he had expected this, cutting Raon's shoulder once again as he passed by.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he stopped the blood from his shoulder, which had been cut twice by Denier. He thought he had blocked it, but Denier's sword had no form, making it difficult to defend against.
"You've grown a lot more than the last time I saw you."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion nodded in satisfaction at Denier's movements.
"Seems like your luck has run out."
She curved the corners of her mouth as if she was sure of Raon's death.
"Raon!"
"Bastard! Didn't you say you'd finish this quickly?"
Larian and Chamber shouted. They seemed more worried about him despite the imminent battle with the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"..."
Alice and Lecross, as true swordsmen, nodded silently as if they believed in him.
[Don't try to kill the Leader of the White Blood Religion, think of it as resisting.]
Raon sent an aura message to Larian, Chamber, Lecross, and Alice as he deflected Denier's sword aimed at his heart.
[The Leader of the White Blood Religion's condition isn't normal. Even now, she's buying time to recover her wounds and stamina. Start the fight quickly and drain her strength.]
He told them the only way to win this war, saying that even though the Leader of the White Blood Religion seemed fine, she wasn't normal.
[Are you okay?]
[Worry about yourself!]
Larian and Chamber shouted at him to focus on the fight in front of him instead of worrying about them.
[I'm fine.]
Raon smiled slightly and focused completely on his sight. He entrusted his body to the cold aura that enveloped his eyes and firmly gripped *Heavenly Drive* and *Blade of Requiem*.
[From now on, I'll be able to see everything.]
***
"Fools only learn when they experience it themselves."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion curled her red lips as if she was sure of Denier's victory.
"The same goes for you. Now that the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual has descended, there's no way it will fall."
She scoffed as she further amplified the blood energy of the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual. It seemed as if the blood energy was staining not only the White Blood Religion, but also the coastline and the sea.
"That remains to be seen."
King Lecross advanced towards the Leader of the White Blood Religion, taking a fierce step. He pushed forward the sword he had tilted behind his waist, firing a powerful sword strike as if to pierce through the sea.
"Well said."
Larian used the lightning at her fingertips to drop a yellow bolt from the clear sky.
"I'll rip that head off!"
Chamber swung her staff, tearing apart the very space where the Leader of the White Blood Religion was.
"I'll join in too!"
Alice also swung her sword, joining Chamber's magic. A dimension-cutting sword strike erupted behind the Leader of the White Blood Religion. As the four Transcendants with different skills launched a coordinated attack, the earth trembled violently, melting the blood energy that the Leader of the White Blood Religion had extended.
"You, vermin."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion frowned and clasped her hands in front of her chest. As she revealed her murderous intent along with the dense blood energy, the eyelids of the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual opened, flashing a blood-red light. The Divine Blood Summoning Ritual simultaneously swung the weapons it held in its dozens of hands.
The terrifying blood energy exploded, instantly collapsing the auras and magic that Larian, Chamber, Alice, and Lecross had simultaneously fired.
The Divine Blood Summoning Ritual raised the weapons in its right hands, creating a powerful wave of blood energy. It was a move that turned defense directly into attack. Larian drew a hexagram with her dagger to form a defensive magic formula, but the blood energy of the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual was so potent that it pushed her ten steps back.
"Ugh..."
Larian's fingers trembled as she formed the magic formula, as if just blocking the blood energy was straining her.
"Are you okay?"
Chamber let out a low groan as she looked at Larian, whose hands were trembling.
"Old women should focus on attacking."
Larian exhaled a cloudy breath, saying she would block the blood energy herself.
"Larian..."
Normally, Chamber would have shouted for her not to mention age, but the gravity of the situation prevented her from even thinking about joking.
"Cough..."
King Lecross raised his sword as he coughed up blood repeatedly.
"I'm sorry. I'll cut her completely in return."
He filled his cloudy eyes with the noble will of a knight, as if he was ready to fight with his life on the line.
"I'll help with the defense too."
Alice approached Larian and bowed her head.
"No, you focus on attacking."
Larian shook her head firmly.
"Your dimension-cutting sword is effective even against the Leader of the White Blood Religion."
She nodded, saying that Alice's dimensional sword was currently the sharpest sword in this situation.
"That's right. If you coordinate with my magic, that sword will become even sharper."
Chamber patted Alice on the shoulder, saying they should fight together.
"I'll lead the way..."
King Lecross stood back at the front and charged towards the Leader of the White Blood Religion, despite his poor condition. He deflected the weapons of the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual that were falling as he burned his blood energy, then plunged into the Leader of the White Blood Religion's embrace.
"You're going to die!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion extended her hand with rippling blood energy, as if she was ready to face him directly.
"The knights of Owen never break!"
Lecross faced the Leader of the White Blood Religion head-on, as if to give courage to the knights fighting behind him. Gray sparks erupted everywhere as the ashen aura and transparent blood energy collided.
"Ugh..."
King Lecross didn't retreat even as he coughed up blood, enduring the Leader of the White Blood Religion's powerful martial prowess.
"It's useless to block me!"
With the Leader of the White Blood Religion's fish smile, the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual moved again. The giant Blood God simultaneously swung dozens of hands holding weapons, as if to swallow Lecross and the other Transcendants at once.
Larian blocked the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual's charge, which was pouring out tremendous blood energy, by raising a mana shield with eleven daggers.
"Nngh!"
Red veins sprouted in Larian's eyes, and her breathing became ragged, as if she could stop at any moment.
"Go!"
Chamber and Alice ran through the path opened by Larian and Lecross, firing space-tearing transcendent magic and dimension-cutting sword strikes.
"Where do you think you're going?!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion tried to block her back with the shield held by the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual, as if she had expected all of this. However, Chamber's space-scraping magic and Alice's dimension-cutting sword pierced through the thick blood energy shield, creating a new wound on the Leader of the White Blood Religion's back.
Transparent blood gushed out like a fountain as the Leader of the White Blood Religion's back was deeply cut.
"You, flies!"
As the Leader of the White Blood Religion gritted her teeth and clasped her hands together, the weapons held by the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual showed mysterious movements and fell towards the Transcendants of the Five Kings. It wasn't just an attack with strong blood energy like before. It was an attack following the flow of martial arts, as if a master had grasped the weapons.
"Don't face it head-on! Dodge at all costs!"
At Larian's shout, Chamber, Lecross, and Alice stopped attacking and retreated, their movements almost destroying the ground. Instead of the four Transcendants, the ground that received the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual's charge collapsed so completely that there was no trace of it left, creating a huge pit whose bottom couldn't be seen.
"It's useless to run!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion advanced with the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual, aiming at Larian and Lecross as if to safely trap them, but with the support of Chamber and Alice, the two were able to escape without major damage.
"Get back in!"
As soon as the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual's fierce charge ended, Chamber emerged again through the space she opened, firing spatial magic to erase the Leader of the White Blood Religion's head.
"I know!"
Alice didn't miss that gap either, firing a dimension-cutting strike. Larian and King Lecross, who had returned after avoiding the blood energy, also joined the attack without even taking a breath.
The Leader of the White Blood Religion blocked the four Transcendants' charge with a blood energy shield from the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual, but she frowned as if she was displeased with the situation.
"You're fighting dirty!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion gritted her teeth and spat out blood energy again, but the Transcendants of the Five Kings retreated without looking back in dangerous situations, as if they had thrown away all pride.
"Argh!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion erupted in frustration and spat out blood energy like a madman, but she couldn't catch the retreating Transcendants as they supported each other.
'This is enough.'
Chamber nodded as she looked at the excited Leader of the White Blood Religion.
'We can't win no matter what we do now.'
Even with four Transcendants gathered, they were all in abnormal states, so catching the Leader of the White Blood Religion was impossible. Avoiding like this and draining her strength was the best they could do.
'The decisive moment...'
Chamber bit her lip as she watched Raon, who was now easily blocking Denier's attacks and even counterattacking, unlike before.
'It will be when Raon finishes with Denier and joins us here.'
***
Raon narrowed his eyes as he deflected Denier's sword, which was moving like lightning.
'Now I can see it. No, I can even feel it.'
After opening the *Azure Clear Eyes*, Denier's movements that had been beyond his cognition began to enter his vision clearly. He could now defend with certainty, not just blocking based on experience and intuition like before.
'Now I can attack.'
Raon twisted his body to avoid when Denier closed in to stab his neck, then swung *Heavenly Drive* downwards. Denier, unable to handle his charging speed, received a deep cut on his shoulder from *Heavenly Drive*.
"Hmm..."
Despite frowning in pain, he attacked again. His speed increased even further.
'He's definitely faster. But...'
Now I can see everything. Because he could feel what Denier was aiming at and where he was attacking, Raon could prepare a counterattack instead of just defending. Raon deflected Denier's sword with the *Blade of Requiem* and deeply cut Denier's thigh with *Heavenly Drive*.
Denier retreated, bleeding from his shoulder and thigh. His expression turned seriously pale.
"It's too late for regrets."
Raon shook the white blood from Denier off *Heavenly Drive* and shook his head.
"You're an enemy of Zieghart."
"Haa..."
Denier exhaled a long sigh and pulled out a glass bottle containing a red liquid from his chest.
"I haven't shown everything yet."
Just as he was about to open the lid of the glass bottle as he exhaled a cloudy breath, a strong blue light flashed and the glass bottle in Denier's hand disappeared.
"What is this...?"
"Huh?"
Raon and Denier looked up simultaneously towards the empty space where the light had erupted. Evelyn was there. She was standing in the sky, waving the glass bottle that Denier had been holding in her right hand.
"Looking for this? Or..."
Evelyn drew a red smile and extended Martha, whom she was holding in her left arm.
"Looking for this girl?"
-
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