C1060
"Evelyn?"
Raon called out to Evelyn by name with wide eyes.
"How did you get here...?"
Evelyn had been clearing the white mist of the White Blood Religion on the beach. Raon's mind went blank: he hadn't even considered the possibility of her coming here to help.
"Did I do well, right?"
Evelyn came down to his side with a bright smile. Despite achieving an impossible feat in such a short time, her smile was as pure as a child's.
"Everything will be fine now. Don't worry."
Evelyn stopped the bleeding from Martha's neck, then gently stroked her head.
"Nngh..."
The usual Martha would have screamed in protest at being touched while paralyzed, but now she was too traumatized to do anything but bite her lip and close her eyes tightly.
"Martha..."
The vitality and anger that had filled Martha's eyes had sunk into emptiness and sadness. Looking at her made his heart ache, forcing him to look away.
"Evelyn, is the mist under control?"
Raon gestured to Evelyn as he looked at the sky above the White Blood Religion headquarters.
"My arm was getting tired of maintaining the barrier with mana. So..."
Evelyn turned her right shoulder, indicating how difficult it had been.
"I developed a spell that automatically repels the mist."
She shook her hands, saying that it had been worth it to observe the white mist magic several times.
"Even if there's a problem with the spell, I can fix it from here. Everything will be fine."
Evelyn raised her chin confidently, saying that she had also recovered enough mana.
"Incredible..."
Raon let out a wry laugh as he looked at Evelyn.
'To think that Evelyn would come this far.'
Although Evelyn spoke as if it were nothing difficult, this was something absolutely impossible for most mages. He realized once again how extraordinary her magical ability and talent were.
-As much as I hate to admit it, that crazy woman is somewhat useful...
Even Wrath blinked in acknowledgment, seemingly impressed by Evelyn's achievements.
"Unfortunately, it will be difficult to remove the paralysis here."
Evelyn frowned, pointing out that Martha was under the influence of a magic she had never seen before.
"However..."
She raised a glass bottle towards Denier, who was gnashing his teeth.
"This I can destroy."
Evelyn shook the bottle violently, as if she could break it against the ground. The red liquid inside swirled like waves.
"Hand it over."
Denier reached out to Evelyn, frowning.
"This is beyond what you can handle."
He gritted his teeth fiercely, seeming to have lost his initial composure. He seemed angry that his original plan had been interrupted.
"Since you say we can't handle it, I guess this is blood."
Evelyn smiled mischievously as she brought her nose close to the bottle cap.
"Well, you're the only ones who would drink something like that."
She lowered her eyebrows deeply in disgust.
"I said hand it over."
Denier leaned forward as if he were about to charge at Evelyn.
"If you take one step from there..."
When Raon stepped forward to protect Evelyn, she shook the bottle behind her shoulder.
"Should I break this?"
Having seen how Denier had taken Martha hostage, Evelyn spoke with a mocking tone as she threatened to break the bottle.
"Hmm..."
Denier could only bite his lip, unable to move as if he were afraid of losing the bottle.
"Hmph!"
Just as Evelyn was about to catch the bottle she had thrown in the air to mock Denier, the White Blood Religion Leader unleashed a massive amount of bloody energy, simultaneously pushing back all the Five Kings Transcendants.
"Hah! Hah..."
Larian, who had been in charge of the front-line defense, leaned forward gasping for air as if her heart was going to burst, too exhausted even to speak.
"What a monster."
Lecross wiped the black blood dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand and let out a bitter laugh, as if his wounds had reopened.
"If the White Blood Religion Leader had been in top shape, we would have died long ago."
Alice nodded gravely, saying that they could barely fight thanks to the Leader's wounds.
"So are we! Don't let her intimidate you!"
Chamber snorted, asserting that she could have taken on the Leader one-on-one if she hadn't been injured. Despite probably being the most exhausted, she encouraged everyone with the loudest voice.
"Calm down!"
The White Blood Religion Leader shouted at the Thirteen Apostles, who had a bestial look in their eyes. Unlike her usual self, she was fighting with a cold calculation now that the situation had become desperate.
Although she didn't like it, her composure was worthy of her position as head of the Five Demons.
"I'll take care of that damn nuisance who always gets in our way."
The Leader's icy eyes turned to Evelyn. She channeled her killing intent towards the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual. The hands of the Blood God, wielding spears and daggers, shot out like lightning. With a resounding clash, Raon raised *Heavenly Drive* and *Blade of Requiem* to block the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual weapons that were trying to tear Evelyn apart.
'Repulsively heavy.'
Despite raising two layers of *Fire Wall*, his arms felt like they were going to fall off, and his waist felt like it was going to break. Both the martial arts imbued in the weapons and the bloody energy that burned on them possessed terrifying power.
'It's certainly a threatening attack, but...'
Raon licked his lips as he pushed back the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual weapons with the flames of the *Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation* and the frost of *Glacier*.
'She's definitely losing strength.'
If the White Blood Religion Leader had attacked with full force, he would have died or suffered heavy losses. The fact that he only felt shaken, as before suffering internal injuries, clearly showed that she was weakening.
"We're not done yet!"
The Leader moved all the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual hands as if she intended to kill both him and Evelyn simultaneously. The massive weapons and hands fell together, numerous enough to block out the sky.
"Looks like she still has a lot of strength left."
"It's not even an octopus, why is it so tenacious!"
Despite coughing up blood from serious internal injuries, Lecross and Larian ran forward to block the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual's assault.
"What, don't they see us?"
"Stop aiming at the kids and play with the adults!"
Under the protection of Lecross and Larian, Alice and Chamber used dimensional magic and the *Spatial Sword* to cut deep into both of the Leader's shoulders.
"Die already!"
The Leader let out a monstrous scream and unleashed a radiance made of bloody energy, while the Five Kings Transcendants gathered all their strength to create a wall to block that light. When the two powerful forces clashed, the White Blood Religion headquarters began to tilt towards the sea as if the earth's axis had twisted.
"As expected, Raon is the only one who thinks of me."
Evelyn seemed indifferent to the battle between the Leader and the Five Kings Transcendants as she gently touched her shoulder and thanked him.
"Stay behind."
"No, I'm fine."
She shook her head calmly.
"I was just careless before. I'll support you from behind."
As if to show that she was done playing, Evelyn threw the bottle she had stolen from Denier to the ground, shattering it. The red liquid flowing between the broken glass shards twisted grotesquely like a creature screaming before dissipating into smoke.
"Kuh..."
Denier gritted his teeth as he stared at the ground where the red liquid had disappeared. Although he clearly wanted to kill Evelyn immediately, he seemed to be trying to maintain his composure due to the Leader's advice to stay calm.
"No need to hold back. I'll come to you."
Raon charged at Denier, pushing with the end point of the *Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation*. With a dull thud, Denier dodged by stepping back, then used the momentum as his fingers touched the ground to advance in his place. By the time Raon felt the movement, Denier's sword was already at his throat.
'It's true that Denier is faster than me. However...'
My swordsmanship is superior. A battle of swordsmen is not decided only by speed and power. At similar levels, what matters most is who has more experience and has overcome more difficulties. With a sharp clash, their swords met.
Raon tilted the blade of the *Blade of Requiem* to deflect Denier's sword that was aimed at his throat. Denier's sword hit the ground instead of his neck.
When Raon slashed downwards with *Revolving Sky* towards Denier's chest, he propelled himself off the ground with only his big toe to escape the reach of the sword. However, he couldn't dodge completely: a black burn mark appeared on his chest, and blood spurted out.
"Hmm..."
Denier frowned at the wound on his chest, as if he hadn't expected to be cut.
"You can't be faster than me."
He charged forward at an even greater speed, his eyes narrowed as if he refused to accept reality.
"I'll acknowledge your speed. However..."
Raon raised *Heavenly Drive* towards the trajectory of Denier's incoming sword as he pushed his *Azure Clear Eye* to its limit.
"We will win this war."
Just as he deflected Denier's sword that was headed for his heart while vowing never to lose, an explosion of the Leader's bloody energy, the Five Kings Transcendants' magic, and the aura created a roar and a shockwave that shook heaven and earth.
"Kuhk..."
The White Blood Religion Leader seemed to have reached her limit, coughing up clear blood as her fingers trembled. For the first time, she seemed to be at a disadvantage. The Divine Blood Summoning Ritual began to fade, as if it was having trouble maintaining itself.
"Haaa..."
"This is disgustingly difficult."
Larian and Lecross leaned forward with their hands on their knees, their faces pale as if they were going to die.
"But it seems like we can see the end, right?"
"Yes. She's not even regenerating her wounds anymore."
Larian and Chamber curved their trembling lips as they watched the Leader neglecting to heal her wounds.
The Thirteen Apostles also retreated to the Leader's side with their chests cut by Raon's fierce assault. They gnawed on their lips as if they couldn't find a way to defeat Raon.
"Damn it..."
The Leader gritted her teeth, seemingly never expecting that she and Denier would be rejected like this.
"There's no other option."
With a snap of her fingers, space twisted like water running in a valley and a white dimension opened up. With a sharp sound, the Leader reached into the dimension and pulled out two glass bottles. No, they weren't empty. A clear liquid swirled inside them like water.
"Take it."
She threw one of the bottles to Denier, who was by her side.
"This is *White Spirit Blood*, more potent than the *Red Spirit Blood* you had. However, if you exceed the time limit, consider your body lost."
The Leader exhaled forcefully, indicating how potent the energy inside was.
"Understood."
Denier simply nodded in agreement and grabbed the bottle containing the *White Spirit Blood*.
"Stop them!"
"I don't know what it is, but stop them now!"
Lecross and Chamber ran towards the Leader without even taking the time to catch their breath, as if they instinctively felt the danger.
"Damn it!"
Raon also advanced with his movements, unleashing *Frost Snap* towards Denier, who was about to drink the *White Spirit Blood*.
"Get away!"
The Leader shouted at them not to interfere as she detonated the bloody energy imbued in the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual weapons, launching an attack so powerful that the Five Kings Transcendants couldn't get close.
"Break through!"
"Damn it!"
Raon, Lecross, and Alice led the charge with sword strikes while Chamber and Larian supported from behind with magic, but they couldn't immediately dissipate the Leader's massive bloody energy. They refused to give up, pushing forward with swords and magic until they finally managed to erase the bloody energy, but by then, they heard the sound of glass bottles breaking.
Pushing through the white mist and looking up, they saw the Leader and the 13th Apostle with white drops in their mouths.
The two seemed unsatisfied even after drinking all the liquid from the bottles, licking the moisture around their mouths.
"Haaaa..."
The Leader's wounds began to regenerate as they emitted streams of white energy. This wasn't the use of magic. It was an immeasurable amount of bloody energy healing the wounds on its own.
The fading Divine Blood Summoning Ritual also seemed to be receiving bloody energy from her, creating a glow even brighter and more magnificent than before, as crimson blood dripped from her eyes. Just looking at this grotesque sight sent chills down their spines.
"Huu."
The 13th Apostle also erased his sword wounds without a trace. An overwhelming amount of bloody energy began to burn throughout his body.
The sharp energy that felt like it could melt flesh made their hands tremble as they gripped *Heavenly Drive* and *Blade of Requiem*.
"Damn it!"
Larian lowered the hand holding the staff as if everything was lost, watching the revitalized Leader and the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual.
"This will certainly drain our strength..."
King Lecross also let out a deep sigh, saying that he didn't know such an elixir existed.
"B-But let's keep going! It's not over yet!"
Alice raised her sword with trembling hands, shouting that they shouldn't give up.
"Of course, we have to see this through to the end."
Chamber spoke about fighting to the end, but unlike before, her voice had sunk into emptiness.
"As you say."
Raon nodded as he let out a short breath.
"The end of the war is approaching."
He closed and opened his eyes calmly as he looked at the Leader and Denier, who were emanating bloody energy that seemed to reach the sky.
"N-Nephew? Is it really ending?"
Balder, who had been silent until now, twirled his finger near his temple as if questioning Raon's sanity.
"Raon..."
The Five Kings Transcendants also frowned, seemingly not understanding his words.
"The Leader told Denier to prepare to abandon his body when she gave him the white blood. That means it's an elixir, no, a poison, with terrible side effects."
If there were no side effects to an elixir that could summon so much bloody energy, they would have drunk that blood and massacred them long ago. The fact that they only brought it out in a crisis showed that it must cause great damage to those who consume it.
"Certainly..."
"That's right."
Chamber and Larian clapped as they looked at him. They nodded, saying that they hadn't thought of that in their desperation.
"So you're saying that if we keep fighting, we'll get our answer?"
"I will resist even in death."
Alice and Lecross also raised their swords with renewed strength, ready to fight again.
"Correct."
The Leader smiled mischievously as she tilted her chin.
"You're disgustingly quick to understand."
She wrinkled her nose as if she were disgusted with him.
"What is this? Are you admitting it so easily?"
Raon scoffed, saying that this wasn't like a cult leader.
"Because I trust that I can safely kill them all."
The Leader spread her hands, saying that it wouldn't matter even if they knew.
"Of course, that boy will take care of you."
She rolled her eyes, saying that Denier would be the one to kill him.
"Evelyn."
Raon raised a finger to point at the Five Kings Transcendants.
"Help them."
"And you?"
Evelyn frowned, seeming more worried about him.
"I'm fine. I can win on my own."
With Evelyn's help, he could defeat Denier more easily, but right now they needed to stop the Leader first. The five Transcendants might not be able to win, but they could buy time.
"...Alright."
Evelyn nodded, showing her trust in him, then handed Martha to Balder before taking a position behind Chamber.
"Now they really seem like simple insects to me!"
As the Leader scoffed and clasped her hands together, the Divine Blood Summoning Ritual swung its weapons with movements as fluid as those of a living human. The power and speed of the weapons had more than doubled, descending with elegant martial arts principles as if several Transcendent martial artists were attacking together.
Chamber and Alice stopped attacking and focused on defense.
Even with Evelyn supporting with Transcendent magic circles and Larian and Lecross simultaneously deploying defensive formations, they couldn't completely block the Leader's assault. They were all pushed back, coughing up blood.
"Now it's your turn."
Denier kicked the ground violently, as if he didn't want to give him time. Even *Azure Clear Eye* couldn't catch his residual image, only his movement could be barely sensed. With a clash, Raon bit his lip as he deflected Denier's sword that was bending towards his neck by a paper's margin.
'Barely... hm!'
Just as he thought he had successfully blocked it, Denier pulled back as he cut his thigh. Blood spurted from his leg where the bloody energy sword had penetrated.
"You're slow."
Denier charged again, narrowing his eyes as if he pitied him. His sword fell towards Raon's heart faster than light. With a clash, Raon raised *Heavenly Drive* to defend himself and tried to counterattack with the *Blade of Requiem*, but Denier had already slipped behind him.
When Denier tried to plunge his sword into his back, Raon used *Sword Control* to raise the *Wooden Ring Sword* and employ the *Dance of the Golden Flame*.
The red cloth wrapped in flames melted as it consumed the white bloody energy. With a dull thud, despite his failed attack, Denier showed no disappointment. He rolled his foot once more to move to Raon's left side, cut his waist, and disappeared.
"Are you trying to make clothes just by skinning me? If you want to kill me, come at me properly!"
Despite the dangerous situation, Raon didn't retreat or flee, but instead advanced to confront Denier. Although wounds were accumulating all over his body as he defended against Denier's faster and stronger attacks, he never took his eyes off his opponent.
"That fighting spirit will eventually drown in blood."
Denier moved at speeds beyond human perception as he swept across Raon's entire body. The flesh beneath his eyes was deeply torn, his chest next to his heart was ripped open, and chunks of his calf were cut off. Although the situation was becoming increasingly dangerous, Raon tracked Denier's movements using only the *Ring of Fire* and *Azure Clear Eye*.
'How can he be so fast?'
*Supreme Harmony Steps* was a Transcendent footwork technique created by Glenn in his later years. No matter how amazing Denier's footwork is, there shouldn't be such a speed difference.
'Let me think...'
Raon broke down Denier's movements that were tearing him apart into individual scenes and recorded them in his mind. Denier's movements unfolded like a kaleidoscope as he compared them to his own.
'Breathing, ankle angle, step depth, upper body balance, and even harmony with swordsmanship.'
Beyond the principles of *Quick Sword*, every small difference was creating the speed gap between him and Denier.
'Let's try it.'
Raon incorporated what he had observed and felt from Denier's movements into his body as he executed *Supreme Harmony Steps*. As he stepped on the ground while simultaneously releasing Wrath and the aura, his upper dantian opened as if he saw a vast ocean, allowing him to enter a new realm of speed.
A world faster than sound. He plunged into the extreme domain where Denier resided.
"What is this!"
Denier thrust his sword with even greater speed, his eyes wide with surprise at Raon's growth. Now that they were in the same realm, Denier's sword was only slightly faster than his own. Raon raised the *Blade of Requiem* in reverse grip to deflect Denier's sword.
"So this world exists."
Originally, he had planned to kill Denier as quickly as possible and join the fight against the Leader. But his plan to finish him off quickly by drinking the white blood had crumbled. The fastest way now, no, the only way to win this war was to absorb and learn from Denier's skills to become stronger.
'I must go further.'
His sword seemed to lose weight and become faster, his body moving as if it had grown wings. His *Quick Sword* and *Art Sword*, which he thought had reached their limits after endless training since childhood, were shedding their old shells and taking flight towards a new evolution.
Not only *Quick Sword*, but the *Ten Thousand Swords* itself was blooming wider and taller, like trees and flowers growing together.
"With what I've learned from you..."
Raon matched the speed of Denier's sword as he locked his gaze, his eyes burning with a red beam.
"I will go and cut your master."
-
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