C1033
With a thunderous roar, Raon unleashed the frigid energy of Glacier, freezing the sinking Blood Religion ship along with the sea.
"Martha."
He approached Martha, who was pointing her sword at the apostle on the ship's deck.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm perfectly fine."
Martha said, then coughed up black blood. She nodded, affirming that she was alright despite her clearly uncomfortable expression.
"How did you manage to catch this guy?"
Raon supported Martha, whose legs were trembling as if they were about to collapse, while using the heat of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to keep the apostle immobilized.
- I'm curious about that too.
Wrath sharply exhaled as he looked at Martha.
- It should've been an impossible opponent to defeat with just the girl's martial prowess.
'The difference isn't just in strength. This ship is imbued with blood magic.'
He couldn't understand how she had won, given that the blood magic on the ship would have strengthened the apostle while hindering Martha.
"At first, I was pushed back. No, there wasn't a single moment where I had the upper hand."
Martha gravely nodded, confirming that he had been an extremely difficult opponent.
"Even when I understood the advice you gave me before and swung my sword with anger in my soul, in the end, I was still overwhelmed."
She let out a low groan as she looked at her sword stained with the apostle's blood.
"It wasn't me who did it, but the swordsmanship."
Martha swallowed dryly and looked up.
"Swordsmanship?"
"When that guy's blood energy reached its peak and was about to pierce my throat, the flow of the Crushing Ocean Sword changed. As if it understood my emotions, my soul, it broke through the blood energy and cut through his chest."
She took a deep breath, saying she wasn't sure what she had done herself.
"Crushing Ocean Sword..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed Martha's trembling gaze.
'The Crushing Ocean Sword must be the technique that Denier personally taught Martha.'
Martha had previously shown him the Crushing Ocean Sword, saying it was a technique that Denier had directly taught her. He hadn't thought it was particularly impressive aside from the subtleties of the crushing sword, but hearing her words today, it seemed there was something special about it.
'You really are a person full of mysteries.'
The more he learned about Denier, the more questions arose, leaving him feeling quite frustrated.
"I really wanted to kill him, but I restrained myself."
Martha spat out the blood that was building up in her mouth, saying she could have killed the apostle but chose not to.
"Why...?"
Raon looked at Martha, who was gritting her teeth as if regretting her decision.
"Because this pig isn't my real target."
Martha smiled coldly, saying her target wasn't the apostle, but the leader of the Blood Religion.
"He admitted with his own mouth that he's one of the Apostles. Try to extract as much information as you can."
She said "please" and then sat down on the tilted deck. Judging by the blood continuously flowing from her mouth, her internal injuries seemed severe.
"You seem to have grown a bit now."
Raon lightly patted Martha on the shoulder, telling her she had done well.
- Indeed! The girl has grown a lot!
Wrath nodded emphatically, saying he thought she was still a child when they last communicated, but now she had matured.
- It's time to send her off to get married. Sniff...
'Are you Martha's mother?'
Raon looked at Wrath, who was sobbing, with an incredulous expression.
"It might be a little late to say this now, but I'm your older sister, you know?"
Martha tapped his forehead with her finger, reminding him not to forget that she was a year older.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Raon nodded with a slight smile.
"Light Wind Palace, eliminate all the remaining Blood Demons!"
After ordering the Light Wind Palace swordsmen who had come with him on the Azure Wind to kill the remaining Blood Demons in the port and sea, he approached the Ninth Apostle.
"Urgh..."
The Ninth Apostle was trying to forcefully close the wound that went from his shoulder to his waist using the regenerative abilities of his blood energy.
Judging by the white color of his blood, he was at least a Grandmaster High Rank or above.
"Seeing the situation, I can guess roughly, but..."
Raon tilted his chin as he looked down at the Ninth Apostle.
"I'd like you to tell me directly with your own mouth. What have you been doing with this ship until now?"
"Hehehe!"
The Ninth Apostle spat dead blood from his mouth and scoffed.
"Ask that bitch."
"It seems you enjoy unnecessary effort."
Raon unsheathed his Blade of Requiem, which was vibrating violently, and plunged it into the Ninth Apostle's wound.
"Aaaaargh!"
The moment the edge of the Blade of Requiem pierced his wound, the Ninth Apostle let out a scream that not even children would make, as if his throat was being ripped apart.
"Speak."
"Urgh..."
Despite feeling pain as if his entire body was being torn apart due to the demonic energy of the Blade of Requiem, the guy refused to open his mouth.
'This is the problem with the Blood Religion.'
Raon frowned as he looked at the Ninth Apostle who was groaning.
'Whether they're low-ranking or executives, they won't open their mouths.'
Perhaps because they were brainwashed within the irrational system of a cult, not a single member of the Blood Religion would speak even under torture. In a way, they were an even more difficult group to extract information from than Eden or Derus.
"Those guys did everything with this ship."
Martha spoke after forcefully chewing and swallowing some medicine for her internal injuries.
"This ship has engraved magic that absorbs blood energy and blood. The Archbishop I killed manipulated people's minds to kidnap them, and they erased traces of blood energy using the waves and the ship's magic."
She nodded, saying she had discovered all the information during the battle.
"I see."
Raon thanked her and gestured to Martha.
"However, there's still an unexplained part."
He pointed with a finger at the blue wolf that was watching this place with fierce eyes.
"What is that wolf?"
"..."
The Ninth Apostle kept his mouth shut this time too, refusing to speak.
"Speak."
Raon frowned and sharpened the edge of the Blade of Requiem, stirring it in the Ninth Apostle's abdomen.
"Ugh! Aaaaargh!"
The Ninth Apostle screamed and shook his limbs in agony worse than death.
'There must be a connection.'
Raon frowned as he alternately examined the howling Ninth Apostle and the wolf whose malice was intensifying.
'There's no way a wolf like that would appear without reason.'
It was evident that such a special wolf with unique powers hadn't emerged from nowhere in the sea. It must have been created through the Blood Religion's magic.
"Urgh..."
The Ninth Apostle only groaned with his head down, as if he was determined not to speak even if it cost him his life.
'At this rate, he'll die before he opens his mouth.'
It might be better to inquire from a different angle.
He pulled the Blade of Requiem out of the Ninth Apostle's wound, who was foaming at the mouth but still refused to answer.
"Urk..."
The Ninth Apostle let out a long sigh and slowly looked up.
"Kusar Pirates."
Raon mentioned the name of the Kusar Pirates he had recently annihilated as he looked at the Ninth Apostle who had barely regained his senses.
"Do you know that traces of your presence were found in their territory?"
He smiled slightly, saying that traces had been found even though nothing had actually been discovered.
"What are you talking about..."
For the first time, the Ninth Apostle repeated his words, seemingly bewildered.
"Thanks to the mistake you made in the Kusar Pirates' territory, we were able to wait here with certainty."
Raon tilted his chin as he looked into the Ninth Apostle's eyes.
"It's not strange to make mistakes, since it's your first time attacking a port."
"..."
The Ninth Apostle only furrowed his brow as if he doubted his words, but he didn't open his mouth.
However, this reaction allowed him to be sure that his prediction was correct.
'As expected, it seems the Blood Religion started kidnapping people starting from the Kusar Pirates' territory.'
He had inquired because Paras said he had seen the ship only once, and judging by the Ninth Apostle's reaction, it really seemed that's where it all began.
"Normally, such operations start from nearby areas. If we search the surrounding seas, we might even find the Blood Religion's headquarters."
Raon smiled only with his lips as he examined the Ninth Apostle's face.
"Nonsense."
Although the Ninth Apostle's eyes didn't waver, as befitting a Grandmaster, the speed at which he blinked increased noticeably, perhaps due to anxiety.
"Was it true? I should at least thank Paras for this."
Raon laughed as he mentioned the name of the now-dead captain of the Kusar Pirates.
"If we study this ship and get help from the Kusar Pirates, something will come out."
He moved his eyes, inquiring the Ninth Apostle once more.
"... Search for a thousand years. You won't find even an ant."
Although the Ninth Apostle maintained a natural appearance this time too, his speech lengthened slightly.
It seemed that, whether through this ship or the Kusar Pirates' territory, a path leading to the Blood Religion would open up if it was searched in detail.
"Besides..."
"Kuhehe!"
Just as he was about to inquire about the blue wolf, the Ninth Apostle interrupted him and started laughing maniacally.
"They say the Sword Emperor's tongue is sharper than his sword, and they're certainly not wrong."
The Ninth Apostle nodded forcefully, seemingly realizing that his act had been discovered.
"It's a sacrifice that must be offered to the Blood God, but given how things have turned out, there's nothing to be done..."
He revealed a detached look in his eyes, as if he had made some decision.
"Killing them here will be the best path for Him."
The Ninth Apostle stopped his regenerative abilities and released the remaining blood energy in his body.
"It's useless."
Raon frowned as he placed his hand on the Heavenly Drive.
"True. I can't defeat you even in perfect condition. However..."
The Ninth Apostle looked at the sea, or rather, at the face of the blue wolf that was floating on the sea, and curved the corners of his mouth.
"If it's a sea spirit poisoned by blood energy, even you can be devoured!"
He let out a fierce shout and stabbed his own heart with his hand burning with blood energy.
"A sea spirit poisoned by blood energy?"
"You were curious about what the blue wolf is, weren't you?"
The Ninth Apostle scoffed as he spat blood.
"I'll tell you. That wolf is the guardian spirit that has protected this sea since ancient times. Since this ship alone couldn't erase all the blood energy, we subdued that spirit and taught it to devour the scattered blood energy and blood."
He smiled, saying they used that spirit to erase traces of blood energy and blood, and to raise waves.
"However, the spirit was too pure, so the change was much faster than expected. It accumulated blood and blood energy to the point where it could barely control it."
The Ninth Apostle showed his yellow teeth, saying the wolf with trembling eyes was about to go crazy.
"You demonic bastards..."
Raon gritted his teeth forcefully.
"I cast a blood curse on you and Zieghart."
As soon as the Ninth Apostle finished saying he was casting a curse, he exploded into white blood.
With a boom, every piece of flesh and blood he left behind upon dying fell into the sea without exception. With a deep rumble, the remaining blood magic on the deck rose on its own and sucked all the remaining blood and blood energy on the deck and port towards the sea.
The sea below exploded with the Ninth Apostle's blood energy and all the accumulated blood and blood energy on the ship, raising a terrifying light.
After the dazzling light dissipated, Raon lifted his eyelids to see that the storm raging in the sea had disappeared, and everything had settled into an eerie calm as if the whole world had fallen into a dream. With a thunderous roar, a huge wolf rose above the now calm sea.
The wolf's entire body burned in such a way that it could no longer be described as blue, and the sea also seemed to be filled with blood, rising with a crimson light.
When the red wolf howled, the entire sea trembled, and countless sea monsters emerged, enough to obscure the horizon. There were so many that even if he fought directly, he felt he might tire before killing them all.
"What is this?"
"Why did that wolf get even bigger? It's literally as big as the sea now!"
"I've never seen so many monsters..."
"Did we arrive too late? What the hell...?"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen who arrived late swallowed hard as they looked at the endlessly accumulating monsters and the giant red wolf standing behind them.
"You haven't arrived late at all."
Raon calmly nodded as he looked at Burren, Runaan, and Trevin standing in front of the swordsmen.
"These are your opponents for a true combat experience. Do you think you can handle them?"
He pointed at the monsters, addressing the newly arrived swordsmen.
"Not bad."
Burren calmly nodded.
"Yes... I will..."
Runaan placed his hand on his sword, not taking his eyes off Martha, who was struggling to stay on her feet.
"It's been a while since I had the chance to stretch my muscles."
Trevin licked his lips, saying it seemed fun.
"Palace Master. I'll help you."
Mark Goetun stood behind him, indicating that he would follow.
"No. Guardian, please help the swordsmen. My opponent is that thing."
Raon pointed his finger at the red wolf that stood like a god behind the monsters. With a thunderous roar, the red wolf wrinkled its face as if it was displeased with him, then raised its head and let out a howl that shook the heavens.
"Urgh..."
"Aaargh!"
"What is this sound...?"
Even the Master-level swordsmen groaned and grabbed their heads, unable to withstand the red wolf's howl. However, the true effect of the scream wasn't just a mental attack; the sea roared as if it was angry, and huge waves rose.
With a thunderous crash, the sea monsters began to charge towards the port, riding the waves raised by the wolf, their eyes clouded with madness.
'Despite being intoxicated with blood energy, does it still retain the power of a sea spirit?'
Seeing how it commanded the monsters so naturally, even more than Eden's ghosts, Raon thought it really must have started as a sea spirit.
'There are too many. Should I help a little...?'
"Go quickly."
Martha waved her hand, seeing him hesitate.
"These are the people you've trusted and trained. They can do it, just like me."
She stood up, seemingly intending to fight despite her condition.
"There's always something to learn from you."
Raon nodded with a slight smile.
"Because I'm your older sister."
Martha raised her chin as if reminding him to remember that fact.
"Me too..."
Runaan raised her hand as if asking to be included.
"Not you!"
"Not you!"
- Not you!
Raon, Martha, and Wrath shook their heads simultaneously.
"Alright."
Raon turned to look at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen and smiled slightly.
"I trust you."
After saying that he trusted them, he jumped onto the approaching waves of monsters and looked into the eyes of the red wolf, which was full of malice towards humans. With a low growl, the wolf that was once a spirit growled fiercely, its pure sea energy now filled with intense murderous intent and blood energy.
'That's not a spirit anymore.'
Raon frowned at the stench of blood emanating from the wolf.
'It's closer to a crazed monster with only murderous intent remaining.'
The blood energy he felt was on a different level than the apostle's. The sea spirit had now become something that could only be called a monster. With a roar that shook the earth, the red wolf rose from the sea that had turned into blood after letting out a howl that shook the entire ocean.
Its body seemed to be covered in steel-like fur, with an incredibly hard appearance, and its size was so enormous that it could block the moon in the sky. It was as if a blood demon had descended to the mortal world.
With a deafening shriek, the red wolf, considering him an enemy, raised its front paw, larger than a ship, and slashed it through the air. It was a terrifying attack imbued with blood energy even more intense than the apostle's. With a piercing sound, Raon swung the Revolving Sky of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation upwards towards the descending claws of the red wolf.
The sight of a human smaller than a claw forcefully repelling the red wolf that dominated the sea was as majestic and mysterious as a scene from the tale of a mythical hero.
"How audacious."
Raon raised his chin as he looked into the surprised eyes of the red wolf when it was pushed back.
"Sit. Good dog."
-
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