C1053
A fierce howl echoed through the sky as the earth trembled with rage. Wild mana surged in all directions as if threatening to destroy the world.
"Not a bad sword at all..."
Derus Robert tightened his grip as he felt the cold air around him, as if the entire world had become his enemy.
"If anyone else had said that, I would have ripped their mouth apart, but you've earned the right."
Although Darkan had been a monster among Transcendants during the era of the Six Kings and Five Demons, Derus was confident that he could defeat him without much difficulty.
'I could read his thoughts, and his martial prowess was clear as day to my eyes.'
But now, he couldn't read anything from Darkan. He felt a strange power that he couldn't predict. It wasn't just that his martial prowess had increased; the unique aura he possessed showed that he wouldn't be an easy opponent to defeat even with all his strength.
Both Darkan's appearance and his change in demeanor were so disconcerting that Derus unconsciously clenched his jaw.
"You seem rather nervous."
Darkan let out a thin smile, as if he had expected this reaction.
"Very well. It wouldn't be satisfying to defeat you now, so I'll give you time to focus."
He clapped as if telling Derus to regain his senses quickly.
"Why are you blocking my path here?"
Derus frowned as he looked at Darkan smiling.
"Has the Holy Sword Alliance betrayed the Five Demons?"
"Holy Sword Alliance? Betrayal? You're saying funny things."
Darkan touched his forehead with his finger as he twisted his lips.
"As I said at the beginning, I'm neither the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance nor the Dark Night Sword God. This Darkan walks the path he desires, regardless of the Five Kings and the Five Demons. I simply came because I wanted to see your sword."
He shook his head as if that was all.
"So, did you really hand over the Holy Sword Alliance to the Sword Demon?"
"Instead of handing it over, he took it himself. Of course, I don't care either way. I was just playing the role of Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance because I wanted to see more swordsmanship."
Darkan spoke of the Holy Sword Alliance, one of the nine greatest powers on the continent, as if throwing away a useless stone.
"Don't tell me those eyes are also..."
"Yes. I took them out with my own hands."
He smiled as he spoke of taking out his own eyeballs.
"You're not in your right mind..."
Derus let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the serene Darkan.
'I knew Darkan was obsessed with swords, but to this extent...'
He knew that Darkan, the Dark Night Sword God, was fascinated by swordsmanship. But he never imagined that he would abandon the Holy Sword Alliance and take out his own eyes for the sake of his personal cultivation.
'A madman.'
An incomprehensible lunatic. So far, only two people had challenged his predictions, and it seemed that Darkan would be added to that list.
"There's one more thing I want to ask."
Derus looked up as he let out a heavy sigh.
"Why are you with Ogram? And not at the Beast Union headquarters... hmm!"
He let out a low groan as he looked at his leather-gloved hand.
"Don't tell me the kid you mentioned..."
Derus narrowed his eyes as he saw drops of blood seeping through his glove.
"Is it Raon Zieghart?"
"Precisely."
Darkan nodded vigorously.
"In fact, he even predicted that you would mention Raon's name."
He twisted his lips as he spoke of how Raon had predicted even this moment.
"That distorted expression of yours is quite pleasant!"
Ogram mocked as he looked at the frozen Derus.
"You're nothing but a monkey dancing in Raon's palm! Derus Robert!"
He stomped on the ground as he shouted that Derus' plans didn't even reach Raon's fingers.
"Kuk. Kahahahaha!"
Derus threw his hair back with his bloodied hand. The red blood staining his silver hair created a gruesome sight.
"I don't know whether to be happy or angry about this."
Even his lifelong subordinates didn't know that he would go to the Beast Union, no, to the small tribe where Ogram was hiding. But Raon Zieghart had read his psychology and had called Darkan here. He was happy that someone understood him completely, but at the same time enraged that it was Raon.
"Do I think I've given you enough time to compose yourself?"
Darkan tilted his chin as if suggesting they should start again.
"Haaa..."
Derus rotated his wrist as he exhaled a white breath.
"You know my mood is rather bad right now?"
Despite his words about his bad mood, he remained completely calm as he gripped the pommel of his sword.
"This cleanup is going to hurt quite a bit."
The moment Derus unsheathed his sword, the direction of the murderous intent emanating from the sky and earth twisted and began to recede against Darkan.
"Excellent!"
As Darkan raised his sword with a wrinkle on the bridge of his nose, the earth trembled violently, creating powerful waves that seemed to hold him up. With a thunderous roar, the sky erupted in a brilliant glow as if following Derus, while strong black currents rose from the earth as if supporting Darkan.
"Even if it rips my palate apart..."
Darkan curled his lips with satisfaction at the momentum of Derus pushing against his own aura.
"Give it your all!"
He nodded as if he didn't mind dying.
"You'll regret those words."
Derus and Darkan raised their swords simultaneously. The two Transcendants stood motionless like statues for a long time, but the moment they felt the winter wind penetrating their murderous intent, they launched their swords at each other's throats. When the black sword and the silver sword collided head-on, a massive crack opened as if connecting heaven and earth. A deafening roar filled the air.
***
With a blazing slash, Raon unleashed his Crimson Slash against the Blood Demons who were charging for self-destruction. The flame-like blade cut through space, severing both the Blood Demons and the dimension behind them. However, the Blood Demons opened new dimensions to emerge, throwing themselves forward and exploding with bloody energy.
'Are they determined to block the path at any cost?'
Although the Blood Religion's self-destructing Blood Demons were strengthening the walls' magic and blocking the path, the casualties were enormous. Even now, hundreds were dying, but the white dimension continued to spew out more Blood Demons.
Their determination to defend the walls was clear: they would sacrifice all the remaining Blood Demons on the continent if necessary.
'Is she really creating some new magic?'
Since the Leader of the Blood Religion hadn't appeared even in this situation, she must be hiding inside the headquarters, scheming something else.
"Your filthy blood will not enter our sacred land!"
"Die, demons!"
"I will purify them even if it costs me my soul!"
"Blood God!"
The Blood Religion followers charged at him with their eyes burning with madness, as if possessed by spirits.
'I'll have to break through first.'
Just as Raon was knocking down the Blood Demons overwhelming him and trying to close the dimension behind them, a powerful wave of bloody energy, unlike any before, emanated from the top of the wall. Bloody energy in the shape of a crescent moon fell on his head with a piercing sound.
Raon looked up after deflecting the powerful bloody energy with his Fire Wall.
"Are you Raon Zieghart?"
The blue-haired apostle who had leaned a large scythe on his shoulder looked at him with a curled lip.
"You certainly have a different aura than the others."
He was smiling playfully even on this battlefield where countless people were dying.
"An apostle, huh?"
"Yes. I'm the twelfth. My name is..."
"There's no need to hear your name."
Raon raised his hand to stop the 12th Apostle from speaking.
"Because it's a name that will be forgotten when you die today."
Despite his mocking words, he calmed his heart.
'Although he's weaker than me, he can't be underestimated.'
The 12th Apostle was a Transcendent who had reached a stable realm. Even if he was slightly inferior, he was still a martial artist who had crossed the barrier of Transcendence through his own Will, so he couldn't be taken lightly.
'Especially those who use such strange weapons must be watched more carefully.'
Unlike those who used common weapons like swords, sabers, or spears, people who used unusual weapons like that large scythe surely had hidden cards that could save their lives.
'I need to conserve energy for the fight with the Leader of the Blood Religion. First, I should assess what skills he has...'
As Raon prepared to scale the wall, a violent shock wave arose from the direction of the fifth bridge.
Denier and the Wise Martial Arts Palace had finally overcome the Blood Demons and had sent Martha against the 10th Apostle.
"I've lived until now just to kill you and that woman!"
Martha screamed as she wielded her sword against the 10th Apostle's neck.
Unable to ignore Martha's attack as before, the 10th Apostle summoned a spear to block it.
"You've become stronger."
He calmly rubbed his chin as he met Martha's fiercely burning eyes.
"Shut up!"
Martha rejected the 10th Apostle's spear with her sword glowing with yellow light. The eyes of the Blood Demons and the swordsmen widened as they watched her reject an apostle with her true power.
"So it's you. Martha Zieghart."
The 12th Apostle twisted his lips after examining Martha's face.
"I see you remember how our superior took your mother. However..."
He slowly raised a finger as if mocking Martha.
"Don't you know that I was there too?"
The 12th Apostle pointed to himself with the finger that had been twirling.
"What...?"
Martha stopped pressing against the 10th Apostle and turned her eyes towards the 12th Apostle.
"Don't you remember? I grabbed your mother's hair and tried to rip out her throat. Your superior here stopped me."
The 12th Apostle curled his lips as if asking why she was attacking her benefactor instead of her enemy.
"You!"
Martha gritted her teeth and turned her ankle. She charged towards the 12th Apostle without looking back.
"Where do you think you're going?"
But the 10th Apostle wasn't someone who would let her go that easily.
With a loud impact, he tilted the shaft of his spear to deflect Martha's sword and struck her in the waist.
"Kuhek..."
Martha trembled as she gripped her sword, immobilized against the edge of the wall.
"Don't ignore the opponent you have before your eyes."
The 10th Apostle launched his red-hot spear as if he intended to kill Martha with one blow.
"Martha!"
Denier quickly jumped towards the wall and deflected the 10th Apostle's spear as it descended towards Martha's neck.
"You, demon bastards..."
Martha bit her reddened lips as she stood up.
"I'll kill you all!"
She extended a murderous intent so intense that even she herself was scared, declaring that she would kill not only the apostles, but all existing Blood Demons.
"I don't understand why you're angry."
The 12th Apostle shrugged playfully as he looked at Martha.
"Isn't it better for that body to live as our leader, as a goddess, instead of as your ordinary mother? It's beneficial for both sides!"
He mocked as if provoking not only Martha, but the entire House Zieghart. His voice echoed in their ears, suggesting the use of mind-shaking magic. A deep rumble echoed through the air.
The Zieghart swordsmen seemed to fall for the 12th Apostle's provocation, directing their intense murderous intent towards him instead of the enemies before them.
"Son of a bitch!"
Martha, naturally, was the quickest and most strongly provoked, charging at him again. A resounding boom filled the air.
The 10th Apostle deflected Denier's sword and moved to block Martha's charge towards the 12th Apostle.
"It seems you remember now. What a disappointment."
The 12th Apostle flicked his tongue behind the 10th Apostle.
"But what I said isn't wrong. Your mother's soul is just one of countless worms, while our leader is unique."
He touched his finger to his lips as if emphasizing that he wasn't lying.
"Kuaaagh!"
Martha swung her sword with a scream, determined to kill the 12th Apostle, but the 10th Apostle and the archbishops wouldn't let her pass.
With a deep resonance, Raon gripped the Blade of Requiem, which released a sorrowful sword mantra as if resonating with Martha's emotions.
'Is it sympathizing with Martha's pain?'
The vengeful spirits dwelling in the Blade of Requiem were victims of the Blood Religion. They seemed to understand Martha's pain and sadness, openly showing their hatred for the Blood Demons. Even Rimmer's wind, which usually calmed the vengeful spirits, stirred up harsh, cold gusts today as if in agreement.
"Did you say you're the 12th Apostle?"
Raon sheathed the Heavenly Drive and drew the Blade of Requiem.
"I'll rip that mouth out of you first."
Having lived as an assassin, he always moved only after clearly understanding his opponent's martial prowess and methods.
Today too, he intended to properly assess the 12th Apostle's skills before fighting, to conserve strength for the fight against the Leader of the Blood Religion, but now he couldn't hold back.
"Coming straight at me?"
The 12th Apostle tilted his chin provocatively, suggesting that he had hidden power.
"With such a short sword, you won't even reach this wall, let alone me, don't you think?"
He curled his lips, seemingly confident in the wall's magic and his own martial prowess.
"Is it really that short?"
As Raon mocked and activated the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, red flames spread along the edge of the Blade of Requiem, extending majestically as if they wanted to reach the heavens.
"What is this..."
The 12th Apostle's eyes widened when he felt the deep resentment within the Blade of Requiem and the precise aura of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He raised a shield of bloody energy and began chanting high-level magic.
A sinister force like a curse rose over his shoulders. The bloody energy swayed as if it were going to reflect his attack.
"Nothing will help you."
Raon raised the Blade of Requiem as he advanced towards the wall. Following the flow guided by the vengeful spirits, he swung the red sword, unleashing the principles of the Ten Thousand Swords he had accumulated. A thunderous roar filled the air.
The Heavy Sword became heavier, the Quick Sword faster, and the blade sharper. The will of the vengeful spirits to annihilate the Blood Demons was contained in his sword, elevating the realm of Ten Thousand Swords to an even higher level.
The Leader of the Blood Religion's protective magic shattered, the white wall crumbled, and a red line appeared on the 12th Apostle's body who was standing on top.
"Im-impossible. The absolute defense magic and reflection..."
The 12th Apostle's lips trembled as he watched his great scythe crumble, his body split in half.
"Kwaaa..."
Unable to withstand his bisected body, he fell with the crumbling wall stones, white blood splattering from his wounds.
"The resentment and sadness imbued in this sword are longer and deeper than any other sword in the world. It's not a depth that someone like you can handle. Of course..."
Raon stepped on the ground soaked with the 12th Apostle's blood and crossed the collapsed wall.
"You died talking because you didn't know that."
He raised his clenched fist towards Martha, who was looking at him with wide eyes from the right.
"Now it's your turn to show what you can do."
-
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