C1054
"Ah..."
Martha's eyes turned red as she watched Raon simultaneously cut the Twelfth Apostle and the fortress wall. With trembling lips, she bit down and thrust her sword towards the Tenth Apostle's waist.
Martha's sword pierced through the Tenth Apostle's spear for the first time and cut his long robe. It seemed that she had regained her composure more because of Raon's words "it's your turn to show them" than from seeing him kill the Twelfth Apostle.
- Because that means he trusts her.
Wrath smiled faintly as he felt Martha's stabilized momentum.
- You've shown your trust, so the sturdy girl wants to answer that trust.
He blew his nose as if he were watching his grown daughter.
'Why are you crying? Anyone who saw it would think it's your daughter.'
Raon let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Wrath.
- Didn't I carry her on my back while raising her? Of course my heart would be moved!
Wrath frowned as if asking why Raon was questioning something so obvious.
'However, I've never seen you carry her...'
As Raon pushed Wrath aside and tried to enter the White Blood Religion headquarters, a whispering sound filled the air.
White blood oozed from the bisected Twelfth Apostle's body, forming a small pool that enveloped his ankle.
"This is..."
Raon frowned as he observed the pool of bloody energy that was grabbing his ankle and pulling his leg.
'It's slippery but sticky, making it impossible to get rid of.'
His body felt weak as if he were sinking in desert sand, and his legs began to be absorbed by the pool. Even when he tried to use his aura to pull his legs out, they didn't budge despite his efforts.
'No way...'
[HAAAA!]
As Raon tried to cut the pool with his sword, the Twelfth Apostle's voice echoed from within the white bloody water.
[I never imagined I would die from one blow, but you really are impressive.]
The Twelfth Apostle let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn't believe it.
"Twelfth Apostle..."
Raon frowned as he looked at the Twelfth Apostle's arrogant face reflected in the white pool.
"Are you still alive?"
[No, I'm dead. How could I be alive after you split me in two?]
The Twelfth Apostle shook his head calmly as he declared his death.
[This is the residual thought I left behind when I died.]
"Residual thought?"
[Yes. I engraved a curse on my soul that will drag my killer to hell with me.]
He smiled widely, saying that his soul remained because of that curse.
[You will never escape the Bleeding Curse!]
As the Twelfth Apostle let out a grotesque scream about dying together, the pulling force of the blood pool suddenly intensified. It was much stronger than the bloody energy he had possessed while alive.
"Haaa..."
Raon exhaled with difficulty as he endured the physical and mental pain that felt like thousands of needles stabbing him.
'As expected, he had a hidden card.'
That's why he had wanted to learn more before finishing things.
If he had continued to fight while provoking the Twelfth Apostle, he might have noticed this curse and dispelled it or simply cut off his limbs before killing him. He regretted not having time for that.
'Although this might be better.'
Since he called it the Bleeding Curse. The fact that it was specifically a blood curse, not some other type, suggested that he could play to his advantage.
"Raon!"
"Are you alright...?"
Martha and Runaan called out to him in unison.
"Don't worry about me, focus on your own fights."
Raon shook his head calmly and then released his strength, no longer resisting the blood pool that was pulling on his body. As the resistance disappeared, the suction of the pool suddenly intensified and swallowed his body completely.
His breath cut off as if he were underwater. Underneath the pool, there was no ground, but an endless sea of pure white blood. Bloody energy surged everywhere he could see.
[KIHAHAHAHAHA!]
The Twelfth Apostle's soul, taking the form of a shark, lunged at him as if it were going to devour him. Red blood spurted from his forearm where the apostle's teeth had grazed him.
[Even you, cannot escape this curse! You will die with me!]
The Twelfth Apostle opened his massive jaw, intending to rip out his throat this time.
"Didn't you consider that I might have entered voluntarily?"
Raon smiled faintly as he thrust forward the Blade of Requiem.
"This sword says it's still hungry."
[What?]
The Twelfth Apostle frowned as if he didn't understand.
"Devour it all."
Raon unleashed the ultimate Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation upon the Blade of Requiem. The blazing flames spread like a canvas over the red blade, completely enveloping the Twelfth Apostle's residual thoughts and bloody energy as he charged with bared teeth.
It was the Golden Flame Dance, a technique of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation that erases all evil energy.
The Golden Flame Dance, thickened by the power of the vengeful spirits, remained impenetrable even against the Twelfth Apostle's soul as he fought while containing enormous bloody energy.
[W-what is this...]
The Twelfth Apostle's voice trembled with disbelief.
"You called it the Bleeding Curse, right? This Blade of Requiem is a ceremonial sword made to console those who died by your hands. A simple Bleeding Curse is nothing but food for this sword."
Raon twisted his lips as he burned the Golden Flame Dance that contained the Twelfth Apostle's soul and bloody energy.
[KIAAAAAAK!]
Along with the Twelfth Apostle's scream as he faced true death, the white blood melted into the flames. The Blade of Requiem's blade became even redder after absorbing the remaining bloody energy, as if indicating that there were still many grudges to be settled.
"Ughk!"
"The Twelfth Apostle, so easily..."
"He, even overcame the Bleeding Curse."
"His martial prowess defies logic. How can someone like him...?"
The Archbishops swallowed as they watched Raon easily overcome both the Twelfth Apostle and the Bleeding Curse.
"Now that the magic protecting the walls is broken, the Warring Steel Leader and the Full Moon Division Leader should enter and subdue the apostles inside."
Raon pointed towards the inside of the collapsed wall, directing Runaan and Trevin. Although an apostle who had been reinforcing the magic and another who could summon Blood Demons remained inside, those two should be more than capable of subduing them.
"Yes...!"
"I accept your order!"
Runaan and Trevin led the Full Moon Division and the Warring Steel Division through the collapsed wall, knocking down the Blood Demons who were trying to fill the gap.
"Let me in too!"
Alice winked as she beheaded the First Apostle, indicating that she would follow. Although she had been fighting evenly with the First Apostle, she seemed relaxed, as if she were holding back some hidden strength.
"Martha. Your task is not only to kill the Tenth Apostle."
Raon directed his gaze towards Martha, who was in combat with the Tenth Apostle.
"I know!"
Martha pressed her lips together and nodded, seeming to have regained her composure. She clearly understood her role.
"Go ahead without worry!"
Denier displayed calm eyes as he promised to support Martha and protect the people on the bridge.
- The most suspicious one tells us not to worry!
Wrath shook his head in disbelief.
- I'm more worried about you than the Blood Demons!
He trembled his hands, saying that he couldn't predict what Denier might do.
'Looking at him now, he really does seem like a father worried about his daughter.'
Despite all his suspicions, Denier had been cutting down Blood Demons and archbishops without hesitation. He had saved Martha's life and protected his subordinates countless times. Looking only at his performance on the battlefield, he was the very image of a father who valued his daughter and subordinates more than his own life.
'There's nothing to be done about it now.'
Although he wanted to continue observing Denier, there was no time for that.
'I've told Balder, so I'll just have to trust that.'
After hearing his words, Balder was tearing apart Blood Demons on the fourth bridge near Denier. Since there was little difference in martial prowess between him and Denier, he should be able to stop any suspicious behavior.
'Right now, stopping the Leader of the Blood Religion is what matters.'
Raon entered the White Blood Religion headquarters through the path that Runaan and Trevin had cleared. Although it looked like a pristine, pure white city without a speck of dust, the stench of blood flowed like a river underneath. The Blade of Requiem erupted with an intense sword mantra, as if it felt the terrible bloody energy that constituted this city.
'Where is the Leader of the Blood Religion?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he ran towards the center of the city.
'The paths seem different from when I was here before.'
He couldn't see the paths or buildings he remembered from when he came to rescue Ogram. It seemed that they had expanded the headquarters in the interim.
'It's too vast. I can't just wander around like this.'
Raon stopped and activated his Evil Eye of Wrath combined with the Perception of the Snow Flower. A pure energy seeped into his tired eyes, and he began to feel the flow of energy that spread throughout the city.
'It's definitely different.'
With the Perception of the Snow Flower and the Evil Eye of Wrath combined, both his eyes and senses were opened, making it much easier to detect the enemy's movements than before. As Raon surveyed the entire city while concentrating on his enhanced vision, he directed his gaze towards the north.
'What is that...?'
A cathedral-like building stood on the northern edge of the city, and something chilling was blooming inside it. It wasn't aura or bloody energy. He could feel someone's soul itself changing to a disturbing color.
'Could it be...?'
- That's right.
Wrath frowned deeply.
- That mosquito woman is in that building, and her soul is reaching the awakening state.
He clenched his fists, saying that the Leader of the Blood Religion was trying to cross a threshold. The ground cracked as Raon applied force to his toes. Using the Supreme Harmony Step, he leaped, breaking the earth as he advanced towards the northern building.
As he tried to fly towards the cathedral where the Leader was hiding, a white mist rose before him, completely blocking his view.
'This is...'
He felt the same disgusting stench as the white mist that had been protecting the Blood Religion headquarters from the front. The mist made him lose his sense of direction, making it difficult to know where he was.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of holding back anymore."
Raon thrust the Blade of Requiem as he invoked the cold energy of Glacier. He opened the blue sky to summon the wind and dropped angry lightning to split the earth. Heaven-Piercing Thunder. The sword strike that harmonized the Azure Sky Sword and the Celestial Thunder Arts tore through the dense mist.
As Raon tried to leap through the split mist towards the cathedral where the Leader was, hundreds of magic spells and Blood Demons began to rush towards him.
"You can't get out of this place!"
A middle-aged man with a shaved head like a monk pointed at him as he unleashed pure white magic. He seemed to be the apostle who had been reinforcing the magic on the walls until now.
"UAAAAA!"
"Protect him even if you have to throw your bodies!"
"Spread your blood to block the path!"
"We can't let him break the defense!"
Following the apostle's orders, the archbishops and Blood Demons charged forward amplifying their bloody energy, ready to throw their bodies to stop him. Meanwhile, the apostle cast magic that pressed against his body and aura, making it impossible to move quickly.
"Just looking at those desperate faces tells me everything. That a crucial moment has arrived for their Leader. If they're willing to risk their lives to protect her..."
Raon raised golden flames that could burn the white bloody energy as he looked towards the cathedral at the northern end.
"Then, I will risk my life to make my way through!"
***
A crimson space that seemed out of place in the Blood Religion.
"Haaaa..."
The Leader of the Blood Religion exhaled excitedly as she scooped up with both arms the red blood that filled the room.
'I feel it.'
She could feel the blood and her soul resonating as if they had become one. Just as transcendent martial artists freely manipulated nature's mana, the same concept of blood was harmonizing with her soul.
'Is this the ultimate state of the Blood Realm?'
The true meaning of blood, which she had only considered as a tool to gain strength, was seeping into her soul. If she could embody this feeling, she could change bodies just by injecting her blood, without needing to use grandiose techniques as before.
'If that becomes possible, no one in this world will be my equal.'
Since no human exists without blood. If she could change bodies at will, she wouldn't have to worry about physical resistance and could fight at full power at all times. Even Glenn, considered the strongest under heaven, or the Heavenly Demon would be under her feet.
'Huhu.'
The Leader curled her lips as she watched the red blood filling the room turn white.
'It's not long now.'
The blood filling this room belonged to nobles with special constitutions. Once this blood becomes transparent like water, she would be able to control the blood of all humans. She would no longer be just a religious leader, but would ascend to heaven as a Blood Goddess.
'Just a little longer...'
The red blood that had been chillingly crimson now rippled white as if it had been dusted with white paint. She could feel her soul vibrating violently as if it were about to detach from its shell. As the Leader closed her eyes for her soul's awakening, a sharp pain pierced her mind like a small stone.
'Do you still have the strength to resist?'
She could feel her current body's soul stirring from where she had buried it deep in the mental world.
"Don't worry. As you wished, I will devour that boy completely too."
Just as the Leader lightly suppressed the resistant soul and was about to begin the final purification, cracks appeared in the temple's southern wall and the blood that was almost purified began to seep out.
"Ah, no!"
The Leader screamed and reached out, but she couldn't stop the blood since she hadn't fully awakened.
"What the hell...?"
Just as she tried to use the Blood Realm to stop the escaping blood, the wall shattered and golden radiation poured out.
"Were you taking a bath?"
Raon Zieghart. The man with bright golden hair as if carrying the sun on his shoulders looked down at her with a crooked smile.
"I'll give you a clean cut. Make sure you wash your neck well."
-
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