Project: Blood Bringer.
It was a mind parasite weapon developed by the Zenith Church.
It manipulated the host’s brain and maximized the violent thoughts, creating a power called Blood Energy which was based on blood.
However, it fails to work when the host’s body becomes exhausted, and it seeks the blood of others.
Until now, the commercialization of the Blood Bringer had failed as it couldn’t be controlled. And due to that, the project was abandoned.
However, Apostle Noah was interested in the Project: Blood Bringer, which had been abandoned, and succeeded in making a new model by using a different approach.
“That is the control tower system.”
He created a control tower that unified the electromagnetic waves of the Blood Bringer and controlled everything.
A host infected with the Blood Bringer had no choice but to turn mad. A madman was called mad because he couldn’t control his feelings.
Then, instead of controlling the host, he chose to control the Blood Bringer.
And so a ‘new model’ was made.
The owners of all the Blood Bringers and their power were being used freely.
However, this always meant that the host would go insane like usual, so Noah found another way—fuse it with the holy energy.
It was an irrational way to control the mind by fusing the Blood Bringer with holy power.
Not only would it destroy the efficiency of maximum violence due to madness, but there were many who could use holy energy.
And due to that, it wasn’t considered.
However, if there was someone who could do it, then it would be a good enough achievement.
“At first, the mind was crushed and turned into just another madman, but then I was right.”
Noah smiled, looking at the host of the Blood Bringer on the screen.
Standing calmly, he looked different from the other hosts.
Standing calm doesn’t mean he wasn’t mad yet.
He was Lars.
“Show the true power of a Sword Demon.”
A complete Sword Demon.
Ricky didn’t know that the Sword Demon in front of him was Lars.
But he knew that the opponent was strong.
When Blood Bringer loses control, it will exert power that even swordmasters will find difficult to handle.
But if it were in perfect form and the host was of a great level, how strong would it be?
Ricky stood tall.
His momentum was strong, and he had no intention of dying here. He wanted to end this quickly.
“I will make it comfortable for you in no time.”
Ricky raised his holy power. The golden wings spread wide, and a cloud of light formed in the air like fluttering feathers.
Tak!
The moment he kicked the ground, Ricky was right ahead of the Sword Demon. He lowered the sword from the top in an instant.
A throbbing pain rose at the same time in his left hand.
His body flinched, and the sword’s path changed a little.
“Sacred poison.”
A voice that felt like his vocal cords were torn.
The blade of the Blood Bringer slashed the Holy Sword, and blood was wrapped around his left arm, and he sprinted with all his might.
Ricky blocked it with his knee and pushed the shoulder away.
Feeling a tingling sensation in his left hand, he asked,
“What is sacred poison?”
“Every time you use holy power, your left hand will die. Originally, the heart is what should be attacked, but you went too far.”
Kiiiik!
Ricky frowned at this electric current that felt like it was running through his hand. It was annoying, but if he used more holy power, then the pain would rise.
Like what he said, it would be quite annoying if this was put on his heart, but if it was his left hand, then it didn’t matter to Ricky.
‘Rather…’
Ricky saw the white jewel necklace around the man’s neck. Whenever the man spoke, the mechanism attached to the necklace would make the right arm resonate.
If he thought of the people he had dealt with earlier, they were people who were unable to hold their sanity. They were crazy.
But this man with the same weapon on his right arm was like them but different, as if he were alive.
‘The necklace seems to make it possible.’
It wasn’t clear who was responsible, but it seemed certain that there was a connection, and Ricky brushed his left hand as he said,
“It looks like it happened during the explosion. But I cannot do anything about it.”
Ricky manipulated the holy power closely and made sure his left hand was fine. The patterns that were drawn on the back of his hand began to distort little by little.
Although it was hard with his hand going numb, the cells in his body were working faster.
Showing his left hand in gold light, Ricky said,
“The poison detoxification process has begun.”
“Even so, you won’t be able to use your left hand for a while.”
As if that were enough, the Sword Demon took his stance. There was a clear difference between fighting with one hand and two hands.
And the battle would not last long.
The Sword Demon wrapped an aura around the greatsword, and Ricky, who saw it, mumbled,
“… swordmaster.”
He could feel the power that was incomparable with that of the swordmaster he had defeated earlier.
What was this?
Because this man sacrificed others in order to show himself, he must have something special.
The Holy Sword was wrapped in a holy aura.
The sword of judgment began to glow with hope.
‘It doesn’t matter what this is.’
Ricky knew that this opponent was odd, but it wasn’t to the point that it threatened his life, so he calmed down and held out the sword.
And the two faced off for a while.
In the midst of the noisy battlefield, only the place where they were standing felt calm, and it didn’t matter who moved first. They both moved at the same time.
The two clashed their swords near the center.
Kwak!
The greatsword broke.
The Blood Energy that was pushed back scattered everywhere, and a large crack appeared in the helm, making Ricky move in to stab.
[Ability.]
The core of Blood Bringer was flowing red.
[Form of Blood.]
Veins of blood-like things moved from the sword and towards Ricky’s neck. Ricky scattered the Blood Energy from the sword with holy power.
It divided and formed into weird swords right behind him. Without even looking, he waved his sword at it.
The Blood Bringer wriggled and covered the entire area in Blood Energy.
Like a stream of red water, he completely pulled out the broken greatsword and filled the crack with blood.
Blood gushed.
“Kuaaak!”
And the Sword Demon swung the sword again. Ricky looked calm with sunken eyes.
“Pointless.”
He cut down the blood sword.
Twice. No. Thrice.
The entire machine-like thing cracked, and in the aftermath, there were cracks on the helm, too.
The red eyes inside shook faintly, and the Sword Demon extended his hand. Now that this had happened, he just wanted to kill the Apostle.
Puak!
The Holy Sword pierced his forearm.
The left arm twitched as it stopped, and the two faced each other as Ricky went for the necklace.
A little pull was all it took to remove it from his body, and the white jewel fell to the ground.
“Huh!”
The Sword Demon’s eyes widened, and part of the helm broke.
His body was trembling like a weak tree.
“As expected, the necklace is the problem.”
Ricky trampled on the jewel with his foot. This was the reason that this machine worked.
If the opponent were someone with just muscle and no brain, they would have suffered so much.
“You worked hard.”
Ricky pulled the Holy Sword out of his forearm and pulled it back.
“I hope you live a normal life in your next one.”
Staring at the faintly visible face, he thrust the sword—no, tried to thrust it.
But the helm shattered fully, and the grey hair flowed with the pale face out in the open.
The Holy Sword stopped near the heart.
Ricky met his eyes.
Covered in scars and facial bones, he looked so different, but this man was someone Ricky knew.
It was a man he knew too well.
And he slowly said the name,
“… Brother Lars?”
The man didn’t answer.
Wheing!
Blood gushed from the broken Blood Bringer.
The Sword Demon’s unique self-healing was activated, and when Ricky hesitated, the holy power leaked out through the connected blades.
[Sword of Judgement.]
Kwaaaaang!!
Lars unconsciously activated the Sword of Judgement.
His hair fluttered as he aimed the sword at Ricky.
[Ricky!!]
The voice of Pyro screamed in his head, and Ricky’s expression contorted at the sight of the sword activating.
“You assholes!!!”
Lars moved the Sword of Judgement, and Ricky held it with his left hand that got cut, but he couldn’t control his anger.
He gritted his teeth and split the Sword of Judgement with his bare hands.
Lars displayed signs of panic, as if he hadn’t expected this to happen, yet he lost his cool and attacked Ricky.
“Brother!!”
Ricky, filled with grief, broke down the sword and threw his sword away as he grabbed Blood Bringer with both hands.
He didn’t want to swing the sword at him after realizing the opponent was Lars. Ricky began to pull out the Blood Bringer with an angry face.
“Kuaaaak-!”
Lars screamed in pain like he didn’t want this to happen, and Blood Bringer was unable to withstand it and crumbled a little.
When he pulled it out, black blood gushed from the severed part of his right arm, making Lars’s body convulse.
Looking at it, Ricky could tell what was going on.
“This fucking thing!!! How dare they do such a thing!”
Kukukuk!!
As if the holy power of the Apostle had gone haywire, it swallowed the entire place.
[No! It cannot be done!]
“Kuaaaak!!”
Anger was raging.
It was so hot that it felt like everything would explode. Lars tried to make the Blood Bringer part of his own.
This was like watching a slave.
But this wasn’t something Ricky’s holy power could handle, so he tried to choke him.
Ricky couldn’t help but cry.
“Get yourself together… brother!!!”
Ricky took Lars’s hand and held his head with his right hand.
Holy power began to spread from his head to his body to brainwash the Holy Executioner.
He couldn’t imagine just how much pain Lars had been through. His hands were already shaking in anger, but saving Lars was the priority.
[Ricky! Ricky!]
Pyro was anxiously calling him, but he didn’t answer. He felt sorry, but he wasn’t going to follow her order.
[Don’t get caught up in your rage! Especially not in such a place!]
‘But I cannot stand this.’
Lars calmed down and closed his eyes.
Ricky put him down carefully and grabbed the Holy Sword again.
His rage was clearly concentrated on one person.
“Zenith.”
I will kill him for sure…
“You are so careless.”
It was then that a creepy voice came from behind him.
Ricky didn’t even look back and moved his fist.
“Like I said, so careless.”
Ricky’s eyes widened. His nose twitched, and his lips pursed.
He lowered his head and looked at his stomach. Someone’s hand could be seen.
And Zenith’s holy power flowed in.
“Anger is blinding”
Apostle Noah whispered in Apostle Ricky’s ears.
