Raon looked at the fourth apostle through the current created by an explosion of powerful ghastly energy and coldness. The left side of his upper body was violently ripped apart, as if a beast had devoured him.
Pssh!
A scary amount of gray blood was pouring from his wound, which looked like a saw had cut through his chest and shoulder.
“Kuk…”
His eyes flipped over, and the fourth apostle collapsed without even letting out a scream. His breathing slowly died out.
“Haa…”
Raon exhaled the breath that he’d been holding. He was only holding his breath for a short time, but he felt tired because he had exploded his power at once.
‘I think I was nervous because I haven’t done it in so long.’
Although assassination was a daily matter in his previous life, he felt awkward about doing it in his current one.
However, he didn’t dislike that feeling. After all, it signified that he was closer to being a swordsman than an assassin.
Raon chuckled while looking down on Blade of Requiem, which was covered in gray blood.
‘This was actually my first time.’
It was actually his first time assassinating an enemy of his own volition, rather than on Derus Robert’s order. Even though he’d tried it against the Green War Demon before, he decided to count it as an exception since that instance had ended up a failure.
You bastard…
Wrath popped up on the bracelet and glared at Raon.
When did you learn assassination techniques?
When Raon tried to cut the head off the helmeted bastard before and ended up cutting his shoulder instead, his skills were so poor that it wasn’t even funny—but the assassination he’d just carried out was different.
He stabbed the enemy’s heart before he could react and exploded the suppressed power at once. That was a perfect way of assassinating a Master with an excellent defensive ability, and something a skilled assassin would do.
That wasn’t a method that a beginner can use.
Raon shrugged his shoulders while holding Blade of Requiem.
‘It’s similar to how all streams become one eventually. I got better at assassination because my swordsmanship skills have improved.’
Since he couldn’t tell Wrath about his previous life, he simply gave a random excuse.
I keep thinking it, but you really are crazy.
‘Are you complimenting me?’
I’m obviously insulting you! And…
‘And?’
Hmph, nothing.
Wrath shook his hand with a cold smile on his face. His furtive smile seemed to suggest he knew something about it, but Raon was already aware of what he was thinking.
“You…”
Raon turned his head upon hearing a perplexed voice coming from right in front of him. Morell’s lips were trembling as he grabbed his neck, where blood was gushing from him.
“Wh-When did you…? How…?”
He couldn’t properly formulate his question from his panic.
“I interfered because it looked extremely dangerous for you. I hope it wasn’t unwarranted.”
“Haa, of course not.”
The stench of blood was mixed in Morell’s sigh as he looked at Raon with tired eyes.
“You saved my life. Thank you.”
He bowed without the slightest hesitation. The expression of gratitude seemed to be for saving everyone from Balkar in that place, rather than just himself.
“Thank you?”
Raon tilted his head.
“Huh?”
“Are you sure you didn’t forget something?”
“Th-Thank you, Sir… Wait! The respectful speech was only supposed to be used in Porvan City.”
“Ah, you are right.”
Raon snickered and nodded his head.
“Even though I haven’t seen you for a long time, you are still so…”
“Use this one.”
Raon snickered and threw him an ointment. Since Morell was a reasonable person who admitted his flaws when he had to, he didn’t have a bad impression of him—unlike the bitch princess.
Whoosh!
As soon as Morell received the ointment, the aura storm created by ghastly energy and coldness subsided and the fourth apostle’s collapsed body on the ground was revealed to everyone.
“Uaaah!”
“A-Apostle!”
“What’s happening?!”
“N-No way!”
The White Blood Fanatics screamed in terror upon seeing the fourth apostle on the ground, unmoving.
“S-Sir Raon?”
“Raon Zieghart!”
“Why is he in this place…?”
“W-Wait, did he just defeat the apostle?”
On the other hand, the jaws of the magicians and knights from the Balkar kingdom dropped upon finding Raon in front of the apostle.
“Hua…”
Princess Jayna looked especially surprised, her eyes as wide as they could go, even more than when the archbishop was cornering her. Everyone looked like they couldn’t understand the situation.
“Raon? Is he Raon Zieghart?”
“He’s the one who defeated the seventh apostle.”
“Wh-When did you even get here?”
Crimson flame burst from the White Blood Fanatics’ eyes upon noticing Raon’s identity. They were burning with anger and grinding their teeth over the fact that Raon had defeated the fourth apostle after having defeated the seventh apostle in the past.
“D-Did he get him?”
Dorian shouted upon seeing the fourth apostle once he finally entered the cavern.
‘Seriously, that guy…’
That idiot!
[Haha. Dear me…]
Raon, Wrath, and Lohengreen glared at Dorian at the same time, as he said the worst thing he could’ve said after defeating an enemy.
“You defeated him! I expected no less from you, vice squad leader!”
Dorian smiled happily while voicing something he shouldn’t be saying once again.
“Kill them! Kill every single one of them! Don’t let them leave alive, no matter what!”
The archbishop shouted, using her staff to spray spears of bloody energy all around the place. The White Blood Fanatics scattered around became a wave to rush towards him.
“It’s meaningless, though.”
Raon fixed his grip on the Blade of Requiem while furtively glancing at the fourth apostle instead of the White Blood Fanatics.
‘I’m talking about everything you are trying to do.’
* * *
Dorian’s curse had worked, since the fourth apostle was crouching while holding his breath instead of dying.
‘I almost died.’
He really would have died if his decision was any slower.
He barely managed to survive, thanks to having moved the bloody energy towards his heart the moment the red blade pierced through his skin.
He lost his left shoulder and upper body, and he was on the brink of death from the critical injury, but it was still fine. Everything was going to be fine as long as he killed the man in front of him.
Whir.
The fourth apostle bit his tongue to endure the pain. He controlled his bloody energy at an extremely slow pace, pretending that the energy remaining inside the corpse was simply dissipating. No one should’ve been able to notice him.
‘I’ll kill you the exact same way.’
Just like he had suddenly been attacked from behind, he was planning to burst his heart from behind. He suppressed the urge to grasp his longsword, waiting for the right moment.
“Kill him!”
The archbishop spread bloody energy and cried out for revenge, ordering an attack.
The fourth apostle could feel the turbulent bloody energy as the Fanatics rushed towards Raon.
Thud!
Raon’s footsteps could be heard. He had turned around to charge towards the archbishop.
‘Now is the time!’
The fourth apostle stood up while exploding all of the bloody energy he’d been gathering. He pulled back his longsword in order to pierce Raon’s heart in a single strike. However…
“Huh?”
Why is he watching me?
Even though Raon Zieghart should've been looking at the archbishop instead, he was looking straight at him instead.
“Are you done playing dead?”
Goosebumps appeared on his skin upon seeing the soaring corners of Roan’s lips when he spoke in a low voice.
‘H-He knew about it all alon…Kuh!’
Before he could thrust the longsword he had pulled back, Raon’s dagger flashed by his neck. Strength left his body alongside a cold sensation.
“Why…?”
The fourth apostle’s chin was trembling as he used his only hand to grasp the red line drawn on his neck.
“You already know the answer…”
Raon chuckled as he watched the fourth apostle collapse onto his back.
“Because a beast is the most vulnerable to attack when it is hunting its prey.”
“Kuh…”
The fourth apostle used his regeneration skill by swirling the bloody energy that couldn’t achieve its objective. Even though he focused everything he had on regeneration, the torn flesh and the wound on his neck weren’t recovering at all.
“Wh-What? Why is the regeneration…”
His White Spirit Aura was even capable of regenerating a wound caused by astral energy, yet he couldn’t regenerate the wound created by that dagger for some reason. It felt like the streams of bloody energy couldn’t be connected to each other.
“Is your regeneration not working?”
“Wh-What the hell is that dagger…?”
“This one only exists to kill you all. Bloody energy won’t be enough to stop it.”
“W-Wai…Kuh!”
Raon held the Blade of Requiem in a reverse grip. He used the Evil Eye of Wrath to confirm the location of the apostle’s heart, which was pushed to the right side, and stabbed him right after.
Pssh!
The concentrated ghastly energy at the tip of the Blade of Requiem burst from the fourth apostle’s heart, and the gray blood and bloody energy filling his heart gushed out like a fountain.
“Hua…”
The vitality in the fourth apostle’s eyes started to wither. With the Blade of Requiem sucking out all of the White Spirit Aura that he’d been accumulating in his heart, his life couldn’t be saved even if the White Blood Religion’s leader himself were there.
“Wow, he was alive…”
Dorian scratched his head like an idiot.
“You shouldn’t say something like ‘did he get him?’ It’s seriously a curse.”
Raon chuckled at Dorian.
“A-Apostle!”
“Save the apostle!”
“St-Stop him!”
“Uwaah!”
Upon realizing that the apostle was really dying, the White Blood Fanatics threw themselves at Raon while using all of the bloody energy left in their bodies.
Cring!
Raon returned the Blade of Requiem to its scabbard. He used the Ring of Fire to purify the tainted ghastly energy and Glacier’s energy and unsheathed the Blade of Requiem once again.
Tsshing!
The melody of Blood Rain reverberated from the red blade to fill the entire cavern.
“Gah!”
“Kuah…”
“Uah…”
The White Blood Fanatics collapsed onto the ground, blood gushing from all seven holes on their faces. The archbishop was the only person still standing among them.
On the other hand, it didn’t have any effect at all on anyone else in that place. The Blood Rain was literally only affecting the White Blood Fanatics.
“Th-That dagger…”
The archbishop’s hand holding the staff was trembling as she muttered. The blood covering her mouth could be seen through the thin gap as she said it.
“It’s a technique dedicated to you.”
Raon walked towards the archbishop while twirling the Blade of Requiem.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
The archbishop raised her staff while stepping back. Countless white blades of bloody energy poured down from the staff.
‘They are just randomly falling down.’
The bloody energy spears were raining down on the entire area instead of being focused on a target. It was making it easy to avoid or deflect them.
Whir!
Raon read the direction of bloody energy and kicked the ground.
“What an idiot!”
The archbishop changed the direction of the bloody energy while rolling up the corners of her lips. The spears that were spreading in a cone started to gather towards Raon’s vitals as sharply as an awl.
‘She could change their direction.’
Even though the storm of bloody energy was covering the entire area, she was capable of changing the direction in an instant. She must’ve been stronger than the archbishop he’d met in Porvan city before.
However.
‘So what?’
Raon smiled coldly, controlling the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The Blade of Requiem’s edge turned crimson as a bunch of flame flowers burst from it.
Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Hundred Flames.
Flame Spirit.
Flower petals of raging flame blossomed from the tip of the blade, fluttering through the wind to clash against the bloody energy.
Wham! Wham!
The particles of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation contained the power of ghastly energy and melted down all of the bloody energy from the archbishop without exception.
Whap!
The magnificent light from Flame Spirit filled the cavern as the bloody energy completely disappeared.
“Are you finished?”
Raon walked between the descending pieces of Flame Spirit to stand in front of the archbishop.
“Ah…”
The archbishop stepped back with a trembling chin.
“I’ll finish you off no…”
“Die!”
The archbishop suddenly stopped her steps and charged forward. She used all of her remaining bloody energy to stab Raon’s heart with her staff.
“But of course.”
Raon nodded with his cold gaze fixated on her.
‘This is how the White Blood Religion should be.’
The White Blood Religion never admitted their sins, nor begged for their lives or for forgiveness. They were lunatics who believed that they were just, and that they were always right.
That was the only way they could justify their eating human flesh and drinking human blood.
Raon used the River Footwork. He pierced into the archbishop’s chest, stabbing her heart with the Blade of Requiem. The white blood seeping into the ground was blurrier than the apostle’s.
“Kuh…”
The archbishop’s eyes rolled, filled with frustration instead of resentment as she collapsed.
[The Blade of Requiem has absorbed a tremendous amount of bloody energy.]
[The Blade of Requiem is purifying the bloody energy.]
* * *
* * *
The Blade of Requiem started to vibrate powerfully.
‘I have never obtained so much bloody energy before.’
Since he’d absorbed the bloody energy from both an apostle and an archbishop, he couldn’t even begin to guess how many stats he’d gained from that.
‘I’m looking forward to how much I’ll get. Don’t you agree?’
Shut up! You are taking them away from the King of Essence… Kuh…
Wrath bit his lip. He was apparently already worrying about it.
Raon raised his head after shaking the blood off of the Blade of Requiem. The cavern was completely silent.
“Th-That’s crazy…”
“How could he kill an apostle and an archbishop so easily…?”
“Raon Zieghart. Is he that genius called the Frostfire Sword of Valor?”
“That can’t be described as a genius. He’s a monster.”
“I heard he’s not even twenty years old…”
People from the Balkar kingdom, warriors from smaller groups, and the shadows were all expressing their astonishment with their widened eyes.
Since Raon had pretty much slain the strongest faction in the cavern on his own, their reaction was only natural.
“S-Sir Raon!”
Zatice walked up to him while smiling brightly.
“Thank you for saving me!”
He bowed. His bright smile had no trace of displeasure. Just like before, he was thanking him for what he’d done without considering the conflict between the groups.
“I really have no excuse, since you’ve helped me every single time.”
Zatice scratched the back of his head in shame.
“That’s not true.”
Raon shook his head. Zatice had also gotten stronger than when they met in Porvan before. He believed that Zatice would be able to reach a great height as long as he maintained his unbiased personality.
“Well, then…”
Raon stomped the ground powerfully enough to make the entire cavern tremble, causing everyone from Balkar, the smaller groups, and the shadows to flinch and step back.
“I’ll make it clear. Zieghart has no intention of sharing Lohengreen’s legacy. If you have a problem with it, we will need to fight it out here.”
“Hmm…”
“Kuh…”
Naturally, no one could argue against him. Since he was the monster that had slain the White Blood Religion’s apostle in a single strike, no one was able to defy him. Even though Morell was the only person who was a match for him, he couldn’t say anything, as Raon had just saved his life. As a result, no one was able to speak up.
“A-Are you saying that Zieghart is going to take all of that?”
After a brief silence, a gray-haired middle-aged man stepped forward from the smaller groups. He was a warrior at the highest level of Expert. He seemed to be the representative of the smaller groups.
“Indeed.”
Raon nodded without hesitating in the slightest.
“Isn’t that excessive? Balkar has also…”
“Haa!”
Morell sighed to interrupt the middle-aged man’s speech.
“Raon Zieghart has saved our lives. Salaman will withdraw now.”
He walked up to Raon and returned the ointment.
“You better not try to call it even with that.”
“Of course I’m not. I’m not as nasty as your squad leader.”
“You sound a lot more trustworthy now that you said that.”
Raon nodded, and Morell frowned before he turned his head.
“Let’s return.”
“W-Wait!”
Princess Jayna briskly stood up in denial.
“We can’t simply return after having reached all the way here…”
“Princess, for instance…”
“Ah, Princess Jayna.”
Raon interrupted Morell and walked up to Princess Jayna. He moved his mouth in the shape of the word ‘contract’ with a smile on his face.
“Hiee!”
Her face turned pale. She seemed to have finally remembered signing a contract with him.
“It’s been a while.”
“It’s…”
“It’s?”
“I-It’s been a while, Sir.”
Jayna nodded with trembling lips.
“So, do you have any problem with my suggestion?”
“No…”
She sniffled without even raising her head. She was apparently overwhelmed by shame and frustration at the same time.
“Hmm, this is the second time I’ve saved you, Princess Jayna. Maybe I deserve a reward for this.”
“Kuh…”
“Don’t you agree? I’ve saved the princess who is supposed to be the cherished daughter of Balkar, so I should get a present or a godly tablet at least…”
“Balkar aren’t shameless people. You don’t need to worry about it, since we repay lives with lives and blood for blood.”
Morell spoke while looking at her, and her entire body started to tremble. She put her hand in her inner pocket and took out a golden tablet. Jayna’s name was written on it.
“Here…”
Her trembling hand made it look like she was having a stroke as she handed over the godly tablet.
“How nice of you, princess.”
Raon didn’t refuse it, immediately taking her tablet.
‘It was the right decision to get something to threaten her with.’
Raon figured that he could use the tablet to make a request from Balkar’s king instead of Jayna herself, since it was widely known that Balkar’s king cherished Jayna a great deal.
Raon unconsciously smiled, as it was a pretty good treasure.
“Take this one too.”
As Raon was nodding in satisfaction, Morell threw a red colored tablet towards him. It was a hexagonal tablet with a snake engraved in the center.
“What is this…?”
“That’s mine. You should use it when you need it.”
“Thank you.”
“Aren’t you going to try refusing?”
“Why would I ever refuse a treasure?”
“That’s true.”
Morell chuckled and turned around.
“Let’s head back. Support the princess.”
“Yes!”
The female knights supported Jayna upon hearing him. Morell stopped before leaving the cavern and turned around.
“Raon Zieghart. I’ll make sure to repay this favor.”
He expressed his gratitude one more time before going upstairs. Zatice also nodded with a faint smile on his face. Jayna seemed to be grinding her teeth, and Inield was completely ignoring him.
“W-We are also going to leave!”
“Thank you for saving us!”
“Thank you very much! We will repay this favor no matter what.”
The warriors from the smaller groups bowed to him as soon as Balkar left, their lips trembling.
“Are you really thankful to me?”
“Of course we are!”
“So you are going to repay the favor, right?”
“Of course!”
“Ah, I appreciate that a lot. Dorian!”
“Yes?”
Dorian was watching Balkar’s people leave from the entrance. He briskly turned his head around upon hearing his call.
“Those people are leaving. Write down their names and affiliations.”
“Ah, yes!”
Dorian nodded and put down the desk he was holding in front of the entrance, taking out a piece of paper and a pen.
“E-Excuse me, why would you need our names…?”
“You just said that you would repay the favor. If that’s the case, it’s better to properly organize it.”
A faint smile appeared on Raon’s face as he looked at the warriors from the smaller groups. A faint but cold pressure emerged from his smile.
Gulp!
The warriors from smaller groups swallowed nervously upon seeing Raon’s smile.
‘N-No way, is he…’
‘That’s right. He’s telling us to bring money or gifts, just like the Balkar did a moment ago…’
‘Wh-What the…?’
‘Wasn’t he the Frostfire Sword of Valor? He was supposed to be an honorable man!’
‘B-But it looks like he’s going to kill us if we don’t.’
‘It’s all your fault for speaking up! We could’ve just thanked him and none of this would’ve happened!’
The warriors broke out in cold sweat upon realizing Raon’s intentions.
“Let’s go.”
“Sniff…”
“Ack!”
Raon bobbed his chin to urge them to continue, and the warriors from the smaller groups clenched their teeth and walked towards Dorian.
“Yes! First person! Give me your name!”
Dorian was sitting in front of the white wood desk on a white wood chair that he had taken out at some point. The way the desk and chair were shining white in color and contrasting with the corpses filling the cavern looked rather out of place.
“I’m Reekel from the Purple Eagle guild…”
“Alright, Sir Reekel from the Purple Eagle guild…”
He quickly wrote down their names and affiliations with experienced movements.
Raon turned his head to look at the last group. They were Derus Robert’s shadows. He met the eyes of the assassins that were the exact same as himself in his previous life.
‘This is a nostalgic feeling.’
The eyes of the shadows reminded him of the past. It was the hellish days where he had to give up humanity and turn into a hunting dog in order to accomplish the missions he was assigned.
When he thought about the past, he didn’t want to kill them anymore. After all, they had been brainwashed after getting kidnapped or sold off to Derus Robert.
‘Shall I try making them return?’
The shadows had a simple pattern of action. If they even had a 0.1% chance of success, they would disregard their lives to fight, but they would withdraw instead if it was completely impossible. And the possibility of success was decided through the senses engraved in their bodies and brain.
“What are you planning to do?”
Raon resonated the Ring of Fire and ignited the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The powerful energy wave of a Master burst out endlessly. Rubble started to fall down from the ceiling, and the floor started to collapse.
“Huff!”
“Ugh!”
“Kuu…”
The shadows trembled upon facing that powerful pressure. Their calm eyes now looked like they were about to pop out as they trembled violently.
Tap!
The shadows withdrew upon realizing that they had no chance of winning against Raon. They leapt over the warriors of the smaller groups that were lined up in front of Dorian, leaving through the passage.
“Huh?”
“A-Are you just releasing them?”
“But they are assassins!”
The warriors from the smaller groups widened their mouths, since they weren’t expecting him to release the assassins.
“I’m not a murderer. I’m not going to kill them if they aren’t trying to fight me.”
Raon shook his hand while smiling faintly.
“Then you should make them write down their names just like we are doing!”
“Do you think assassins would reveal their names? They would rather kill themselves.”
“Ugh…”
“But you shouldn’t try writing a fake name or affiliation, because I have a pretty good memory.”
Raon murmured that he remembered all of their faces, and the people who had finished writing came back running towards Dorian.
“I-I made a mistake!”
“Me too! My name is actually…”
Raon chuckled and turned around.
You are evil! You are truly evil! Did you used to be a demon king in another dimension or something?
Wrath’s mouth was wide open. Raon couldn’t tell whether he was impressed or shocked by him.
[Hahaha! I should’ve expected no less from the priest. My preparations were completely unnecessary.]
Lohengreen also exclaimed in admiration.
“It wasn’t a big deal. I just…Hmm?”
Raon interrupted himself and looked at the Blade of Requiem in his hand. The blade had been silent because it was busy absorbing the bloody energy, but it started to vibrate violently.
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem roared and guided Raon. He followed its guidance, and he could see the fourth apostle’s corpse.
“But you already finished absorbing the bloody energy.”
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem pointed at the fourth apostle’s hand instead.
“That’s…”
The longsword that the fourth apostle was swinging was located in that direction.
Whir!
Raon swallowed nervously while staring at the longsword.
“Are you telling me that you can make the power of that longsword yours?”
