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 whole world had become his enemy.
"If anyone else had said that, I would have torn their mouth apart, but you've earned the right."
Though Darkan had been a monster among Transcendents during the era of the Six Kings and Five Demons, Derus was confident 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 sensed 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 at full strength.
Both Darkan's appearance and his changed demeanor were so disconcerting that Derus unconsciously clenched his jaw.
"You seem quite flustered."
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 his hands as if telling Derus to quickly come to his senses.
"Why are you blocking my path here?"
Derus frowned as he looked at the smiling Darkan.
"Has the Holy Sword Alliance betrayed the Five Demons?"
"Holy Sword Alliance? Betrayal? You're saying amusing things."
Darkan tapped his forehead with his finger as he twisted his lips.
"As I said at first, I am neither the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance nor the Dark Night Sword God. This Darkan walks whatever path he desires, regardless of the Five Kings and Five Demons. I simply came because I wanted to see your sword."
He shook his head as if that was all there was to it.
"Then did you really hand over the Holy Sword Alliance to the Sword Demon?"
"Rather than handing it over, he took it upon himself. Of course, I don't care either way. I was only 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 tossing away a useless stone.
"Don't tell me those eyes too..."
"Yes. I pulled them out with my own hands."
He grinned as he spoke of gouging out his own eyeballs.
"You're not in your right mind..."
Derus let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the composed Darkan.
'I knew Darkan was obsessed with swords, but to this extent...'
He had known that Darkan, the Dark Night Sword God, was entranced by swordsmanship. But he never imagined he would abandon the Holy Sword Alliance and gouge out his own eyes for the sake of personal cultivation.
'A madman.'
An incomprehensible lunatic. Until now, only two people had defied his predictions, and it seemed Darkan would be added to that list.
"There's one more thing I want to ask."
Derus raised his gaze as he let out a heavy breath.
"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 child you mentioned..."
Derus narrowed his eyes as he watched drops of blood seeping through his glove.
"Is it Raon Zieghart?"
"Precisely."
Darkan nodded heavily.
"Actually, 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 pleasing!"
Ogram sneered as he looked at the frozen Derus.
"You're nothing but a monkey dancing in Raon's palm! Derus Robert!"
He stomped his foot as he shouted that Derus's schemes couldn't even reach Raon's toes.
"Kuk. Kahahahaha!"
Derus swept back his hair with his bloodied hand. The red blood staining his silver hair created an eerie sight.
"I don't know whether to be pleased or angry about this."
Not even his lifelong subordinates knew he would go to the Beast Union - no, to the small tribe where Ogram was hiding. But Raon Zieghart had read his psychology and called Darkan here. He was happy that someone understood him completely, yet simultaneously enraged that it was Raon.
"I think I've given you enough time to collect yourself?"
Darkan tilted his chin as if suggesting they should begin again.
"Haaa..."
Derus rotated his wrist as he exhaled a white breath.
"My mood is quite foul right now, you know?"
Despite his words about his foul mood, he remained completely calm as he gripped his sword hilt.
"This cleansing is going to sting quite a bit."
The moment Derus drew his sword, the direction of the killing intent pouring from heaven and earth twisted, and began pushing back against Darkan.
"Excellent!"
As Darkan raised his sword with a wrinkle of his nose bridge, the earth shook violently, creating powerful waves that seemed to support him. With a thunderous rumble, the sky burst into brilliant radiance as if following Derus, while heavy black currents rose from the earth as if supporting Darkan.
"Even if it tears up the roof of my mouth..."
Darkan curled his lips in satisfaction at Derus's momentum pushing against his own aura.
"Give it your all!"
He nodded as if saying he didn't mind dying.
"You'll regret those words."
Derus and Darkan raised their swords simultaneously. The two Transcendents stood motionless like statues for a long while, but the moment they felt the winter wind piercing through their killing intent, they thrust their swords at each other's throats. As the black sword and silver sword clashed 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 charging in for self-destruction. The flame-like blade cut through space, slicing through both the Blood Demons and the dimension behind them. However, the Blood Demons opened new dimensions to emerge from, throwing themselves forward and exploding with bloody energy.
'Are they determined to block the path at any cost?'
Though the White 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, yet the white dimension continued to pour out more Blood Demons.
Their determination to defend the walls was clear - they would sacrifice every Blood Demon remaining on the continent if necessary.
'Is she really creating some new magic?'
Given that the Leader of the White Blood Religion hadn't appeared even in this situation, she must be hiding inside headquarters, plotting something else.
"Your filthy blood shall not enter our holy ground!"
"Die, demons!"
"I'll purify you even if it costs me my soul!"
"Blood God!"
The White Blood Religion followers charged at him with eyes burning with madness, as if possessed by spirits.
'I'll have to cut through them first.'
Just as Raon was cutting down the swarming Blood Demons and trying to close the dimension behind them, a powerful wave of bloody energy unlike anything before emanated from atop the wall. Crescent-shaped bloody energy poured down over his head with a piercing sound.
Raon raised his gaze after deflecting the powerful bloody energy with his Fire Wall.
"Are you Raon Zieghart?"
The blue-haired apostle who had propped a large scythe on his shoulder looked down at him with a curled lip.
"You certainly have a different aura from the others."
He was smiling playfully even on this battlefield where countless people were dying.
"An apostle, is it."
"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.
'Though weaker than me, he can't be underestimated.'
The 12th Apostle was a Transcendent who had reached a stable realm. Even if slightly inferior, he was still a martial artist who had crossed the barrier of Transcendence through self-built Willpower, so he couldn't be taken lightly.
'Especially those who use such strange weapons need to 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 trump cards that could save their lives.
'I need to conserve energy for the fight with the Leader of the White Blood Religion. First, I should assess what abilities he has...'
As Raon prepared to climb the wall, a violent shockwave erupted from the direction of the fifth bridge.
Denier and the Wise Martial Palace had finally broken through the Blood Demons and sent Martha against the 10th Apostle.
"I've lived until now just to kill you and that woman!"
Martha screamed as she swung her sword at the 10th Apostle's neck.
Unable to ignore Martha's attack like before, the 10th Apostle summoned a spear to block it.
"You've grown stronger."
He calmly rubbed his chin while meeting Martha's fiercely burning eyes.
"Shut up!"
Martha pushed back the 10th Apostle's spear with her sword glowing with yellow light. The Blood Demons and swordsmen's eyes widened as they watched her push back 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 senior took your mother. However..."
He slowly raised his finger as if taunting Martha.
"Don't you know I was there too?"
The 12th Apostle pointed at himself with the finger he had been circling.
"What...?"
Martha stopped pressing against the 10th Apostle and turned her eyes to the 12th Apostle.
"Don't you remember? I grabbed your mother's hair and tried to tear out her throat. Your senior here stopped me."
The 12th Apostle curled his lips as if asking why she was attacking her benefactor instead of her enemy.
"You!"
Martha ground her teeth and pivoted her ankle. She charged toward the 12th Apostle without looking back.
"Where do you think you're going?"
But the 10th Apostle wasn't one to let her go so easily.
With a heavy impact, he tilted his spear shaft to deflect Martha's sword and struck her waist.
"Kuhek..."
Martha trembled as she gripped her sword, pinned against the edge of the wall.
"Don't ignore the opponent before your eyes."
The 10th Apostle thrust his white-hot spear as if intending to kill Martha in one strike.
"Martha!"
Denier quickly jumped up the wall and deflected the 10th Apostle's spear as it descended toward Martha's neck.
"You demon bastards..."
Martha bit her blood-reddened lips as she stood up.
"I'll kill you all!"
She spread killing intent so intense it frightened even herself, declaring she would kill not just the apostles but all Blood Demons in existence.
"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 god, rather than as your ordinary mother? It's beneficial for both sides!"
He sneered as if provoking not just Martha, but all of House Zieghart. His voice echoed in their ears, suggesting the use of mind-shaking magic. A deep rumble resonated through the air.
The Zieghart swordsmen seemed to fall for the 12th Apostle's provocation, directing their intense killing intent at him rather than the enemies before them.
"You son of a bitch!"
Martha, naturally, was the most quickly and strongly provoked, charging at him again. A resonant boom filled the air.
The 10th Apostle deflected Denier's sword and moved to block Martha's charge toward the 12th Apostle.
"Seems you remember now? How disappointing."
The 12th Apostle flicked his tongue from 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 one and only."
He tapped his finger against his lips as if to emphasize 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 through.
With a deep resonance, Raon gripped the Blade of Requiem, which released a mournful sword mantra as if resonating with Martha's emotions.
'Is it sympathizing with Martha's sorrow?'
The vengeful spirits dwelling in the Blade of Requiem were victims of the White Blood Religion. They seemed to understand Martha's pain and sorrow, openly displaying their hatred for the Blood Demons. Even Rimmer's wind, which usually soothed the vengeful spirits, raised harsh, cold gusts today as if in sympathy.
"You said you're the 12th Apostle?"
Raon sheathed the Heavenly Drive and drew the Blade of Requiem.
"I'll tear that mouth of yours first."
Having lived as an assassin, he always moved only after clearly understanding his opponent's martial prowess and methods.
Today too, he had intended to properly gauge the 12th Apostle's abilities before fighting, to conserve strength for battling the Leader of the White Blood Religion, but now he couldn't hold back.
"Coming right at me?"
The 12th Apostle lifted his chin provocatively, suggesting 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 sneered and activated the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, red flames spread along the Blade of Requiem's edge, extending majestically as if to reach the heavens.
"What is this..."
The 12th Apostle's eyes widened as he sensed the deep grudge 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 above his shoulders. The bloody energy rippled as if it would reflect his attack.
"Nothing will help you."
Raon raised the Blade of Requiem as he advanced toward the wall. Following the flow led 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 grew heavier, the Quick Sword faster, and the blade sharper. The vengeful spirits' willpower 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 White Blood Religion's protective magic shattered, the white wall crumbled, and a red line appeared across the body of the 12th Apostle who stood atop it.
"Im-impossible. The absolute defense magic and reflection..."
The 12th Apostle's lips trembled as he watched his large scythe crumble, his body split in half.
"Kuaaaa..."
Unable to withstand his bisected body, he fell with the crumbling wall stones, white blood spraying from his wounds.
"The grudge and sorrow imbued in this sword are longer and deeper than any other sword in the world. It's not a depth that someone like you could handle. Of course..."
Raon stepped on the ground soaked with the 12th Apostle's blood and crossed over the collapsed wall.
"You died running your mouth because you didn't know that."
He raised his clenched fist toward Martha, who was staring wide-eyed from the right.
"Now it's your turn to show what you can do."