Chapter 1048
Phew.
Raon let out a white breath as he looked at the sea steeped in cold air.
‘It’s changed a lot.’
Winter had reached the sea while he was searching for the former lord of the Holy Sword Alliance, Darkhan, with Rektor and training the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
Although the cold had not fully settled in yet, the rolling waves reflected a different color than before.
“Time really does fly, doesn’t it?”
Rabawin flicked seawater with his fingertip and smiled faintly.
“It feels like only a few days have passed since you left, but it’s already been three months.”
He nodded, saying that because the sea never changes, time seemed to pass even faster.
“Have you seen Haerang recently?”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the calm surface of the water.
“No. I haven’t seen him at all since you left.”
Rabawin shook his head, saying that even though he had patrolled the area for the past three months, he had not encountered Haerang even once.
“I see….”
Raon smacked his lips softly.
‘Did he go somewhere else?’
Before leaving this port, he had asked Haerang to keep an eye on the White Blood Cult. Hearing that he had not been seen even once made it seem likely that Haerang had left the area.
》That’s only natural. He barely escaped the clutches of those Blood Demons. Why would he care only about your request?
Wrath snorted, saying that a wolf needed freedom.
》Don’t rely on a Spirit. Run with your own two feet.
‘I already brought the wet suit.’
He had naturally brought Evelyn’s wet suit, since he needed to personally confirm whether there had been any changes in the White Blood Cult’s movements before the war began.
‘The sun won’t rise for a while, so I should leave now….’
Just as he was about to take Evelyn’s wet suit out of his subspace pouch and put it on—
Splash!
A droplet of water the size of a human torso leapt up from the sea and transformed into the shape of a young wolf.
“Yip!”
It was Haerang. As if he had been waiting for Raon, the moment Raon stepped into the water, he sprang out and stuck out his tongue.
“So you didn’t go anywhere else?”
“Woof!”
Haerang shook his head firmly, as if to say no.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me this whole time while watching the White Blood Cult?”
“Yip!”
The creature wagged its tail, stretching out its body as if to confirm that was exactly right.
》Tsk, a wolf should have some dignity….
Wrath frowned, saying it looked like a puppy had chosen its owner.
》That’s not a wolf. It’s just a dog!
He waved his hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.
“Thank you.”
Raon bent down and stroked Haerang’s head.
“But you seem a little bigger. No, your size is about the same, but the energy you carry….”
Haerang’s body had not changed much, but the sea energy within him had grown to an incomparably greater scale. It felt as though he were embracing the surrounding ocean itself.
“Woof?”
Haerang raised a front paw and scratched the bridge of his nose, as if he did not really know.
》He was born a special Spirit and survived a difficult ordeal, so it’s not strange for him to grow rapidly in a short time.
Wrath lowered his brows, saying that it seemed Haerang had grown as a Spirit through the hardship he had endured.
‘That’s a relief.’
Hearing that Haerang had achieved spiritual growth by overcoming pain filled him with both pride and relief.
“Shall we go, then?”
Raon put on Evelyn’s wet suit and stroked Haerang’s head.
“Yip!”
Haerang nodded as if to say he would guide him personally, then dove into the sea.
“I’ll be back.”
“Yep! I’ll be waiting.”
Rabawin bowed deeply, as if telling him to be careful.
Swish.
After hearing Rabawin’s farewell, Raon slipped into the sea without a sound. Although the seawater had grown noticeably colder as the seasons changed, it had no effect on him.
Woof.
Haerang slowly parted the current ahead of him, as if telling Raon to follow him alone.
‘Cute.’
Raon followed Haerang’s wagging tail, suppressing his presence and regulating his breathing.
Simply chasing after Haerang’s tail as if drawn to a flickering flame, he soon arrived at the valley where the White Blood Cult Main Headquarters lay sunken.
Recalling Roenn’s movements, he descended into the valley while avoiding the boundary spells. The Kraken, camouflaged beneath gray sand, and the white city rising above it came into view.
‘It’s still in the same place. But….’
Raon frowned as he examined the area around the Main Headquarters.
‘It would be dangerous to get any closer because of the Blood Demons.’
For some unknown reason, Blood Demons of archbishop rank or higher were submerged around the White Blood Cult Main Headquarters, just as he was.
‘What happened while I was away?’
Unless something unusual had occurred, there was no reason for Blood Demons to be out in the open sea, and a sense of unease rose in his chest.
‘I may need to revise the plan….’
Just as Raon frowned while watching the Blood Demons moving around the Main Headquarters—
Rumble!
The sea churned as if a volcano had erupted, and the Kraken’s legs, so enormous they could not be taken in at a glance, spread wide.
‘What the….’
It felt unreal. The Kraken’s body was so massive and majestic that it seemed like a dream even to his current eyes.
Ruuumble!
The Kraken stretched out its long legs, which seemed to control the very currents, and gripped the valley floor.
“Whine!”
Haerang trembled as he looked at Raon, as if he thought they had been discovered.
‘No.’
Raon shook his head and held Haerang tightly.
‘We haven’t been discovered yet.’
If their presence had been found out, an Apostle would have emerged from inside first, not the Kraken.
Clearly, the Kraken was trying to move elsewhere.
Ruuumble!
As expected, the Kraken was not attacking. Instead, it used its eight legs to steady the White Blood Cult Main Headquarters so it would not shake, then climbed out of the valley.
‘That was close.’
Since the Kraken moved and the Blood Demons shifted with it, they would have been discovered without question if the camouflage spell woven into his wet suit had not been active.
》Haaa….
Wrath let out an excited breath as he watched the Kraken’s legs slowly climb out of the valley.
》The more I look at it, the more I want to eat it.
Unaware of his own condition, he smacked his lips, already craving grilled Kraken.
‘Hoo.’
Raon let out a sigh of relief inwardly and climbed out of the valley as well, keeping his distance from the Kraken.
Boom!
After climbing out of the valley, the Kraken moved a considerable distance north, then buried its massive body in an area of brown sand.
Just as before, it seemed to possess a powerful instinct, instantly matching the texture and color of its skin to the brown sand and hiding itself.
It was such a perfect concealment technique that even his eyes could barely make it out.
》What’s this! If it was only going to move this far, why bother moving at all?
Wrath frowned, saying it had barely moved after climbing out of the valley.
》That’s why fat gathers on that flesh!
He clicked his tongue, saying it would not taste good if it did not move enough.
‘This is the place Haerang first imprinted in my mind.’
Raon narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the sea where the Kraken had settled.
‘The White Blood Cult Main Headquarters’ original location.’
There was no doubt. Looking at the surrounding terrain, he was reminded of the exact same scene Haerang had left in his memory.
》Then….
‘Right. The White Blood Cult’s barrier has been lifted.’
After their traces had been discovered and they had reinforced their defenses, the White Blood Cult had now removed them and intended to resume moving outside.
‘Well, they endured for a long time.’
It had already been more than three months since the Nine Apostles died and the White Blood Cult’s galleon sank, so they had held out much longer than he had expected.
Considering that the White Blood Cult needed to drink other people’s blood in order to grow stronger, it was remarkable.
‘Spending those two months preparing the magic turned out to be an advantage.’
Raon curled his lips as he watched the Blood Demons deploy new boundary magic around the Main Headquarters.
‘Our chances of victory have increased by at least twenty percent.’
===
Boom!
Martha’s sword came crashing down, carrying overwhelming tyrannical power. Sword energy blazing with dense Aura carved a deep mark into the floor of the training ground.
“Tsk.”
Martha clicked her tongue roughly as she looked at the shattered floor.
‘This isn’t it….’
The power of the Tyrant Sun Sword itself seemed to have surpassed the Grand Master level, but she felt uneasy because there were too many gaps in everything other than the essence of the Tyrant Sword.
‘It feels different from when I severed Father’s Aura.’
Unlike when Derus had advised her, her movements now felt awkward, like wearing clothes that did not fit.
‘Again….’
Even though she was exhausted from swinging her sword all day, there was no time to rest. With the war close at hand, she planted her sword into the ground.
Creak.
Just as Martha was about to unleash the Tyrant Sun Sword again, the door to the training ground opened, and Denier entered.
“I was wondering who was using my training ground. It was you.”
Denier let out a hollow laugh, as if this were the first time he had seen her in nearly two months.
“Today’s individual training, so I came home for the first time in a while.”
Martha bowed her head, saying only that it was individual training without mentioning that Raon had gone elsewhere.
“You must be busy lately too, Father. I heard you hardly come home.”
“The Head of House ordered a period of concentrated training.”
To keep information from leaking to the spies of the Five Demons, Glenn had not openly announced that they were preparing to wage war against the White Blood Cult. Instead, he had ordered the entire house to minimize other duties and focus on training.
Because of that, not only the Light Wind Palace but all the swordsmen of Zieghart were going through hellish days.
“You’ve improved a great deal since the last time I saw you. It looks like breaking through the wall of upper Grand Master is only a matter of time.”
Denier patted Martha’s shoulder, looking proud.
“My martial realm does seem to be rising, but my Tyrant Sun Sword isn’t improving. It feels worse than when I showed it to you after returning from the last mission.”
Martha sighed, saying that while her Aura, combat experience, and mental strength had all grown, her mastery of the Tyrant Sun Sword had regressed.
“That can’t be right. Is that true? Show me.”
Denier stepped back, saying he would see for himself.
“Yes!”
Martha nodded and demonstrated every stance of the Tyrant Sun Sword before Denier.
“Somehow, the essence of the Tyrant Sword has grown stronger, but the other essences aren’t keeping up, so the balance feels broken.”
She told Denier what she had been struggling with in her swordsmanship lately.
“So your concern is that only the essence of the Tyrant Sword is becoming stronger….”
Denier stroked his chin as he looked at Martha.
“That might not be a bad thing.”
“Huh?”
Martha blinked blankly.
“But if the power is strong while everything else is off-balance, won’t it be easy to avoid or block?”
“It’s fine, so don’t force that flow to change. I’ll go over your posture and Aura flow again.”
Denier told her to trust him and focus on the essence of the Tyrant Sword, then demonstrated it himself.
Whoosh!
Denier’s Tyrant Sun Sword also centered entirely on the essence of the Tyrant Sword, just like hers, yet somehow the balance of his swordsmanship did not waver at all.
“When a tree’s trunk grows, its branches grow naturally with it. The Tyrant Sun Sword is the same. If you focus on the Tyrant Sword, the other essences will follow on their own.”
He nodded, telling her not to doubt herself and to follow the feeling she had now.
“Especially when facing an overwhelming force, you need to focus even more on the Tyrant Sword. It’s the feeling of breaking through by force. Do you understand?”
After fully unfolding the Tyrant Sun Sword centered on the Tyrant Sword, Denier smiled as he looked back at her.
“I understand.”
Martha nodded heavily.
“Then I’ll try again.”
She stepped forward and raised her sword. With the confidence she had regained through Denier’s advice, she unfolded the Tyrant Sun Sword again, not suppressing the essence of the Tyrant Sword, but concentrating on it even more.
‘This definitely feels better.’
By no longer suppressing the essence of the Tyrant Sword, her strikes stretched out with far more life, as if the shackles around her limbs had been removed. Simply unleashing the swordsmanship made her chest feel refreshed.
“Not bad, but here, spread your arms a little wider.”
Denier directly took hold of Martha’s arm and roughly adjusted her according to the flow of the Tyrant Sun Sword, but his eyes shone with a warm light, as if he were sincerely happy to see his daughter growing stronger.
===
After reporting to Glenn and Chamber that the White Blood Cult had risen out of the valley, Raon headed straight for the 5th Training Ground.
“Hmm….”
He smacked his lips softly as he watched the swordsmen polishing their respective swordsmanship.
‘The war is close. What kind of training should I give them now?’
For two months, he had created new training every day, tempering their swordsmanship, spirit, body, and Aura in turn, so now he could not immediately think of what to do next.
‘When you can’t think of anything, go back to basics….’
Just as he was thinking he should reorganize their swordsmanship from the ground up again, Krein passed in front of him.
Seeing Krein reminded him of the brown notebook he always carried around to record the training.
“Krein.”
Raon snapped his fingers and called him over.
“M-me?”
Krein pointed at himself with a raised finger.
“Is there another Krein here besides you?”
“Ahh….”
Rolling his eyes as if frightened, he approached.
“Why did you call me?”
“You wrote a training log, right? Bring it here.”
“Huh…?”
The moment Krein heard him ask for the log, his pupils trembled as if he had seen a ghost.
“Why that….”
“To see what kind of training I’ve been giving you so far. That’s why I told you to write it in the first place, isn’t it?”
Raon wiggled his finger, as if asking why he was acting like that over something obvious.
“W-wasn’t that just for personal recordkeeping?”
Krein’s jaw dropped as if he had never considered otherwise.
“You can keep it as a memento later if you want. Bring it here first.”
“Gulp….”
He stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head.
“I-I left it at my family home yesterday, so….”
Krein shook his head, saying he did not have it with him.
“Really? Then tomorrow—”
“What are you talking about? You carry it in your subspace pouch.”
Just as Raon was about to tell him to bring it tomorrow, Dorian stepped up beside Krein and shook his head.
“You were writing in it while eating breakfast this morning too.”
Dorian blinked, saying he had seen Krein using the log even then.
“You bastard. Where did you sell off your Mind’s Eye….”
Without even moving his lips, Krein displayed a divine skill by cursing only Dorian.
“Bring it.”
Raon chuckled and jerked his chin toward him.
“A-ah, y-yes….”
Krein shot Dorian a resentful glare, then opened his subspace pouch and pulled out a shabby, battered notebook.
“I-I need to go to the bathroom….”
The moment he handed over the training log, Krein subtly backed away, clutching his stomach and claiming it hurt.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Raon nodded and opened the training log he had received from Krein.
“Hah? Hah…. Hah!”
The entries were short, but every day’s training and exactly how it had been done were recorded inside.
And on top of that, every single entry ended with a curse aimed at him.
No matter where he looked, no matter when, he was always being called a madman.
“Kre.in.”
Raon called out to Krein without taking his eyes off the log.
“Yes? I said I was going to the bathroom….”
“Come here.”
“Eek!”
Krein released the stomach he had been clutching and stood in front of the platform with a pale face.
“This is an excellent log.”
Raon looked down at Krein and smiled faintly.
“It records everything important. And, of course, some things that weren’t necessary as well.”
“I-is that so? I only wrote the facts….”
Krein averted his eyes as well and laughed awkwardly.
“Hahahaha.”
“Ahahaha.”
As Raon laughed, Krein twisted his lips and forced out a similar laugh.
“You’re laughing?”
“Eek!”
Krein instantly raised both hands to cover his nose and mouth.
“Today. No, for the rest of the remaining period, I’ll show you what a real madman looks like.”
“Urk!”
At the chilling voice aimed at him as if he were an enemy, Krein’s complexion turned a sickly yellow.
》Tsk tsk.
Wrath clicked his tongue as if he pitied him.
》You got caught by the wrong filthy bastard.
He clasped his hands together and prayed for Krein’s peaceful rest.
===
Raon sat on the bed in the annex and lifted his head.
‘The time has come.’
The morning of the day Evelyn and the archmages had promised the magic would be completed had finally arrived.
‘It was a long time, yet a short one.’
Raising the level of the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace while also raising his own realm had been hellish, but looking back on it now, it felt like it had passed in an instant.
‘The Light Wind Palace has grown tremendously.’
Especially Martha.
Everyone had trained hard, but the one who had achieved the greatest growth was Martha.
While he was out at sea, she had realized the true meaning of the Tyrant Sun Sword, which meant she could now, at least to some extent, aim for openings in the White Blood Lord.
‘Of course, I’ll have to support her.’
No matter how much Martha had grown, if she rushed the White Blood Lord alone, she would explode into a spray of blood in an instant. His role would be the most important.
‘For that….’
Raon smacked his lips once more and summoned his status window.
[Status Window]
[Name: Raon Zieghart.]
[Title: One Who Turns the Wheel of Fate]
[Status: None.]
[Traits: Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Mirror-like Clarity, Four Gods, Azure Mind’s Eye, Ring of Fire (9-star), Water Attribute Resistance (12-star), Fire Attribute Resistance (11-star), Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation (10-star), Glacier (10-star), Bleeding Curse (6-star), Unyielding Will (11-star), Demonic Energy Adaptation (10-star), Mirror-like Clarity, Poison Resistance (6-star), Spiral Force (10-star), Water Attribute Affinity (7-star), Divine Law Interpretation (2-star), Fire Attribute Affinity (6-star), Snowflower’s Veil (5-star), Divine Power Blooming in Darkness (10-star), Killing Intent Resistance (7-star), Snowflower’s Armor (11-star), Snowflower’s Absorption (5-star), Snowflower’s Lance (5-star), Wrath Release (3-star), Flames Overcoming Death (6-star), Blade That Cuts Death (7-star), Divine Power Resistance (2-star), Blood Path (3-star), Askarai’s Fighting Spirit (6-star), Sword Control (5-star), Trait (Heaven Slayer) (2-star), Trait (Authority Amplification) (4-star), Resistance to Light Attribute (3-star), Killing Intent Detection (4-star), Authority Manipulation (5-star), Crisis Sense (1-star), Heart Sword (Spirit) (7-star), Soul Transference (4-star).]
[Strength: 1856.]
[Agility: 1887.]
[Stamina: 1853.]
[Energy: 1872.]
[Perception: 1905.]
[Wrath: 400.]
[Sloth: 270.]
[Envy: 270.]
[Gluttony: 220.]
[Lust: 180.]
[Greed: 100.]
He had intended to check his status window one last time before the war, but the values had grown so vast that they were difficult to take in even across two full pages.
Judging by his stats alone, it seemed there was no one he would lose to now—unless it was one of the leaders of the Five Kings or Four Demons.
‘Especially…’
The Heart Sword had grown significantly.
[The grade of the soul is rising.]
[The rank of the trait Heart Sword (Spirit) has increased.]
It seemed his efforts had borne fruit, since just yesterday he had managed to raise his Heart Sword by another level.
‘But even with this sword, I still won’t be able to cut down the White Blood Lord.’
The White Blood Lord’s soul was simply too immense. With his current Heart Sword, he likely could not sever it completely.
However, it might be enough to create an opening to save Martha’s mother, whose soul remained within the White Blood Lord.
Where there had once been none, a faint ray of hope now shone upon rescuing Martha’s mother.
‘Now it begins.’
Raon rose from the bed and draped the Black Dragon Robe placed beside it over his shoulders.
‘The war that will bring an end to the deep, festering resentment of a child who lost their mother.’