Chapter 1053

Whoooooosh!

The heavens roared savagely, and the earth raged as it twisted. Mana violent enough to shatter the world boiled wildly in every direction.

“You’ve become quite the sword…”

Derus Robert tightened his grip on the hilt as he felt a chill in the air, as if the whole world had turned against him.

“If anyone else had said that, I would’ve torn their mouth off on the spot. But you have the right to say it.”

Back in the era of the Six Kings and Five Demons, Darkhan had been a monster who stood at the peak even among the Transcenders, but Derus had been confident he could defeat him without much difficulty.

‘His thoughts were readable, and his martial prowess was laid bare before my eyes.’

But the current Darkhan was completely unreadable. A strange power emanated from him, something Derus could not predict.

It was not merely that his martial prowess had grown stronger. The fact that he now possessed such a bizarre aura meant Darkhan was no longer an opponent Derus could defeat easily, even if he went all out.

Darkhan’s sudden appearance and transformed disposition were so shocking that Derus unconsciously clenched his jaw.

“You seem quite flustered.”

Darkhan let out a thin smile, as if he had expected this reaction.

“Good. It wouldn’t be any fun to beat you now, so I’ll give you a little time to collect yourself.”

He clapped his hands as if telling him to get a hold of himself.

“Why are you standing in my way here?”

Derus frowned as he looked at the smiling Darkhan.

“Did the Holy Sword Alliance betray the Five Demons?”

“Holy Sword Alliance? Betrayal? You say amusing things too.”

Darkhan tapped his own forehead with a finger and curled his lips.

“As I said from the start, I am neither the lord of the Holy Sword Alliance nor the Dark Night Sword Saint. This Darkhan walks only the path he desires, regardless of the Five Kings, the Five Demons, or anything else. Right now, I simply came because I wanted to see your sword.”

He shook his head as if that were the whole story.

“So you really handed over the Holy Sword Alliance to the Sword Demon?”

“I didn’t hand it over. That fellow simply took it for himself. Though it doesn’t matter either way. The only reason I played the role of lord of the Holy Sword Alliance was because I wanted to see more swordsmanship.”

Darkhan spoke of the Holy Sword Alliance, one of the nine greatest powers on the continent, as if he were throwing away a useless stone.

“Don’t tell me those eyes as well…”

“That’s right. I gouged them out with my own hands.”

He grinned as he pointed out that he had ripped out his own eyes.

“You’re out of your mind…”

Derus let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Darkhan’s calm expression.

‘I knew Darkhan was obsessed with the sword, but to this extent…’

He had, of course, known that Darkhan, the Dark Night Sword Saint, was obsessed with swordsmanship.

But he had never imagined it would go so far that he would abandon the Holy Sword Alliance, tear out his own eyes, and devote himself entirely to personal training.

‘Madman.’

He was an incomprehensible lunatic.

Until now, only two people had ever escaped Derus’s predictions, and now it seemed Darkhan would be added to that list.

“There’s one more thing I want to ask.”

Derus let out a murky breath and lifted his gaze.

“Why are you with Ogram? Not even at the Beast Union headquarters, but here… Hmm!”

He let out a low groan as he looked at the leather glove covering his hand.

“Don’t tell me the ‘child’ you mentioned is…”

Derus narrowed his eyes as he watched the droplets of blood, now dyed red, fall from beneath the glove.

“Raon Zieghart?”

“Exactly.”

Darkhan gave a heavy nod.

“That fellow even predicted you would say Raon’s name.”

He twisted his lips as he said Raon had foreseen this very moment.

“That twisted expression of yours is very pleasing!”

Ogram sneered as he looked at the frozen Derus.

“You’re nothing more than a monkey dancing in the palm of Raon’s hand, Derus Robert!”

He shouted that Derus’s schemes could not even reach Raon’s toes and stamped his foot.

“Keuk. Kuhahahahaha!”

Derus swept back his hair with his bleeding hand. The red blood stained his silver hair, making him look grotesque.

“I don’t know whether I should be pleased or enraged.”

Not even the subordinates who had followed him his entire life knew he would come to the Beast Union. No, not even to the Beast Union, but to the tiny tribe where Ogram was hiding.

Yet Raon Zieghart had read his psychology and summoned Darkhan to this place.

Derus was pleased that someone existed who understood him so completely, and at the same time, furious that that person was Raon.

“I’ve given you enough time to gather yourself, haven’t I?”

Darkhan jerked his chin as if telling him it was time to begin.

“Haaa…”

Derus let out a white breath and rolled his wrist.

“I’m in a very foul mood right now.”

Despite those words, he showed no sign of agitation and calmly gripped the hilt of his sword.

“This appetizer is going to be quite spicy.”

The moment Derus drew his sword, the murderous intent pouring from heaven and earth twisted direction and surged back toward Darkhan instead.

“Excellent!”

Darkhan wrinkled the bridge of his nose as if impressed and raised his sword. The earth shook violently, sending up savage waves of force as if supporting him.

Kugugugugugugu!

The sky, as if following Derus, erupted in brilliant light, while from the earth, as if answering Darkhan, a heavy black current of energy blazed upward.

“Even if the roof of my mouth gets torn to shreds, it doesn’t matter…”

Darkhan curled his lips upward, seemingly satisfied that Derus’s momentum was pressing back against his own energy.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

He nodded, as if saying he did not care even if he died.

“You’ll regret those words.”

Derus and Darkhan raised their swords at the same time. The two Transcenders remained still as statues for a long time, then, the instant they sensed the winter wind cutting through the murderous intent and rushing between them, they brought their swords down at each other’s necks.

The black sword and the silver sword collided head-on, creating an enormous fissure that seemed to split heaven and earth apart.

Kuuuuuuuung!

===

Swaaaaaaash!

Raon brought Crimson Flash down on the Blood Demons charging in to self-destruct. The flaming blade, as if splitting space itself, cut through both the Blood Demons and the dimension behind them.

But the Blood Demons opened new dimensions, leaped out, hurled themselves forward, and detonated their Blood Energy.

‘They’re trying to block the path no matter what.’

The White Blood Cult was indeed strengthening the wall’s spells and blocking the way by throwing in self-destructing Blood Demons, but the loss of life was far too great.

Even at this very moment, hundreds were dying, yet the white dimension continued to pour out Blood Demons.

He could feel their determination to protect the wall even if it meant sacrificing every last Blood Demon still alive on the continent.

‘Are they really trying to complete some new spell or something?’

The fact that the White Blood Lord still had not shown herself, even in this situation, only proved she was hiding inside the headquarters and preparing another scheme.

“You cannot enter the holy ground with your filthy blood!”

“Demons! Die!”

“I will purify you even if it costs me my soul!”

“Blood God!”

The followers of the White Blood Cult, their pupils dyed with madness as if possessed, charged at him.

‘I need to cut those down first.’

Just as Raon was about to cut through the crazed Blood Demons swarming toward him and shatter the dimensional rift behind them at the same time—

Whoooooosh!

A wave of Blood Energy on an entirely different level from before erupted from atop the wall. A crescent-shaped slash of Blood Energy poured down toward his head.

Creeeeak!

Raon blocked the fierce Blood Energy with his Flame Wall and raised his eyes.

“Are you Raon Zieghart?”

A blue-haired Apostle resting a giant scythe on his shoulder looked down at him, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

“You do feel different from the others. If you had stood before me back then, you probably would’ve pissed yourself.”

He laughed playfully even in the middle of a battlefield where countless people were dying.

“An Apostle.”

“That’s right. I’m the Twelfth. My name is—”

“No need.”

Raon raised his hand and cut off the Twelfth Apostle’s words.

“It’s a name that’ll be forgotten the moment you die today.”

Despite the provocation in his words, he calmly settled his mind.

‘He’s weaker than me, but I can’t underestimate him.’

The Twelfth Apostle was a Transcendent in a stable realm. Even if he was somewhat inferior, he was still a martial artist who had crossed the wall of transcendence through the will he had built up with his own hands. Raon could not afford to be careless.

‘Especially with that kind of weapon.’

Unlike common weapons such as swords, blades, or spears, martial artists who used bizarre weapons like that giant scythe always carried hidden trump cards.

‘I need to save my strength for the White Blood Lord. First, I need to confirm what kind of ability he has…’

Just as Raon was preparing to climb the wall, a fierce shockwave erupted from the direction of the fifth bridge.

Grrrrrrrrumble!

Denier and the Black Tortoise Palace had finally broken through the Blood Demons and sent Martha toward the Tenth Apostle.

“I’ve lived all this time just to kill you and that bitch!”

Martha screamed with murderous intent as she brought her sword down at the Tenth Apostle’s neck.

Claaaaang!

The Tenth Apostle, no longer able to disregard Martha’s attack as before, summoned a spear to block it.

“You’ve grown stronger.”

He clicked his tongue calmly as he met Martha’s blazing eyes.

“Shut up!”

Martha forced back the Tenth Apostle’s spear with her sword blazing with yellow light. The sight of her driving back an Apostle with her own power made both the Blood Demons and the swordsmen widen their eyes.

“So it’s you. Martha Zieghart.”

The Twelfth Apostle examined Martha’s face and curled his lips into a smirk.

“So you remember our senior taking your mother. But…”

He slowly raised a finger as if mocking her.

“I was there too, you know. Don’t you remember?”

The Twelfth Apostle pointed to himself with the finger he had been circling.

“What…?”

Martha, who had been overpowering the Tenth Apostle, turned her gaze toward the Twelfth Apostle.

“You don’t remember? I was the one who grabbed your mother’s hair and tried to rip out her throat. The senior in front of you stopped me.”

The Twelfth Apostle licked his lips as if asking why she was attacking her benefactor instead of her enemy.

“You!”

Martha ground her teeth and twisted on her ankle. Without even looking back, she charged at the Twelfth Apostle.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

But the Tenth Apostle had no intention of letting her through.

Thwack!

He tilted the shaft of his spear, batted away Martha’s sword, and struck her in the side.

“Kuhuk…!”

Martha trembled as she gripped her sword, her body embedded at the edge of the wall.

“Do not ignore the enemy in front of you.”

The Tenth Apostle thrust his spear, now burning with white light, as if to kill Martha in a single strike.

“Martha!”

Denier urgently leaped onto the wall and struck away the Tenth Apostle’s spear aimed at Martha’s neck.

“You damned demons…”

Martha bit her bloodied lip and pushed herself back up.

“I’ll kill every last one of you!”

She declared that she would kill not only the Apostles but every Blood Demon in the world, releasing such fierce murderous intent that even Raon felt a chill.

“I don’t understand why you’re so angry.”

The Twelfth Apostle shrugged playfully as he looked at Martha.

“Wouldn’t it have been better for that body to live as a god for our Lord rather than as your ordinary mother? It was good for both sides.”

He sneered, provoking not only Martha but all of Zieghart. Judging by how his voice rang in their ears, he seemed to be using a mind-affecting spell.

Gooooooooo!

The swordsmen of Zieghart, as if caught by the Twelfth Apostle’s provocation, directed their murderous intent not at the enemies before them, but at him.

“You son of a bitch!”

Naturally, Martha was the first to lose control and the first to move, charging at him again.

Kooooooong!

After knocking aside Denier’s sword, the Tenth Apostle stepped in front of Martha and blocked her path.

“So you remember now? I was disappointed.”

The Twelfth Apostle stuck out his tongue from behind the Tenth Apostle.

“But what I said wasn’t wrong. Your mother’s soul is just one among countless worms, while our Lord is the only one.”

He tapped his finger against his lips as if emphasizing that he was telling the truth.

“Gyaaaaaah!”

Martha screamed as she swung her sword, determined to kill the Twelfth Apostle, but the Tenth Apostle and the bishops would not let her through.

Oooooooooong!

Raon gripped the Soul Requiem Sword, which let out a mournful cry as if it were resonating with Martha’s emotions.

‘Are they sympathizing with Martha’s sorrow?’

The vengeful spirits dwelling within the Soul Requiem Sword were victims of the White Blood Cult. As if they understood Martha’s pain and sorrow, they openly revealed their hatred for the Blood Demons.

Hoooooo!

Even the Soul Requiem Sword, which would normally soothe the vengeful spirits, harmonized with them today and stirred up a cold, violent gale.

“So you’re the Twelfth Apostle?”

Raon sheathed Heavenly Drive and drew the Soul Requiem Sword.

“I’ll start by tearing that mouth of yours apart.”

As an assassin, he had always moved only after thoroughly assessing his opponent’s strength and methods.

Today, too, he had intended to properly gauge the Twelfth Apostle’s abilities before fighting so he could conserve his strength for the White Blood Lord, but at this point, he could no longer hold back.

“You’re coming straight at me?”

The Twelfth Apostle defiantly raised his chin. That confidence meant he had hidden strength.

“With a sword that short, you won’t even reach this wall, much less me.”

He curled his lips, clearly trusting both the wall’s spells and his own martial prowess.

“Is it really short?”

As Raon sneered and raised the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, crimson flames spread across the blade of the Soul Requiem Sword, then rose grandly toward the sky as if they would touch the heavens.

“What the…!”

The Twelfth Apostle’s eyes widened as he sensed the deep resentment dwelling within the Soul Requiem Sword and the refined aura of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He raised a shield of Blood Energy and began chanting a supreme-level spell.

A sinister, curse-like energy bloomed above his shoulders. The Blood Energy shimmered as if it were ready to reflect any attack.

“None of it will save you.”

Raon advanced toward the wall and raised the Soul Requiem Sword. Following the flow guided by the vengeful spirits, he brought the crimson blade down and unleashed the profound principles of the Thousand Swords he had accumulated until now.

Kugugugugugugu!

The Heavy Sword grew heavier, the Swift Sword grew faster, and the Sharp Sword extended with even greater keenness. The will of the vengeful spirits to annihilate the Blood Demons, infused into Raon’s strike, elevated the realm of the Thousand Swords to a higher plane.

Jjeojeojeojeojeojjeok!

The spell the White Blood Lord had cast to protect the White Blood Cult Main Headquarters cracked apart. The white wall crumbled, and a red line was carved across the body of the Twelfth Apostle standing atop it.

“I-impossible. The Absolute Defense and Reflection spell…!”

The Twelfth Apostle’s lips trembled as he looked at the giant scythe breaking apart in his hands.

“Guaaaaaah…!”

His bisected body could no longer hold together. White blood erupted from him, and he fell along with the collapsed stones of the wall.

“The resentment and sorrow dwelling in this sword are longer and deeper than anything else in this world. It was never a depth someone like you could endure. Of course…”

Raon stepped onto the blood-soaked ground where the Twelfth Apostle had fallen and crossed over the collapsed wall.

“…you didn’t know that. That’s why you ran your mouth and died.”

He raised his clenched fist toward Martha, who was staring wide-eyed from the right side.

“Now it’s your turn to show me.”