Chapter 1060

“Evelyn?”

Raon shouted Evelyn’s name, his eyes widening.

“How are you here…?”

Evelyn had been helping dispel the White Blood Cult’s white mist at the shore. He had never once imagined she would come all the way here as reinforcements, and his mind went blank.

“I did well, right?”

Evelyn descended beside him with a bright smile. In contrast to the impossible feat she had pulled off in such a short time, it was a smile as pure as a child’s.

“It’ll be okay now. Don’t worry.”

After stemming the blood flowing from Martha’s neck, Evelyn gently stroked her hair.

“Urgh…”

Normally, Martha would have used the opening created by her paralyzed body to yell at her and ask what the hell she was doing, but after suffering such a severe mental shock, she only bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut.

“Martha…”

The life and fury that had filled Martha’s eyes were sinking away into emptiness and sorrow. Seeing her like that, it felt as if he too were falling apart, so he turned his gaze away.

“Evelyn. Is the mist okay?”

Raon gestured toward the sky above the White Blood Cult’s headquarters.

“My arms were starting to hurt from blocking the barrier with mana. So….”

Evelyn rolled her right shoulder as if saying it had been hard on her.

“I developed a spell that automatically pushes the mist away.”

She brushed off her hands, saying there had been some benefit to watching the white mist’s sorcery so many times.

“And even if something goes wrong with the spell, I can fix it from here. So it’ll be fine.”

Evelyn lifted her chin confidently and said she had recovered some of her mana before coming.

“Amazing….”

Raon let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Evelyn.

‘To think Evelyn would go this far for us.’

Evelyn spoke as if it were nothing, but for most mages, it would have been absolutely impossible. Once again, he realized just how extraordinary her magical skill and talent were.

》 “I hate to admit it, but that crazy bitch is actually helping a little….”

Wrath blinked in surprise and grudgingly acknowledged Evelyn’s contribution.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t undo the paralysis here.”

Evelyn frowned, saying the sorcery on Martha was unlike anything she had seen before.

“But….”

She lifted the glass vial toward Denier, who was grinding his teeth.

“I can break this.”

Evelyn shook the glass vial roughly as if she were about to smash it on the ground. The red liquid inside sloshed violently like waves in a storm.

“Give it back.”

Denier reached a hand toward Evelyn, his brow wrinkling.

“It is not something you can handle.”

He gnashed his teeth savagely, having lost the composure he had shown at first. It seemed he was enraged that his original plan had been ruined.

“You say I can’t handle it, so I guess it really is blood.”

Evelyn brought her nose near the lid of the glass vial and snickered.

“Figures. You’re the only ones who’d drink something like this.”

She lowered her brows deeply as if disgusted by him.

“I said give it back.”

Denier leaned forward as if preparing to charge at Evelyn.

“If you so much as take one step from there….”

As Raon stepped forward to protect Evelyn, she shook the glass vial from behind his shoulder.

“I’ll break it, you know?”

Perhaps because she had seen Denier taking Martha hostage, Evelyn spoke with mocking contempt as she threatened to smash the vial.

“Mm….”

Denier only bit his lip, unable to move recklessly, as if he couldn’t bear to lose the glass vial.

“Hmph!”

As Evelyn tossed the glass vial into the air as if teasing Denier and reached to catch it—

Kuwaaaaaaang!

The White Blood Lord released an overwhelming surge of Blood Energy and blasted back all the transcendents of the Five Kings at once.

“Huff! Huff….”

Larian, who had been taking the brunt of the defense at the front, bent over and sucked in air as if her heart might burst, too drained even to speak.

“What a monster.”

King Lecross let out a hollow laugh as he wiped the black blood running from his mouth with the back of his hand, as if his injuries had flared up again.

“If the White Blood Lord had been in normal condition, I’d have died long ago.”

Aris gave a heavy nod, saying she could only barely fight because of the White Blood Lord’s injuries.

“That goes for us too! Don’t lose in spirit!”

Chamber snorted and said that if she were in proper condition, she could have taken the White Blood Lord one-on-one. Even though she had to be suffering more than anyone, she was encouraging the others in the loudest voice of all.

“Calm yourself!”

The White Blood Lord shouted at the 13th Apostle, whose eyes had turned beastlike. Now that she had been driven into a desperate situation, she was continuing the battle with a calmness unlike her usual self.

Much as he hated to admit it, it was composure worthy of the leader of the demonic path.

“I’ll deal with that damned nuisance who always gets in the way myself.”

The White Blood Lord’s chilling gaze turned toward Evelyn. Raising killing intent thick enough to feel tangible, she moved the Mara of Blood and Mercy. The blood god’s hands holding a long spear and dagger shot forward like lightning.

Jjeeeeeeeeng!

Raon raised Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword and blocked the Mara of Blood and Mercy’s weapons as they tried to tear Evelyn apart.

‘Heavy as hell.’

Even after erecting a double Flame Wall, it felt like his arms were being torn off and his waist was about to shatter.

The martial skill imbued in the weapons, along with the Blood Energy blazing over them, possessed terrifying force.

‘It’s definitely a dangerous attack, but….’

Raon smacked his lips as he pushed back the Mara of Blood and Mercy’s weapons with the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier’s frost.

‘She’s definitely running out of strength.’

If the White Blood Lord had attacked with her full power, he would either be dead or have taken severe damage. The fact that his insides were only being shaken, like before suffering internal injuries, made it clear that her strength was fading.

“It’s still not enough!”

The White Blood Lord moved every one of the Mara of Blood and Mercy’s hands as if she meant to kill both him and Evelyn at once.

Kugugugugugu!

Giant weapons and hands large enough to cover the sky came crashing down all at once.

“Looks like she’s still full of strength.”

“She’s not a squid, so why the hell is she this tenacious!”

Even while coughing blood as if they had suffered serious internal injuries, Lecross and Larian rushed in front of the White Blood Lord and blocked the Mara of Blood and Mercy’s offensive.

“What, you don’t see us?”

“Quit going after the kids and come play with the adults!”

Protected by Lecross and Larian, Aris and Chamber used dimensional magic and the Spatial Severance to carve long wounds across both of the White Blood Lord’s shoulders.

“Would you all just disappear!”

The White Blood Lord screamed and raised a radiance made of Blood Energy, and the transcendents of the Five Kings gathered every last bit of their strength to erect a wall against that light.

Kuwaaaaaaang!

As the two lights loaded with immense power collided, the White Blood Cult’s headquarters began to tilt toward the sea as if the earth’s axis itself had twisted.

“Knew it. Raon’s the only one who really thinks about me.”

As if she had no interest in the battle between the White Blood Lord and the transcendents of the Five Kings, Evelyn softly grabbed his shoulder and thanked him.

“Stay back.”

“No, it’s okay.”

She calmly shook her head.

“I was careless a little while ago, that’s all. I’ll support from behind.”

As if she had no intention of fooling around anymore, Evelyn threw the glass vial she had snatched from Denier to the ground and shattered it.

Kyaaaang!

The red liquid flowing through the shattered glass writhed grotesquely as if screaming, then turned into smoke and faded away.

“Krrgh….”

Denier gnashed his teeth as he looked at the ground where the red liquid had vanished.

He looked as though he wanted to kill Evelyn that very instant, but because of the White Blood Lord’s warning to calm himself, he seemed to be forcing himself to stay composed somehow.

“You don’t need to hold back. I’ll go.”

Raon charged at Denier and drove the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to its utmost limit.

Tuuung!

Denier stepped backward and avoided the strike, then, at the moment the tip of his foot touched the ground, he used that recoil to rush in instead. The instant Raon sensed the movement, Denier’s sword was already at his neck.

‘It’s true that Denier is faster than me. But….’

I’m better with the sword.

A swordsman’s battle isn’t decided by speed and power alone. If two fighters are in a similar realm, the greatest factor is who has gone through more experience and overcome more hardship.

Chiaaaang!

Raon tilted the blade of the Soul Requiem Sword and guided away Denier’s sword as it thrust for his neck. Instead of his throat, Denier’s blade slammed into the ground.

Chwaaaaaak!

Raon drew Revolving Sky down toward Denier’s chest, but Denier pushed off the ground with a single big toe and fled outside the range of the strike.

Piiiick!

But it seemed he hadn’t completely avoided it. A blackened sword wound appeared across Denier’s chest, and blood burst out.

“Mm….”

Denier frowned as he looked at the wound on his chest, as if he had never imagined he would be cut.

“You cannot be faster than me.”

He twisted his eyes as if he refused to accept it and charged in again at an even greater speed.

“I’ll admit your speed. But….”

Raon drove the Azure Mind’s Eye to its utmost limit and raised Heavenly Drive along the trajectory of Denier’s incoming sword.

“This war will be ours.”

Just as he swore they would never lose and was about to knock aside the sword driving toward his heart—

Kuwaaaaaaang!

The White Blood Lord’s Blood Energy and the Five Kings’ transcendents’ magic and aura exploded, unleashing a thunderous blast and shockwave that shook heaven and earth.

“Cough….”

The White Blood Lord too seemed to have finally reached her limit, her fingertips trembling as she spat transparent blood. For the first time, it felt as though she had suffered a real loss.

Even the Mara of Blood and Mercy was growing fainter, as if she could barely maintain it now.

“Haaa….”

“This is filthy exhausting.”

Larian and Lecross bent over with hands on their knees, their faces pale as if they were on the verge of death.

“But it looks like we can finally see the end, right?”

“Yeah. She’s not even regenerating her injuries anymore.”

Larian and Chamber curled their trembling lips as they watched the White Blood Lord leave her wounds unattended rather than healing them.

Paaaak!

The 13th Apostle too was pushed back by Raon’s ferocious offensive and retreated to the White Blood Lord’s side with his chest slashed open. He chewed on his lip as if he could find no way to defeat Raon.

“Damn it….”

The White Blood Lord bit down on her molars as if she had never expected herself and Denier to be pushed this far.

“It can’t be helped.”

With a snap of her fingers, the air twisted open like the current of a mountain stream, and a white dimension opened.

Taaak.

The White Blood Lord reached into the dimension and pulled out two empty glass vials. No, they weren’t empty. Inside them sloshed a transparent liquid like water.

“Take it.”

She tossed one of the vials to Denier at her side.

“It’s a White Soul Elixir, more effective than the Red Blood Elixir you had before. But if you go past the time limit, you’ll have to consider that body as good as thrown away.”

The White Blood Lord let out a murky breath, saying it contained energy toxic enough to do that.

“I understand.”

Denier nodded as if he would obey without question and took hold of the vial containing the White Soul Elixir.

“S-stop them!”

“I don’t know what it is, but stop them right now!”

Lecross and Chamber seemed to sense instinctively that it was dangerous and rushed at the White Blood Lord without even taking time to steady their breathing.

“Damn it!”

Raon too used the Supreme Harmony Steps and advanced, unleashing Frost Lotus at its utmost limit toward Denier as he tried to drink the White Soul Elixir.

“Get lost!”

The White Blood Lord shouted at them not to interfere and exploded the Blood Energy imbued in the Mara of Blood and Mercy’s weapons, unleashing an offensive so powerful that neither he nor the Five Kings’ transcendents could approach.

“Break through!”

“Damn it!”

Raon, Lecross, and Aris took the lead and poured out sword strikes while Chamber and Larian backed them with magic, but they couldn’t erase the White Blood Lord’s immense Blood Energy in an instant.

Kyaaaang!

When they finally pushed through with sword and magic without giving up, the sound of glass shattering rang out.

Huuuuuk!

As the white mist was swept away and he lifted his gaze, he saw the White Blood Lord and the 13th Apostle with white droplets clinging to their lips.

Even after drinking every drop of the liquid in the glass vials, the two of them didn’t seem satisfied, running their tongues over the moisture left at the corners of their mouths.

“Haaa….”

The wounds carved into the White Blood Lord’s body regenerated as they emitted white currents. It wasn’t sorcery. An immeasurable amount of Blood Energy was healing the wounds on its own.

Kugugugugugu!

The fading Mara of Blood and Mercy too seemed to receive Blood Energy from her, radiating an even more brilliant and magnificent light than before as crimson blood dripped from its eyes. Just looking at that grotesque sight sent a chill down his spine.

“Hooo….”

The 13th Apostle too erased every sword wound Raon had inflicted on him without leaving a trace. Blood Energy grand enough to be difficult even for Raon to endure began to blaze from his entire body.

Under that sharp aura, fierce enough to feel like it was crushing flesh itself, even the hands gripping Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword began to tremble.

“Damn it!”

Larian lowered the hand holding her staff as if it were truly over while looking at the White Blood Lord, who had regained her vitality, and the Mara of Blood and Mercy.

“Yeah, there’s no way our strength wouldn’t collapse after seeing that….”

King Lecross too let out a sigh heavy enough to sink the ground, saying he had never imagined they possessed such an elixir.

“K-keep going! It’s not over yet!”

Aris shouted for them not to give up and raised her sword with a trembling hand.

“Yeah, we fight to the end.”

Chamber said they had to keep fighting to the end, but unlike before, her voice had sunk into hollowness.

“That’s exactly right.”

Raon nodded, letting out a short breath.

“The end of the war is approaching.”

He closed his eyes calmly for a moment as he looked at the White Blood Lord and Denier, both pouring out Blood Energy vast enough to touch the sky, then opened them again.

“N-nephew? You sure you’re okay in the head? It really is ending?”

Balder, who had kept quiet until now, twirled a finger at his temple as if asking whether Raon had lost his mind.

“Raon….”

The transcendents of the Five Kings too lowered their brows, as if they couldn’t understand what he meant.

“The White Blood Lord told Denier to be prepared to throw that body away when she gave him the white blood. That means it’s an elixir with enormous backlash. No, a poison.”

If an elixir capable of drawing out that kind of Blood Energy came with no backlash at all, they would’ve swallowed that blood long ago and massacred all of them.

The fact that they only brought it out after being driven into crisis made it obvious it was something that caused great harm even to the one who consumed it.

“That’s true….”

“That’s right.”

Chamber and Larian clapped as they looked at him. Both nodded, saying that in the hopelessness of the situation, they hadn’t thought of that part.

“So if we keep fighting, there’s still an answer?”

“I’ll endure it even if I have to die.”

Aris and Lecross also raised their swords again with renewed force, saying they would fight on.

“Correct.”

The White Blood Lord snickered and tilted her chin.

“Your instincts really are disgustingly sharp.”

She wrinkled the bridge of her nose as if she disliked him.

“Strange. Since when did you start acknowledging things so easily?”

Raon let out a sneer, saying that didn’t suit a cult leader like her.

“Because I’m certain I can kill you all.”

The White Blood Lord spread both hands and said knowing the truth wouldn’t help them.

“Of course, you will be dealt with by that child.”

She shifted her gaze and said Denier would be the one to kill him.

“Evelyn.”

Raon raised a finger and pointed at the Five Kings’ transcendents.

“Help them.”

“What about you?”

Evelyn frowned as if she were more worried about him.

“I’m fine. I can beat him alone.”

If Evelyn helped, it would be easier to defeat Denier, but right now they had to stop the White Blood Lord first.

Even if five transcendents couldn’t win, they should at least be able to stall for time.

“…Okay.”

Evelyn nodded, saying she would trust him, then handed Martha over to Balder and took her place behind Chamber.

“Now you really do look no more than insects!”

The White Blood Lord let out a mocking laugh and clasped her hands together, and the Mara of Blood and Mercy began to move with the smoothness of a living human as it swung the weapons in its grasp.

The power and speed of the weapons had more than doubled, and they came crashing down imbued with the elegant profundity of martial arts, as if transcendents were joining forces in attack.

Kuwaaaaaaang!

Chamber and Aris gave up on attacking and focused on defense.

Even with Evelyn supporting them through a transcendent magic circle, and with Larian and Lecross spreading defensive formations at the same time, they still couldn’t fully block the White Blood Lord’s offensive and were all pushed back while coughing blood.

“Now it’s your turn.”

As if he had no intention of giving him time, Denier stamped down fiercely.

Even with the Azure Mind’s Eye, Raon couldn’t see so much as Denier’s afterimage and could only barely sense his movement.

Chiaaaang!

Raon bit his lip as he knocked aside Denier’s sword, which bent toward his neck, by the width of a sheet of paper.

‘Barely… mm!’

The moment he thought he had blocked it, Denier retreated and slashed his thigh. Blood sprayed from the leg pierced by Denier’s Blood Energy blade.

“Slow.”

Denier narrowed his eyes as if Raon were pitiful and rushed in again. His sword, flying faster than light, dropped toward Raon’s heart.

Kyaaaaaang!

Raon raised Heavenly Drive to defend, then tried to counter with the Soul Requiem Sword, but Denier was already behind him.

Chiaaaang!

Just as Denier tried to drive his sword down into Raon’s back, Raon floated the Wooden Wheel Sword with Sword Control and used Scarlet Shroud.

Woooooong!

A crimson shroud wrapped in flames devoured the white Blood Energy and melted away.

Tuuung!

Even though his attack had failed, Denier showed no disappointment. He stamped his foot again, moved to Raon’s left, cut across his waist, and vanished once more.

“What, are you trying to peel off my skin and make clothes out of it? If you want to kill me, then come at me properly!”

Even in that dangerous situation, Raon didn’t retreat or run. Instead, he pressed forward and faced Denier head-on.

Because Denier had grown faster and stronger than before, wounds multiplied across Raon’s body even while he defended, but he never once averted his eyes.

“That fighting spirit too will eventually drown in blood.”

Denier moved at a speed beyond human cognition and swept his sword across Raon’s whole body.

The flesh beneath Raon’s eye was carved open, the side of his chest beside his heart was torn away, and meat was cut from his calf.

The situation was becoming more and more dangerous, but Raon chased only Denier’s movements with the Ring of Fire and the Azure Mind’s Eye.

‘How can he be that fast?’

The Supreme Harmony Steps was a supreme movement technique Glenn had created in his later years. No matter how great the movement technique Denier had learned was, the difference shouldn’t have been this large. A gap in speed of this extent was abnormal.

‘Think….’

Raon broke down Denier’s movements as they tore him apart, frame by frame, and engraved them into his mind. Denier’s motion spread out like a kaleidoscope and began to compare itself against his own.

‘His breathing, the angle of his ankles, how far he steps, the balance of his upper body, even how it harmonizes with his swordsmanship.’

Beyond just the mysteries of the Swift Sword, every tiny difference was creating the gap in speed between him and Denier.

‘Let’s try it.’

Raon poured what he had seen and felt from Denier’s movements into his body and stepped with the Supreme Harmony Steps.

Kuuuuung!

The moment he stamped down while erupting both rage and aura at the same time, his upper dantian opened as if he were seeing an open sea, and he entered a new realm of speed.

Huuuuuuung!

A realm beyond sound. He burrowed into the extreme domain where Denier was moving.

“What is this!”

Denier widened his eyes in shock at Raon’s growth and thrust an even faster sword.

Kyaaaaaang!

Now that they had entered the same world, Denier’s sword was only a blade slightly faster than his own. Raon raised the Soul Requiem Sword in reverse grip and knocked Denier’s sword aside.

“So there was a world like this.”

Originally, he had intended to kill Denier as quickly as possible and then join the battle against the White Blood Lord.

But their plan to end things quickly after drinking the white blood had failed.

The fastest path now—no, the only path left to win this war—was to absorb Denier’s ability, learn from it, and become stronger himself.

‘I have to go further.’

His sword was growing faster, as if it had lost all weight, and his body surged ahead as though it had sprouted wings.

The Swift Sword and the Severing Sword, which he had honed endlessly since childhood until he had believed they had reached their limit, cast off their old shells and began a new evolution.

Not only the Swift Sword and the Severing Sword, but the Thousands Sword itself was blooming broader and higher, like trees and flowers giving life to each other.

“With what I learned from you….”

At last, Raon met Denier’s sword at the same speed and lifted eyes blazing with red lightning.

“I’ll go cut down your master.”