TRAIGS - Chapter 768

Raon bit his lip as he aimed his sword at the Dual-Headed Ogre.

‘A child?’

The ogre wasn’t just short in stature; his demeanor and speech carried an air of naivety, almost as if he were a child.

Yet, his eyes gleamed with a sinister malice, a testament to his identity as one of Eden’s specters.

‘Calm down first.’

A fearsome aura radiated from the ogre. Raon couldn’t afford to underestimate him; he would need to fight with everything he had from the start.

‘And I can’t forget about the Green King.’

Though the Green King had been pushed back, she had already regained her fighting stance. Even if she had lost some strength, her raw power made her just as dangerous.

Still, Raon didn’t worry about the Soul-Severing Blade behind him. Rimmer would hold it off, even at the cost of his life.

‘Focus only on my fight for now.’

Though there were oddities and questions about the Dual-Headed Ogre, the Green King, and the Soul-Severing Blade, Raon had no time to dwell on them. His full focus was needed for the battle ahead.

A single mistake or moment of hesitation wouldn’t just endanger him but could lead to the annihilation of the Light Wind Division.

“You’re planning to take on both of us alone?”

The ogre let out a childlike laugh, his voice mocking.

“I was already a Grandmaster when you were still in Sylvia Zieghart’s womb!”

He tilted his chin arrogantly.

“Then you’ve wasted over 20 years.”

Raon smirked as he looked down at him.

“While I surpassed you, you were busy standing still. Nice work.”

“Talkative as the rumors say.”

The ogre bent forward, chuckling.

“Though, that mouth of yours will be smashed shut today!”

As he raised his hand, an enormous wooden club materialized, entirely mismatched to his small frame.

“Raon! Be careful of that club—it won’t be cut by a sword!”

Despite struggling to fend off the Soul-Severing Blade’s strikes, Rimmer shouted advice to him.

“Vice-Commander, can you hold out?”

Raon asked, exhaling softly as he watched Rimmer get pushed back two steps.

“Who are you talking to? A skeleton is no match for an elf!”

Rimmer shouted confidently, pointing his sword skyward.

‘Sword Field Creation – Song of Wind and Thunder.’

With a resonant command, green winds and crimson thunderbolts descended, connecting heaven and earth in a raging storm between Rimmer and the Soul-Severing Blade.

‘CRACKLE!’

Yet the Soul-Severing Blade remained unfazed, slicing through the storm with a shadowy aura emanating from its skeletal weapon.

“……”

The Green King, who had been glaring at Raon with fury, shifted her gaze momentarily toward Rimmer’s technique.

Her crimson eyes glimmered faintly.

“Where are you looking!”

The ogre roared, slamming his wooden club down. It descended with the speed of a falling branch, leaving no time for delay.

“Hoo….”

Raon clicked his tongue as the club came crashing toward his head.

‘He said it can’t be cut.’

Trusting Rimmer’s advice, Raon resolved not to cut it but to block it instead. He raised his sword with firm intent.

‘CLAAANG!’

The club collided with the sword, unleashing a powerful shockwave that radiated vertically.

The oppressive force pierced through Raon’s aura, seemingly reaching his very bones. The only thought that came to him was how strong the blow was.

“Good. At least you managed to block that much.”

The ogre laughed gleefully, swinging the club horizontally. Its shadow fell over Raon’s vision before the sound even reached his ears, a testament to its overwhelming speed and power.

Raon narrowed his eyes as he raised his demonic sword, creating a wall of flames to intercept the strike.

‘Its power and speed are impressive, but….’

It’s simple.

The ogre relied solely on brute force, speed, and an overwhelming aura rather than employing complex techniques or martial arts.

Unlike the cunning nature of typical Specters of Eden, he showed no signs of deception.

‘Still, I can’t let my guard down.’

The ogre’s straightforward movements could very well be a feint. Raon tightened his grip on his sword and twisted his wrist, tilting the blade.

‘WHOOOOOSH!’

Flames erupted in a swirling storm from the sword, pushing the ogre’s club back with fierce intensity.

“For someone who’s inherited the Specters of Eden’s strength, you’re weaker than I expected.”

Raon taunted, his lips curling upward as he maintained the guise of engaging in a simple battle while his mind calculated various strategies.

“Why are you just standing there! Fight!”

The ogre bellowed at the Green King, who had been distracted by Rimmer’s swordsmanship.

“……”

Snapping out of her daze, the Green King flinched before charging at Raon.

Her swordsmanship grew sharper, her gaze fixed not on Raon but on the divine and demonic swords he wielded.

“I’ve got the numerical advantage, so there’s no need for me to go all out!”

The ogre smirked as he used the Green King as a shield, swinging his club from behind her.

“Then I won’t fight head-on either.”

Raon dodged the club’s strike by retreating, deflecting the Green King’s slashes without fully committing to blocking.

‘SHIIING!’

Frustrated, the Green King increased the speed of her attacks, her strikes now aimed more intently at Raon’s weapons rather than his body.

‘BOOM!’

Raon skillfully parried her slightly unbalanced attacks while diverting the ogre’s overwhelming aura away.

His plan was clear: gradually drain their strength and wait for an opening to strike.

“So that’s how you want to play?”

The ogre laughed mockingly and slung his club over his shoulder.

“Then I’ll play dirty too!”

He turned abruptly, charging toward the Arian family’s fortress as if he intended to attack it.

“Tch.”

Raon clicked his tongue and activated the Supreme Harmony Steps, chasing after the ogre. Flames surged from his sword, aimed directly at the ogre’s neck.

“Knew you’d do that!”

The ogre grinned wickedly and swung his club downward, extinguishing the flames.

‘SHIIING!’

Unperturbed, Raon calmly raised his demonic sword, which had been angled at his side.

A silvery blade sliced through the Dual-Headed Ogre’s shoulder like the tip of an aurora, leaving a thin, precise cut. Blood began to trickle from the wound.

“To think a human exists who can match me in strength,” the ogre muttered, chuckling as he glanced at his bleeding shoulder.

“Your bloodline must truly be remarkable.”

He laughed dryly, shaking his head.

– “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Wrath roared at the ogre, his voice booming.

– “It’s not his bloodline, but because he’s stolen my powers! Now I’m nothing but bones!”

Wrath waved his hands furiously, shouting as if the ogre should know the truth.

“But I doubt you’re unscathed,” the ogre sneered, tilting his chin knowingly.

“……”

Raon didn’t respond. He simply steadied his divine and demonic swords.

The ogre wasn’t wrong—Raon’s strength and speed gave him the advantage, but the ogre’s monstrous durability posed a significant threat. Raon needed to avoid letting his internal injuries worsen.

“But…”

The ogre turned his gaze toward the Green King, clicking his tongue.

“What’s with her slacking off?”

He scowled as the Green King continued to shift her focus between Raon’s and Rimmer’s Sword Fields.

“Hmm….”

Raon narrowed his eyes. Just as the ogre said, the Green King had been acting strangely ever since he and Rimmer unleashed their Sword Fields.

“You’re useless as you are! Stop gawking and move!”

“……”

At the ogre’s command, the Green King stomped her foot, launching herself into battle. She seemed like a puppet bound by the ogre’s leash.

‘SHIIING!’

Her sword shimmered faintly as twenty strikes shot toward Raon’s vital points in rapid succession.

Her technique was intricate, drawing attention with illusions and feints before delivering deadly strikes with unmatched precision.

‘WHOOSH!’

As before, the ogre remained behind her, slamming his club downward to avoid retaliation. His tactics were revoltingly cowardly.

‘BOOOOM!’

Raon activated ‘Ring of Fire’ with his divine and demonic swords. A storm of frost and fire intertwined, surging upward and consuming the Green King’s and ogre’s combined attacks.

“……”

Though the Green King coughed up blood from her internal injuries, she didn’t falter. Her gaze remained fixed on Raon’s swords as she unleashed increasingly refined strikes.

‘CLAAANG!’

Raon countered her attacks and the ogre’s overwhelming strikes with superhuman precision, wielding his divine and demonic swords like an extension of his will.

‘Hold on.’

Facing both the Dual-Headed Ogre and the Green King simultaneously was pushing his limits. But it wasn’t unbearable.

He knew he could turn the tide by unleashing his ‘Invincible Azure-Red Sword.’

“You’re strong, I’ll give you that,” the ogre growled, his club quivering as he stepped back.

“But maybe it’s time I got rougher.”

The ogre snapped his fingers, signaling the Green King.

‘ROOOOAR!’

The Green King let out a deafening roar toward the heavens.

Her cry rallied the monsters, who charged toward the Arian family’s fortress like an unstoppable tide.

‘RUMBLE!’

Even the elite monsters who had been guarding her stepped away to join the assault on the fortress.

“Those are her royal guards. This won’t be easy to stop,” the ogre sneered, licking his lips.

“Like your father and sister, the Light Wind Division will be torn apart and devoured by monsters.”

“They won’t.”

Raon’s voice was calm, his expression unshaken as he tilted his chin.

“What?”

“I didn’t raise them to be that weak.”

At that moment, a brown-skinned troll scaling the fortress wall fell, its limbs severed.

‘BOOOM!’

The troll’s massive body crushed five orcs beneath it as it crashed to the ground.

“Little brat, don’t underestimate the Mad Dogs.”

Martha stood atop the fortress wall, running her fingers through her sleek black hair.

“If anyone’s getting torn apart, it’ll be you.”

She gestured with her fingers for them to come at her.

“It’s not the Mad Dogs; it’s the Light Wind Division,” Burren corrected, wiping troll blood from his sword.

“But she’s not wrong. The ones getting devoured will be you.”

He gazed coldly at the battlefield below.

“Raon, we’ll hold the line here.”

Runaan froze the legs of an Ogre climbing the wall, raising her fist triumphantly.

“Do your best.”

She waved her sword, signaling Raon to focus on his fight.

“P-please, don’t provoke them too much!”

Dorian stammered, cutting down an orc behind the three captains.

“Ha ha ha!”

Despite being slightly pushed back by the Soul-Severing Blade, Rimmer burst into laughter at his students’ prowess.

“Did you hear that?”

Raon smiled faintly, keeping his back to the Arian family’s fortress.

“Then let’s do this.”

The ogre snapped his fingers again, and from the forest came a red tide of Eden soldiers clad in crimson robes, their faces hidden by white cloth.

They were the dreaded ‘Red Ghosts’.

“Losing those monsters is unfortunate, but if I take you back with me, it’s worth it.”

The ogre grinned, baring his teeth.

‘This is dangerous.’

Among the Red Ghosts were helmeted specters, though few in number. If these reinforcements joined the endless wave of monsters, even the Light Wind Division wouldn’t be able to hold the fortress.

“Damn it.”

Raon gritted his teeth, unleashing ‘Flaming Flower Storm’ and ‘Heavenly Cannon Art’ at the advancing Red Ghosts.

‘SHIIING!’

But the Green King and the ogre erected walls of aura, blocking his attacks and leaving the Red Ghosts unimpeded.

“These days, persistence can get pretty annoying,” Raon muttered, pressing the ogre back with his sword and pinning the Green King with his demonic sword.

“That’s fine. Eden doesn’t need your affection.”

The ogre grinned menacingly, clinging to Raon like a leech as he ramped up the pressure.

‘RUMBLE!’

Unlike the monsters targeting the breached walls, the Red Ghosts moved toward the fortress’s most vulnerable points.

With a sudden, explosive burst of motion, the Red Ghosts broke through the fortress defenses, rushing past the walls and diving toward the soldiers and rangers below.

‘SHIIING!’

Just as they prepared to strike, two streaks of radiant energy surged upward from within the fortress, tearing through the incoming Red Ghosts and monsters alike.

The battlefield fell silent as the sky rained blood, and two female swordsmen emerged atop the now-quiet wall.

It was Serena, the Commander of the Radiant Sword Division sent from Zieghart, and Sylvia, the Mistress of the Annex.

“Mother?”

Raon’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had heard reinforcements were coming, but never imagined one of them would be Sylvia. The word ‘Mother’ slipped out before he realized it.

“Why are you here…?”

“I told you,” Sylvia said, slashing down a troll scaling the wall with ease before winking at him.

“I’m not just here to protect the annex—I’m here to protect you too.”

She waved her hand nonchalantly, as if it were only natural she would show up.

“Leave the wall to us,” Serena added with a firm nod, her expression reassuring.

‘SHIIIIK!’

The Soul-Severing Blade, which had been relentlessly pressing Rimmer, abruptly stopped its assault and stepped back the moment Sylvia appeared. It lowered its blade and bowed deeply, seemingly hesitant to continue.

“What’s that thing doing?”

Rimmer narrowed his eyes, lowering his weapon cautiously. Despite landing a clean strike, he couldn’t understand the Soul-Severing Blade’s sudden retreat.

“Still, this place….”

Sylvia scanned the battlefield. Her gaze lingered briefly on the Soul-Severing Blade, frozen in place, and the Green King, standing motionless like a puppet. But when her eyes landed on the Dual-Headed Ogre, her body visibly trembled.

“You….”

“I thought you wouldn’t remember, running off unconscious and all….”

The ogre smirked, a wicked grin spreading across his face.

“Looks like I was wrong.”

He wiggled his fingers mockingly, as if taunting her.

“Dual-Headed Ogre!”

Sylvia’s composure shattered as she pushed off the wall and leaped onto the plains below.

As if nothing else existed, she unleashed a blinding radiance toward the ogre, her ‘Radiant Light Style’ technique cutting through the air.

“If I kill you and Raon, does that count as wiping out an entire family?”

The ogre laughed cruelly, swinging his massive wooden club downward with a force far greater than before.

‘Damn it!’

Raon quickly caught up to Sylvia on her right, unleashing ‘Flame Dragon Slash’ to intercept the ogre’s attack.

Even as a Grandmaster, Sylvia couldn’t last five exchanges against the ogre. Raon had no choice but to step in.

‘CLAAANG!’

The ogre, seemingly expecting this, blocked the ‘Flame Dragon Slash’ but then retreated, completely ignoring Sylvia.

“Raaah!”

Sylvia, consumed by rage, charged at the ogre with a primal scream.

“Stop!”

Raon grabbed her, his voice sharp and commanding.

“If you don’t get ahold of yourself, you’ll die too!”

“Ugh….”

Even after hearing Raon’s words, Sylvia’s body trembled uncontrollably. Her arms and legs shook as if she couldn’t suppress her emotions.

– “Her heart is filled with fury,” Wrath muttered, his expression heavy.

– “It’s the kind of rage I felt when you first summoned me….”

Wrath sighed deeply, seemingly overwhelmed by the depth of her sorrow and resentment.

“Fight with me. We can win.”

Raon grasped Sylvia’s hand tightly, determined not to let her face her past alone.

“…I’m sorry.”

Sylvia’s eyes regained a semblance of clarity, and she nodded heavily.

“Do you think winning will mean anything? Will it truly be a victory?”

The ogre grinned maliciously, his voice oozing with psychological manipulation.

Raon ignored his taunts, raising his divine and demonic swords once more. He tightened his grip on Sylvia’s hand, steadying her.

‘SHIIIING!’

He unleashed ‘Azure Sky Resonance’ with his divine sword and ‘Heavenly Cannon Art’ with his demonic sword.

‘WHOOOOSH!’

Sylvia followed Raon’s lead, activating her ‘Radiant Light Style’, scattering dazzling light across the battlefield.

‘BOOOOM!’

Their combined techniques overwhelmed the ogre’s club, carving a deep gash into his left thigh and forcing him to stumble back.

“Tch, not bad….”

The ogre gritted his teeth as he fell back, signaling the Green King for assistance.

‘THUD!’

The Green King moved to his side, supporting him immediately.

Raon’s eyes gleamed as he saw an opening—a rare chance to incapacitate both enemies at once.

‘WHOOOOOM!’

Using ‘Supreme Harmony Steps’, he advanced rapidly, crossing his divine and demonic swords. Sunlight and moonlight radiated from the blades, merging into a brilliant aurora.

‘Combined Divine-Demonic Harmony Technique.’

‘Invincible Azure-Red Sword.’

The overwhelming force of his technique struck the ogre’s club, causing it to crack and tremble under the pressure.

‘RUMBLE!’

Raon stepped forward, driving his swords deeper, while Sylvia amplified her ‘Radiant Light Style’, intensifying its radiance.

‘CRACKLE!’

The ogre, showing his experience, spun his aura around his club to diminish the force of Raon’s technique. His movements were fluid and precise, revealing his wealth of combat knowledge.

‘It won’t work.’

Raon tightened his grip, focusing all his strength into his hands.

‘This ends now.’

He rotated the tips of his blades, causing flames and frost to swirl in the same direction as the ogre’s aura, splitting it apart.

‘It’s over.’

Raon prepared to deliver the final blow, his divine and demonic swords converging on the ogre’s neck.

“…Creation.”

The Green King’s lips moved faintly, her voice barely audible.

From her sword burst an ominous darkness, filled with despair.

“What…?”

Raon’s blades faltered as the dark energy pushed back against his ‘Invincible Azure-Red Sword’. His jaw tightened.

‘Sword Field Creation?’

Though cruder than the incomplete version he had once used, the Green King’s technique undeniably followed the flow of Sword Field Creation.

“A… Sword Field Creation?”

Sylvia recognized it too, her hand trembling on the hilt of her sword.

Raon stared at the darkness spreading from the Green King’s blade, the unease and questions buried in his heart rising like ripples in still water.

‘Could it be…?’

(T/N: Damn it. The techniques are sooooo difficult to translate. The names keeps on changing and changing. If you see a mistake in the technique’s name, please comment it down so I can fix it. Thank you!)