Chapter 798
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at Lawrence’s lips, stained white.
‘White Blood Cult’s white blood….’
The blood demons of the White Blood Cult underwent a transformation—the more they cultivated their Blood Arts, the whiter their blood became.
At this level, Lawrence was easily at the rank of an Apostle—possibly as powerful as one of the Ten Apostles.
But it wasn’t just the color of his blood that made Raon suspect a connection to the White Blood Cult Leader.
His aura.
The essence of what made a person human—their spirit, their presence, their soul’s fragrance—everything about Lawrence right now resembled the White Blood Cult Leader.
‘He was just a regular person until now….’
Could someone change this drastically?
After sparring with Lawrence daily, Raon knew him well. He was lazy, he loved to sleep, and he constantly complained—but he was a kind person at heart.
But the energy now flowing from him was sinister and ominous.
The golden eyes that always carried a sense of calm were now swirling with thick killing intent.
“Why would you suddenly bring up the White Blood Cult Leader? Have you met her?”
Lawrence asked instead, his shoulders trembling, as if he was struggling to suppress the overwhelming blood energy within him.
“Yes. I’ve met her several times.”
Raon responded while placing his hand on the Heavenly Drive. He debated whether he should activate his Sword Field and subdue Lawrence while he was unstable.
“A talent like yours survived an encounter with that woman? That’s quite the miracle.”
Judging from Lawrence’s words, he truly had some connection to the White Blood Cult Leader. Raon’s curiosity about his identity only grew stronger.
“Haaah….”
Despite the surging blood energy within him, Lawrence leaned against the cave wall, showing no intention of fighting.
“The White Blood Cult Leader… she must have black hair and black eyes right now, correct?”
“Yes.”
Raon nodded cautiously, still keeping his guard up.
“Then there might still be time….”
“What do you mean?”
“Shed skin.”
Lawrence let out a twisted chuckle as he stared at the cave floor.
“The damned monster… it’s about the time when she discards that body and takes over a new one.”
“…What?”
Raon narrowed his eyes.
“How do you know that, Sir Lawrence?”
If he knew about the body-switching, then there was no way he was merely an outsider to the White Blood Cult.
Raon tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
“Relax. I’m not a member of the White Blood Cult.”
Lawrence lightly shook his head, as if telling Raon to ease up.
“I was never affiliated with that cursed organization, nor did I ever practice Blood Arts. Though, given my state right now, I doubt you’d believe me….”
He let out a hollow chuckle, as if he found his own situation ridiculous.
“…If that’s what you say, I understand.”
Raon lowered the hand gripping his sword.
“…What?”
Lawrence’s eyes widened in shock.
“Y-You’re just going to believe me? In this situation?”
“Yes.”
Raon met his gaze and nodded again.
“You said you’ve met the White Blood Cult Leader! You see my white blood, you feel my blood energy, and yet you still believe me?!”
Lawrence couldn’t comprehend Raon’s reasoning and demanded an explanation.
“In the short time I’ve known you, I’ve learned enough to understand what kind of person you are.”
Despite his constant complaints, Lawrence never once attempted a lethal strike, nor had he ever delivered an attack that would leave lasting damage.
A man like him—a man who resembled a lazy grasshopper—was not someone who could easily harm others.
“Besides, Rektor trusts you.”
Rektor had told Raon that Lawrence was a lonely man and encouraged him to keep visiting him. That meant he already knew about Lawrence’s condition.
“You’re a strange one.”
Lawrence smirked as he looked up at Raon.
“With that reckless personality of yours, I figured you’d just draw your sword and charge at me….”
“I’m not that kind of person. If anything, I’m one of the calmest people you’ll ever meet.”
Raon spoke as if it were a fact.
– “What?”
“Huh?”
Both Wrath and Lawrence gawked at him, their jaws trembling in disbelief.
– “What kind of nonsense are you spewing?! Among all the humans and demons I’ve encountered, you are the most insane!”
Wrath turned his head away in pure exasperation.
“You really have no self-awareness.”
Lawrence furrowed his brows.
“I only trained you to repay a debt to your grandfather. Of course, part of it was because I lost to your obsession….”
Even now, he seemed unable to believe how things had turned out and shook his head in amusement.
“So, you knew.”
Raon grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. As he expected, Lawrence had already known that Rektor was his grandfather.
“I feel the same way. Since my grandfather trusts you, I decided to trust you a little more.”
“…I see.”
Lawrence nodded but then suddenly clutched his chest.
The blood energy flowing from him was growing even stronger.
“Are you alright?”
“I should have prepared better for this… it’s not easy to suppress….”
Lawrence shook his head.
“You should leave. I understand your feelings, but this isn’t something I can just tell an outsider.”
He weakly lifted his hand, signaling for Raon to descend the mountain.
“I…”
“There’s no need to leave. You can tell Raon.”
Just as Raon was about to argue, a familiar voice came from behind him.
He turned around.
Standing in front of the cave entrance was Rektor, smiling gently.
“Grandfather?”
“I saw that it was a full moon tonight, so I came to check on you… and I was right.”
Rektor nodded lightly and approached Lawrence.
“Ugh, Rektor….”
Lawrence bit his lip as Rektor placed a firm hand on his back.
Woooooong!
A powerful aura radiated from Rektor’s palm.
As the overwhelming light surged forth, the raging blood energy that had tormented Lawrence slowly began to subside.
Soon, the energy had calmed to a level where Lawrence could control it again. The eerie whiteness in his eyes faded away.
“You got cocky after getting a little stronger. Serves you right.”
Rektor clicked his tongue as he removed his hand from Lawrence’s back, now that his complexion had returned to normal.
“T-This is all because of your grandson! That brat ruined my routine and threw all my plans into chaos!”
Lawrence gritted his teeth, his face flushed red with frustration.
“Well done.”
Ignoring his complaints, Rektor patted Raon on the shoulder.
“That fool needed a wake-up call.”
“Well done?! Your grandson is practically a demon! He shouldn’t be allowed in society!”
Lawrence shouted, insisting that Raon should be locked away.
– “A demon, you say?!”
Wrath bellowed at Lawrence.
– “Even in the Demon Realm, there’s no lunatic like him! Don’t push him onto us!”
Wrath shook his head, refusing any association.
“Seems like you’ve regained some energy.”
Rektor crossed his arms and leaned against the opposite wall.
“Thanks to you, yes. But…”
Lawrence narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rektor.
“You said Raon could be told—what did you mean by that?”
“I meant that he’s not an outsider.”
Rektor nodded slightly at Raon.
“Raon. You should explain your circumstances first.”
He smiled gently, indicating that it was alright.
“…Understood.”
Raon took a step forward, standing before both Rektor and Lawrence.
“First, let me reintroduce myself. I am Raon Zieghart, grandson of the current head of the Zieghart family.”
“Raon… Zieghart?”
Lawrence sat up abruptly, eyes widening.
“The Thunder God? You mean Glenn Zieghart?”
“Yes.”
“But wait, you said your grandson. Then suddenly—”
Lawrence turned to Rektor, his lips trembling.
“Both are correct.”
Rektor nodded briefly.
“He is the grandson of both the Head of Zieghart and the Lord of the Holy Sword Alliance.”
Even as he spoke, he let out an amused chuckle, as if he himself found it absurd.
“What kind of crazy nonsense is that…?”
Lawrence blinked, still struggling to comprehend.
“I’ll continue my explanation. My first encounter with the White Blood Cult Leader was when I was still a Zieghart trainee….”
Raon began recounting everything—their first clash with the White Blood Cult alongside the Third Prince, how he was almost kidnapped by the Ten Apostles, and the recent war with them.
“Looking back, I’ve had quite a few encounters. After all, I even stormed into the White Blood Cult’s headquarters to rescue Sir Ogram.”
“Now that you mention it, I do recall hearing something. The old men in the Holy Sword Alliance talked about some young monster in Zieghart….”
Lawrence finally seemed to recognize Raon’s name. He nodded absentmindedly.
“I assumed it was just another genius among many, but you’re on an entirely different level of insanity….”
He swallowed dryly, both in admiration and shock.
“And from what you’re saying, you aren’t exactly free of ties to her. That woman must still be after you.”
Lawrence clicked his tongue, saying it was obvious.
“That’s not all.”
Raon shook his head gravely.
“Not all?”
“To fully explain, I need to ask something first….”
Narrowing his gaze, he fixed his eyes on Lawrence.
“Sir Lawrence. You do have a connection to the White Blood Cult Leader, don’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Lawrence hesitated briefly before nodding.
“Deeper than you think.”
“Then I’ll tell you this—the current body of the White Blood Cult Leader…”
Raon took a deep breath and continued.
“…Belongs to my friend’s mother.”
“What…?”
Lawrence sat up straight, as if he had misheard.
“Y-You’re serious?”
“Yes. Didn’t she look familiar? She resembles the black-haired, black-eyed girl who came with me.”
“I never saw the White Blood Cult Leader’s current body. I escaped long before that happened.”
Lawrence bit his lip, as if hinting at his own past.
“…Who exactly are you?”
Raon furrowed his brow. The more he learned, the harder it was to grasp Lawrence’s true identity.
“Well, since you’ve told me something that important, I suppose I can’t keep quiet any longer.”
Lawrence let out a deep sigh before nodding.
“I am….”
—
I was different from birth.
My height and weight were twice the average, and from the moment I opened my eyes, I could already think.
Some would call it bizarre, others would say it was special—but my mother was disappointed in me.
[Is this all you amount to?]
The eyes of the woman, more beautiful than the moonlight, were filled with disdain.
[As expected, there’s no further progress. I should stop this experiment here.]
She left the room without even bothering to give me a name.
The young man who followed her only gave me a quiet, unreadable gaze before vanishing as well.
After that, a young nanny came to care for me.
Even though my mother was disappointed, she hadn’t abandoned me—and that was enough.
The nanny told me that if I wanted to be acknowledged by my mother, I needed to become outstanding.
She brought me books—many, many books.
To me, my mother was like a jewel, one of a kind in the world.
To earn her recognition, I devoured every book the nanny brought, then every book left in the house. When they became too difficult to understand, I simply memorized them.
At night, I read.
During the day, I watched the warriors training in the courtyard through the window.
Thanks to my inborn eyes, I could instinctively understand the movements of martial artists and how their blood energy flowed.
I had no name and had never stepped outside my house, but I was happy because I believed that one day, I would make my mother proud.
Reading, observing martial techniques, and pondering them—I continued this cycle until my heart suddenly pounded violently.
At that moment, my blood energy awakened.
Unlike the others, I did not acquire it through cultivation. I was born with it.
For so long, I had been the only one without blood energy. That was what had disappointed my mother the most.
Ignoring the nanny’s warnings, I immediately went to find her.
I wanted to be acknowledged.
I wanted to prove to the most beautiful mother in the world that I was needed, that I was worthy of her love.
I was confident.
I believed the reason she had kept me alive all this time was for this moment.
But…
It was all an illusion.
[You’re still alive?]
The woman I thought was my mother sneered at my innate blood energy, calling it crude and unrefined.
[Dispose of him. He’s filth.]
Her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
I couldn’t even bring myself to call her mother before I was thrown into a dark prison.
Only then did I understand.
I had survived not because of her, but because of the Apostle who had silently watched over me.
And the nanny… she had been sent by him as well.
I was nothing to her.
I screamed until my voice was hoarse, cursing everything.
No one came.
As I rotted away in that underground prison, the nanny finally appeared.
She was covered in wounds, yet she smiled as she held me in her arms.
[I’m so glad you’re safe.]
Even as she bled, she worried for me first.
I couldn’t speak.
Through a secret passage she had prepared, she helped me escape—then turned to face the Apostle in battle.
Even as she lay dying in his hands, she never stopped smiling.
[Your name is Lawrence. Live kindly, and live warmly.]
I realized then—
My true mother was never the distant, radiant moon.
She had been by my side all along.
—
“That was when your grandfather found me while traveling. You know Rektor’s personality better than anyone, so you can probably guess why I ended up here.”
Lawrence finished his story with a calm expression.
“That’s all.”
“I see….”
Raon bit his lip as he looked at Lawrence.
‘This is worse than I thought….’
Born as the child of the White Blood Cult Leader, yet treated as if he never existed.
Even worse than a dysfunctional family—it was a life completely discarded.
It reminded him of his past life, of the hell he had endured.
“There’s no need for that grim expression.”
Lawrence let out a faint chuckle and waved his hand.
“It’s been a long time. I’ve moved on.”
But his eyes—they still carried a deep, lingering sadness.
“…This conversation is getting too heavy. Let’s shift gears.”
Lawrence stretched out his hand, signaling a change in topic.
“You’re looking for a way to extract the White Blood Cult Leader’s soul, aren’t you?”
“…Yes.”
“The method is…”
He exhaled slowly, pausing for a moment.
“There is none.”
