Chapter 827
“What are the bishops doing!”
At the Second Apostle’s call, blood fiends revealed their faces and stepped forward.
These weren’t ordinary lay followers. They exuded a different level of blood energy. The archbishops and bishops had bloodlines etched into their robes.
“Kill the brats!”
At her gesture, the archbishops and bishops flashed cold, sharp gazes and slammed down on the earth.
Wuuuuuuung!
Blood magic bloomed from the hands of the archbishops and bishops, becoming bolts of lightning that poured down toward the Light Wind Division.
Sssssss!
Three mid-level demons emerged from the Black Tower and clasped their hands together.
From behind them, a spine-chilling demonic energy surged like black waves and crashed toward the Light Wind Division.
“How dare you!”
Rimmer stood at the forefront of the Light Wind Division with a refreshing smile.
Chwaaaargh!
The pale green wind blooming from his sword split apart every blood magic spell that had been pouring toward the Light Wind Division.
“You shall not pass.”
Rabawin stepped forward with heavy steps and raised his sword. A thunderclap as if the sky had been torn apart shattered the black wave attempting to collapse the storm formation.
“I won’t need to step in, then.”
Rabawin took a step back to protect the relatively weaker crew members.
“Wipe them all out!”
Martha, as if she had already forgotten the fact she nearly died to the Second Apostle moments ago, stepped forward again and severed the neck of a White Blood Cultist.
“They’re useless for the world’s sake! Don’t hold back!”
Burren encouraged the Light Wind Division while following behind Martha to maintain the formation and prevent her from becoming isolated.
“Focus more on defense than offense…”
Runaan held the center of the storm formation in place of Martha and Burren, who had surged ahead, and protected swordsmen who were in danger.
Rumbleeeee!
The Light Wind Division too unleashed sharp sword force and relentlessly cut down the White Blood Cultists and demons.
“Kuaaaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
“W-What are these brats…?”
The White Blood Cultists and demons were overwhelmed by the momentum of the charging Light Wind Division like wild bulls, unable to even counterattack as they were pushed back.
There was a clear gap in strength, but the difference in morale far exceeded that.
“How far do you think you’re going! The Apostle is right beside us!”
A red-haired blood fiend who appeared to be an archbishop screamed with a cracked voice.
He seemed flustered that the Light Wind Division showed no fear despite the Second Apostle being right in front of them.
“There’s someone behind me to protect me, so what’s there to be afraid of!”
Martha, saying she trusted Raon, pushed even more fiercely against the White Blood Cultists.
“I-I’m a bit scared… no, I’m really scared, but I believe Raon will protect us.”
Dorian glanced at Raon and gave a small nod.
“That’s right.”
Raon nodded his chin as he looked at the trembling eyes of the Second Apostle.
“I’ll say it again. Your opponent is me. Don’t look elsewhere.”
He pointed the Heavenly Drive at the Second Apostle’s forehead as if to provoke her.
“Haaaah…”
The Second Apostle exhaled a pale breath, arms drooping loosely.
“I didn’t expect insects flaunting their petty strength to be this revolting.”
A pale blood energy rose from beneath her feet, sending chills up the spine. Just seeing it made one feel their heart tightening.
‘So now it begins.’
Raon exhaled softly, his smile vanishing.
‘I heard she’s inconsistent, but judging by her presence alone, she surpasses Lawrence.’
It was right to consider her a transcendent.
Though the Second Apostle didn’t acknowledge it, the nickname following her was “Witch of Instability,” given because her strength fluctuated wildly from High Grandmaster to Transcendent depending on her condition.
Still, no matter the instability, for a Grandmaster to display transcendent-level strength was supposed to be impossible.
In other words, the Second Apostle was a transcendent who occasionally weakened.
“I’ll start by taking your head, just as you wished.”
Clenching her fist, the Second Apostle vanished into a white haze.
‘Where…’
Before he could turn his gaze, her fist struck from the right.
Thunk!
Raon pivoted on his left foot and raised the Heavenly Drive. [Flame Wall]—a barrier of fire blocked the Second Apostle’s punch.
Claaang!
With a fierce shockwave, Raon was pushed back five steps, and the Second Apostle also retreated three steps, slightly bending her knees.
“Huh?”
The Second Apostle exhaled sharply, as if she couldn’t believe she had been pushed back.
“How could a mere Grandmaster…”
She furrowed her brow in disbelief at Raon, who had blocked her attack and even countered.
“You’re already surprised? That’s a problem.”
Raon drew the Soul Requiem Sword with his left hand, lips twisting into a smirk.
“I’ve still got a lot more to show you.”
Planting both the Soul Requiem Sword and the Heavenly Drive into the ground, he opened the world of his Mental World.
[Sword Field Creation – Divine-Demonic Harmony].
Holding the divine sword born of the sun in one hand and the demonic sword forged by the moon in the other, he gave a slight nod.
“Cheap tricks won’t work on me.”
The Second Apostle’s eyes flared crimson, and wings of white blood energy sprouted from her back.
“I’ll show you what the realm of transcendence truly is!”
As she spread her blood wings, she vanished without a trace—leaving not even an afterimage.
Whoooosh!
Raon narrowed his eyes, following the vanished presence of the Second Apostle.
‘Even in this state, I can barely keep track of her.’
Even while resonating the [Ring of Fire] and using the perception of [Snow Flower], he couldn’t lock onto her location. Right now, the Second Apostle was in a far faster realm than he was.
Whoooosh!
While Raon was spreading his senses in all directions, the Second Apostle’s fist pierced the space, aiming at his left chest—to shatter his heart and ribs.
‘Better to attack than block!’
Raon gave up on defense and swung a close-range [Flame Dragon Break] at her charging fist.
Fwoooosh!
A rotating flame like a wagon wheel clashed head-on with the Second Apostle’s punch.
Kuwaaaang!
Fiery and bloody sparks melted into an orange blaze that scattered in all directions, forcing both Raon and the Second Apostle to retreat three steps each.
‘Its power is overwhelming, but…’
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the slightly trembling divine sword.
‘It’s not just about speed.’
In terms of destructive force alone, with his [Sword Field Creation] active, he had the upper hand.
But even going all-out, he didn’t think he could catch the Second Apostle’s speed.
‘Is that her true ability?’
From what others had said, the Second Apostle was the type to crush enemies with sheer strength—like a brawler. But seeing her now, she was the complete opposite.
With absolute speed, she avoided recklessness and focused on control—closer to a strategist than a fighter.
‘If I can’t catch her, then I’ll have to lure her in…’
While pondering how to deal with the Second Apostle, Raon sensed a massive surge of blood energy from behind.
‘Tch!’
He tried to turn quickly, but the Second Apostle’s fist was already approaching.
‘I can’t block this one.’
Raon brought back his arm clad in [Snow Flower Armor] to meet her punch.
Thwack!
An intense pain shot through his arm as if it were being torn off, and his body was pushed forward. Thankfully, no bones broke, but even his head rang from the shock.
Whoooosh!
As he tried to stabilize his stance by stepping forward with his left foot, a pale-white fist shot toward his face. The Second Apostle had already moved in front and launched her strike.
Clang!
Raon thrust his demonic sword forward and deflected the punch.
Splat!
The punch, wreathed in blood energy, had been so close that the shockwave tore flesh from his cheek.
Zzzzzing!
As Raon suppressed the pain and stabbed his divine sword forward, the Second Apostle had already retreated, yawning mockingly.
‘She’s… even faster than before?’
Even with his adaptive prowess through the [Ring of Fire], he couldn’t read her movements.
She was undoubtedly faster than at the start.
– You saw it correctly.
Wrath nodded calmly.
– That vampire wench is getting faster and faster.
He frowned, adding that she still didn’t seem to be using her full strength.
‘Then even [Sword Control] won’t be enough to catch her.’
While [Sword Control] was fast, Raon’s mastery was still immature, making it unsuitable for tracking the Second Apostle.
‘In that case, I’d be better off saving it.’
Neither the White Blood Cult nor the Magic Tower knew Raon could use [Sword Control].
Using it prematurely might only raise their guard—it was better kept for a finishing blow.
“Where’s all that confidence you had in the beginning?”
The Second Apostle swept her hair back and tilted her chin.
“It’s too late for regrets.”
She smirked coldly, as if the outcome had already been decided.
“You’ll die without even seeing my face properly.”
Spreading her blood wings, the Second Apostle charged. The moment a faint afterimage appeared, her fist was already driving toward Raon’s abdomen.
‘She’s clearly too fast for me to handle, but…’
Raon lowered his stance and curled his lips.
‘Strangely, I don’t feel like I’ll lose.’
* * *
“Heh.”
The Second Apostle sneered as she looked at Raon reducing his strike zone.
‘To think you picked today to challenge me… such misfortune.’
While the blood fiends of the White Blood Cult were stronger at night, she was special.
On a full moon night like this, she could unleash her peak might—there was no way she could lose to anyone right now.
Especially not to a brat beneath her level.
His swordsmanship might have been fitting of a transcendent, but the difference in speed made this no contest.
Swoosh!
Smirking deeply, the Second Apostle struck Raon’s waist. Though he reacted late and swung his sword, she had already withdrawn.
‘I’ll make sure you can’t move!’
Feigning an attack at his left shoulder, she slipped right and targeted his thigh.
Thwack!
His body was solid, so he didn’t collapse, but the impact darkened Raon’s expression.
‘Now it’s over.’
To finish it for good, the Second Apostle drove a punch toward his neck.
Just as she was about to pierce through it, Raon smoothly twisted his body as if expecting it and deflected her punch.
Clang!
The Second Apostle was launched backward like a kicked stone.
“What?”
She trembled slightly as she looked at Raon calmly regaining his stance.
‘He saw that coming?’
It had been her fastest move yet, and still, he blocked it. She couldn’t believe it.
‘No, it was a fluke. He couldn’t have seen it. There’s no way!’
Convincing herself it was luck, she again drove a punch toward Raon’s vital point.
Zzzzzing!
But Raon perfectly blocked the strike aimed at his solar plexus with a diagonal lift of his demonic sword.
Ruuuumble!
The Second Apostle retreated, leaving deep footprints in the sand. Her eyes trembled like waves crashing ashore.
“What is this…”
She bit her lip as she stared at Raon.
“How…?”
“I told you.”
Raon tilted his head slightly with both swords raised.
“I’ve still got a lot more to show you.”
“Shut your mouth!”
With a chilling glare, the Second Apostle kicked off the ground where her footprints remained and charged again.
* * *
Clang!
Raon twisted his blade as he blocked a rising punch from the Second Apostle aimed at his lower left. [Flame Dragon Break – Red Line]. A single streak of flame cut through the air, grazing her shoulder.
“Guh…”
The Second Apostle clutched her bleeding shoulder and quickly backed away.
“That’s where it starts.”
Raon smirked as he pointed at her shoulder.
‘Of course she’s rattled.’
He had been able to predict the Second Apostle’s movements thanks to the insight he gained from the Holy Sword Alliance Training.
Though he couldn’t read people like Dorian could, through this fight, he was gradually understanding her patterns.
“How can you react when you can’t even see me…?”
The Second Apostle’s lips trembled in disbelief.
“There are ways to fight even when you can’t see. And…”
Raon let out a scoff, revealing crimson eyes.
“I’m starting to get used to it.”
The adaptability of the [Ring of Fire] and the [Demonic Eye of Wrath] had surpassed human limits, and he was beginning to adjust to the Second Apostle’s movements.
Given just a little more time, he felt he could bring her down.
“…Fine.”
The Second Apostle bit her lip and looked up at the sky where the full moon hung.
“From now on, I won’t let you even see my shadow!”
She stepped with an earth-shaking [True Step] and vanished.
‘Shoulder!’
She aimed for his right shoulder. Raon thrust the Heavenly Drive to counter, but she was already gone.
Boom!
The Second Apostle struck from the left, knocking aside the Heavenly Drive and smashing Raon’s waist.
Her speed had increased, and so had her power. The blow sent him skidding all the way to the gravel field.
“I am still far from done!”
Just as she claimed, her movements grew even faster as she launched her offensive from the shadows. Once again, she exceeded the speed Raon had grown accustomed to.
Whooosh!
Raon swung his sword, trying to predict her trajectory, but she could move faster even with a delayed reaction, executing both evasion and counterattacks simultaneously.
Thwack!
Hit square in the chest, Raon was flung into the sea.
“Ghh…”
He swept back his soaked hair and glared at the Second Apostle.
‘Veins are bulging all over. Is she overexerting herself?’
Pale veins protruded across her face and body.
Though she pushed her body and mind past their limits to move, it looked like she couldn’t last much longer. But even so, Raon feared he might collapse first.
‘Then I’ll have to fish her in.’
Even if the Second Apostle was moving at imperceptible speed, the form of her strikes hadn’t changed.
If he couldn’t chase her, then baiting her in was the proper move.
Whooosh!
Raon raised the demonic sword to block a punch aimed at his face.
Kyaaaang!
But her twisted-angle strike knocked the sword from his hand, sending it flying into the sand.
“So, that’s all you had to show me?”
The Second Apostle sneered and began pounding his body at increasing speeds.
Ruuuumble!
Raon simultaneously activated [Flame Wall] and [Snow Flower Armor], tracking her movements.
He minimized the impact zones where her fists struck and resonated the [Ring of Fire] endlessly.
“Where’s that fire from earlier! Move it! You damned turtle!”
Even as his wounds increased and blood welled inside him, he focused entirely on the Second Apostle’s movements.
‘I can feel it now.’
Having fully grasped her movement patterns, Raon activated [Sword Control] and summoned his demonic sword from the sand.
Fwoooosh!
The Second Apostle wouldn’t miss the sight of a flying sword, so Raon embedded spatial sword essence into the rising weapon.
‘This is the end.’
Feigning exhaustion, he exposed a deliberate opening. The final step—jiggling the lure.
“It’s over!”
As the Second Apostle shifted to the left to sever Raon’s throat, the demonic sword pierced through space and struck her.
Thwack!
Before she could defend, the blade’s blue edge tore through her back, ripping into bone and flesh.
“Gaaaah!”
The Second Apostle screamed from the pain and shock, curling her body.
“W-What is this!”
As she panicked and tried to remove the sword, a crimson shadow fell before her.
Raon’s divine sword came crashing down like a blade splitting the full moon.
Chwaaaaang!
