Chapter 828

Chwaaaang!

After slicing through the Second Apostle’s left chest, Raon landed atop the sandy beach.

“Grrrk…”

Though her heart had been cleaved, the Second Apostle didn’t die. She staggered back, seemingly converting the remaining blood energy in her body into life force.

“S-So that was [Sword Control]…”

She yanked the demonic sword from her back and threw it to the ground.

Despite the blood gushing from her chest and back, she glared at Raon with killing intent.

Wuuuuung!

At the flick of Raon’s finger, the sword embedded in the sand floated up and hovered behind him.

“You realized it?”

Raon nodded slightly as he looked at the trembling Second Apostle.

‘She really is a transcendent.’

To recognize that he had used [Sword Control] in such a desperate moment—she had the keen insight fitting of a transcendent.

“It wasn’t just [Sword Control]. What did you do to me!”

“Why would I tell you that?”

Raon shrugged as he looked at the snarling Second Apostle.

– The fusion of [Sword Control] and [Spatial Sword] was still incomplete, so he preemptively planted the sword in the space the vampire would move into.

Wrath narrowed his eyes at the blood-soaked demonic sword.

‘Exactly.’

With his current level, Raon couldn’t fully synchronize [Sword Control] and [Spatial Sword] the way Aris wanted.

A sloppy attack could’ve backfired, so instead, he observed the Second Apostle’s movements and placed the sword in the path she would inevitably follow, creating an unavoidable trap.

Of course, he’d taken a beating like a sandbag to pull it off, sustaining numerous internal and external injuries—but now the Second Apostle was in even worse condition.

The flames of the divine sword and the frost of the demonic sword continued to burn her life force and blood energy away.

– You really are one sharp bastard.

Wrath let out a low breath of admiration.

‘If it were Sir Lawrence, he would’ve won even more easily.’

The Second Apostle possessed terrifying speed, but she lacked the absolute pressure that true transcendents exuded.

A monster dangerous solely due to her speed. That was all.

‘I wonder if my aunt’s okay…’

Raon let out a brief sigh as he looked at the Second Apostle vomiting pale blood.

– If anyone wants to kill that lunatic, they’ll have to send a named demon at the very least.

Wrath shook his head, saying there was no need to worry about Aris.

– She might get imprisoned, but she won’t be hurt or killed.

‘That’s a relief.’

– More importantly, finish off that vampire properly now.

‘I know.’

Raon nodded solemnly.

‘But attacking first isn’t the best move.’

A cornered rat bites even a cat. Her gaze wasn’t dead yet. It was better to gauge her intentions and move accordingly.

– Good instinct.

Wrath gave a small nod.

– Even if she’s teetering on the edge, that vampire has already crossed the wall. She’ll lash out to the end, so stay sharp.

The moment Wrath warned him to stay focused, the Second Apostle’s aura erupted explosively.

Ruuuumble!

Even more powerful than when the battle began. She wasn’t trying to flee—she intended to take Raon with her no matter what.

As expected of a White Blood Cult Apostle, the sect with the most maniacs among the Five Evils.

“Even if I die, I’ll kill you too.”

The Second Apostle ground her teeth and stomped down. Her body turned into a flash of white light and vanished.

“Hoo…”

Raon exhaled a murky breath and gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands.

‘She’s faster again.’

This is dangerous.

If he waited to sense her approach and respond, he’d be too late. He had to predict where she’d attack and strike first.

‘Now that her life’s on the line, she’ll act even more instinctively.’

Though he had to be ready for surprises.

Whoooosh!

As soon as he sensed her presence, Raon stepped forward with his right foot and swung the divine sword toward his left chest—her most frequent target.

Crackle!

But the Second Apostle twisted her body unnaturally, dislocating her own ankle to dodge. Her fist veered from the chest and aimed at Raon’s neck instead. A chill ran down his spine.

“You’re not the only one who can deceive!”

She grinned, lips soaked in blood, convinced of her victory.

“Let’s die together!”

Her punch, now a suicide strike, erupted with overwhelming blood energy.

Ruuuumble!

The force of her punch deepened Raon’s internal injuries, and his knees buckled.

“Sorry to disappoint…”

Even in the face of her terrifying blood energy, Raon remained unshaken.

“My deception isn’t over.”

Just before her fist pierced his throat, he summoned the demonic sword floating behind him.

Ruuuumble!

The divine sword in his hands and the descending demonic sword intersected in a blazing cross.

Raon Zieghart Style Sword Technique.

[Form Six – Divine-Demonic Harmony Combined Skill: Blue-Red Invincible Blade].

The divine sword in both hands and the demonic sword guided by [Sword Control] created a storm of flame and frost that swallowed the blood energy summoned by the Second Apostle’s final strike.

Kuwaaaaah!

True to its name, the sword strike imbued with an invincible wave obliterated the blood energy completely and split the Second Apostle’s body in two.

“Ggrrk…”

The Second Apostle collapsed onto the sand, her body cleaved in half.

“D-Damn it!”

She trembled with frustration that even risking her life wasn’t enough to kill Raon.

But her complexion darkened—her life had clearly reached its end.

“Why were you after the Soul Stone?”

Raon pointed his sword at her throat and asked.

“Haa…”

She let out a faint breath and slowly raised her gaze.

“You’re going to die soon…”

She sneered like a curse.

“I’ve heard that line more times than I can count. Don’t worry about that—just answer me. Why did you target the Soul Stone?”

“C-Curse? It’s not that. Once I die… that person will move.”

The Second Apostle bared her blood-soaked white teeth and said, “He will come.”

“He?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, and the Second Apostle’s jaw trembled as she forced out her final words.

“The Thirteenth…”

With that final number, the Second Apostle’s breath stopped. Her expression remained twisted with resentment to the very end.

“Uh…”

“T-The Apostle was defeated?”

“That was the Second Apostle too….”

“No way. It’s the night of the full moon!”

The vampires of the White Blood Cult trembled all over, unable to believe the Second Apostle had been defeated.

“A Grandmaster beat a Transcendent…”

“That’s Raon Zieghart, the Usurper.”

“Even calling him a monster doesn’t do it justice…”

The sorcerers of the Black Tower also swallowed dryly, unable to hide their shock.

“That’s our division leader!”

Rimmer grinned brightly and pointed his sword at the cultists and tower mages.

“Only the stragglers are left! Take them all out!”

“Yes, sir!”

Fueled by Raon’s victory, the Light Wind Division charged in with even sharper energy, slicing through the White Blood Cult and Black Tower forces.

“Kuaaaah!”

“Don’t retreat! Fight to the end!”

“Take down at least one of them!”

Not a single vampire or sorcerer ran—they all fought to the bitter end against the Light Wind Division.

Normally, when there’s such a difference in power, someone tries to flee. But not here. Their insanity was evident in their willingness to die.

“Hoo…”

Raon sheathed the Heavenly Drive and Requiem Sword and wiped the black blood from his lips.

‘That wasn’t easy.’

Though his external wounds were severe, the internal damage was even worse. His head was spinning.

Even for someone near their level, facing a Transcendent was no easy task.

‘Still…’

Raon frowned as he looked at the Second Apostle’s corpse.

‘What did she mean by “Thirteenth”?’

As far as he knew, there were only twelve Apostles in the White Blood Cult. That’s why they were called the Twelve Apostles. A Thirteenth… what could that mean?

Clap clap clap!

As Raon pondered, stroking his chin, clapping came from behind.

“Well done!”

When he turned his head, Aris was clapping with a refreshing smile.

“Glad I trusted you and held back.”

She patted her own head and said he did well.

“You saw it?”

“Yeah. Just the final moment, though.”

She nodded, saying she saw the moment he used the Blue-Red Invincible Blade by combining the sword in hand with [Sword Control].

“A genius idea—combining a held blade with a remote-controlled one.”

She smiled, genuinely impressed.

“But I couldn’t combine it with [Spatial Sword].”

Raon shook his head as he looked at Aris.

“Trying it in actual battle was harder than I thought. It felt like my mind was in knots.”

“I may have pushed you, but it’s not something you’ll get right away.”

Aris shook her head, telling him to proceed steadily.

“What happened to you?”

“That smoke bastard said he’d let me go if I found the door in the black space.”

She frowned, saying she’d been trapped in a pitch-black room.

“Oh, so you found the door and—”

“Nope! I beat the crap out of that smoke bastard and cut through the space itself.”

She grinned, saying she sliced apart the space of demonic energy that had dragged her in.

– B-Breaking that barrier with brute force… that’s no easy feat…

Wrath sighed in disbelief.

– Truly a brainless brute…

He shook his head as if exasperated.

“Well then, let’s go.”

Aris raised her hand and pointed toward the opposite shore of the island.

“Rabawin! You said you remembered the spot, right? Lead the way.”

“Yes! That emerald pentagonal stone is still etched in my memory!”

Rabawin responded with confidence and entered the forest.

Giran Island wasn’t very large, so before long, they reached the opposite shore.

“Where is it?”

Aris waved her arms excitedly, eager to find the Soul Stone and wake up her adorable nephew.

“……”

Unlike his earlier confidence, Rabawin froze in place.

“Hey! Why aren’t you moving?”

Aris tilted her head at Rabawin, who looked up like a guilty puppy.

“T-The White Blood bastards tore everything up… I can’t find it….”

Rabawin gulped and said he didn’t see the emerald pentagonal stone anymore.

“Then…”

“I—I think we’ll have to check all of them.”

He lowered his head in shame.

“……”

Aris slowly turned to face the beach.

She closed her eyes tightly at the sight of countless piled-up stones.

“When are we supposed to search all this?!”

Unable to contain herself, Aris unleashed a full-powered kick to Rabawin’s rear.

“Kuaaaagh!”

Rabawin clutched his butt and collapsed on the spot.

Aside from Raon, he became the first serious casualty of today’s battle.

* * *

The Light Wind Division and Azure Wind’s crew all entered the shore to begin searching for the Soul Stone.

Since the minimum requirement to sense it was mid-level Grandmaster, everyone except Raon, Rimmer, Aris, and Rabawin simply searched for pentagon-shaped stones based on the eyewitness account.

“Argh! I can’t see it! Where the hell is it?!”

Aris screamed, throwing the stone in her hand toward the horizon.

“Let’s stay calm. Stay calm.”

Rimmer shook his head as he carefully examined each stone like an appraiser.

“You’re surprisingly diligent.”

Aris narrowed her eyes as she looked at Rimmer.

“Our division leader finally understands the importance of family. I’ve got to help with all I’ve got.”

Rimmer shrugged, saying it was only natural.

“Feels like you’ve got an ulterior motive… but maybe not…”

Aris narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

“I don’t. Even if I didn’t help, I’d still get bonus pay.”

Rimmer said it sincerely and shook his head.

“You’ve changed a lot.”

Aris clicked her tongue lightly.

“No, I’m the same.”

Rimmer shook his head, saying nothing had changed.

“Hmph, well, anyway…”

Aris looked at Raon, who had gone the farthest ahead, and gave a faint smile.

“Our nephew is really rewriting the continent’s history.”

“Right. For a Grandmaster to defeat a Transcendent—he might be the only one in all of history to pull it off.”

Rimmer nodded deeply, pride in his eyes.

“This might shake the entire continent. It could be what draws the neutral powers, who’ve been wavering between the Five Monarchs and the Five Demon Kings, to our side.”

He looked at Raon’s back with warm eyes, clearly expecting even more from the future.

“It’s not just a shake—it should flip the whole continent upside down!”

Aris nodded confidently.

“If it doesn’t flip, I’ll flip it myself! I’m spreading this news across the continent the moment we get back!”

She waved her hand determinedly, insisting that this had to be known far and wide.

“Oh, I’ll tell Encia and Siyan too, so we can turn it into a book!”

Aris grinned, saying it had to be published.

“S-Siyan? When did you meet my little sister?”

“We became close while talking about Raon.”

She said Raon’s name worked wonders almost anywhere and laughed.

“Mm… that girl’s like a blank slate. She really shouldn’t be hanging around with someone like you…”

Rimmer furrowed his brow with sincere concern.

“Then you should disappear first! She’s so kind it’s hard to believe she’s your sister!”

Aris slapped Rimmer’s back and shook her head.

“Quit hitting me… hmm.”

Rimmer looked into Aris’ eyes, then tilted his head.

“You’re happy, right? Then why do you look so lonely?”

“Your dumb brain sure is annoyingly sharp sometimes.”

Aris dropped the hand she was using to hit Rimmer and sighed briefly.

“When I look at Raon, that damn son of mine comes to mind.”

She bit her lip as she gazed at the moonlit horizon.

“That’s what I wanted Sif to be like. Someone who shows his strength while cherishing his family. I tried to raise him well… being a parent is hard.”

Aris lowered her head, saying it felt like it was her fault that Sif hadn’t returned.

“You said Raon values his family lately, right?”

Rimmer gently placed a hand on Aris’ shoulder.

“That family includes you too. So don’t be so down.”

With that, he stepped forward.

“……”

Aris looked at Rimmer, then at Raon standing ahead, and forced a trembling smile onto her lips.

“Of course I know! He’s my nephew!”

She kicked Rimmer and went back to searching for stones.

* * *

“Hoo…”

Raon let out a deep sigh as he sifted through the water up to his thighs, checking stones.

‘At this rate, when will we ever find it?’

Rabawin had said it was a pentagon-shaped stone, but over time, the waves could’ve worn it down, changing its shape. They couldn’t ignore even the smallest stones.

There were countless rocks, and only four people could detect Soul Stones—making the search incredibly difficult.

– Pathetic fool.

Wrath shook his head in disdain.

‘What now?’

– Struggling just to find a single thing like that. Still just a greenhorn.

‘Then how do you find it? You know where it is?’

Raon narrowed his eyes at Wrath.

– I am a Monarch of the Demon Realm! If I release this vast soul of mine, the Soul Stone will be drawn in like a moth to flame!

Wrath nodded grandly, saying his soul could locate it in an instant.

‘Then do it. Please.’

Raon bowed his head to Wrath.

‘Once Sia wakes up, I’ll throw a feast filled with everything you want—an entire mountain of ice cream.’

– Y-You’d really…! Ahem! F-Fool! What do you take a Demon King for! I do not barter my services for such trifles!

Wrath waved his pudgy arms, saying he’d help regardless.

However, time passed, and he didn’t move an inch.

‘What are you doing?’

– Ngh…

Wrath blinked his beady eyes.

– I forgot… at the moment, I can’t exert power externally.

He hung his head, saying it was difficult to interfere with the material world right now.

‘I figured.’

Before they’d left for this mission, Wrath had warned that he couldn’t use any of his strength—he’d hoped otherwise, but deep down, he knew.

– Nghhh…

Wrath trembled with embarrassment.

‘It’s fine. Honestly, I didn’t believe you that much anyway.’

– Y-You insolent…!

‘Just kidding.’

Raon chuckled lightly and was about to resume the search when—

Click! Click! Click!

The sound of stones clacking together echoed. When he turned, he saw a large sea otter cracking a shell open using a pentagon-shaped stone on its belly.

“Pentagon?”

Not only was the stone pentagon-shaped—it had a slightly dark emerald hue.

“Could it be…?”

– Wait! T-That might be her! That stalker!

Wrath shouted in alarm and hid behind Raon’s back.

‘Whether it’s Merlin or Lust—it doesn’t matter!’

Without hesitation, Raon reached for the stone lying on the otter’s belly.