Chapter 838
“Auntie…”
Raon’s fingertips trembled. His mind went blank. He knew he had to rush to Aris immediately, but it was as if his body and mind were disconnected—his body refused to move.
“Huh…?”
Burren dropped his sword in disbelief.
“What the fuck!”
Martha cursed, her face twisted in rage.
“…Sif?”
Runaan froze in place like a statue.
“Sif!”
Raon slapped himself to forcefully regain his composure.
“You bastard!”
“That’s far enough.”
As Raon prepared to use the [Supreme Harmony Steps] to save Aris, Sif calmly shook his head.
“You’d best not move from where you stand.”
Sif twisted the black sword embedded in Aris’ chest slightly, as if to say he’d kill her if anyone got closer.
“Kkkgh!”
Aris let out a suffocated groan, her whole body trembling violently.
“You…”
Raon gritted his teeth as he stared into Sif’s calm eyes.
‘Damn it!’
Wrath had said that he thought he recognized Sif, so Raon had kept a thread of doubt.
But Sif’s body had been too stiff to even lift a knife, let alone a sword, and his aura had been completely dried up. Raon had judged that he posed no threat.
No, more than that—he had let his guard down because the warm scene between Aris and Sif reminded him of himself and Sylvia.
He never imagined this would happen. That Aris would be struck like this…
“S-Sif…”
Aris turned to look at him, black blood spilling from her lips.
“I bear no ill will, Mother.”
Sif smiled gently as he brushed her red hair aside.
“It’s just that I need you.”
His voice was as soft and kind as ever.
“Wh-why… I would’ve done anything for you if you’d asked…”
Aris’ darkening lips trembled. More than the pain of the sword in her chest, it was Sif’s transformation that hurt her more.
“Was it because I trained you too harshly? Or because I came to save you too late…?”
Even in this moment, she was asking why, putting Sif’s feelings before her own.
“Training? It was definitely tough. People always praised my talent, but at the time, I wasn’t interested in strength.”
Sif nodded with a detached gaze.
“But once I left you, things changed.”
His voice cracked as he let out a chilling chuckle.
“I realized how extraordinary I am. And how pitifully low other humans are—mere insects. Power is truly a wonderful thing.”
He caressed Aris’ cheek, thanking her for helping him understand that.
“I… I didn’t train you for something like that!”
“But didn’t you always tell me never to lose to anyone? Hurting the weak and dominating others is immensely enjoyable.”
He twisted his lips into a cruel smile, trampling on the hope Aris had nurtured.
“But there were no rumors about your actions…”
“Had I acted carelessly, I would’ve been captured. So I hid my identity. The Crimson Blade Bas, the Blood Wolf Ghost Danshu, Mountain Slayer Isran… I went by many names.”
Sif listed off the notorious aliases of infamous killers and said he had slaughtered over a thousand people.
“All thanks to you, Mother. I met my god, and I learned what it means to carry the blood of Zieghart.”
“Blood…?”
Raon narrowed his eyes and forced his dry lips open.
“When they said our bloodline is special, it wasn’t a lie. It really is different.”
Sif shook his head, saying that part, at least, was true.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking… but I know I have to stop you!”
Aris bit her lip and grabbed the black sword stuck in her chest. It looked like she intended to snap it in half.
“Ah…”
But she couldn’t. Her strength failed her, and her hand trembled uncontrollably.
“A-Auntie?”
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at her.
‘What’s going on?’
Even if she had been ambushed while exhausted, Aris was a transcendent who had overcome countless hardships.
She should’ve been able to break a blade as weak as Sif’s, but she couldn’t move at all.
“What did you do to her…?”
Aris tried to force her strength into pulling out the black sword, but it didn’t budge—it was like trying to move a boulder.
“This sword is special. I forged it with my own blood and soul.”
Sif shook his head, saying it was only natural she couldn’t pull it out.
“But if it’s for my beloved mother’s sake, I’d be happy to remove it myself. The time has come, after all.”
He smiled sweetly and drew the black sword from Aris’ chest.
Shrrrkk!
As soon as the sword came out, Aris collapsed. Blood gushed out from the hole in her chest.
Fwaaaaash!
The moment Aris’ blood touched the ground, the dried blood on the chamber’s ceiling, walls, and floor began to glow red.
Wuuuuuuung!
The crimson glow, like melted blood, rained down on Sif like a stage spotlight.
As the bloody light soaked into his body, his wounds vanished, his flesh and muscles restored, and he began to transform into a robust, healthy figure.
Thud!
Raon kicked off the ground without hesitation.
‘I have to go now.’
If he didn’t act now, Aris would surely die.
This was the only moment he could still save her, before Sif’s rapidly surging power fully awakened.
Chiring!
He stepped forward with his left foot and unleashed the extreme speed of [Frost Pond]. His [Frost Sword] and [Heavy Sword] simultaneously slashed toward Sif’s head and heart.
“You should’ve just gone to your mother and left.”
Sif chuckled faintly and nodded.
“You’re too greedy, little brother.”
With a flick of his finger, the air split open, erasing both slashes from [Frost Pond]. As expected of Aris’ son, his mastery of spatial swordsmanship was formidable.
Tsk.
Raon clicked his tongue and rushed toward Aris.
“Auntie!”
Her eyes were open, but her body was paralyzed—she couldn’t even move a single finger.
The psychological shock seemed far worse than the physical pain.
“Damn it!”
Raon gritted his teeth and pressed his hand against Aris’s chest. He poured all the [Divine Power Blooming in Darkness] into her still-bleeding wound.
Fwoooosh!
The wound closed thanks to the full expenditure of divine power, but Aris still couldn’t move.
“Ra… Raon…”
Red tears welled in Aris’s twisted eyes. Her gaze alone conveyed an apology.
“Sp-Spatial Sword?”
Parras, who had taken a step toward Aris, stopped and looked at Sif with a trembling jaw.
“How could Lord Sif… use the Spatial Sword…?”
“What do you mean?”
Raon narrowed his eyes and turned to Parras.
“Lord Sif never learned Spatial Sword techniques. He mastered a completely different swordsmanship. Why all of a sudden…?”
Parras clutched his head, clearly unable to understand.
– That bastard…
Wrath bit his lip as he glared at Sif.
– He’s drawing out her power.
‘Power? You mean he’s extracting Auntie’s aura?’
Aris’s energy was clearly dwindling, while Sif’s aura grew stronger and stronger.
– Not just aura—[power]! That brute is stealing her very [martial might]!
Wrath shook his head, saying even he had never seen such a phenomenon.
‘Then…’
Raon realized why Parras had been so shocked when he saw Sif use the Spatial Sword.
It didn’t make sense, but the bastard had stolen Aris’s Spatial Sword ability.
– And now I remember who that bastard really is.
Wrath exhaled coldly while staring at Sif.
– He’s the one who tried to kill you at the river.
‘Tried to kill me?’
– I told you, didn’t I? When I awoke from my slumber, you were about to die. He was the one who tried to stab you—he chased you down!
Now that his aura was fully exposed, Wrath was certain.
‘No way…’
After his near-death in the duel with the Axe King, he’d heard there was one last attacker hidden in the shadow of the Evil Shadow Ghost who had tried to stab him.
“Be…orn?”
Raon looked at Sif and gritted out the name like he was crushing bone.
“Huh?”
Sif chuckled at Raon.
“You remember? Even though you were unconscious?”
He tilted his head as if genuinely impressed.
“Well, there’s no point hiding it anymore.”
Sif glanced at the collapsed Aris and nodded calmly.
“That’s right. I’m Beorn.”
The smile vanished from his face, replaced by eyes as unyielding as stone.
“…Then is Sif dead?”
Raon growled through clenched teeth. It seemed Beorn had killed Sif and used his body as a disguise.
“What are you talking about?”
Sif smirked again with a twisted grin.
“I am Beorn—and I am Sif.”
Beorn nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“What…?”
Raon’s lips trembled.
“You thought I died and Beorn just played the part? That’s too naive!”
Beorn swept up his red hair and let out a sneer.
“Ah…”
Aris moaned, her gaze falling. She too had heard Beorn’s words, and the blood tears gathered in her eyes dripped down.
‘He’s just like him.’
Raon bit his lip until it bled.
‘Derus Robert.’
That pure malice with no clear motive—the kind that treated all people like chess pieces—this was the same vile feeling he’d felt facing Derus Robert.
“I’ll kill you myself…”
Raon stepped forward in front of Aris like a vow and raised the [Heavenly Drive] and [Soul Requiem Sword].
– End it quickly. That bastard is…
Wrath was waving his hand in warning when—
Rummmmmble!
A massive burst of mana erupted from Beorn’s body like a volcanic explosion, releasing a vast blue radiance.
This wasn’t just the dungeon—it shook the entire island. It was the kind of power that only someone who had shattered the wall of Grandmaster and reached [Transcendence] could release.
“This is…”
Beorn looked down at his own hand and licked his lips in satisfaction.
“True transcendence at last.”
He smiled faintly, as if he had finally touched it.
“This is insane…”
Raon bit his dry lips and shook his head.
“There’s no way you can reach transcendence like this!”
He knew better than anyone how high the peak of transcendence was. Reaching it by stealing someone else’s power should have been impossible.
Yet Beorn continued to grow stronger even now—like he was approaching Aris’s level.
“True, under normal circumstances, it’s impossible. But…”
Beorn glanced across the chamber glowing like a ruby and laughed.
“With the despair and fear that fill this space… and the blood of Zieghart flowing through our veins, it becomes possible.”
He nodded toward Aris, saying he had spilled the blood of over a thousand people for her.
“Zieghart blood…?”
Raon exhaled sharply as he looked at Beorn. The bastard had mentioned earlier how special the bloodline was.
“Have you never wondered why only Zieghart’s direct line can use the [Sword Field Creation]?”
Beorn swung his black sword and pointed at himself.
“What?”
“There are many Grandmasters and transcendents, but only those from Zieghart can wield the [Sword Field Creation]. Don’t you want to know why?”
He tilted his head slightly.
“You don’t, do you? You just took it as a given.”
“……”
“The reason we can use the Sword Field Creation is because of the blood passed down from above. Our ancestor… wasn’t human.”
Beorn licked his lips, saying their bloodline was mixed with that of another species.
“That’s why only those with a thicker concentration of that blood can use the Sword Field Creation.”
He nodded, as if it were amusing.
Whoosh!
Raon seized the instant Beorn’s gaze dropped and surged forward using the [Supreme Harmony Steps].
‘Too dangerous.’
If this went on, even if he used his full power, he wouldn’t win.
He was curious about the truth behind the bloodline—but now was the time to end it.
Just as Raon stomped down hard to unleash the full force of the [Sword Field Creation – Genesis Blade]—
– Raon!
Wrath’s shout rang out a split second before the ground under Beorn’s feet turned pure white, and a cold-eyed young man burst out of it.
“Do not interfere.”
As the youth raised his hand, a radiance so pure it seemed sacred erupted. Raon, along with the Light Wind Division swordsmen behind him, vanished like smoke.
“Bardiel. What the hell are you doing.”
Beorn frowned as he looked at the cold-eyed young man.
“Have you forgotten what he said? Absorbing Aris Zieghart’s [power] is the top priority.”
Bardiel shook his head, reminding him not to forget the main objective.
“That punk’s not even worth a warm-up after a meal.”
Beorn stomped the ground in irritation.
“I’ll handle Raon Zieghart and the other humans. You just focus on your task.”
Ignoring Beorn, Bardiel sank back into the white light.
“Tch. So much worry for something not even human.”
Beorn clicked his tongue and began approaching the fallen Aris.
“Huh…?”
At that moment, Dorian, who had just emerged from a hidden chamber, froze in place and trembled violently upon seeing Beorn.
“Good…”
Beorn licked his lips with a blood-red tongue.
“At least one was left behind.”
* * *
“What is this place…”
Raon bit his lip as he looked around the entirely white world.
The moment that cold-eyed youth had released his light, Raon had been dragged here without any chance to resist. He still didn’t understand what had happened.
‘But it’s not unbreakable.’
The space didn’t seem too structurally strong. If he broke out quickly, it wouldn’t be a problem.
Chiiiiing!
As Raon exhaled and swung down the [Heavenly Drive], the space split open—and the cold-eyed youth who had dragged him here emerged.
Claaaang!
The youth blocked the strike with calm eyes.
“Move.”
“Sorry, but you’ll have to stay here for a while.”
He raised a massive shield of light, saying escape was not an option.
“So you’re not backing down? In that case…”
Raon tightened his grip around the [Heavenly Drive] and [Soul Requiem Sword] as he stepped forward. His eyes glinted coldly, like darkness consuming light.
“I’ll cut off your head and leave.”
