Chapter 989

               

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The black spearhead had pierced Merlin’s chest. Blood ran down the shaft, dripping into the undergrowth and staining it red.

“Ah…”

Raon trembled. He couldn’t even scream as Merlin’s eyes slid shut. Her breath and vitality were fading by the second.

‘Merlin…’

The sight of her—impaled, slack, her breathing nearly gone—dragged Rimmer’s end back into his mind.

His master’s death, smiling and worrying about them until the very last moment, flashed across his vision. His thoughts washed out to white.

Zzzzzzzzzzz!

It felt like a god of fury—nothing like Wrath—was taking root inside him. Rage flooded his veins. He wanted to erase everything in front of his eyes.

– You fool!

Wrath grabbed his shoulders with both hands, as if shaking sense into him.

– She isn’t dead yet!

Wrath shook his head violently.

‘What…?’

Raon forced out a rough breath and looked again.

Very faintly—so faint it was almost a lie—Merlin was still breathing.

“Raon Zieghart?”

Kern, master of the Demon Spear Society, the Transcendent known as the Demon Slayer Spear, widened his eyes as if he recognized him.

“So you were connected to this bitch?”

As if he’d expected it, the Demon Slayer Spear shook the shaft that pierced Merlin.

Blood poured from her like rain.

“But you’re a little late. It just ended.”

He spoke with mock regret and stroked the purple hair hanging down the spear shaft.

“You bastard…”

Raon’s killing intent surged, about to explode—

“R-Raon…”

Merlin called his name and slowly lifted her eyelids.

So slowly it felt like time had stopped.

Raon couldn’t look away.

“How did you get here…”

Even dying, with the spear still in her chest, Merlin smiled weakly—thinking of him first.

It hurt like his heart was being crushed.

“Huh? She’s talking in that state?”

The Demon Slayer Spear let out a hollow laugh.

“Her skill was lacking, but I’ll admit her will and tenacity.”

He nodded, acknowledging her—if only as a former Eden executive.

“Leave…”

Merlin gasped, telling him to run.

Leave her behind.

Blood seeped from her eyes and ears.

“P-please…”

She shut her eyes again, leaving only that last word behind.

Her vitality began to drain even faster.

“So that’s what she says?”

The Demon Slayer Spear shrugged, amused, and casually spun the shaft still pinning her.

“What are you going to do?”

“…….”

Raon bit the inside of his lip as he stared at the Demon Slayer Spear’s eyes—eyes mocking Merlin’s suffering.

– Get a hold of yourself. She’s still alive.

Wrath lowered his brows, steady and firm.

‘I can feel it too.’

Raon didn’t know why, but Merlin was still breathing even with her chest pierced clean through.

If he could get her off that spear, he might still save her.

– It’ll be difficult with her impaled like that, but do something!

‘Yes. Now isn’t the time to let anger cloud my mind.’

He couldn’t repeat what happened with Rimmer.

Raon sent Glacier’s coldness into his upper dantian, forcing the rage in his head back down.

‘I can’t act rashly.’

No matter how fast he was, he would still be slower than the Demon Slayer Spear—especially with Merlin used as leverage.

He needed a way to rescue her. Not with brute force.

“Why are you here?”

Raon steadied the words that wanted to come out as curses and spoke evenly.

“Can’t you tell just by looking?”

The Demon Slayer Spear gestured around with open contempt.

“I joined the Four Demons. And I’m working with Eden.”

He angled the spear shaft downward, as if that alone explained everything.

Thud.

Merlin, unable to rouse herself, didn’t even twitch as the spearhead lowered her to the ground.

“I thought that if I followed the Thespian Emperor and created the Five Divine Orders, I’d get to fight the Six Kings and Five Demons properly. But they just kept watching. So…”

He lifted a foot and stepped on Merlin’s head.

“I left the Five Divine Orders and joined the Four Demons. I wanted to fight the Five Kings properly.”

“Why the Four Demons instead of the Five Kings…?”

Raon drew a short breath, doing his best not to look at Merlin.

“The Five Kings have more members.”

The Demon Slayer Spear grinned.

“That means more guys to fight me. So of course I chose the Four Demons.”

A man obsessed with battle—nothing more, nothing less.

“I was bored in Eden, and they told me to catch this bitch. She blocked my path herself, so it was easy. I just stabbed her.”

He frowned and kicked Merlin’s waist with his toes.

“But…”

His voice dripped with disgust.

“She’s a mage. The feeling wasn’t great. And she was weak.”

He spat on the ground near her.

“Not satisfying.” (T/N: Fffffuck youuuu!! Raon, please kill this shithead.)

“Then…”

Raon took one step forward.

“I’ll fight you. But—”

“You want this bitch?”

The Demon Slayer Spear twisted his lips, seeing right through him.

“Do I need to play along? Looking at you, you’ll charge me even if I don’t give her up.”

He chuckled, saying he could feel the anger Raon was forcing down.

“You like fighting, right?”

Raon kept his head level, crushing the rage that tried to rise.

“If I let anger take over and swing recklessly, it won’t be as fun, will it?”

Appealing to Merlin would be useless.

So he aimed for the Demon Slayer Spear’s thirst.

“Hoo?”

For the first time, the Demon Slayer Spear’s calm eyes flickered—interest.

“If you give me Merlin now, I’ll fight you at full strength.”

Raon nodded.

“I’ll even give you time to recover your stamina and Aura.”

“I swear on the name of Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart.”

His hand pressed to his chest.

“I won’t run. I’ll see it through right here.”

“Everything else is fine…”

A vein bulged on the Demon Slayer Spear’s temple.

“But you said you’d give me time to recover my stamina and Aura?”

His frown deepened.

“Someone like you?”

“Yes. You’re not at full strength either.”

Raon’s eyes traced the scuffed armor, the lingering magical marks.

This man had been tracking and fighting for a long time.

Even if he boasted, fatigue doesn’t lie.

“Ha! You’ve got a talent for provoking.”

The Demon Slayer Spear grinned, amused.

“Fine. I’m not interested in a mage who’s going to die anyway.”

“But before that…”

He reached into Merlin’s chest and drew out two pairs of beads glowing crimson.

“I was told to collect these no matter what.”

He smacked his lips and tucked them away.

“Take her.”

With a sneer, he hurled the spear shaft toward Raon.

Paaaaaaang!

Merlin’s limp body bounced weakly off the spearhead as it moved.

Kuuuuuung!

Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword and lunged for Merlin.

Paaaaaaang!

The instant Merlin was no longer his “hostage,” the Demon Slayer Spear drove his weapon down toward Raon’s head.

Kwaddeudeuk!

Raon caught Merlin gently with his right hand and lifted the Soul Requiem Sword in his left, blocking the descending strike.

Chiiiiik!

To keep the impact from reaching Merlin, he fanned Glacier’s coldness out wide, stabilizing her body.

“Good. You pass.”

The Demon Slayer Spear stepped back, satisfied.

He wanted a proper fight—even if his pride had been bruised.

He swallowed an elixir to restore Aura and stamina, then began circulating his cultivation while standing.

-Ha!

Wrath exhaled like he couldn’t believe what he’d seen.

-To actually save her, your mouth….

He shook his head, stunned.

‘This isn’t the time to admire myself.’

Raon kept one eye on the Demon Slayer Spear and stepped back, turning all his focus onto Merlin.

Kureureureureuk.

Blood still poured from the chest wound, soaking through even Raon’s uniform.

The black fabric looked red.

‘She’s alive.’

Barely—but alive.

And still slipping toward death.

He had to act now.

Hoo.

Raon placed both hands over Merlin’s chest, praying for a miracle, and poured the [Divine Power Blooming in Darkness] he’d accumulated into the blackened wound.

Paaaaaaaaa!

Instead of holy radiance, a faint light seeped into her chest.

Slowly, the wound began to knit.

The bleeding eased.

New flesh grew.

It was miraculous.

-It’s still not enough! Draw out more!

Wrath waved his hands, urging him.

‘I want to. But…’

Raon bit his lip.

‘I don’t have much left.’

He’d already used most of that Divinity.

With what remained, he couldn’t fully stabilize Merlin.

‘Then I have no choice…’

Raon drew out the Divine Authority of Sloth and Lust—powers dormant deep within his soul—and mixed them into the remaining Divinity.

Huuuuuuuuuk!

Normal Divinity would reject a Demon King’s Authority.

But his Divinity was born from darkness.

It accepted them.

-This crazy bastard!

Wrath’s eyes went wide.

-That could make things even more dangerous!

‘She’ll die if I can’t heal her now!’

There was no time to move Merlin elsewhere.

He had to save her here.

-Umm….

Even Wrath couldn’t deny it. He let out a low groan.

-…But why Sloth and Lust?

‘Sloth strengthens recovery through sleep. And Merlin’s been around Lust so long that she’s familiar with that energy.’

Sloth’s Authority supported restoration of body and mind.

And Merlin, having spent time with Lust, might accept that power more easily.

He mixed them, clinging to any advantage.

‘Please.’

Raon focused on the balance between Divinity and Authority, willing Merlin’s breathing and vitality to return.

Paaaaaaaaa!

As if his desperation had reached her, the wound sealed completely and the endless bleeding stopped.

Her skin remained pale—deathly pale.

But her breathing began to return, slowly.

– Sh-she’s recovering!

Wrath brought his hands together, stunned.

‘Not yet.’

Raon shook his head and warmed Merlin’s body with Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, burning away the turbid energy lingering inside her.

‘An elixir too.’

He took out the emergency elixir from his Zieghart supplies.

He reached for Merlin’s mask to feed it—

But the mask didn’t budge.

‘What?’

He’d removed her old-woman mask before with no issue.

Now, it wouldn’t open, no matter how much force he used.

‘I can’t break it.’

So he crushed the elixir finely and slipped it into Merlin’s slightly parted lips through the mask.

Huuuuuuk!

As the elixir’s heat spread through her body, her vitality rose little by little.

– Now I can breathe again….

Wrath finally let out a relieved sigh as Merlin’s breathing stabilized.

‘Yeah…’

Raon wiped sweat from his brow.

Saving Merlin had been harder than cutting down thousands of monsters.

His whole body felt waterlogged and heavy.

‘She’s been hurt everywhere.’

The chest wound was so severe he’d almost missed the rest—but there wasn’t a single uninjured place on her body.

Her robe, once black, looked red from head to toe.

‘And her magic… it’s gone.’

Mages formed a Circle in their hearts.

Merlin was no exception.

But her Mana Circle was no longer there.

“Hoo? You really saved her?”

The Demon Slayer Spear rolled his eyes in disbelief.

“Do you have talent in medicine too? Amazing.”

He even clapped, sounding genuinely impressed.

“But you’re only increasing the pain. She’ll die again anyway.”

He smacked his lips, saying he’d kill Raon and pierce Merlin’s chest once more.

“Stamina is—”

Raon ignored him and lifted his gaze.

“Have you recovered everything?”

“Thanks to you.”

The Demon Slayer Spear said he was in perfect condition and slammed the spear shaft into the ground.

Aura surged out—tight, suffocating, strangling at the heart.

The Aura of a clear upper-level Transcendent.

“I see.”

Raon formed a defensive astral ring around Merlin with Ten Thousand Flames and Glacier’s cold, then stood.

“Then let’s begin.”

He apologized for making him wait and raised Heavenly Drive and the Soul Requiem Sword.

“You need time too, right?”

The Demon Slayer Spear tilted his chin.

“I don’t need it. The result will be the same.” (T/N: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!)

Raon shook his head and stepped forward.

Thud.

With each step, golden flames and blue frost spread like unfolding wings, covering the forest.

“Ha?”

The Demon Slayer Spear frowned as Raon’s momentum shoved his Aura back.

“Are you trying to play house?”

His pride flared. He poured out even more power.

Raon didn’t bend. Didn’t retreat.

“I will show you…”

Raon’s eyes sharpened as he crushed the Demon Slayer Spear’s Aura with pure force.

“…the fear of battle.”