Deputy Chief Denzel of the Black Line directly under the Black Market Master hid behind a tree and observed Bayonne Lake.
KWAHAAAA!
The lake surface was violently rippling, as if something had exploded underground.
'It seems like there's a problem…'
The Black Market Master had ordered to treat Raon like a master.
He tried to protect him with his life, but Raon had requested that they only ensure the suppression of the external personnel since he could handle everything by himself.
The power of Raon, who had become the Dragon Slayer, was well known, but the opponent was an unknown secret organization, so he couldn't help but worry.
"Ugh."
"Deputy Chief."
As Denzel was pondering whether to enter or wait, his subordinate, Sifin, approached him.
"The cleanup at the iron ore factory is complete."
"Did you capture them all?"
"Yes. As Raon instructed, we dealt with those who concealed their identities and evacuated the civilians. However, we failed to capture them alive."
Sifin bowed his head deeply, looking apologetic.
"I didn't expect much anyway. It's not an easy task."
Denzel patted Sifin on the shoulder and turned his gaze back to the lake.
'So, all the external personnel are dealt with…'
Since the assassins guarding the lake were also taken care of, the only ones left were those hiding inside.
'Let's stop hesitating and go in. Just in case.'
Denzel decided to enter and infused mana into the rock in front of the lake, following the method Raon had taught him.
CHWAAAA!
As the designated path of mana connected, the tumultuous lake split in half as if cut by a sword.
'It actually works…'
Raon had said he learned how to operate the rock with just one look. It wasn't human perception.
"We're entering."
Denzel led Sifin and the subordinates into the center of the lake. They infused mana into a rock shaped like a turtle that was protruding in the center.
WOOONG!
The top of the rock opened like a lid, revealing a passage inside.
Denzel was the first to descend into it. The passage was wide and deep, with no one in sight.
It seemed that everything was over, as no noise could be heard.
"Move."
He sprinted through the passage with full force. After running for a while, he saw a bizarre mound in the center of the passage.
'No, it's not a mound…'
It was a pile of corpses. More than a hundred corpses were stacked, making it look like a small mound.
As he squinted his eyes in disbelief, he noticed the iron bars installed on both sides of the passage. Fortunately, the people inside them seemed to be alive.
"Gasp!"
"They're really here!"
"Please save us!"
"Please, get us out!"
The martial artists, who had been as quiet as the dead, shouted for help when they saw Denzel and the Black Line members.
"They're really here? What do you mean?"
Denzel approached a martial artist missing an eye and asked.
"The middle-aged man who killed that guy said someone would come to save us soon."
He blinked his one remaining eye, saying Raon had told them that they would come to rescue them soon.
"Ha…"
Denzel looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath.
'He predicted that I wouldn't be able to wait and would come in.'
Raon had requested only to deal with the external assassins and guard the entrances and exits, but listening to these people, it seemed he had also predicted that he would enter.
'He's more amazing than I thought.'
Shaking his head in disbelief, he examined the man Raon had killed.
'A master.'
Even though he had been dead for some time, his body was filled with mana. From his trained body and long, straight mana circuits, it was evident that he was a master.
However, Raon had killed this master with a single strike.
'He's not the only one.'
The assassins and martial artists lying throughout the passage also had their hearts pierced with a single blade. All this happened in one move. It was a godlike skill that was hard to believe even when seen.
'He said he was used to such fights…'
Was it true?
Denzel swallowed dryly and stood up.
"Rescue these people."
He instructed half of his subordinates to rescue the people and then climbed the stairs at the end of the passage.
They entered the factory filled with necromancers and assassins.
The ceiling, floor, and walls were mercilessly crushed, and bodies were scattered everywhere. Like the assassins below, they all seemed to have been killed in one blow.
And Raon…
"You're here."
He was sitting coldly next to a woman convulsing with her eyes dyed red.
"That, that woman…"
"She is the one I mentioned earlier, the person in charge here."
"What about the Jade-Faced Ghost Spirit and the Demonic Beast Necromancer? If they escaped…"
"They're dead."
Raon said he had killed the Jade-Faced Ghost Spirit and the Demonic Beast Necromancer, who had terrorized the central-western part of the continent, like catching flies.
"It was easy to finish them off with a surprise attack."
He pointed to a half-melted corpse lying next to the tortured woman.
"Ah…"
Denzel glanced at the Jade-Faced Ghost Spirit and then at Raon, letting out a breath.
'Who is this man…'
Knowing that he was powerful was one thing, but to handle assassins and necromancers without the slightest mistake and deal with everything perfectly was unbelievable.
Especially since the Jade-Faced Ghost Spirit and the Demonic Beast Necromancer were here, along with the master below and the woman being tortured now. It was astonishing that he didn't have a single injury.
'This man must never become an enemy.'
Denzel felt the same level of danger from Raon as from the heads of the Six Kings and the Five Demons, swallowing dryly.
"I have something to tell you, Deputy Chief."
Leaving the convulsing Lesia, who seemed about to die, Raon gestured to Denzel.
"What is it…?"
"I obtained information from this woman. It seems there are other factories like this one."
"Is that really true?"
Denzel widened his eyes, as if he couldn't believe that he had already gathered information in such a short time.
"Yes. I heard it before you arrived."
Raon looked down at Lesia with a cold smile.
"She couldn't endure for long."
Contrary to her initial bravado, Lesia couldn't withstand the torture for long and spilled all the information she knew.
Ugh…
Wrath trembled in fear, biting his lips.
If anyone can endure that, they're not human but a god or demon!
'Is it really that bad?'
You added the pain of tearing skin, itching, heat and cold, and now the pain of tearing inside the flesh! Who can endure that!
He grabbed his head, saying it was torture that even demons wouldn't do.
Why did you add wind!
'If I gained something, I have to use it.'
As the energy of the wind strengthened, he added the pain of tearing inside the skin to the torture. Lesia, the first victim of this torture, spilled all the information she knew within the time it took to eat a meal, contrary to her initial bravado.
"There are factories in Beshir Village and Sopensea. And the Yuhwa Merchant Guild, which built this iron ore factory, is funding these two places. In the end, they're all in it together."
Raon relayed all the information he had heard from Lesia to Denzel.
"Phew…"
Denzel let out a breath in disbelief.
"Sifin, did you hear?"
"Ah, yes…"
Sifin looked at this side with a dazed expression, as if he couldn't believe it.
"I will check quickly and return!"
He shouted that he would deliver the information to the Black Market and ran outside.
"So, did you also find out who is behind that organization?"
"…That's what I need to find out now."
Raon approached Lesia and touched her forehead. Her body, which had been trembling as if she were sick, collapsed as she let out a hot breath.
"P-Please. Please stop. Just kill me. Kill me…"
Lesia begged to be killed, her blue lips trembling.
"Hmm…"
Denzel let out a low groan as he looked at Lesia, whose pupils were dilated.
'What kind of torture could this be…'
It was surprising that someone who should have been trained to resist torture and pain was reacting this way. He was curious yet terrified of Raon's torture.
"This is the last question."
Raon placed his finger on Lesia's head.
'Though she won't be able to hear it.'
Since he had already obtained information about the other factories and the merchant guild operating the organization, only one question remained. And that answer would probably be unattainable.
"Tell me the name of the person who ordered this."
"Ugh…"
Lesia, who seemed like she would answer anything, firmly closed her mouth.
"Fine. Let's start again."
Raon smiled and focused aura on his fingertip when Lesia's mouth opened quickly.
"Tha… urk!"
She couldn't make a sound as if she had been struck with a silence spell. Her mouth opened like a fish, then her tongue stuck out as she died.
"Gasp!"
Denzel hurriedly approached and examined Lesia's condition.
"She… She's dead. Not anywhere else, but her brain seems to have melted…"
He bit his lips as he looked into the lifeless eyes of Lesia, who had lost all signs of life.
Raon gazed down at Lesia with a bitter expression hidden beneath his calm exterior.
'As expected…'
The brain-melting self-destruction triggered by the mere mention of Derus's name was still in place. Derus was truly a demon in a human disguise.
"They are more ruthless than I imagined."
Denzel's face turned pale, genuinely shocked by the extent of the enemy's cruelty.
"Let's clean up first."
Raon erased all traces of his aura from Lesia's body and then stood up.
"I'll handle the remnants here. Deputy Chief, please gather all the documents and books left by the necromancers. They will definitely be useful."
"Understood."
Denzel nodded and began collecting the papers and books left by the necromancers.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Lesia's body.
'Derus must have already been informed by now.'
Due to the Rage Worm, Derus would know that everyone here was dead. He would realize that not only were the assassins dead, but other factories had been revealed and the merchant guild funding them had been exposed. The financial and time losses Derus would face would be enormous.
'Your decades of effort have been wiped out…'
Raon smirked, thinking of Derus's devastated expression.
'Now, how will you respond?'
Derus Robert.
Kubara moved towards the outer edge of the great garden after receiving a summons from Derus.
'What could this be about?'
Derus never summoned people when there were so many around, so it was clear that something significant had happened.
'The materials were delivered, and could it be because of Valmeil's return? Or maybe…'
Pondering over the potential issues, she stopped abruptly as she approached Derus.
"Ah…"
Derus's atmosphere was as cold as a harsh winter. It felt as if her neck could be severed with just a flick of his finger.
"…You summoned me."
Kubara knelt, enduring the tightening pain in her chest as if strangled by a wire.
"Valmeil, Lesia, Shupel, and Juran are dead."
Derus, without turning, stated that everyone at the Water Demon Guest factory was dead.
"What…"
"It's not just them. The signals from all the Shadows at that location have been cut off."
As he said this, Derus turned his gaze. His blue eyes, seemingly calm, were seething with terrifying anger.
"So, Valmeil was tracked…"
"No, the factory was exposed from the start, and Valmeil's arrival probably ignited the situation. If it were just a surprise attack, at least Juran, Shupel, and Lesia should have survived."
Even in the midst of a situation that would make anyone's head spin, Derus calmly analyzed the situation.
"You are correct, my lord."
Kubara slowly nodded. The Water Demon Guest factory had an exit leading to the lake. The fact that they couldn't escape through that meant that everything had been exposed.
"Phew…"
Derus exhaled a chilling breath as he removed his leather gloves. His hands were dripping with crimson blood.
"Send all available Shadows, agents, and martial artists to gather information. Collect everything."
"…Understood."
Kubara nodded, feeling a sword at her throat.
"Afterwards, I will move personally."
Leaving those words behind, Derus headed towards the center of the great garden, where Lephon Robert's birthday party was being held.
"Derus, you must be pleased. Your youngest son's talent is extraordinary."
The head of the Rasyan family, a prestigious family in the South, approached with a smile.
"It's truly enviable that all your children are geniuses without exception."
"They still have a long way to go. Please continue to guide them, Lord Sikan."
"Hahaha, of course!"
Despite having just learned that the decades-old Water Demon Guest factory had been compromised, Derus exchanged greetings with guests with a cheerful smile.
"..."
Kubara watched Derus's back, biting her lip. Goosebumps rose along her spine. She had served him day and night, yet her fear of him only deepened. He was a man who became more terrifying the more she knew him.
She closed her eyes to erase her fear of Derus and quietly disappeared, avoiding the people's gazes.
The next day.
Raon climbed to the summit of Haro Mountain, where the iron ore mine was located. He hid himself so that no one could find him and watched Capoly Village and Bayonne Lake in silence.
If everything is over, why are you hiding and nibbling on beef jerky!
Wrath frowned, dissatisfied.
'It's not over yet. You could say it's just beginning.'
Considering Derus's character, he would first send agents to investigate. If they didn't gather enough information, he would move personally.
'Can you detect anyone approaching the village?'
Hmph. I am the Monarch of Wrath, the king of the demonic realm! Nothing can escape my senses from this distance!
Wrath snorted, as if the question was absurd.
'So, can you tell me if a human Transcendent enters that village?'
No.
Wrath shook his head firmly.
Why would I help you, you arrogant brat who always acts superior!
'I'll add a week to the period where I eat whatever you want.'
Two weeks!
'Ten days.'
Deal!
Wrath nodded eagerly, as if he had been waiting.
'Phew…'
Honestly, it wasn't a method he wanted to use, but other people's lives were at stake this time, so he had no choice.
Hehehe. What should I eat this time?
Ignoring the humming demon king thinking about food, Raon continued watching the village.
Two days passed like this.
A chilling wind, as sharp as a blade, blew.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched a black shadow rise in front of Bayonne Lake.
'They're here.'