"Ha..."
Lector let out a hollow laugh as he looked at his severed shoulder.
'I didn't even feel it.'
He hadn't even noticed Raon's sword strike approaching. It meant the difference in martial prowess was enormous.
'If it weren't for the ledger, I would have died from that sword strike just now.'
Raon could have aimed for his neck or heart instead of his right arm just now.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was alive now because of Raon's consideration.
'To think that rumor was true....'
He had scoffed when he heard rumors that Raon Zieghart had reached Grandmaster, but those rumors were true.
No, they were even understated. Raon seemed to have already reached the lower level of Grandmaster.
"Hmmph."
Lector bit his lip as he met Raon's sunken eyes.
'Buy time, you say?'
What nonsense.
Unless you're an abnormal monster like Raon, a Master can't defeat a Grandmaster.
For himself, who hadn't even left the realm of Master, stalling for time against Raon was impossible.
"You've really become a monster."
Lector swallowed dryly as he tried to stop the bleeding from his shoulder wound. Raon made no move to stop him, as if he could kill him anytime.
"You still have that youthful look from when we first met, but your sword has become terrifyingly sharp."
Raon's face hadn't changed much since they first met, but his swordsmanship had improved to an unimaginable degree.
It was hard to even think of him as human.
"Did you spare me because of the ledger?"
Lector smiled awkwardly as he wiped the blood flowing from his right shoulder with his left arm.
"But what do you plan to do with the ledger? Don't tell me you're going to track down all those people and try to recover the sold elves?"
"What if I am?"
"Ha!"
Lector raised his head with a sneer.
"Unlike the latecomers, these are people who have made a name for themselves on the continent. There are even martial artists from the Six Kings and Five Demons. And you're saying you'll go after all of them?"
"That's right."
Raon nodded calmly, as if asking what the problem was.
"Even if they belong to the Zieghart family, not just the Six Kings and Five Demons, I will take them back."
His eyes didn't waver, as if he truly meant what he said. That madman really intended to track down everyone listed in the ledger and retrieve the elves.
"Your strength may have grown, but your mind is still immature. You're nothing but a daydreaming brat."
"That may be so. However..."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Lector.
"It's better than being a coward with ten thousand tails tucked between his legs."
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
* * *
"I mean it literally."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at Lector, whose eyes were bloodshot.
"Because you weren't like this when I saw you before."
He had only seen Lector twice, but each time he felt something. A proud and confident martial artist. He always had composure and could see the bigger picture.
Though he was clearly an enemy, Raon thought he was a man with things worth learning.
In fact, when they met with the Axe King, it was with his help that they were able to postpone the life-and-death match for three years.
Raon had even thought he owed him a debt, but the Lector he saw now was a completely different person from back then.
His attitude was timid, blinded by desire, and there was no sign of confidence or composure anywhere.
"What do you know about me!"
Lector let out a grotesque laugh, baring his teeth.
"The ledger? I'll never give it to you! I won't hand it over even if I die!"
He grinned with his remaining arm spread out, as if daring Raon to do as he pleased. It was malice as if he had touched the dragon's inverse scale.
"The reason I kept you alive wasn't because of the ledger, but because I thought I owed you a debt."
Raon let out a short sigh.
"What?"
Lector's eyes widened as if asking what Raon was talking about.
"Because if you had been determined back then, I would have died."
It's not a lie. Not just with the Axe King, but when I first met Lector, if he had ignored Rimmer and charged at me, I would have died or been seriously injured.
But he had shown composure and even gave a blessing that wasn't really a blessing, as if telling me to come back stronger.
I had thought he was a decent martial artist among the crazed Five Demons, but seeing him like this now made anger boil inside me.
"Do you remember what you said to me back then?"
"..."
"You said, 'I'll wait for the day when your name echoes from Mount Terukan to the Lable River.'"
It was such an impressive statement that I remember it word for word.
"Ah..."
Lector's lips trembled as if he had just remembered those words.
"How about it? Is my name echoing from Mount Terukan to the Lable River now?"
"..."
He clenched his fist with the hand hanging by his side, without answering.
"I kept my promise, but it seems the you who made that promise no longer exists."
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive sword he had been gripping tightly.
"..."
Lector remained silent with his head bowed, lost in thought.
"Let's end this here..."
"Second shelf of the bookcase on the right."
He slowly raised his head and pointed to the bookcase on the right.
"What?"
"The ledger you're looking for. It's in the bookcase on the right, that's what I'm saying."
Lector shook his head as if asking why he was saying something different after asking. His eyes, which had been filled with desire, seemed to brighten a little.
"Even if you tell me that, I have no intention of letting you live."
Because of his past life where he lived with a leash held by Derus Robert, he couldn't tolerate treating others as slaves.
He intended to kill whoever was responsible for this, no matter who it was.
"I'm not saying this to save my life."
Lector chuckled and shook his head. It seemed like his characteristic composure had revived.
"I just remembered a bit of the old days."
Raon went to the bookcase Lector had pointed out and pulled out a reddish book. When he opened it, he saw that it contained records of all the auctions held so far. Recent dates listed the elves and the individuals who had purchased them.
"You're right."
Lector sighed as he fingered the gold coins on the desk.
"I became a dog with ten thousand tails, just licking bones here."
He closed his eyes as he looked at the dark hole in the ceiling. He wasn't sure of the exact details, but it seemed there had been some problems in the South-North Union.
"You stick to your path until the end."
"I intend to do so even without you telling me."
"Yes. That's what makes you Raon Zieghart."
Lector smiled faintly as he touched the wound on his shoulder.
"I wish I had met you a little earlier..."
He sank to the floor with a low voice. The shoulder wound he had been blocking with aura suddenly burst open, and more blood flowed out than before. He had chosen death for himself.
"Q-quickly, go up. A monster aiming for you is coming."
"Monster?"
"Do you remember Tiller, whom you killed?"
"Of course."
He nodded, recalling how he had killed Tiller, the disciple of the South-North Union's leader, to save the Blue Lugh Tribe who were held as slaves.
"Tiller's grandfather is the Vice Head of the Elder's Council. No, he's now become the Head of the Elder's Council of the South-North Union, an old man named Siran."
"Then..."
"Yes. He's coming here."
Lector smiled weakly, saying it would be better to go up quickly.
"T-the iron chain necklaces on the elves' necks must be broken by injecting aura from the inside. Otherwise, they'll explode immediately and their necks will be blown off."
He gave information he hadn't even considered before, as if it were his last moment.
"...And be careful of Beorn."
"Beorn?"
There was no answer about him. Lector closed his eyes with a bitter smile.
"..."
Raon frowned as he looked at Lector, whose breath had stopped.
"Beorn?"
As he repeated that somehow chilling name, he felt a massive impact from above.
'Has he already arrived?'
* * *
Rimmer climbed back up to the cabin using the stairs he had taken to enter the maritime market.
As soon as he emerged onto the deck, martial artists from the South-North Union thrust swords and spears filled with killing intent at him, as if the news had already spread.
He executed his footwork while holding a child. After moving to the left riding the wind, he raised his left foot and struck the heads of all the attackers rushing in.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The South-North Union martial artists were violently thrown back and slammed onto the deck, but true to their tough sailor nature, they immediately got up and took their stances.
"How annoying."
Rimmer put down the child he was holding behind him and drew his sword.
"Wait just a moment. I'll finish this soon..."
Just as he raised his sword to cut down the South-North Union martial artists in one go, the deck burst open and a water giant rose up.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
With a single gesture, the water giant swept away all the South-North Union martial artists on the deck.
"Are you alright?"
Siyana, riding on the giant's shoulder, blinked as she looked at Rimmer.
"Thanks to you."
Rimmer nodded with a small smile.
"We're almost there. Just hold on a little longer."
Siyana used the giant's hand to lift the elves hiding below onto the deck.
"Shall we wait for Lord Raon?"
Leylan, who came up last, looked down towards the auction house and clicked her tongue.
"It's dangerous to stay on the river. Just as that referee said, the South-North Union's water demons are the most powerful here on the river."
Rimmer shook his head as he looked at the swiftly flowing river.
"It'll be easier for Raon if we leave this place first."
"Y-you're right."
Dorian poked his head out of the hole Siyana had made, like a mole.
"You came quickly?"
"The Division Leader and Lady Siyana took care of all the enemies up front, so I just had to run."
Dorian nodded gratefully and stepped onto the deck.
"Lord Raon said he'd destroy this ship completely. We don't need to wait."
He pointed towards the riverbank, urging them to leave quickly.
"The elves can walk on water, so we can just..."
"That won't work."
Rimmer sighed and shook his head.
"What?"
"Those iron chains are completely blocking the children's powers."
He frowned, pointing at the iron chain necklaces around the elves' necks.
"The South-North Union bastards all claim they don't know, and there's no keyhole, so I don't know how to remove them."
"Ah, then..."
"It's okay."
Siyana snapped her fingers, and the water giant behind her threw itself into the Peren River.
Kugugugugugu!
The giant, having absorbed the surrounding river water to increase its size, spread both hands, creating a width sufficient for twenty people to stand on.
"Everyone, get on."
Siyana went down to the giant's palm first and gestured, and after some hesitation, the elves climbed onto it.
Rimmer smiled broadly as he watched this scene.
'She's really changed a lot.'
Siyana, who once wouldn't even stick a finger out from under the blanket for fear of others' gazes, was now confidently showing herself and leading people. Her appearance was both amazing and admirable.
"Come on, hurry up and get on."
Just as Rimmer was handing over the child next to him to Siyana and about to descend onto the giant's hand himself...
Kugugugugugu!
A gray battle line was rushing downstream from the direction of the Lable River at a terrifying speed.
It wasn't just riding the wind. It seemed to be moving with mana as fuel.
"Has reinforcement already arrived!"
Rimmer grimaced as he drew his sword again. He channeled the wind swirling around the river into his blade, creating a wall of astral energy.
Kuoaaaaang!
A blue-tinted wind barrier blocked the front of the battle line.
As the ship's speed gradually slowed, an old man standing on the sail extended a long fishing rod he had been carrying on his back.
The fishing line stretched out endlessly, effortlessly splitting the wind barrier.
Having broken through the barrier, the battle line charged forward without stopping, as if intending to smash the water giant.
Peoeoeoeoeng!
Rimmer and Siyana moved simultaneously. As if they had mastered a joint technique, they used wind and water to erect a new wall.
But the battle line, striking even faster, crushed the unfinished wall and collided head-on with the water giant.
Kwaaaang!
The upper body of the water giant collapsed, and the elves riding on its hand fell off like autumn leaves.
"Aack!"
"Kyaaaak!"
"Uuugh!"
Unable to use their powers due to the iron chain necklaces, the elves could only flail before falling into the river.
"Oh no!"
Dorian, who was still on the deck, hurriedly jumped into the river. He took out a ferry from his pouch and immediately set it afloat.
"Get on this way!"
It was quite a large boat, seemingly able to accommodate all the fallen elves with room to spare.
"W-why is that here. No, this isn't the time to question that."
Rimmer let out a sigh of relief before turning his gaze to the old man who had jumped down from the battle line.
Despite his unusual red skin, the storm of malice in his eyes was so intense that it was hard to see clearly.
'That old man...'
He had heard about an old man with red skin who used a fishing rod as a weapon. It was undoubtedly Siran, the Vice Head of the South-North Union's Elder Council.
"I didn't expect the Vice Head of the South-North Union to come in person."
Rimmer twisted his lips as he looked at Siran.
"So you're the Light Sword of Zieghart."
Siran nodded as he looked at Rimmer.
"Is Raon Zieghart still inside? That's actually better."
He glared at Rimmer while lightly shaking his fishing rod.
"If I kill all of you before he comes out, I can make him feel the same way I do."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Because Raon Zieghart killed my grandson."
"What?"
"Tiller. That demon killed the boy who was meant to become a hero!"
Siran raised his fishing rod with a chilling gaze. The float, bobbing as if on water, began to spin fiercely.
'Astral Ring...'
As expected of the Vice Head of the Elder Council, Siran had reached Grandmaster. Despite his age possibly affecting his stamina, his martial prowess was incredibly intense.
Rimmer frowned as he looked back at Siyana.
'Siyana probably can't summon the Spirit King either.'
The four Spirit Kings couldn't leave the spirit realm now as they were busy restoring it from its near-destruction.
'And I'm not at my best either.'
He hadn't fully recovered from the injuries he sustained in the battle with the Crimson Flame Demon. He could handle a Master, but against someone of this level, it was a different story.
'Is enduring the only option?'
Having made up his mind, Rimmer turned his gaze to Siyana and Leylan behind him.
"Everyone, fall back. I'll hold this position. Quickly, to the riverbank..."
"Where do you think you're going."
As Siran stamped his foot, martial artists from the South-North Union sprang out from the gray battle line he had arrived on, surrounding them.
These martial artists, likely belonging to the Elder Council, had much stronger martial prowess than those at the maritime market.
"Don't let a single one live. Kill them all."
At his chilling command, the South-North Union martial artists leapt into the river, exuding a sticky killing intent.
Rimmer bit his lip as he watched the South-North Union martial artists moving towards the ferry.
'Damn it!'
Normally, Dorian, Siyana, and Leylan could easily handle this together, but now they had to fight while protecting the elves in the water. It wasn't a battle they could easily win.
"You're first."
Siran swung down his raised fishing rod, as if no more words were needed.
As his wrist bent, the fishing rod curved sharply, creating a powerful wave of aura.
'Right side!'
Barely reading the direction, he raised a sword barrier towards the right.
Jeoeoeoeng!
A terrifying impact dug into his shoulder. The enraged Siran wasn't holding back, showing his full power from the start.
Zzzzzt!
Thanks to the sword barrier, he blocked the fishing rod itself, but the fishing line moved as if alive, targeting his left arm holding the sword. He could feel the Astral Ring whirling in, chipping away at the sword barrier.
"What an annoying old man!"
Rimmer gritted his teeth and tried to kick away the fishing line with his foot.
But sharp aura had seeped into the fishing line as well, nearly injuring his foot instead.
'This is tricky.'
With the fishing rod, line, and hook all moving separately, it felt like fighting three people at once.
"Kuaaaaa!"
With Siran's roar, his fishing rod came crashing down with terrifying force. The internal injuries he had barely recovered from flared up again, bringing severe pain.
"Can't you take it easy?"
Rimmer smiled, pretending to be at ease without revealing his internal injuries.
"You're a sacrifice. A sacrifice to show Raon Zieghart hell!"
Siran poured his intense anger into the surface of the violently rising fishing rod. The Astral Ring wrapped around the float spread out in all directions, targeting not just Rimmer but also the elves behind him.
"Hup!"
Rimmer spun his body in mid-air and swung his downward-tilted sword upwards. A massive wind force condensed into a circular shape, blocking Siran's Astral Ring.
Jeoeoeoeoeng!
He managed to block it for now, but Siran's energy was so strong that it wouldn't hold for long. It seemed he would have to open his sword realm even if it meant worsening his internal injuries.
"Sword realm..."
Just as Rimmer was about to open his upper dantian to use his sword realm...
The hole in the ship that the water giant had broken through spewed out a magnificent red light.
Kuwaaaaaaang!
An enormous storm of flames surged up, and the ship that had been deeply embedded in the river burst apart, split in half.
Amidst the scorching heat that had completely incinerated the ship, eyes burning even more intensely than the flames flashed.
"Raon Zieghart!"
Siran kicked Rimmer aside and rushed at Raon.
Jeoeoeoeng!
Raon lightly extended the Heavenly Drive sword to block Siran's descending fishing rod.
"I've drawn your face thousands, no, tens of thousands of times. You demon!"
"So you're Tiller's grandfather."
Raon looked at Siran with calm eyes.
"He was a man who deserved to die."
He shook his head as he looked into the old man's eyes filled with madness.
"Tiller enslaved the Blue Lugh Tribe to elevate himself and controlled their lives. He wasn't a hero, just trash."
"Shut up! You're the one who should die!"
Siran swung his fishing rod wildly, showing his raw anger. The river water exploded as if bombarded.
Kyaaaang!
Raon, who had been receiving Siran's anger, raised an Astral Ring and struck away the fishing rod.
"Well, a son of a bitch only breeds more sons of bitches."
"What?"
"If you miss your grandson so much, I'll send you to where that trash is."
Raon raised the Heavenly Drive sword and tilted his head. His red eyes gleamed with a deeper hue than the sunset-reflecting river.
"Come."