"I want to fight."
Raon met Glenn's eyes, filled with noble dignity, without wavering.
"I told you it's dangerous."
Glenn's low voice carried a spirit that weighed heavily on his surroundings. The pressure felt as if it could break one's shoulders.
"You're saying you want to fight even though you might die losing to the Axe King, the South-North Union might attack en masse, or other Five Demons might ambush you?"
"Yes. I still want to fight."
Raon nodded, his fists clenched so tightly they might bleed.
"Since promising a life-or-death duel with the Axe King, I've been able to grow faster than during my trainee days. The approaching day of the duel hasn't been a source of fear, but rather a thrill of potential growth."
As the date of the life-or-death duel with the Axe King drew closer, my fear disappeared, replaced by anticipation of how far I could go.
I became curious about how much more I could grow through the duel with the Axe King.
The life-or-death duel wasn't a chain around my neck, but a rope allowing me to climb towards the sky.
I couldn't miss such an opportunity because of someone like Derus Robert.
'And that...'
It won't be just me.
The Axe King I met again appeared unrecognizably stronger. He too seemed to have grown in both martial prowess and spirit while waiting for our life-or-death duel.
"The Axe King let me and the Light Wind division go twice, even though he could have killed us. He might do something before the duel, but he's not the type to use underhanded tactics during the duel itself."
Axe King Roman is an eccentric who didn't lay a hand on me despite having the chance to end my life. There's no way he, whose sole purpose in life is combat, would use dirty tricks in a life-or-death duel. (E/N: he does not use dirty trick, he just straight out lie and break promises repeatedly, totally different)
"That's fortunate."
Glenn's lips curled up slightly.
"If you had tried to run from the life-or-death duel, I was planning to drag you there myself, but since you've made up your mind, there's no need for that."
He smiled slightly, as if pleased with my answer.
Though he said it was dangerous, it seemed he actually wanted me to fight. As expected, he was a person whose true thoughts were hard to discern.
"There's one more reason why I need to fight."
Raon raised his index finger.
"The swordsman who attacked Lord Ogram might appear again."
He folded his finger into a fist. There was no way Derus Robert had done this simply to hand Ogram over to the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
He was clearly aiming for something more.
"My life-or-death duel will be an opportunity to catch him."
"Yes. That's right."
Glenn nodded calmly, as if thinking the same thing.
"We can't leave that bastard alone."
His calm eyes suddenly turned a chilling color.
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked into Glenn's eyes.
'As expected, he's angry about what happened to Lord Ogram.'
Glenn showed deep anger towards the swordsman who used the Death Aura.
If it was revealed that the culprit was Derus Robert, he seemed ready to storm House Robert immediately.
"You..."
Glenn clicked his tongue briefly and called to Raon.
"You've thought that far ahead in such a short time?"
He narrowed his eyes, as if surprised that Raon had envisioned the future in such a chaotic situation.
"I just had some time to think about what comes next."
Raon shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.
"No need to be modest. It's impressive to have such thoughts in this situation."
Glenn waved his hand, saying that quick judgment was a strength.
"Thank you."
Raon looked at Glenn's calm eyes before lowering his head.
"Hm?"
Glenn furrowed his brow, as if asking what Raon meant.
"Thank you for trusting me."
In truth, from Glenn's perspective, there was no need to listen to the absurd claim that they needed to rescue Ogram in the middle of the night.
But he had listened to the strange events in the mental world and even accompanied me to the Beast Union. There was nothing else to say but thank you.
'On top of that, he saved my life.'
Glenn didn't return through the Blood Spirit Pathway, but came to find me and blocked the Leader of the White Blood Religion's reach.
The reason I was able to survive was thanks to Glenn's choice.
"Ahem! That's enough."
Glenn turned around with a whoosh. He waved his hand lightly behind him.
"Thanks to you, I saved the beast and became a benefactor of the Beast Union, so no need for such gratitude."
"There's one more thing."
Raon tapped the hilt of the Heavenly Drive.
"Thanks to seeing the Head of House's sword, I was able to gain inspiration for establishing a new Sword Domain."
Seeing Wrath's Snow Flower and Glenn's Unblemished Perfection again, I determined the direction of the Sword Domain I should pursue.
If I return to Zieghart and finish organizing my thoughts, I should be able to firmly grasp the threads of a new Sword Domain.
"Ahem!"
Glenn coughed again and shook his head. His earlobes seemed to have turned red.
"That's just you observing well! I didn't do anything!"
After saying that, he entered the Beast Union Leader's palace where Ogram was.
'Why is he getting angry...?'
I thought I had gotten a bit closer to Glenn while spending time with him today, but now it felt like we had grown distant again.
"Geez!"
"Urgh!"
As Raon tilted his head in confusion, Rimmer and Sheryl, who were watching from behind, groaned and slapped their foreheads hard.
"Heh heh heh..."
Roenn also let out a lower laugh than usual, as if frustrated.
"When will that shy Head of House come to his senses..."
* * *
White Blood Cult Headquarters, Palace of the Blood God.
Kwaaang!
Sticky bloody energy exploded in the pure white space where red curtains billowed.
"How did those filthy bastards enter this sacred land!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion glared at the executives, twisting her lips.
"It seems they forcibly opened a Blood Spirit Pathway that wasn't completely closed and invaded."
The 10th Apostle bowed his head with a hand on his chest. His complexion was pale, as if he had suffered internal injuries.
"Those rat bastards..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion roughly wiped away the blood flowing from her forehead and looked at the Archbishop standing to her right.
"Th-there are over 50 casualties, and more than twice that number injured. The damage to buildings and holy artifacts is also significant..."
The Archbishop, receiving her gaze, reported the damage situation with trembling lips.
"Damn it!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion clenched her fists, biting her lip until it bled.
'The damage is worse than I thought.'
The cult members at the headquarters, even if not executives, are all individuals with important roles.
The fact that such important resources had died en masse made her skin ache.
"What about the 8th Apostle?"
"He's suffered severe internal injuries and will need to recuperate for a while."
The 10th Apostle raised his gaze and exhaled softly.
"You look pretty bad yourself?"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion frowned, looking at the 10th Apostle's pale cheeks.
"It's not that bad."
The 10th Apostle shook his head, saying his internal injuries would heal soon.
"..."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion said nothing more and turned her gaze to the right. The First Apostle, standing straight, caught her eye.
"My internal injuries aren't that severe either."
The First Apostle bowed his head with a hand on his chest.
"Such bravado."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion laughed coldly and finally looked at the Second Apostle.
"I'm really fine."
The Second Apostle answered, twirling her hair with her fingers.
"You still can't control your aura."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion clicked her tongue, seeing the shimmering bloody energy around the Second Apostle.
"To think you're still like this despite being born with the noblest blood."
"It's not like I can control it at will."
The Second Apostle waved her hand as if annoyed by the comment.
"You..."
"A-are you alright, Leader?"
The Archbishop's fingertips trembled as he looked at the Leader of the White Blood Religion, white blood flowing from her head.
"No need to worry. I took the hit on purpose."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion twisted her lips slightly.
"Took the hit on purpose...?"
"Glenn, that weasel, opened his Sword Domain as if to make me consume Ogram's energy that I hadn't absorbed yet. So, I blocked it with my body, prepared to die."
A yellow madness filled her black pupils.
"If I recover from this damned injury, a path to reach even greater heights will open."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion twisted her lips upward, saying it wasn't over yet.
"I must grind and drink that old man, no matter what it takes."
* * *
The study of the head of House Robert.
Derus Robert removed his leather gloves. He pulled out new gloves, wearing a twisted smile.
'How interesting.'
The battle fought at the risk of his life gave him a thrill more intense than any game. His fingertips still trembled with the sensation of piercing Ogram's chest.
'Of course, I didn't go there just for the pleasure.'
The Leader of the White Blood Religion might think she gained the most by drinking Ogram's blood, but that was a big misunderstanding.
He too had gained more than one or two martial arts achievements by defeating Ogram. There was even a possibility that he had grown more than the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"Now it begins."
Derus downed the bottle of alcohol on his desk. As he greeted the rising sun with a twisted smile...
Knock knock.
With a soft knock, Kubara entered the study.
"What is it? There should still be time before the morning schedule."
Derus merely wiggled his finger without turning around.
"Urgent news has come from our spy planted in the White Blood Religion headquarters."
Kubara knelt and bowed her head.
"It seems Zieghart has attacked the White Blood Religion."
"...What?" (E/N: yup)
Derus Robert's eyes, which had seemed unshakeable, twisted in shock.
"Glenn Zieghart, the Heavenly Blade Division Leader, Light Sword, Killing King, and..."
Kubara swallowed dryly before continuing.
"Raon Zieghart ambushed the White Blood Religion headquarters and rescued the Beast King." (E/N: just another day for the Handsome One)
She bit her lip as if she herself found it hard to believe.
"How on earth..."
"They say they used the Blood Spirit Pathway, but even the executives haven't grasped the exact details yet."
"The blood. Was the blood drunk?"
"Yes. Fortunately, the blood-drinking was already completed."
"..."
Derus rose from his chair. He closed his eyes, gazed at the sun breaking through the clouds, and nodded calmly.
"This might be for the best."
"Pardon?"
Kubara's eyes widened, as if asking what he meant.
"Even if they rescued Ogram, the balance that's already broken won't return. Moreover..."
The corners of Derus's mouth curved upwards.
"That man won't be able to wake up."
I severed Ogram's body and soul with the Death Aura. Even Glenn can't easily manipulate the soul, so it's impossible for him to wake up again.
"Rather, this has become a suitable situation to instill fear."
If the Ogram that Glenn rescued never wakes up, it can engrave an even greater fear across the continent.
It seemed that the incident of Zieghart attacking the White Blood Religion would turn out to be beneficial.
"The news must have reached the South-North Union too, but there's no contact yet?"
"About that..."
As Kubara was about to answer, the door of the study opened without a knock and Lephon Robert entered.
"Father!"
Lephon rushed in and slammed Derus's desk.
"Is, is it true that the Leader of the White Blood Religion defeated Lord Ogram?"
His chin trembled as if he couldn't believe it.
"Where did you hear that?"
"The swordsmen who returned from outside told me! They say rumors are already spreading across the entire continent..."
"It's probably not true."
Derus shook his head with a faint smile.
"The Beast King senior is the most steadfast martial artist I've ever seen. There's no way he would lose to someone like the Leader of the White Blood Religion."
He said this while taking Lephon's hand.
"Th-that's right! I thought it was a false rumor from the beginning!"
Lephon, who admired all of the Six Kings, smiled with relief.
"Yes. Trust in him."
Derus looked at Lephon with warm eyes. A hint of malice bloomed in his gentle voice.
"He's strong enough to remain unshaken even when stabbed with a sword."
* * *
"Why on earth isn't he waking up!"
The Vice Union Leader bit his lip as he glared at the healer in charge of Ogram's treatment.
"It's nonsense that the Union Leader hasn't woken up yet from just this level of injury!"
"I-I don't know."
The healer shook his head as he examined Ogram's wounds again.
"As you say, Vice Union Leader, he should have woken up by now..."
He trembled, saying he couldn't understand it.
"How could this..."
The Siran Tribe Chief, who was holding Ogram's wrist, groaned and opened his eyes.
"Siran Tribe Chief. Have you found out something?"
"It-it's unbelievable, but it seems the connection between the Union Leader's body and soul has been severed."
The Siran Tribe Chief clicked his teeth, saying it was unbelievable.
"The connection between body and soul is severed...?"
The Vice Union Leader approached with a blank expression, as if he couldn't understand.
"The soul is clearly inside the Union Leader's body, but they can't touch each other."
"Th-then what happens?"
"If-if this continues, the Union Leader will never wake up."
The Siran Tribe Chief bowed his head, saying there was no solution.
"What is this..."
The Vice Union Leader gritted his teeth in disbelief and directly examined Ogram's condition.
'What is this...'
Even though his severely injured body was returning to normal and the disrupted flow of aura was restored, Ogram didn't open his eyes or respond, as if he were dead. He seemed just like a vegetative person.
"...Is it the White Blood Religion's magic?"
Rimmer frowned as he watched the Vice Union Leader massaging Ogram's arms and shoulders.
"I don't know. I've never heard of such a thing."
Sheryl sighed regretfully.
"He-Head of House."
After confirming that Ogram wouldn't wake up no matter what they did, the Vice Union Leader looked at Glenn with pleading eyes.
"Step aside."
Glenn nodded and grasped Ogram's wrist. After a moment, he furrowed his brow deeply and shook his head.
"The Siran Tribe Chief is right. The body and soul are separated by the Death Aura. If we handle it wrongly, even if he wakes up, he'll be a blank slate, completely incapacitated."
"Ah..."
Raon's eyes widened as he heard Glenn's words.
'Severance!'
It was clear that the separation of Ogram's body and soul wasn't the White Blood Religion Leader's magic, but Derus Robert's handiwork.
'That damn bastard...'
Not only did he ambush, but he also severed the soul with Severance. He truly was a vicious bastard.
"Union Leader!"
"Kuheuuk..."
The Vice Union Leader and the union executives held onto Ogram, letting out wails and beginning to sob.
Raon frowned, brushing back his disheveled hair.
'Damn it.'
I've seen Derus's Severance before, but I don't know how to restore the soul.
Sighing, I tried using the Perception of the Snow Flower, but I couldn't feel anything, as if the soul was beyond my grasp.
'If only Wrath were here at a time like this...'
That cotton candy would have told me where to remove it as soon as he saw it. It was frustrating that he was sleeping.
'Wait, as soon as he saw it?'
Then...
Raon let out a breath and activated the Evil Eye of Wrath.
Wooooong!
As
'That's...'
Inside Ogram's body, black chains imprisoning something white came into view.
Gulp.
Raon slowly walked over and placed his hand on Ogram's forehead.
"Benefactor? What are you..."
As the Vice Union Leader was about to stop him, Rimmer intervened and shook his head.
Wooooong!
As he simultaneously activated the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Ring of Fire, Derus Robert's Black Blade that bound Ogram's soul felt vividly tangible, as if he could grasp it in his hand.
However, I didn't have the strength to tear away that blade right now.
"I might be able to save Lord Ogram."
Raon extended his hand to Glenn, his red eyes tinged with blue wrath.
"Please help me."