Slash!
Raon slashed open the Second Apostle's left chest and stepped onto the sandy beach.
"Urgh..."
Despite having her heart slashed, the Second Apostle didn't die. She staggered back, seemingly converting the remaining bloody energy in her body into life force.
"S-Sword Control..."
The Second Apostle pulled out the Demonic Sword embedded in her back and threw it to the ground.
Despite spewing a terrifying amount of blood from her chest and back, she glared at Raon with murderous intent. With a slight movement of Raon's finger, the Demonic Sword embedded in the sand rose and moved behind his back.
"Did you notice?"
Raon tilted his chin, looking at the Second Apostle whose entire body was trembling.
'Not a Transcendent Warrior for nothing, I see.'
To notice he had used Sword Control in such a critical situation - it was indeed the keen observation of a Transcendent Warrior.
"It wasn't just Sword Control. What the hell did you do?!"
"Why would I tell you that?"
Raon shrugged his shoulders, watching the Second Apostle grind her teeth.
-Since the fusion of Sword Control and Spatial Sword is still far from perfect, he must have planted the sword in advance where that vampire would move.
Wrath narrowed his eyes, looking at the blood-stained Demonic Sword.
'Well, that's right.'
At his current level, he couldn't harmonize Sword Control and Spatial Sword as Alice wanted.
To avoid a possible counterattack from a clumsy offensive, he observed the Second Apostle's movements and placed the Demonic Sword in her path, creating a trap where she would inevitably impale herself.
Of course, he had been beaten like a punching bag and was full of external and internal injuries, but now the Second Apostle's condition had become even more serious than his own.
The flames of the Divine Sword and the cold energy of the Demonic Sword were continuously burning away the Second Apostle's life force and bloody energy.
-You truly have an exceptionally sharp mind.
Wrath let out a breath, as if in admiration.
'Sir Lawrence would have won more easily than me.'
The Second Apostle certainly possessed terrifying speed, but she lacked the absolute presence felt from other Transcendent Warriors.
A monster dangerous only for its speed. That was all.
'I wonder if Aunt is alright?'
He let out a short sigh, watching the Second Apostle cough up pale blood.
-To kill that troublemaker, they'd need to send some fairly well-known demons.
Wrath shook his head, indicating there was no need to worry about Alice.
-They might be able to confine her, but she won't die or get hurt.
'That's a relief then.'
-More importantly, focus on finishing off that vampire now.
'I know.'
Raon nodded heavily.
'But it's not a good choice for me to make the first move.'
Even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. Since the light hadn't completely faded from the Second Apostle's eyes, it was better to observe her intentions and move accordingly.
-You understand well.
Wrath lightly stroked his chin.
-No matter how close to death that vampire is, she's crossed a line. She'll struggle to the very end, so stay focused until the last moment.
No sooner had he advised concentration than the Second Apostle's aura explosively surged.
Boom!
An even more powerful bloody energy than when they first fought. The Second Apostle wasn't trying to escape alive, but seemed determined to kill him at any cost.
It was fitting for an apostle of the White Blood Religion, said to have the most lunatics among the Five Demons.
"Even if I die, I'll take you with me."
The Second Apostle gritted her teeth and stomped her foot. Her body transformed into a white beam of light and vanished.
"Phew."
Raon exhaled heavily and gripped the Heavenly Drive with both hands.
'She's gotten even faster.'
This is going to be dangerous.
It would be too late to defend after sensing the Second Apostle's approach. He had to predict where she would appear and strike with his sword.
'With her life on the line, she'll move more instinctively.'
Of course, he had to prepare for any possibility. Whoosh!
The moment Raon sensed the Second Apostle's presence, he stepped forward with his right foot and swung his Divine Sword down towards his left chest, which she had been persistently targeting.
Sizzle!
But the Second Apostle forcibly twisted her body, crushing her own ankle. Her fist shot towards his neck instead of his left chest. A chilling shiver ran down his spine.
"You're not the only one who can deceive!"
The Second Apostle smiled a blood-soaked grin, as if certain of victory.
"Let's die together!"
The Second Apostle exploded powerful bloody energy over her fist, prepared to die together with her enemy.
Boom! The aura of her fist strike deepened her internal injuries, and her knees nearly buckled.
"I'm sorry, but..."
Raon remained unshaken even in the face of the Second Apostle's terrifying bloody energy.
"My deception isn't over yet."
Just before the Second Apostle's fist strike could pierce his neck, Raon summoned the Demonic Sword floating behind his back.
Boom! The stationary Divine Sword and the descending Demonic Sword met in a cross, creating a magnificent radiance.
Raon Zieghart Style Swordsmanship. Sixth Form Divine-Demonic Harmony Linked Technique: Invincible Azure-Red Sword.
The Divine Sword held with both hands and the Demonic Sword controlled by Sword Control created a storm of flames and frost, devouring the bloody energy the Second Apostle had summoned with her life on the line.
Crash!
The sword strike, living up to its name of invincibility, completely devoured the bloody energy before cleaving through the Second Apostle's body behind it.
"Ugh..."
The Second Apostle, her body split in half, collapsed onto the sandy beach.
"D-Damn it!"
The Second Apostle's lips trembled, seemingly frustrated at failing to kill Raon despite betting her life.
However, her complexion began to darken, as if her life was reaching its limit.
"Why are you after the Soul Crystal?"
Raon asked, pointing his sword at the Second Apostle's neck.
"Haa..."
The Second Apostle exhaled a thin breath and weakly raised her gaze.
"You will die soon..."
She smiled coldly, as if casting a curse.
"I've heard such curses countless times, so don't worry about that and just answer. Why did you target the Soul Crystal?"
"C-Curse? It's not that. When I die, that person will move."
The Second Apostle revealed her teeth, stained with white blood, as she spoke of someone coming.
"That person?"
As Raon furrowed his brow, the Second Apostle trembled and uttered her final words.
"The thirteenth..."
The Second Apostle breathed her last after mentioning "the thirteenth." Her expression remained resentful until the very end.
"Huh..."
"T-The Apostle has fallen?"
"And it's the Second Apostle..."
"Impossible. It's the night of the full moon!"
The Blood Demons of the White Blood Religion trembled all over, seemingly unable to believe the Second Apostle's defeat.
"A Grandmaster defeating a Transcendent Warrior..."
"Is that the Kingkiller, Raon Zieghart?"
"Even 'monster' doesn't begin to describe him..."
The demonized humans of the Black Tower couldn't hide their shock either, swallowing dry saliva.
"That's our Division Leader for you!"
Rimmer grinned happily and pointed his sword at the White Blood Religion members and the Black Tower's demonized humans.
"Only the remnants are left! Crush them all!"
"Yes, sir!"
Emboldened by Raon's victory, the Light Wind division cut down the White Blood Religion members and the Black Tower's demonized humans with even sharper aura than before.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Don't retreat! Fight to the end!"
"Kill at least one of them!"
Not a single Blood Demon of the White Blood Religion or demonized human of the Black Tower fled; they all clashed head-on with the Light Wind division. Usually, when there's a difference in strength, at least a few would run away. But these guys were fighting to the death - they really were a bunch of lunatics.
"Phew."
Raon wiped the black blood trickling from his mouth as he sheathed his weapons.
'That wasn't easy.'
Although the external injuries were severe, the internal injuries were even worse, making his head spin. Facing a Transcendent Warrior, even in a defensive stance, was no easy task.
'But...'
Raon frowned as he looked at the Second Apostle's corpse.
'What's this about the thirteenth?'
As far as he knew, there were only 12 apostles in the White Blood Religion. That's why they were called the 12 Apostles of the White Blood Religion. He couldn't understand what this thirteenth meant.
Clap, clap, clap! As Raon pondered, stroking his chin, he heard applause from behind him.
"Well done!"
As he turned his head, he saw Alice clapping with a refreshing smile.
"It was worth trusting you with this."
Alice patted her own head, saying he really did a great job.
"Did you see it?"
"Yes, though only the final scene."
Alice nodded, saying she saw the scene where he used the Invincible Azure-Red Sword with the sword in his hand and Sword Control.
"Harmonizing the sword in your hand with Sword Control - it was a genius idea."
She smiled, expressing genuine admiration.
"Still, I couldn't harmonize Sword Control with the Spatial Sword."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Alice.
"It was even harder to do in actual combat. It felt like my brain was getting tangled."
"I did push you, but it's not something that happens overnight."
Alice shook her head, suggesting they should progress steadily.
"What happened to you, Aunt?"
"That smoke bastard said he'd let me out if I found the door in the black space."
She frowned, mentioning that she had been trapped in a pitch-black room.
"Ah, so you found the door and..."
"No! I beat the crap out of that smoke bastard and cut through the space to get out."
She grinned, saying she had slashed through the very space of demonic energy she had been dragged into.
-B-Breaking that barrier by force couldn't have been easy...
Wrath let out a breath, as if dumbfounded.
-She truly is a brute of a troublemaker...
He shook his head, seemingly appalled.
"Well then, let's get going."
Alice raised her finger, pointing to the opposite shore of the island.
"Lawaine! You said you remembered the location, right? Lead the way."
"Yes! That emerald-colored pentagonal stone is still etched in my memory!"
Lawaine answered confidently and entered the forest. Since Giran Island wasn't very large, they were able to reach the opposite shore in no time.
"Where is it?"
Alice waved both arms, saying she wanted to find the Soul Crystal quickly to wake up her cute niece.
"..."
Unlike his initial confidence, Lawaine stood still, unable to move.
"Hey! Why aren't you moving?"
As Alice approached Lawaine and tilted her head, he rolled his eyes like a puppy that had done something wrong.
"W-Well, those White Blood Religion bastards messed everything up, so I'm not sure where it is..."
Lawaine swallowed dryly, saying he couldn't see the emerald-colored pentagonal stone.
"Then..."
"I-I think we'll have to search the entire area."
He lowered his head, appearing ashamed.
"..."
Alice slowly turned her head to look at the shore. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sight of countless piled-up stones.
"How long will it take to search all of this!"
Unable to contain herself any longer, Alice kicked Lawaine's backside with all her might.
"Aaaargh!"
Lawaine collapsed on the spot, clutching his backside. He was the first serious casualty of today's battle, aside from Raon.
* * *
All members of the Light Wind division and the Azure Wind's crew entered the beach to search for the Soul Crystal. Since the minimum requirement to find the Soul Crystal was mid-level Grandmaster or above, everyone except Raon, Rimmer, Alice, and Lawaine only looked for pentagonal stones based on eyewitness accounts.
"Damn it! I can't see it! Where the hell is it!"
Alice yelled, throwing the stone she was holding towards the horizon.
"Calm down. Let's stay calm."
Rimmer shook his head as he slowly examined the stones, as if appraising jewels.
"You're surprisingly enthusiastic?"
Alice wrinkled her nose as she looked at Rimmer.
"It seems our Division Leader has realized the importance of family. We should do our best to help."
Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, as if to say it was only natural.
""It's one thing to have an agenda, it's another to not have one....""
Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"There isn't. I'll get a bonus even if I don't help with this."
Rimmer shook his head, insisting he was being sincere.
"You've changed a lot too."
Alice briefly smacked her lips.
"No, I'm the same as always."
Rimmer shook his head, saying he hadn't changed at all.
"Hmm, well, anyway..."
Alice smiled softly as she looked at Raon, who had gone the farthest.
"Our nephew is truly rewriting the history of the continent."
"Indeed. Defeating a Transcendent Warrior at the Grandmaster level, it's probably unique throughout history."
Rimmer nodded firmly, as if proud of Raon.
"The whole continent will be in an uproar, won't it? This could be an opportunity to attract the neutral forces who were hesitating between the Five Kings and Five Demons."
He looked at Raon's back with warm eyes, as if even more excited for the future.
"It shouldn't just be an uproar, it should be turned upside down!"
Alice nodded vigorously.
"If it doesn't turn upside down, I'll do it myself! I'll spread the news across the entire continent as soon as we get back!"
She waved her hands, insisting that this news must be spread no matter what.
"Ah, I should tell Encia and Siyana too, and we should publish a book!"
Alice grinned, saying they absolutely had to make it into a book.
"S-Siyana? When did you meet my sister?"
"We became close while talking about Raon."
She laughed, saying that mentioning Raon's name usually worked.
"Hmm, she's like a blank slate, she shouldn't be meeting troublemakers..."
Rimmer lowered his eyebrows, seeming genuinely worried.
"Then you should be the first to leave! She was so nice, I could hardly believe she was your sister!"
Alice hit Rimmer's back and shook her head.
"Stop hitting me... Hmm."
Rimmer looked into Alice's eyes and tilted his head.
"Are you really happy? Why do you look so melancholic?"
"For someone so dumb, you're surprisingly perceptive."
Alice lowered her hand that had been hitting Rimmer and let out a brief sigh.
"Looking at Raon reminds me of my damn son."
She bit her lip as she gazed at the moonlit horizon.
"That's what I wanted for Sif. Someone who shows their own strength while still valuing family. I tried my best to raise him, but being a parent is really difficult."
Alice lowered her head, saying it seemed like Sif wasn't coming back because of her own mistakes.
"I said earlier that Raon values family these days."
Rimmer gently grasped Alice's shoulder.
"You're part of that family too. Don't be depressed."
He said this and then moved forward.
"..."
Alice looked at Rimmer and Raon standing in front of her, curling her trembling lips.
"Of course I know that! He's my nephew!"
She kicked Rimmer and started searching for stones again.
* * *
"Phew..."
Raon let out a long sigh as he touched the stones in the thigh-deep water.
'How long is this going to take?'
Lawaine had said it was a pentagonal stone, but it could have been deformed by waves over a long time, so they couldn't ignore even small stones.
There were countless stones, but only four people could detect the Soul Crystal, making the search extremely difficult.
-Pathetic fool.
Wrath shook his head as if in disappointment.
'What?'
-Seeing you struggle to find even this, you're still just a novice.
'Then how do you find it? Do you know?'
Raon frowned as he looked at Wrath.
-I am the ruler of Devildom! If I unleash this massive soul, the Soul Crystal's presence will naturally be drawn to it!
Wrath nodded, claiming he could find it instantly with his soul.
'Then do it. Please.'
Raon bowed his head to Wrath.
'Once Sia wakes up, I'll throw a party filled with food just as you want, and pile up mountains of ice cream.'
-Y-You really... Gasp! W-What do you take the Demon King for! I don't make deals with lives!
Wrath stretched out his chubby arms, saying he'd do it regardless. However, even after a while, he couldn't move an inch.
'What are you doing?'
-Ugh...
Wrath blinked his narrowed eyes.
-I forgot, but I, the demon king, can't exert my power externally right now.
He shook his head, saying it was difficult for him to interfere with the current world.
'I thought as much.'
Even before leaving for this mission, Wrath had warned him to be careful because he had no usable strength for now. He had hoped otherwise, but it turned out as expected.
-Nnngh...
Wrath's lips quivered as if embarrassed.
'It's okay. Honestly, I didn't really believe you.'
-Y-You brat!
'I'm joking.'
As Raon shook his head lightly and was about to resume searching for the Soul Crystal, he heard a clacking sound. Turning his head, he saw a large sea otter cracking open clams with a pentagonal stone on its belly.
"Pentagonal?"
Not only was the stone pentagonal, but it also had a slightly dark emerald color.
"Could that be..."
-Wait! T-That could be that mad woman!
Wrath shouted a warning and hid behind his own back.
'I don't care if it's Merlin or Lust!'
Without a moment's hesitation, Raon reached out for the stone on the sea otter's belly.