With a thunderous roar, Haerang, unsatisfied with turning one of the Kraken's legs into a rag, raised its front paw. The beast struck down at the Kraken's body with its blade-like claws, tearing through flesh with a sickening sound.
Though its head was torn, the Kraken refused to be defeated passively, raising its long tentacle to strike Haerang's jaw.
The battle between the Blue Wolf wrapped in waves and the ancient Kraken bearing the white city was fierce, as if determining who would be the true master of these seas.
"Kyaaaah!"
Haerang bared its fangs again and tore off the tentacle that had struck it. The Kraken seized this opportunity to wrap its remaining tentacles around Haerang, constricting like a snake.
Though the attack held enough power to pulverize mountains, Haerang was not a mere wolf but a spirit possessing the essence of the sea.
With a roar, Haerang transformed its body into seawater, slipping free from the constriction before using its sharp claws to sever a third tentacle. The Kraken's massive limb crashed to the ground, shaking the earth.
"Huh..."
Raon let out a breath as he watched Haerang overwhelm the ancient Kraken with pure strength.
'Was Haerang always this strong?'
The current Haerang seemed even stronger than when it had gone berserk from bloody energy addiction.
-Did I not tell you? That mutt has overcome death, so it would naturally become stronger.
Wrath nodded calmly, saying it was the result of overcoming pain and fear that would make one wish for death.
-Of course, even I didn't know it was hiding such power. It must be because you awakened that mutt.
'I awakened Haerang?'
-Did you not give it that childish name, Haerang? That spirit found its place thanks to you.
He wrinkled his nose, saying it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had given Haerang new life and power.
'Looking at it now, not only is it strong, but the magic inscribed on the Kraken's body isn't working against Haerang.'
The Kraken's body was inscribed with magic that blocked both aura and spells. However, since Haerang used neither magic nor aura, it was able to subdue the Kraken more easily. During this time, Haerang severed another of the Kraken's tentacles, leaving only four, and inflicted five deep wounds on its body.
The Kraken, its instincts enhanced, seemed to feel pain more intensely as it screamed loud enough to shake the sea, green blood flowing from its entire body.
"Grrrrrr!"
Haerang gnashed its teeth, determined to finish off the bloody energy-infused Kraken, and kicked at the sea. The Kraken screamed and tried to retreat, but the bridge connecting the White Blood Religion Headquarters to the shore prevented its escape.
Seizing the opportunity, Haerang drove its extended claws into the Kraken's head.
The Kraken, trembling in excruciating pain, threw off the White Blood Religion Headquarters it had been carrying on its back. It seemed the instinct to survive had overcome the brainwashing to protect the White Blood Religion, thanks to the instinct enhancement magic.
The White Blood Religion Headquarters crashed between the sea and shore, causing a tremendous tremor. Sand and waves surged up, spraying brown dust in all directions.
Kieeeeee!
"Kyaooooo!"
The Kraken, belying its name as an ancient monster, fled into the sea without looking back, while Haerang dove after it, determined to finish it off.
"...Is that really the same spirit I saw earlier?"
Mage Tower Master Larian let out a hollow laugh.
"Please, let me study it! Just a little bit!"
She clasped her hands together pleadingly. Even in the middle of a war with the White Blood Religion, a magician would always be a magician.
"The sea spirit is one of the legends passed down since ancient times."
Alice smiled deeply while looking at the waves Haerang had left behind.
"Even after roaming the seas for decades, I never met one. Our nephew is quite something."
She patted her own shoulder, saying it was a good choice not to kill Haerang but to let it live.
"Thanks to that, the White Blood Religion's defensive advantage has been reduced."
The White Blood Religion Headquarters had been on the Kraken's back before falling to the ground, significantly reducing the height of its walls. Breaking through would be much easier than before. However, the defensive magic on the headquarters itself was so powerful that the Blood Demons inside seemed largely unaffected by the fall.
"Rise! Charge at the walls again!"
Balder, noticing the chaos engulfing the White Blood Religion, ordered the swordsmen at the four bridges to charge.
"Don't climb over the walls! Destroy them!"
Taking the lead, he swung down his Astral Ring-imbued flexible sword, causing red cracks to appear in both the walls and their magical barriers.
"Huh..."
Raon clenched his fingers as he watched Balder break the enemy's rhythm.
'He's not just a fool after all.'
The walls of the White Blood Religion Headquarters were imbued with powerful bloody energy magic. Entering without removing that barrier would put them at a disadvantage, and Balder had realized this, choosing to destroy both the walls and the magic first.
'And he's clearly aware of the enemy's moment of weakness.'
Though Raon had thought him incapable of using his head, that simplicity had become a beast-like instinct on the battlefield, allowing him to strike at the enemy's vital points.
"Let's go too!"
"Break through the walls now and enter!"
"Use all your strength to open a path!"
Burren, who led the Light Wind Palace in his stead, Lawaine, who commanded the Azure Wind warriors, and other martial force leaders seemed inspired by Balder's powerful momentum as they charged toward the walls with their subordinates.
The Zieghart swordsmen's determination to break through the grotesque walls connected like a single blade, carving deep wounds into the White Blood Religion Leader's solid magical defenses.
As the white walls and protective magic guarding the White Blood Religion Headquarters began to crumble simultaneously, pure white dimensional portals appeared in all directions. Like disturbing a beehive, countless Blood Demons in white robes stained with blood droplets emerged from these white dimensions.
"Demons!"
"Stop these demons and protect our god!"
"Don't let them enter the holy ground!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The Archbishops sent forth the Blood Demons emerging from the white dimensions to block the path of the swordsmen trying to destroy the walls and magic.
"For the Blood God!"
"For the Blood God!"
The Blood Demons charged at the swordsmen without weapons. The moment they were cut by swords, they detonated the Blood Realm concentrated in their hearts in suicide attacks. On the narrow bridge, consecutive explosions of bloody energy rained cursed white blood onto the swordsmen's bodies.
"Kuaaaagh!"
"My, my arm!"
"Aura can't block it!"
While the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, all being Masters, managed to defend themselves somehow, screams erupted from swordsmen on the other bridges.
"These filthy bastards..."
Martha ground her teeth as she watched the Blood Demons swarming up like ants.
"Those Blood Demons..."
Raon frowned as he watched the endless stream of emerging Blood Demons.
"They're not coming from inside."
"That's right..."
Evelyn nodded while letting out a heavy breath.
"It seems they're summoning Blood Demons from other regions to defend the walls."
She bit her lip, saying they were likely brought here through teleportation magic to be used as suicide bombers.
-Truly a despicable lot.
Wrath deeply furrowed his brows, saying even most demons wouldn't stoop to such acts.
"I suppose this too is the power of numbers."
The White Blood Religion members on the walls fired bloody energy, while those emerging from the dimensions blocked the path with their suicide attacks. The walls that had seemed breachable thanks to Haerang began to feel distant again.
"You vermin!"
Balder stomped his foot and raised his flexible sword high. The wavering blade swayed like a rattlesnake's tail before shredding the Blood Demons before him into thousands of pieces.
"Runaan! Trevin!"
At Raon's call, Runaan and Trevin, who had been supporting the swordsmen from behind, sprang forward. Runaan's sword extended with silk-like grace, freezing both the White Blood Religion members about to sacrifice themselves and the dimensions spawning them.
Trevin didn't waste the opportunity Runaan created, fiercely striking down to split both the frozen Blood Demons and dimensions simultaneously.
"Time to use some real power for once!"
Lawaine, refusing to be outdone, gripped his sword with both hands and spun it like a windmill, creating a magnificent wind that blew the would-be exploding Blood Demons into the sky and sea. As the swordsmen at each bridge made eye contact and charged again toward the White Blood Religion Headquarters, a thick, deep smell of blood unlike anything before flowed down from the walls.
A wave of bloody energy, sharp as a scythe, fell and pushed back all the charging Zieghart swordsmen.
"The stinking trash has arrived."
The First Apostle, a pale man who looked like he could die at any moment, gazed down at the Zieghart forces with cold, glinting eyes.
"Not trash, but delicious meals that came to us willingly. Each one smells wonderful."
The blue-haired handsome man lifted his white robe while twisting his lips into a smile.
"Ah, nothing but boring old men."
A beauty with red hair covering her left eye sighed while resting her chin on both hands.
"That one over there looks rather nice though?"
She licked her red lips while looking at Raon in the distance.
"Stop the unnecessary chatter and focus. We need to finish this before that person arrives."
The white-haired young boy clicked his tongue while looking at the red-haired woman.
"Those ones..."
Raon frowned as he looked at the newly appeared Blood Demons.
"They're Apostles."
Though he only recognized the First Apostle's face, he could sense that their martial prowess was on a different level from other Blood Demons. They were definitely Apostles.
'There are many of them.'
Had they recruited new people? There seemed to be more Apostles than he expected, suggesting they had filled the positions of those who had died.
-Isn't that number about right for those remaining?
Wrath shifted his gaze, saying the numbers added up if you counted the Apostles who hadn't appeared yet.
'That can't be all of them.'
The one opening the white dimensions must be an Apostle, and the one summoning Blood Demons and maintaining the wall's magic must be an Apostle too, so they must have accepted new Apostles.
'The problem is...'
The number of Transcendents.
While the First Apostle was known to be a Transcendent, the blue-haired man in the center also radiated power beyond transcendence.
'Those two will have to be handled by Alice and me.'
Only Transcendents can face Transcendents. It was time for him and Alice to step forward.
"Aunt, who will you take on?"
Raon asked Alice while placing his hand on the Heavenly Drive.
"I'll take the First Apostle."
Alice, seeming to realize it was time to fight, brushed off the sand and stood up.
"I have a history with that one."
She clenched her fist, vowing to definitely behead the First Apostle.
"Then I'll take the blue-haired one."
Raon loosened his wrist while looking at the blue-haired Apostle who was smiling at them.
"As you probably know, we need to end this as quickly as possible. The fact that the White Blood Religion Leader isn't showing up means they must be planning something."
The White Blood Religion Leader he knew was a woman who would come out to see things with her own eyes rather than hide behind others. The fact that she sent out the Apostles and wasn't showing herself at all meant she must be plotting something else inside the headquarters.
"Besides, many of our people are exhausted."
The magic tower's magicians were all catching their breath, having depleted their mana, and Evelyn couldn't move after dispelling the White Blood Religion's white fog. They needed to break through the walls and draw out the White Blood Religion Leader as quickly as possible so that Owen would join the battle.
'However, casualties will increase no matter what we do.'
He had wanted to break through the headquarters' walls before the Apostles appeared. But that hadn't happened, and with Blood Demons continuing to multiply, casualties would inevitably rise.
"Martha. You support the Void Sword division and Vanguard Sword Squad..."
"Sorry, but my opponent has shown up too."
Martha ignored his instruction and looked toward the right wall.
"I'm going to kill that bastard."
She snarled like a wounded beast while looking at the newly appeared 10th Apostle.
"No."
Raon shook his head while examining the 10th Apostle that Martha was glaring at.
"You can't win alone against..."
"That's a good choice."
A low voice came from behind just as he was about to tell her to wait.
"Revenge should be taken by one's own hands."
Denier Zieghart. He was walking out of a blue dimension, leading the Wise Martial Palace.
"Father?"
Martha's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why is the Wise Martial Palace master..."
Raon swallowed dryly while looking at Denier's calm eyes.
"After seeing the summoning of external Blood Demons, the Head of House ordered me to join the battle."
Denier drew his sword, saying he had come to provide support under Glenn's orders to reduce allied casualties. The Wise Martial Palace swordsmen who served him as their lord also raised their swords, releasing a magnificent aura that spoke of their determination to annihilate the Blood Demons.
"..."
Raon bit the inside of his lip while looking at Denier's determined eyes.
'The Head of House sent him?'
Well, there was nothing strange about it. Denier had shown such a calm reaction despite being ordered to stand by that he seemed to have earned Glenn's trust.
'There's no choice.'
Although Denier was suspicious, he had never done anything to harm Zieghart. To Glenn, he was just a somewhat less capable son, so it wasn't strange to send him here.
"We'll go to the fifth bridge and split their attention. Martha, follow me."
Denier charged towards the currently empty fifth bridge, telling Martha he would open a path for her.
"Yes!"
Martha nodded, seeming to trust Denier as much as herself, and followed after him.
"Don't die, any of you."
Alice muttered these words like a spell to the swordsmen before leaping up to the left wall where the First Apostle was.
"Raon! Come back safely!"
Evelyn waved her hand as if saying she would trust in him. Judging from her trembling fingers, she seemed very exhausted.
"Don't waste too much energy on the likes of them. You'll need to fight the White Blood Religion Leader too."
Larian nodded confidently, asking for his help when facing the White Blood Religion Leader as well.
"That's right."
Raon gave a short nod while looking at Evelyn and Larian.
'These two won't do.'
Evelyn was exhausted, and Larian needed to conserve strength for the battle with the White Blood Religion Leader, so he couldn't ask them to keep an eye on Denier. Well, he might have asked Evelyn, but he couldn't even mention it to Larian.
'Then there's only one person.'
Raon strode forward with heavy steps across the beach and climbed onto the second bridge. He positioned himself beside Balder, who was breaking through the Blood Demons at the front.
"Nephew!"
Balder grinned as he looked at him.
"Here to help?"
"Remember what I told you before? I'll teach you all the swordsmanship techniques you asked for..."
Raon pointed at Denier, who was clearing a path on the fifth bridge.
"Please keep watching him."
***
"...Just keep him in check so he can't come out. You're nearby, aren't you?"
Derus Robert curled his lips while looking at the Dragon's helmet reflected in the transparent orb. With a sharp click, the man in the orb cut off communication without saying a word.
"Always a man of few words."
Derus shrugged and placed the orb he was holding onto the ebony desk.
"It's quite fascinating. How did Zieghart find the White Blood Religion Headquarters submerged under the sea?"
He let out a hollow laugh while watching the shore where Zieghart was engaged in battle with the White Blood Religion Headquarters.
"No, come to think of it, what's more surprising is that they found the location and waited until now. That's exactly his style."
Derus curled his lips, saying it was obvious who was behind all this.
"I'll prepare to move to the White Blood Religion Headquarters immediately."
Just as Kubara bowed to Derus and was about to turn away.
"No."
Derus waved his hand lightly.
"Just throw in the sturdy ones."
"What? What do you..."
Kubara's eyes widened.
"So the walls won't be breached. No, send just enough suitable ones to delay the breach. We'll need a few Angels too."
Derus shook his head, indicating he had no intention of going himself despite receiving the White Blood Religion's request for support.
"Then, Master..."
"The Five Kings are gathered at the White Blood Religion Headquarters. Zieghart, the Magic Tower, Balkar, and the hidden Owen."
As he smiled faintly and raised his hand, a white door opened with holy energy rising.
"Only a fool would miss this opportunity."
Derus licked his lips like someone about to enjoy a feast as he stepped into the dimension.
"Three of the Five Kings will disappear today. Have the banquet ready."
Without giving Kubara time to respond, Derus entered the white dimension. He stood on green grassland rather than the antique navy carpet, his eyes crinkling with amusement.
"How pitiful that the king of the grasslands and lord of beasts is hiding in such a shabby hut."
Derus lowered his eyebrows as he looked at the rotting hut built from old wood.
"So you've finally found your way here."
Ogram, the master of the Beast Union and known as the Beast King, opened the creaking door of the hut and came out.
"Not going to help the White Blood Religion?"
He frowned as if in disbelief.
"I prefer burglary to providing support."
Derus let out a long laugh, as if mocking Ogram.
"It turned out just as that child said."
Ogram laughed heartily, as if he had known he would meet Derus.
"That child?"
"Though I'd like to cut off your head with my own hands, you have a different opponent today."
As he stepped back with a heavy sigh, footsteps of another person could be heard from inside the hut.
"Hmm?"
Derus frowned as he turned his gaze toward the hut.
'Since when?'
An ominous feeling pierced his chest as he hadn't known there was another person in that hut. With a light hum, a young man in gray martial arts clothes walked out of Ogram's hut. He wore a black eyepatch covering both eyes, yet moved as naturally as if he could see.
"Red hair and a black sword..."
Derus's lips trembled slightly as he looked at the black sword at the swordsman's waist.
"Dark Night Sword God? Why are you here..."
His eyes widened as if he had never imagined he would meet Darkan here.
"Dark Night Sword God..."
Darkan turned his head toward Derus and wagged his finger.
"I've abandoned that name."
"What...?"
"I'm just a blind swordsman who barely escaped being a beggar."
He stood directly in front of Derus and drew his black sword.
"When I was called Sword God, I wasn't free, and when I lost my eyes, I wasn't at peace. Thanks to that bastard, becoming a true beggar and letting go of the past opened a new path. I should thank you."
Darkan aimed his black sword at Derus while recalling Raon's voice. The windless prairie sky began to shake, and the earth roared as if in rage. Not just this prairie, but the entire world seemed to recognize Derus Robert as an enemy, as murderous intent spread across all creation.
The willpower of this swordsman who had lost his eyes and abandoned his position in pursuit of perfection had already reached the pinnacle of this world.
"As that child said, you've become quite a decent sword."
Darkan smiled with satisfaction. He wiggled his finger at the frowning Derus.
"You'll make a perfect appetizer before the feast."