Chapter 141

Alongside the cutting sound of dozens of papers getting ripped apart at once, the doppelganger's body started to twist.

"Kieee…"

Its body melted down like a lump of metal inside a furnace, and the manager appeared from the inside. The way he was covered by sticky mucus looked like he just hatched from an egg.

"Did I make it?"

Raon lowered the Blade of Requiem. The doppelganger wasn't moving anymore, it was simply flowing down like water along with a small groan.

You hit right on the spot. The core was perfectly destroyed.

'That's a relief.'

I told you how to do it, but I didn't expect you to actually carry it out.

Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at him. It looked like he was also surprised by the improvised Unification with the Blade.

"Since the manager is still alive, it's ov…"

Raon's eyes became widened while he was trying to take the manager from the doppelganger's corpse. That was because the black magic's energy, which had been dissipating, started to amplify all of a sudden.

"Oh!"

Raon forced the manager out of the doppelganger's mucus and pushed him behind his back.

Whir!

As soon as he increased the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's output to the maximum, the black mana clustering inside the doppelganger's corpse burst into a black flame and surged.

Baam!

With a thunderous noise that resounded through heaven and earth, the condensed black energy exploded. The tremendous power was strong enough to twist Raon's body, but his eyes had already seen its flow with the Ring of Fire.

Raon immediately slammed his sword down, slicing the darkness in half with the crimson trajectory.

Whaam!

The sliced darkness brushed past Raon and the manager, exploding on the snowfield. It was powerful enough to heavily injure him if he had taken it head on, but he managed to perfectly defend against it thanks to his instant reaction and precise trajectory.

"Damn bastards."

Raon frowned, glaring at the depleted ground, which had turned black. It was Eden that had exploded the doppelganger so that they couldn't even investigate it. They were seriously far from being normal.

It looks like Eden is full of crazy bastards.

'They don't lose to anyone in the continent in terms of lunacy.'

Even though he had only met them three times so far, Wrath also realized that Eden was full of lunatics.

Raon turned around to check the manager's condition. His skin was partially melted, and his vitality had decreased drastically, but fortunately his life wasn't in danger.

'I should heal him first… huh?'

As he was about to treat him with aura—

Whir!

A black bubble appeared from the doppelganger's ragged corpse. The corpse that looked like a rotten leaf gathered in the shape of a bead to form the shape of a human's face.

A large hat with a brim, a long nose, and a wrinkled face. It was an old woman's shabby face.

"I'm glad. I'm glad I saw it!"

The old woman opened her mouth. Despite her appearance, her voice sounded like that of a young woman. An intense madness could be felt from her seductive and relaxed voice.

"It was you."

"What?"

"You were the one that killed the Voracious Ice Demon and ruined the Blue Shamanic Demon's plan."

The old woman grinned and tilted her chin.

"Of course the old and sick Milland wouldn't be able to stop the Blue Shamanic Demon's plan. It was all your fault—what happened today, and back then as well."

The old woman's eyes were glowing in darkness as she thoroughly scanned his body.

"You…"

Raon narrowed his eyes. It wasn't a monster's mask, but a human's mask. And it wasn't just anyone, but a witch. There was only one that existed in Eden.

The one that stood alongside the monsters 500 years ago, giving up on the title of the kingdom's archmage. She was the treacherous witch Merlin, who also appeared in the folk tale Sylvia used to read him.

"Are you wearing Merlin's mask?"

"Do you know me? Did you just say you know me? Seriously?"

The old woman's voice sounded as sweet as a cocktail.

"Aah, nice. Nice. You have a great perception and are quick on the uptake as well. I like everything about you."

"What?"

"What we needed from there wasn't the Siren's vessel, but you! The real treasure was you!"

Her wavering voice was filled with desire.

"Won't you come with me?"

"What…"

"Those composed eyes, cold voice, and that face. You are the best. Come with me. I'll make you into the best man ever."

Merlin's face, made from the doppelganger's corpse, crawled up to him.

"I'll make you live with me forever."

Merlin's mouth split apart even though it was just a mask. Upon seeing the corners of the mouth reaching her ears, chill ran down his spine.

"Get out of my sight."

Raon frowned and swung his sword, but Merlin's face quickly restored her appearance, as if he'd cut through a smoke.

"I also like that resolution."

Merlin breathed heavily as she came even closer. She wasn't just a face anymore, as her body was also being created.

Foolish woman, how dare you target the King of Essence's body and soul! Know your place!

Wrath gritted his teeth and surged. The coldness and anger emerging from him exploded like a volcano to engulf the space.

What are you doing? Slay her just like you did earlier! Become one with your sword right now, while she is being too careless to rip that magic apart!

'One with the sword…'

He was telling him to achieve Unification with the Blade to cut her apart just like he did to save the manager.

Raon sheathed the Blade of Requiem and wielded the sword.

What are you doing! Use that insignificant creature to cut her apart!

'I think I can do it now.'

The sensation still remained from piercing the doppelganger's core earlier. He had a feeling that he could achieve the Unification with the Blade with his own power now.

"Do what? What are you trying to show me this time?"

Merlin's eyes were burning with a yellow insanity.

"Show me more. I'll witness everything with my eyes."

Raon didn't respond and closed his eyes. What he needed to cut wasn't the mass in front of him, but the flow of magic controlling it.

He felt like the blade was part of his arm when he cut the doppelganger with the Blade of Requiem earlier. That was the feeling he needed to replicate.

Whir!

Resonating the rings of fire, he used the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. The blazing aura softly surrounded his body and sword.

However, it wasn't perfect. He needed to be slower and more natural.

He polished the twisting aura on the blade into a flexible water.

Becoming one with the blade.

Unification with the Blade was the incorporation of his will in the blade. And his flow needed to be extremely natural in order to reach that level.

Once he covered his body and sword with a flawless aura, his sword didn't feel like a sword anymore. It felt like an extension of his arm.

Maintaining that sensation, Raon lifted his sword and slammed it down.

It wasn't fast, nor slow, nor powerful. It was just a simple strike.

However, the blade contained Raon's will to defeat his enemy.

Slaam!

The crimson slash incorporated his will and completely ripped apart Merlin's shape.

"Aaargh!"

Merlin started to scream for the first time. Blood was dripping under her mask. It looked like the Unification with the Blade managed to hurt her main body in addition to the magic.

"Did you manage to reach the Unification with the Blade without even using the possessed blade? Did you seriously grow in such a short amount of time?"

The scream didn't last for a long time. What followed was her voice, filled with praise and delight.

"Wow. We will meet each other again soon enough. You are mine. I won't hand you over to anyone el…"

Merlin turned into a smoke and dissipated, unable to finish her sentence.

"What a crazy bitch."

Raon lowered his sword and sighed. He was glad that he didn't need to hear her voice anymore, more than the fact that he'd achieved the Unification with the Blade.

How dare she target the King of Essence's body? Her lunacy is special even among Eden. If only the King of Essence could move right now, I would've frozen her to the bone.

Wrath shook his hand, gesturing that she stood no chance.

"I'm not your body. My body is mine."

Raon sighed, looking at Wrath as he boasted with his arms crossed.

'By the way…'

He looked around. He was currently outside Habun Castle. Although the bet's condition about not leaving Habun Castle signified its surroundings instead of the castle itself, Wrath could nitpick on that if he wanted.

However, Wrath wasn't doing anything about it. He was just glaring at Merlin's melted shape, yelling at her to stop targeting his belongings.

Hmph, I have no intention to claim my victory over something like this, so stop staring at me like that. Who do you think the King of Essence is?

'You told me about the manager being inside the doppelganger, and even gave me the hint about the Unification with the Blade. What's wrong with you today? I heard people start doing unusual things before they die, so are you finally getting out of me now?'

You are such a crazy bastard.

Wrath shook his head.

I told you before, that the King of Essence doesn't abandon his subordinates and servants. That old man was my third maids' grandfather. Of course he deserved to be saved.

'Huh…'

Since it was an unexpected reason, Raon fell speechless.

Now that he thought about it…

It was Wrath that informed him about Syria harassing Runaan.

Was he serious?

Apparently, he wasn't joking when he called Runaan, Martha, and Yua his maids. Raon thought the crazy one was the self-proclaimed demon king, not himself.

And…

Wrath smiled coldly, looking at the peak of Stallin Mountain.

Even if the King of Essence doesn't force his way this time, I think the King of Essence will win the bet, or even take over your body this time.

Inside a grotesque space decorated by human and monster flesh, an excited voice—out of place in the scene—came from the skull table in the center.

"Huhu…"

It was the woman wearing the treacherous witch Merlin's mask. She groaned, blood dripping from her chin. However, that groan was an expression of delight, rather than pain.

"Aah."

The woman raised her mask slightly. She used her finger to collect the falling blood and tasted it with her tongue. She licked her red lips to savor the taste.

"I'll bring him to me no matter what, using any means necessary. That face, those eyes. I won't allow any other woman to have him…"

Her gathered hands were trembling. It looked like she couldn't control her excitement.

Whir.

While she was pulling the flesh from her arm with her long nails, a skull mask appeared from the distortion of the space, blue flames raging in his eyes.

"What happened? Why did the doppelganger's life signal stop?"

"It died."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Milland became stronger than before. He noticed the doppelganger's presence and saved the Siren's vessel."

The red lips twisted up under the slightly raised Merlin mask. She was mentioning Milland's name, which had nothing to do with the case. It looked like she had no intention of talking about Raon.

"And what kind of shitty modification did you even do? It was found out like an idiot, and even blabbered by itself about its target being the Siren's vessel."

"I believe your spell should've been able to stop it before it happened."

"I told you I would just spectate it this time."

"You damn bitch…"

"We don't share the same objective, and I don't particularly care about the Siren's vessel, either."

"What happened to the Siren's vessel?"

"She is alive."

"Haa."

The skull mask breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking that it was fine as long as she was alive.

"Crazy bitch. I shouldn't have left this matter to you."

The flame in his eyes raged like hellfire as he glared at Merlin, then he turned into smoke to disappear.

"Huuu."

The woman stuck the mask closer to her face, laughing in a way that sounded like a groan.

"That boy is mine. I won't give him to anyone else."

* * *

Raon erased the black magic in the manager's body with Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's pure energy, filling him with vitality. Life gradually returned to his pale face.

'It's a relief that I managed to kill it quickly.'

It would've been irreversible if he was slower. He got lucky in many ways.

"Haa…"

"Sir Raon!"

"Mister swordsman!"

When he gave a sigh of relief and carried the manager on his back, he could hear Dorian and Yua's voices from behind him.

When he looked back, he could see that people were running towards him, including the astonished Milland, soldiers, and Dorian with Yua on his back.

"G-Grandfather!"

Yua jumped down from Dorian's back and hugged the manager's arm.

"Grandfather! Wake up! I won't scold you for skipping work anymore! Please!"

"Yua."

Yua looked up to Raon, chin trembling.

"He is alright. You don't need to worry about him."

Raon nodded at her with a smile, and Yua sank on her knees.

"Uwaaaaa!"

Upon hearing that the manager was safe, Yua burst into tears that she could even repress against the doppelganger.

"Y-Yua."

Apparently, her cry served as a stimulant, since the manager slowly opened his eyes even though Raon thought he wouldn't wake up for a while.

"G-Grandfather! Grandfather!"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Yua."

Raon put the manager down, and Yua jumped into the manager's arms and started crying even louder. The manager kept caressing Yua's head with his powerless hand.

Raon's heart was throbbing from watching them hug each other to confirm their safety. It felt like a satisfaction bigger than when he was called a hero after killing the ice troll lord was pounding his heart.

"What exactly happened here?"

Milland narrowed his eyes, looking at the area that had turned black after the doppelganger's explosion after checking on Yua and the manager.

"Let me explain from the beginning…"

Raon explained everything, from what happened in the Branch of Frost to what happened with the doppelganger where he was.

"Hmm, I'm too ashamed to say anything."

Milland bit his lips.

"I didn't even notice anything like that, I'm too ashamed to show my face."

"It couldn't be helped. It was a pure coincidence that I noticed it as well."

"That can't be an excuse. I'm just sorry to you and the two of them."

It was a doppelganger, and one modified through black magic. Even though it was difficult for anyone to notice it, Milland considered it his mistake. After apologizing to Raon, he personally apologized to Yua and the manager as well and ordered an increase in security.

Raon clenched his fist as he witnessed a true leader's responsibility.

* * *

Two days passed after the doppelganger's attack.

Raon was holding his sword, alone in the training grounds. The vertical strike was incorporating his will of extreme speed. It was an extremely fast strike that couldn't even be seen with the eyes.

However, Raon wasn't satisfied with it. He sighed.

"This isn't right."

He was unable to achieve the Unification with the Blade he had used to slash Merlin's mask. Apparently, it was nothing but a momentary enlightenment.

Since you've done it once, you should be able to do it again soon enough. You don't need to be hasty.

Wrath, unusually, gave him a piece of advice.

'What's wrong with you recently?'

The King of Essence has always been generous. It's even more the case right now, since your body will belong to the King of Essence soon enough.

He had been like that ever since Raon killed the doppelganger. It was like he'd seriously gone crazy.

"I don't understand."

Raon shook his head. When he started to swing his sword once again, the door opened, and Yua's face poked out from it.

"Mister swordsman."

Yua sniffled.

"M-My grandfather woke up."

"Really?"

The manager had fallen asleep after talking with Yua for a moment. Raon was worried about him because he didn't wake up for a while, but it seemed he had finally woken up.

"Grandfather said he wants to see you. Can you come with me?"

Since Raon also wanted to talk to him, he nodded and followed Yua to the medical area. He entered the worn out yet properly managed ward, where the manager was leaning against the wall with Milland standing in front of him.

"Commander?"

Raon's eyes widened, since he didn't expect to see Milland there.

"Why are you so surprised? I just came to visit the patient."

Milland chuckled and stood up. Apparently, he was serious when he said he was sorry, since he came to visit personally.

"Mister swordsman, you saved my life. I would've passed on while leaving that little child behind if it weren't for you. I'm truly grateful."

The manager forcefully raised his body and bowed.

"Thank you for saving the castle's residents. I really have no excuse for being unable to stop this incident."

Milland bowed as well, biting his lip.

"Please stop doing that."

Raon tried to stop them from bowing, but they were too determined.

"This isn't the commander's apology, but my expression of gratitude as a human being."

"There's nothing I can do if you don't accept my gratitude."

"Haa, alright."

They only raised their heads after Raon accepted their thanks.

"Swordsman Raon, I might be adding an extra favor, but may I ask a question?"

"Please go ahead."

"I-I heard Eden's demons were targeting my granddaughter. May I hear the reason?"

The manager was worrying about his granddaughter, although he barely managed to survive.

"I have something to tell you about that."

Raon nodded.

'Since the commander is here as well, I should tell them right now.'

Raon was about to suggest they come to Zieghart with him since Eden was targeting Yua.

The ward's door suddenly opened after a violent running sound. The third scouting party leader, Radin, was there.

"C-Commander! We are in big trouble!"

He grasped his trembling hand and continued.

"M-Monsters are swarming towards the castle wall."

"What?"

"Monsters?"

"Their numbers are as great as a wave!"

Hearing that they were comparable to a wave, Milland and Raon's eyes widened.

"Hmm. Don't worry about what's happening outside, focus on your recovery."

Milland gently tapped on the manager's shoulder and followed Radin outside.

"I'll tell you about Yua later."

"I-I see."

"Yua, take care of your grandfather."

"Yes!"

Raon pat Yua's head as she forced herself to reply cheerfully, then followed Milland to the castle wall.

And he saw it.

The wave of monsters was swarming towards them from afar like a white storm.

'Judging from the number of monsters, is it Eden's doing again? They are seriously tenacious…'

Raon was biting his lip while watching the monsters, before his eyes widened further.

'What is this?'

The monsters dashing towards the castle looked completely different from before. They were filled with gluttony and madness last time, but this time…

They were terrified with fear.

They looked like they were being chased by something as they ran towards the castle walls, as if the walls were simply in the way of their escape.

'What is this?'

Raon swallowed harshly.

What the hell was happening?