Chapter 284

With the Blade of Requiem slammed into the seventh apostle's neck, Raon surrounded his neck with his left arm and stepped back.

Taking the seventh apostle hostage, he looked back at the man who came to interrupt him.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a white coat with ten beads engraved on the left side of his chest. There was a gray line in the middle of his black hair and a ferocious look in his eyes, much like a savage beast.

'It was the tenth apostle after all.'

The bloody energy he felt from behind him was the same as what he felt in Porvan City from the tenth apostle.

It was his second attempt to stop him, and Raon was faster than him the second time.

Whir.

The tenth apostle's eyes slowly raised. His eyes were as dry as a drought, unwavering despite the situation where the seventh apostle could be killed at any moment.

Raon bit the inside of his cheek.

'He's so damn strong.'

He could completely feel the tenth apostle's prowess, probably because he became a Master. His pressure alone was overwhelming him, making it difficult to breathe.

'It seems impossible for now.'

Nothing would've changed even if he was in his best condition, without spending his aura and stamina. It was impossible to win against a Grandmaster in his current state, no matter what he tried. It was necessary to find a way to survive without fighting against him.

'There's one thing I can do, but…'

Raon rolled his eyes to the right side.

Who are you looking at with those arrogant eyes?

Wrath was yawning despite the urgency of the situation and frowned as Raon looked at him.

'Nothing.'

Raon shook his head.

'I can't use him right now.'

Getting Wrath to control his body would allow him to survive even against the White Blood Religion's leader.

Since the Ring of Fire had reached seven-stars, he guessed he would also be able to reclaim his body afterwards. However, since Wrath previously mentioned that he was definitely going to lose control as soon as he took over his body, the people aboveground were also bound to be harmed.

'I shall observe the situation for now.'

Raon snickered and tilted his head.

"I never knew that the White Blood Religion cared so much for each other."

While making fun of the White Blood Religion, he resonated the Ring of Fire and gathered his aura to prepare himself to react to the tenth apostle's move.

"Even though he's an apostle, you are following a Master everywhere to take care of him. Don't you think you are being overprotective? Don't tell me you are also feeding him personally."

"Release him."

The tenth apostle looked down on him as if he had the upper hand.

"Don't order me around."

Raon smiled coldly, twisting the Blade of Requiem stabbing the seventh apostle's neck slightly. His flesh was torn as a result, and lumps of gray blood fell on the ground.

"Kuah!"

The seventh apostle groaned in pain from the Blade of Requiem's ghastly energy.

"S-Senior…"

The seventh apostle stretched his hand towards the tenth apostle. He was begging for him to save his life.

"Even though the White Blood Religion doesn't fear death, it should still be difficult to fill the empty spot for apostles, right?"

"Kuh…"

Raon tightened his grip on the Blade of Requiem's hilt. The resulting vibration was enough to make the seventh apostle tremble in pain.

"The seat of the fourth apostle that I killed should be still waiting to be filled. You will have two empty seats if I end up killing this guy. Don't you think you will be disqualified as Five Demons because you will be too weak?"

Even though the White Blood Religion had the largest number of members among the Six Kings and Five Demons, it wasn't easy to replace a powerhouse like an apostle. Raon needed to find a way to survive by using the seventh apostle that he was holding hostage.

"As you said, the fourth apostle's seat is still empty. However…"

The tenth apostle slowly shook his head. He looked down on Raon and the seventh apostle with a dry gaze.

"Apostles aren't the only powerful people in our religion. The reason apostles are important isn't because of their might, but because they exist to teach people about the Blood God's greatness and truth."

The tenth apostle slowly opened his mouth and started speaking in a dry voice. His words reflected his faith despite his cruel expression.

'There are people even stronger than the apostles, he said?'

He'd never heard about them before, even in his previous life, and the information from the Shadow Agents had no mention of it either.

'Whether it's true or not, he can't easily abandon this guy.'

The White Blood Religion was a religious organization rather than an armed organization. The fact that apostles were ranked higher than those who were stronger than them implied that the seventh apostle was worthy enough to be taken hostage.

"I don't care whether the apostles beg for food or whatever. My request…"

When he was about to tell the tenth apostle to withdraw, footsteps could be heard through the hole in the ceiling.

"Raon!"

"Vice squad leader!"

"Are you alive?"

The Light Wind swordsmen, including Runaan and Burren, waved their hands at Raon while looking down the hole.

"Huh…?"

"W-Wait! That man…"

"The tenth apostle!"

"Why is that monster here?!"

They instantly recognized the tenth apostle and swallowed nervously.

"Don't move."

As the tenth apostle was about to raise his head, Raon unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He gathered as much power as he could muster and tightened his grip on the Blade of Requiem.

"Kuh…"

The ghastly energy of the Blade of Requiem was amplified by the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and the seventh apostle's groan intensified.

"He is going to die if you take a single step."

The tenth apostle didn't respond—he simply stared at him. Raon couldn't tell whether his threat was working or not, but it was the right time to tell them.

"Burren! Runaan! Take everyone in the city and escape!"

Raon shouted at the ceiling in order to use the only method available to save everyone.

"Raon!"

"What about you?"

"Vice squad leader! No!"

"We went through all that training in order to fight together!"

The Light Wind squad didn't go away, instead expressing their willingness to fight. They looked like they were about to jump down at any moment.

'Those guys…'

Raon felt like it was worth teaching them, since they were still capable of saying that after feeling the tenth apostle's tremendous pressure.

Even though he felt proud of them, he couldn't tell them to fight alongside him. Even if they combined forces, they were about as strong as an egg trying to break a boulder, and they all would die in vain.

"This is an exception. I can survive, so stop worrying about me and escape with everyone!"

"Raon."

"You bastard…"

Raon smiled faintly while meeting Runaan and Burren's worried gazes.

"You know I've never lied in my life, right?"

It was true. If the Light Wind squad manage to evacuate everyone, he could call Wrath into his body and possibly slay the tenth apostle instead.

"See you later."

The Light Wind members, who were leaning forward, stood up the moment he spoke.

"The Light Wind squad will obey the vice squad leader's order!"

"Everyone, move!"

They scattered in all directions without even looking back. Runaan stayed behind to look at Raon the longest, but she eventually bit her lip and left.

"S-Senior. Why are you not doing anything? You can just take them hostages…Kuh!"

Raon covered the seventh apostle's mouth and looked at the tenth apostle.

'This is strange.'

Just like the seventh apostle had said, it was the perfect opportunity for the tenth apostle. Even though he could gain the upper hand by taking the Light Wind squad hostage, he really wasn't doing anything. It was as if nothing else mattered to him for his objective.

'Wait. Now that I think about it…'

The tenth apostle was a Grandmaster, not a Master. It was impossible for Raon to defend himself against the surprise attack of a Grandmaster. He should've already been dead if he had been going all-out from the beginning.

He thought about what happened so far, and a frightening hypothesis came to mind.

'No way, is he… Actually targeting me?'

It was totally possible, considering the fact that he didn't even try to catch the Light Wind members, didn't really care about the seventh apostle, and he could've been trying to capture him alive instead of killing him through his surprise attack.

'Moreover, he gave that unnecessary explanation about the apostles.'

The tenth apostle just explained to him about the apostle's role even though he never needed to do that. Considering his silent personality, that explanation must've had a reason behind it.

"Are you trying to make me into your apostle?"

Raon's silent voice changed the tenth apostle's expression for the first time. His widened eyes revealed his surprise.

"I can finally understand why that person asked me to bring you. It's an insight befitting the one who observes the entire world from her seat."

The tenth apostle slowly closed his eyes before opening them again. His wavering eyes stiffened like the winter swamp.

"That's right. I'm here to take you, Raon Zieghart."

"Wh-What do you mean? Th-This bastard is my archenemy! How can he become an apostle?"

The seventh apostle still managed to complain despite having a blade stabbing into his neck.

"It's the master's order."

"Kuh…"

He couldn't complain once he heard that it was the order from the religious leader.

"Raon Zieghart. You have no choice. None of your subordinates are going to survive if you refuse."

"Can't you see what's happening to your junior?"

Raon twisted the Blade of Requiem stabbing the seventh apostle's neck once again. Along with the sound of tearing flesh, a large amount of blood flew down from his neck.

"You can kill him if you want."

"S-Senior?"

"We are better off without an apostle who lost to the same opponent twice, especially when the opponent in question had a lower stage than him."

The tenth apostle's gaze and voice were cold. His cold expression almost looked like he was about to kill the seventh apostle himself.

'The hostage isn't effective.'

He felt like he was bluffing, considering the explanation he gave about the apostles, but the situation was still turning disadvantageous for him.

'I need to buy time…'

The Light Wind squad and the people still hadn't managed to escape the city. It was necessary to drag out the chat with pointless chatter if it meant he could buy some time.

"If I become an apostle…"

Raon slightly bit his lip as he looked at the tenth apostle.

"Is the White Blood Religion's leader going to personally teach me martial arts?"

"Of course. Becoming her disciple is the first step of an apostle."

"Receiving the teachings of one of the strongest people in the continent doesn't sound too bad."

Even though he had no intention of becoming an apostle, he was blabbering in order to buy time. That was when the Ring of Fire noticed the faint flow of mana appearing in the air.

'That's…'

Raon swallowed nervously while watching the flow of mana.

'If everything goes well… I might be able to survive without having Wrath take over.'

Burren lied to the people who managed to escape the Surreal Blood Manifestation Array's influence, claiming that the tenth apostle had appeared and was trying to destroy Grand Seville to make them leave the city.

Since the White Blood Religion's bloody energy remained all around the city and the buildings had collapsed like sandcastles, it wasn't really difficult to convince people to leave.

"What about the first team?"

"They are supposed to gather at Martha's location, so they should be outside right now! Don't worry about them and run!"

"What about you, team leader…?"

"I'm going to confirm the evacuation and follow you."

Along with Runaan, Burren confirmed that every single person had left the city before he looked at the hole where Raon and the tenth apostle were located.

He wanted to help, but he was aware that he would only be a burden even if he tried. He could only bite his lip and leave the city.

Once he reached Martha's location, every member of the Light Wind squad could be seen.

"What is happening right now? Why is everyone coming out?"

"The tenth apostle has appeared."

"Tenth apostle…"

Martha's body trembled as she stood up while holding a child. A tremendous amount of energy surged from her energy center, which should've been completely empty. It didn't seem to be her aura, but the flame of her life.

"And why are you here when that bastard has appeared?!"

"Raon said…"

"And you just left? We should be killing him together!"

Burren explained the situation, and Martha grasped the hilt of her sword, as if she were about to run for help right away.

"No."

Runaan grasped Martha's wrist tightly.

"Let me go! I need to kill the tenth apostle! It's impossible for Raon to do it on his own!"

"Raon said he would return. He told us to trust him."

Even though Martha shook her hand violently, Runaan didn't release her wrist.

"Let me go!"

"Martha. I know that the tenth apostle is your archenemy, but now isn't the time. We are only going to be a burden even if we tried to help him."

Blood flew out of Burren's mouth.

"Damn it!"

Martha stomped the ground upon noticing Burren's lips covered in blood.

"Why is this happening every single tim… Ack!"

As she was about to sit down while cursing the situation, Runaan smacked the back of her head with her hands gathered together.

Smack!

Martha couldn't understand the situation and rolled on the ground from the sudden attack.

"Huh…?"

"R-Runaan?"

"Second team leader…"

Every member of the Light Wind squad's jaws dropped while looking at Runaan.

"What do you think you are doing, you crazy bitch?!"

Martha shouted while shaking off the dirt from her face.

"I was trying to stop you because you looked like you were about to run."

"Who the hell stops people like that?"

"You."

Runaan pointed at Martha.

"When did I ever… Wait, is this…?"

Martha frowned. She'd hit the back of Runaan's head to make her faint when she started to struggle when they faced the Blood Raving Demon in the past, and she must've been talking about that.

"Is this revenge from that time?"

"It's not revenge. I was just trying to stop you."

"So it's revenge!"

"It's not."

"Argh!"

Martha was about to punch Runaan and stopped.

'This girl…'

Runaan's eyes were wavering violently despite how they usually remained blank. She must've been worried about Raon, who was left behind alone.

"Haa…"

Martha didn't want to run to help Raon any more after seeing Runaan's eyes.

"It can't be helped."

Martha bit her lip and turned around. The children that the first team had rescued were all trembling in fear.

"Hey, is there anything to eat for the kids… Huh?"

Martha frowned after looking around at the Light Wind members.

"Where is that guy?"

* * *

Raon smiled faintly while pretending he didn't notice the new flow of mana.

"Am I also getting some elixirs if I become an apostle?"

"Not just elixirs, she might even bestow her blood upon you. Since she took a liking to you, you will be able to surpass your current stage in no time."

"That blood must be the reason why he became stronger."

He moved the Blade of Requiem to slightly push the seventh apostle forward.

"Correct. You will receive a similar blessing if you believe in the Blood God and devote yourself."

The tenth apostle slowly raised his hand. The energy ignited from his hand was so white that it almost looked pure.

It was the White Blood Energy, the epitome of bloody energy.

"Join the White Blood Religion. You shall be granted the honor to serve the god from a higher position than myself."

"God? God, I see…"

Raon smiled coldly while looking at the white flame burning over the tenth apostle's hand.

"But I don't believe in god."

It wasn't just his current life. He didn't believe in god in his previous life either.

"I'm not even interested in the creator god or holy god. You must be joking, asking me to believe in the Blood God."

Even though he belittled their god, the tenth apostle didn't react.

"'I' am the only one I believe in."

Raon pounded his chest with his right hand.

"That's how I am, and I made a promise just a moment ago."

"Promise?"

"It's a promise with those people."

He raised his head with a grim smile on his face. The mountain of corpses inside the cavern could be seen.

The countless corpses, whose faces were distorted in pain and fear and couldn't even be recognized anymore, were staring at them with resentment.

"I pledged to kill him for them. You know, a god who doesn't keep their promise is bound to be unpopular. I have no intention of leaving their resentment as it is."

"Kuh…"

As the seventh apostle felt the change in Raon's pressure, his fear and trembling could be felt.

"You…"

The tenth apostle's eyes also started to waver upon noticing the ominous signs in Raon's behavior.

"I guess fellow disciples are still important for you, despite what you done."

Raon's smile suddenly stopped.

"It's disgusting."

At the same time as he said that, he pushed the Blade of Requiem forward from inside the seventh apostle's neck. Crimson flame severed the seventh apostle's neck, contrasting with the gray color of his blood.

Creak!

Along with the frightening sound of his bones and flesh being torn apart, a dangerous amount of blood gushed from the seventh apostle's neck.

"S-Sa…"

He couldn't finish his sentence because of the laceration in his neck, and he sank to the ground with trembling hands. His eyes widened painfully, reflecting only his death.

"Raon Zieghart!"

The tenth apostle walked towards him, his fierce eyes brimming with wrath. He thrust his hand, and an unimaginable amount of power exploded from it.

Rumble!

Raon quietly exhaled and wielded his two blades. When he gathered all of his remaining aura trying to defend himself, the space distorted in a diagonal to radiate colorful lights.

Clang!

The dimensional rift managed to fend off the tenth apostle's attack, opening up to reveal a woman wearing a black robe, who walked out of it.

"Merlin?"

The tenth apostle frowned upon noticing the old woman's mask, which was covered in wrinkles.

"Haa…"

Merlin sighed in excitement while looking back at Raon instead of the tenth apostle.

"I knew you were the only one who should wear that helmet."

The pupils behind her mask were reflecting her desire. Her longing gaze had become worse than when he'd met her for the first time at Habun Castle and when she fought against Sheryl.

"Come with me, Raon. You should look at me and no one else for the rest of your life…"

"Merlin from Eden."

The tenth apostle glared at Merlin. The bloody energy emanating from him was on a completely different level from before. The white bloody energy burning around him melted down the distortion of space that Merlin created.

"You aren't supposed to interfere right now. Get out of my sight."

"You are the one who is interfering between Raon and I."

"Are you trying to breach the agreement between the Five Demons?"

"Agreement? Did we have something like that?"

Merlin casually floated in the air and spread her arms. She smiled while unleashing a powerful mana that didn't lose at all against the tenth apostle's bloody energy.

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Merlin's back.

'She was here after all.'

When he pretended to be interested in joining the White Blood Religion in order to buy some time, the Ring of Fire had noticed a wave of mana. It was Merlin's doing, as he'd suspected.

'She's been targeting me ever since the first time we met.'

Merlin revealed her desire the first time they met at Habun Castle, and she showed a crazy obsession on the battlefield they encountered the second time. That was why Raon figured that she would stop the tenth apostle from taking him away.

That was why he killed the seventh apostle, who would have survived if everything went wrong, and left the rest to her. She was acting exactly according to his predictions.

Whir!

The tenth apostle and Merlin were both monsters who overcame the wall to become Grandmasters. Their pressures alone were enough to create a whirlwind of mana, reaching the end of the sky.

'I don't think they are going to fight to the death.'

The agreement between Five Demons. Even though it was in name only, they weren't about to kill each other, since they were both high ranked officers.

'And that's what I need to break.'

'Because they both want me.'

He decided to do something that was only possible because all of the conditions had been met.

He leapt backwards and leaned his back against the wall.

"Huh?"

"Hey?"

"You two will fight."

Raon raised his chin while watching the two monsters widen their eyes in surprise.

"I'm going to follow the winner."

Seriously, this guy…

Wrath's lips twisted upon seeing Raon's confident smile.

What a mad lad.