Chapter 115

Raon narrowed his eyes upon reading the message.

'Purified bloody energy, huh…'

It wasn't just bloody energy, but purified bloody energy. It looked like the Blade of Requiem ate up the evil energy from the bloody energy and offered him the pure part.

'It's pure indeed.'

In fact, the energy had a higher purity than a magic stone's mana. It was an auspicious energy, one that wasn't harmful in any way.

'I'm taking it in.'

He lowered the wall of aura blocking it, and the energy offered by the Blade of Requiem started seeping into his body.

Whir!

Pure and clean energy like morning dew started spreading throughout his body.

[The purified bloody energy is enhancing the body and mind.]

[All stats have increased by 2.]

Feeling the exhilaration of pure and refreshing energy filling up his body, Raon clenched his fist.

However, that message wasn't the last one.

[Trait 'Adaptation to Ghastly Energy' has been created.]

A new window appeared, telling him a new trait has been created.

Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (One-Star)

Allows the user to control more ghastly energy with a smaller expenditure of aura and willpower upon using ghastly energy with one's body or weapon.

Raon's eyes shone upon reading the description.

'This is pretty good.'

Wielding the weapon with ghastly energy exhausted a large amount of willpower and aura. Now that he had the trait, he would have more room to spare upon using the Blade of Requiem.

Wait a moment.

While Raon was nodding in satisfaction, Wrath burst in front of him with distorted eyes inside the blue coldness.

Why did you just get a new trait?

'You told me before that the system acts in a way that benefits me. It probably created this trait to help me use the Blade of Requiem.'

And how do you think it created that trait? It's the King of Essence! It's obvious it was taken from the King of Essence's main body!

'I guess, why are you stating the obvious?'

Keuh!

Wrath ground his teeth. Icy anger was crawling up the blue flame.

'This is really convenient.'

As Raon was closing the window, the Blade of Requiem vibrated slightly. It was a soft movement, as if it was telling him it wanted to get along.

'Are you hoping to get along in the future?'

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem resonated clearly, affirming his statement.

'You're really helpful, unlike Parasite Number 1. I'll cancel your appointment as Parasite Number 2. Let's get along.'

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem vibrated to express its gratitude.

D-did you just call the King of Essence 'Parasite Number 1'? But you are the parasite! You are the sucker that is sucking me completely dry!

'I see.'

Kuaaah!

Raon responded insidiously, and Wrath started screaming, bursting in anger and coldness. The blue coldness erupted like a volcano, and the emotion of wrath swarmed at him.

Whir!

The emotion of wrath he had taken in before flared up once again and pressured his mind.

"Huff…"

It was an extreme pain, one of thousands of needles poking at his pores. Just as he had been getting stronger, Wrath had also been recovering his strength. Raon slowly exhaled and used the Ring of Fire and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Once his soul level increased and heat engulfed his entire body, the pain coming from Wrath's anger and coldness started to subside.

'This is the counter.'

The Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation were the only shields to survive against Wrath's blade of coldness and anger.

Offer your body and soul to the King of Essence!

'I won't do that.'

His hair was standing on end because of the excruciating pain, but he pretended it was nothing as he smiled.

"Haa…"

As he was enduring the extreme pain with a cold sweat, the messages appeared.

[You've endured Wrath's interruption.]

[Strength has increased by 1.]

[Stamina has increased by 1.]

They were the rewards for enduring Wrath's coldness.

Damn it! The King of Essence's stats have been transferred! Again!

Wrath jumped up and left Raon's body. He glared at the ridiculous message and ground his teeth.

'You can't win against me.'

Raon wiped the sweat from his forehead, pretending to sweep his hair up.

'I can't be careless around him.'

Despite his relaxed words, his back was soaked in sweat.

Even though he was the giving Wrath, his main body was the monarch of devildom. He couldn't allow himself to be careless.

'I thought you were the same at first, but that wasn't the case at all.'

What are you talking about?'

'The Blade of Requiem is way nicer than you.'

Raon sneered at Wrath, and wiped the Blade of Requiem clean.

It's not nice at all. It's just an insignificant creature that tried to control your body.

'But it changed its mind. It's different from you, who always tries to swallow me.'

It's the same. If only it was as strong as the King of Essence, it would've still been targeting you without giving up.

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem vibrated its blade in denial.

'It's telling me to not treat it like you.'

I'm soon going to destroy that possessed sword along with you.

Wrath looked down at the Blade of Requiem, spreading terrifying coldness.

'It's a good thing for me if you want to raise my stats.'

Keuh, you won't have an easy death even if the King of Essence doesn't do anything. You are the type of person who makes enemies everywhere.

'But you are my only enemy.'

Raon had another enemy he needed to kill at all costs, but he didn't mention him.

"Swordsman Raon."

As he was about to sheath the Blade of Requiem as he finished cleaning, Greer approached him holding a black wrapping cloth.

"We managed to survive thanks to you. Thank you once again."

His behavior was still not befitting a prince. Raon smiled and lowered his head.

"No, I'm also thankful to them."

"That's true indeed."

Raon showed him the Blade of Requiem and Greer nodded.

"I thought it was just emitting a small amount of ghastly energy, but it was beyond my imagination. It was my first time seeing such a weapon."

"Same goes for me. It bears a stronger resentment than I thought."

"Are you going to be okay? I heard that a possessed blade can attack its owner…"

"It has completely accepted me as its owner now."

"I guess it had to be accepted considering your power. It was really amazing."

He smiled, saying that he would work even harder in the future to catch up to him. He really was a cool person.

"I think I can show you, since we are companions now."

Greer took out a white bead at the size of a child's head from the black wrapping cloth he brought.

"Is this…"

"It's the item we took from the White Blood Religion branch. As you already know, the White Blood Religion sucks the blood of half the villagers on the spot and abducts the other half upon attacking a village. We believe that this bead is what allows them to transfer the abducted people to their headquarters."

His gaze was full of anticipation as he looked at the bead.

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem started vibrating upon hearing from Greer. It looked like it wanted to take revenge and save the people who might be still alive.

'Hmm.'

Raon looked at the Blade of Requiem in admiration.

'It's amazing.'

It still wanted to save people despite being a possessed blade now. He could feel the kindness of the Siren villagers.

"But, young master."

Dorian was blankly watching the resonating Blade of Requiem, then started speaking.

"Where did you learn to handle a dagger? It's my first time seeing you using one, but you are really good at it."

"Hmm, certainly."

"It was a systematic dagger technique."

Greer and the knights also turned to look at him. They were curious about what kind of technique that was, and how he got to learn it.

"...I learned it from Instructor Rimmer."

"Ah!"

"I see."

"If it was that person, it makes sense."

Dorian, the prince and the knights accepted it, saying that it wouldn't be surprising if Rimmer knew dagger techniques.

'This is also pretty useful.'

Blaming Rimmer was working everywhere.

Raon snickered and placed the Blade of Requiem on the back of his waist.

The next day at noon.

A blue-haired young man was sitting on a thin branch. His eyes were sharp and his mouth was closed shut. He looked like a personification of a pine tree.

The man with an aloof atmosphere, resembling a blade, was the third team leader of the Owen kingdom's silver knights and one of the Twelve Stars of the Continent: Borini Kitten.

The sight of Raon and Greer reaching the crossroad entered his brown eyes. They said goodbye to each other and parted ways.

"Hmm."

Borini's gaze followed Raon's back instead of the third prince that he was supposed to protect.

'He recognized me for sure.'

His energy was disheveled for a moment when the White Blood fanatics had attacked the third prince's group the day before, and Raon discovered his position without missing that instant.

'He is amazing.'

Raon understood he wasn't an enemy and focused on dealing with the White Blood Religion. His judgment and concentration were similar to a veteran knight that had experienced countless battles.

'And his dagger techniques were even more amazing.'

He'd heard from the prince that Raon Zieghart was a sword genius, but he didn't expect him to be proficient with daggers as well.

And it wasn't some sloppy dagger technique. The trajectory he drew was extremely adept, as if he'd practiced it thousands, tens of thousands of times.

'And the last part was a masterpiece.'

It was an attack performed by condensing the ghastly energy and aura together. Its power and aura were at the level of the highest level of Expert.

"And…"

It was beautiful.

The prince and the knights wouldn't have realized it from the scene, but Borini felt it for sure because he was watching from afar.

What Raon Zieghart had performed back then wasn't just a technique. It was a sword dance. It was an art created from a sword. The resentment contained inside the beautiful yet tragic dance made his heart waver for a moment.

"Raon Zieghart…"

He didn't really believe it when the third prince called him a true genius, but that was an undeniable fact.

The silver knights he belonged to were the strongest in the kingdom, no, the strongest in the continent—and yet, he had never witnessed anyone like him before.

"Heh."

Borini Kitten slightly smiled, watching Raon's back as he got further and further away.

"A new star might be born from Zieghart in a few years."

* * *

Raon and Dorian traveled for two weeks after using the dimensional door to reach the Judian forest, near Habun castle.

They just needed to travel for one more day to reach Habun castle, which was called one of the northern hells.

"Ugh…"

Dorian laid down on the portable bed he took from his belly pocket, his teeth chattering. His trembling didn't stop despite the bonfire's heat and the heavy blanket.

"W-we are going to die. We are really going to die!"

"We aren't."

Raon shook his head while wiping down the Blade of Requiem.

"You just need to do what you can, using what you've learned, to pass this trial."

Rimmer wasn't the type of person to make them do what they couldn't. The fact that he sent them there meant that they were capable enough to overcome the trial. Although, what happened with the Blood Raving Demon was an exception.

"Do you agree?"

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem resonated clearly in agreement. He'd become somewhat intimate with him and even Dorian during the last two weeks.

"I know, but I'm scared! I'm just too scared!"

Dorian placed the lamp glowing in the dark at the head of his bed and went under the blanket.

Raon thought it was really extravagant to have a lamp glowing in the dark and a bed while sleeping outside, even though that also allowed him to sleep comfortably.

"I'm done."

Raon unsheathed the Blade of Requiem after wiping it clean.

Hmm!

It seemed Wrath wasn't satisfied about something as he cleared his throat and came out of the bracelet.

Don't you think you are too nice to that insignificant thing nowadays?

'Too nice?'

Yes. You are cleaning it every day, and you are also talking to it regularly.

'Well, it's helping me after all.'

Even when he said he didn't need it, the Blade of Requiem found prey like deer or threats like bandits using its ghastly energy.

B-but you are also able to do that much by yourself.

'Even so, it's nice of it to do something for me.'

It was true that his perception was better than the blade's, but he was pretty grateful for doing such things on its own accord.

'And it's also teaching me how to use ghastly energy.'

The Blade of Requiem taught him the best way to use ghastly energy, and how to get used to it.

Since it kept doing good things, it was natural that he would clean it often and talk to it.

Using a rubbish power like ghastly energy will only make you look inferior.

'Even if I look inferior, I need to get stronger.'

Raon smiled slightly and pushed away Wrath, who was pouting.

He wasn't exactly leaving him out, but Wrath was getting more insecure the more he conversed with the Blade of Requiem and got intimate with it.

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem resonated, as if it was laughing at Wrath.

That insignificant creature dares!

'Stop it.'

As Wrath was about to crush the Blade of Requiem with his coldness, Raon blocked his energy using the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Why are you blocking it!

'Because you are the one who picked the fight first.'

The King of Essence is the monarch of Devildom! I can't stay still when a mere possessed blade is trying to defy…

'I'm going to sleep, so be quiet.'

Keuh!

Raon forced Wrath back into the bracelet and laid on the portable bed. Feeling the softness of it, he turned around and closed his eyes.

As he was breathing slowly to fall asleep, Wrath came back out. He looked slightly dejected, unlike before.

Are you sleeping?

'Not yet.'

Then…

Wrath swallowed his saliva and continued.

D-do you want to learn how to use frost from the King of Essence?

Raon smiled slightly with his back turned to him.

After two weeks, the monarch of Devildom finally took the bait.