Chapter 363

Claang! Thud!

The battle between the assassins and the Black Spirits intensified more and more over time.

Since both the poison and the mana of darkness caused intense pain to the opponent at a single touch, they were doing their best to kill each other while dripping with bloodlust.

Raon snickered while looking down on them.

‘Serves you right.’

The sight of their faces twisting in pain brought a smile to Raon’s face. It felt so nice to see them because they were scoundrels who didn’t care at all about the other people’s pain.

“Kuah!”

“Argh…”

Some of them started to die because of the poison or mana of darkness, but Raon didn’t feel guilty in the slightest.

The Black Tower had attacked innocent villagers to turn them into sacrifices, and Loktan had massacred people before by spreading poison. All of them deserved death.

Huh…

Wrath gasped while watching the chaotic battlefield.

…It can only be described as insane.

‘What are you talking about?’

You did mention that you would play them to your advantage, but the King of Essence didn’t expect it to actually happen.

Wrath had thought that Raon had finally gone insane when he’d said that he would make the two parties fight against each other when they were completely unrelated, but it was actually happening. He couldn’t stop his head from trembling from how ridiculous it was.

‘This isn’t the first time though.’

Indeed. That’s the most irritating part.

Wrath was helping him because the Black Tower was a hindrance to his dessert, but he couldn’t help getting angry because everything was going too well. It was strange, but he felt angry whenever Raon was having a great time.

Aren’t you going to act?

‘I’ll take care of those two by myself.’

Raon pointed at the Black Commander and Loktan, who were fighting right under the summit.

‘I said this before, but I need to prepare to finish this for now. It’s not my turn yet.’

He turned around and looked at a lower summit from far away.

‘I have another thing to do for now.’

Did you even notice that?

‘Because my aura perception ascended to a whole different level.’

Kuh…

Wrath frowned in displeasure.

‘Why are you so irritated when you are the one who taught me how to use the Perception of the Snow Flower and the Snow Flower’s Veil?’

He’s angry because you are too good with them. He shouldn’t have done that!

He punched the ground, saying that he was distracted by mere desserts.

‘What’s done cannot be undone.’

Raon tapped Wrath’s shoulder and turned around.

‘It’s too late to regret.’

He used the Supreme Harmony’s Third Step and went to the lower hill around the entrance of the Jamari mountain range.

The Supreme Harmony’s Third Step was the most quiet and delicate footwork among the Supreme Harmony Steps. He reached his destination in an instant without leaving the faintest trace on the ground.

Once he climbed the summit, he could see a masked man hiding between two large rocks.

He was watching the battle between the poison crew and the Black Tower with a telescope.

‘So he was here.’

He was an informant whose job was to scout and report.

He was hiding there instead of joining the battle to report in case a problem occurred to Loktan and the poison crew.

‘Which means that he’s the last bastion.’

Raon smiled, as that implied that he could escape Derus’s gaze as long as he killed those informants.

Smack!

Raon approached him from behind and immediately stabbed his heart and covered his mouth. Just like the previous assassination, he quietly placed the corpse down and moved to the right.

He made sure to only step on solid boulders and rocks to avoid making any sound, approaching the last informant, who was hiding in a bush from the side.

Just like the previous one, the informant was watching the battle between the poison crew and the Black Tower with a telescope.

“What’s going on…?”

He took his eyes off the telescope and laughed bitterly.

“Why are they fighting against each other?”

“It’s because of my interference.”

“Ah! You… Kuah!”

Raon severed his neck before he could turn around.

“Argh…”

The informant collapsed on the ground with trembling eyes.

“Tell them once you are in hell.”

Raon destroyed the informant’s telescope and smiled coldly.

“To make space in advance, since many are about to go down.”

* * *

Dorian’s shoulders trembled as he shoved his finger into a wall.

‘Is this really okay?’

Raon had told him to climb the summit once it became hectic, but he had no idea when it was going to be hectic.

He was holding on because he was confident in his strength at least, but he felt like his heart was about to burst out from the tension.

‘He’s so difficult to follow.’

He was sighing in his mind before he heard the sound of weapons clashing from below.

‘It’s happening.’

He instinctively realized that it was his time to move and poked his head to the side while climbing to the highest peak.

‘Huh…?’

People clad in black robes, presumably the Black Tower’s Spirits, were fighting against people wearing sticky night traveling clothes, who seemed to be assassins.

‘Wh-what’s happening?! Why are they fighting against each other?’

He couldn’t understand why the hell they were fighting against each other when Raon couldn’t even be found.

Poisons and the mana of darkness were fired all around the place. It looked like they were going all out against each other.

‘…I don’t even know anymore. I guess he’s got them.’

It was impossible for him to understand Raon’s plan. He kept climbing towards the peak while thinking that it was just another one of his schemes.

‘Haap.’

His body was getting drenched in a cold sweat because he was climbing a steep cliff without using his aura, but he mustered all of his strength while thinking about the people on top to keep his limbs moving.

‘Huff! I’ve finally arrived.’

As soon as he reached the drake’s nest at the highest peak, he could see the dying people.

“Aww…”

“Kuh!”

“Please, do something…”

“Argh!”

They were letting out hoarse groans while grasping the black holes engraved in their bodies.

The black holes were as big as a person’s head, and the flesh around them was rotting like a zombie’s.

“What’s happening…?”

Dorian’s chin trembled as he witnessed their state.

‘Those evil bastards!’

He was aware that the villagers would be in pain, but he hadn’t expected it to be so bad.

He couldn’t believe that a human being could be so cruel to another human. The anger welling up inside him was powerful enough to make his fear disappear.

“Ugh…”

He suppressed the urge to immediately go down to slay the Black Tower’s masked men and examined the old man in front of him.

There was a hole in his shoulder, and the black blood was etched in the veins all the way up to his neck.

“Are you okay?”

“I-instead of me, p-please take care of my granddaughter.”

He was panting like he was about to die, but he pointed at the small child on his right side instead.

“I-I’m fin…sniff!”

The brown-haired girl seemed to be around ten years old. She was forcing herself to shake her head while grasping the black hole on her waist.

“Argh…”

Dorian swallowed nervously. He started boiling with anger as they cared for each other even though they could die at any moment.

“M-my superior is extremely competent! He will save you all if you hold out a bit longer. Please wait a moment!”

Dorian searched inside the belly pocket to take out painkillers and holy water to help.

He even used footwork to distribute the painkillers to the villagers.

“Swallow it right away!”

The villagers put the painkillers in their mouths with hands that trembled because of the mana of darkness encroaching into their bodies. As for the ones who couldn’t move anymore, Dorian personally helped them swallow the pills.

“It must hurt, but you have to endure.”

Dorian opened the holy water’s lid. It was an extremely precious holy water from the Holy Kingdom of Kelton, but he didn’t care at all about the price.

He made a drop of holy water fall on the old man’s wound while hoping that they would last.

Pssh!

With the sound of burning flesh, the old man started to struggle.

“Kuh!”

His body trembled like an epilepsy patient, and his eyes rolled back.

“You can do it. You have to survive and live with your granddaughter!”

His words must’ve been helpful, as the seizure weakened and the black lines that had reached his neck started to fade away.

The large black hole also started to decrease in size.

‘It’s effective!’

It was good enough to be called real holy water. The pain couldn’t be avoided, but it was possible to save everyone.

“I’ll save all of you! Please endure a bit longer!”

Dorian went around the summit and spread the holy water on the people’s black holes.

“Kuaah!”

“Argh!”

“Haa…”

“Huff!”

They were in so much pain that they started to scream, while some couldn’t even scream, but the holes and the black blood vessels were definitely decreasing in size.

“Haa…”

They were so exhausted that they could only breathe weakly. Dorian helped them drink some water before observing the lower area.

‘They are still fighting.’

The Black Tower’s masked men and the assassins were still stabbing each other while scattering their poisons and darkness. Fortunately, none of them were paying attention to the summit.

‘Where the hell is the vice squad leader?’

The assassins and the Black Tower didn’t even have ten members left in their respective camps. Raon was nowhere to be seen even though they were definitely going to come to the summit if one of them ended up winning.

“It’s really exhausting to deal with this superior… huh?”

He turned around after he sighed and suddenly came to a halt.

Something huge was flying towards them at a tremendous speed from the direction of the western sea. His hair stood on end upon witnessing the crimson eyes shining from the darkness.

“I-it’s here!”

Dorian stepped back in panic.

‘The drake has arrived! Where the hell is he?!’

* * * 

“Die!”

Loktan threw a dagger toward the sky. Ten daggers scattered in the air and dropped like an eagle toward the Black Commander’s vitals.

“What an annoying fellow.”

The Black Commander slashed with his hand. The darkness surrounding his hand turned into a huge claw to deflect all of the daggers before falling upon Loktan’s head.

“Damn you!”

Loktan extended his hands, which were covered in aura. His dark green aura turned into a tidal wave and soared.

Whaam!

The clash between poison and darkness created a huge explosion.

The energies that weren’t extinguished on the spot spread all around. The land and the trees perished on contact and turned completely dark.

“……”

“Kuh…”

The Black Commander’s skin had turned pale because of the poison and black blood vessels had reached Loktan’s neck because of the encroaching energy of darkness.

“Let’s put an end to this.”

“Fine, you deaf bastard!”

Loktan unleashed a poison fog and withdrew. The Black Commander immediately escaped the fog as if he were expecting the move, then thrust his energy of darkness.

Whaam!

They even forgot about their original missions, doing their best to kill each other. The energies of darkness and poison clashed against each other countless times.

Raon fixed his grip on Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem while watching Loktan’s poison fist and the Black Commander’s energy of darkness.

‘They have weakened.’

Their willpower had dwindled because they had to continuously endure the pain, and the poison and darkness encroaching into their bodies were making it impossible for them to use their full strength.

‘It’s almost there.’

However, it was still impossible to ambush them both despite their weakened states. It was necessary to wait for the opportunity.

Raon utilized the Snow Flower’s Veil as much as possible to bury his presence in between nature’s flows.

Wham!

He was reducing his presence while watching the clash between Loktan and the Black Commander when a huge creature appeared above his head and hid the moon.

“Kieeeeh!”

Along with an ear-splitting roar, a ferocious pressure covered the entire Jamari mountain range. The drake had returned to the nest.

“Drake…”

“Hah! Is this becoming a three-sided battle?”

Everyone's gazes and senses were focused on the drake, including the Black Commander and Loktan.

‘Now is the time!’

Raon used the Supreme Harmony Steps. His vision narrowed down as he extended his left foot. He pierced into the area between the Black Commander and Loktan in an instant.

They were still distracted by the drake. Raon slashed down Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem at the same time.

Rip!

Once he could feel the blades piercing through their flesh, he incorporated ghastly energy toward the Black Commander and heat toward Loktan.

“Kuh!”

“You bastard…”

The Black Commander and Loktan’s gazes were directed at him, but it was already too late.

Raon met their astonished and painful gazes and finished slashing Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

Pssh!

Crimson blood gushed out like a fountain, and the Black Commander’s right arm and Loktan’s left arm were sent into the sky.

Thud!

Along with the falling sound of the two arms, the flow of time returned to the world that felt like it had come to a halt.

“Kuh…”

“Kuah!”

The Black Commander and Loktan quickly stepped back while grasping their right and left shoulders respectively.

“Instead of a three-sided battle…”

Raon arrogantly raised his chin.

“How do you like a four-sided battle?”

He shook off the blood from Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem. His carefree gesture looked like he was making fun of them.

“Y-you are…”

“Raon Zieghart! How did this happen?!”

The Black Commander and Loktan’s chins were trembling in disbelief. However, their gazes were telling him that they still hadn’t given up.

“You must be thinking that it’s still fine.”

Raon nodded while meeting the Black Commander and Lotan’s eyes.

“You are thinking that you can still win since you only lost an arm, right?”

“……”

“I actually did it on purpose.”

He unleashed the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation at the same time with a frightening smile. His murderous aura, which was tightening the area, was hot enough to evaporate blood.

“Because it would be a shame to grant an easy death to people like you. I wanted to see how good you are at enduring the pain.”

As soon as he finished, he used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He jumped through the space and reached Loktan’s left side.

“You bas—Kuh!”

Loktan pushed the land and withdrew to his right. His reaction was fast, but the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s heat was disturbing the poisonous aura’s movement inside his body.

Slash!

Raon didn’t miss the opportunity and slammed down with Heavenly Drive. The violent teeth of the Fangs of Insanity dwelling inside the blade slashed Loktan’s chest.

Blood didn’t gush out because the heat was scorching the wound, but the pain multiplied several times.

“Kuaaah!”

Raon was about to stab Loktan's abdomen while listening to his scream when a huge power burst out from behind him. It was the Black Commander’s energy of darkness.

“You can’t even wait for your turn.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“How am I supposed to shut my mouth when there’s a hole in it?”

Raon laughed coldly and turned around into the Black Commander’s strike with the energy of darkness. The dark energy was falling like a dragon’s claws.

Raon clenched the Blade of Requiem and unleashed Glacier.

Whir!

The ghastly energy inside the Black Commander responded to the majestic sword resonance of coldness.

“Kuh!”

The Black Commander attacked with the energy of darkness while enduring the pain, but Raon had already left the spot.

Whaam!

He charged right through the collapsing ground toward the Black Commander.

“You rat bastard!”

The Black Commander didn’t withdraw, extending his hand while stepping up instead. The dark energy spread around like a web to entangle Raon’s body.

‘It’s a powerful technique, but…I already saw it.’

He drew a semicircle with Heavenly Drive. The moment the blade clad in heat managed to push back the darkness, he pierced into the Black Commander’s space and slashed with the Blade of Requiem.

Swoosh!

The yellow blade of ghastly energy pierced through the darkness and ruthlessly severed the Black Commander’s chest.

“Kuaah!”

The Black Commander groaned and faltered backward like a drunkard.

“Kuh…”

“Huff!”

Loktan and the Black Commander were drenched in cold sweat because of the pain from their arms and chests as they looked at Raon with trembling eyes.

“Is that all?”

Raon rolled his lips into a smile while looking down on the Black Commander and Loktan.

“I thought you would be patient at least since you love tormenting others, but you keep screaming so much.”

“…Was it your plot all along?”

The Black Commander glared at him with powerful bloodlust in his distorted black eyes.

“Yes.”

Raon nodded while raising Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem.

“Did you hear about the saying, ‘deal with your enemy with another enemy?’ I was just taking care of trash with more trash.”

“You bastard…”

“Damn you!”

The Black Commander and Loktan started moving at the same time. They unleashed as much poison and darkness as possible while enduring the interferences of ghastly energy and heat inside their bodies.

The green aura of poison turned into a tidal wave, and the black energy covered the sky and turned into rain to fall upon him.

“Your pain is only getting started.”

Raon didn’t withdraw even though he witnessed the trace left by the huge amount of power. He casually advanced and thrust Heavenly Drive.

Cring!

Starlight was dwelling on his blade as it slashed along with the horizon.

Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay.

Third Form, Sword’s Silvery Dream’ Flurry.

Thousands of blades scattered around like a dream and pierced into the Black Commander and Loktan’s visions.

“Perish amidst endless pain.”

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]