Chapter 688

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the white wave that had been blocked by the piece of cloth.

‘What is this?’

He couldn’t figure out what it was because there was bloody energy inside it that lacked any aggressiveness.

“It’s the Blood Spirit Passage.” Glenn’s lips twitched, his red eyes reflecting the white wave.

“Blood Spirit Passage…?”

“It’s a dimensional door that only the bloody demons of the White Blood Religion can use.” He furrowed his brow, saying that it was teleportation magic and sorcery created by the White Blood Religion.

“You’ve seen it before, too,” Rimmer pointed with his chin at the Blood Spirit Passage that rippled in white. “When we encountered the tenth apostle for the first time, he appeared through the Blood Spirit Passage.”

“Ah…” Raon nodded.

‘So that was how he did it.’

Rimmer’s words reminded him of how the tenth and the seventh apostles had popped out from a pool of blood on the ground. Since the White Blood Religion was unable to legally use the dimensional door, they must’ve been using the Blood Spirit Passage for long-distance travel.

However, there was a huge difference between the Blood Spirit Passage used by the tenth apostle and the passage in front of him.

“The Blood Spirit Passage was red back then, though,” Raon observed.

“I’ve never seen such a pure white Blood Spirit Passage before, either,” Rimmer said as he nodded heavily. “It must be one of the two. The passage was either created by the White Blood Religion’s leader, or the White Blood Religion’s headquarters are located underneath.” He licked his lips, showing that he was certain about his assumption.

“Which means…” Sheryl placed her hand on the hilt of her sword while looking back at Rimmer. “We can defeat the White Blood Religion’s leader by going inside this passage!”

“Indeed.”

A frightening sensation like a sharpened blade flowed down from Roenn’s gentle gaze.

However, Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at the energy of death on the piece of cloth instead of the Blood Spirit Passage.

“The energy of death?”

He noticed at a glance that the aura undulating in darkness was the energy of death.

“Indeed.” Raon stabbed the Blade of Requiem on the ground to prevent the Blood Spirit Passage from closing and took out the piece of cloth, giving it to Glenn.

“It’s the same energy that assaulted me in front of the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave.”

It was exactly what he had predicted. Ogram wasn’t defeated by the White Blood Religion’s leader. Derus Robert’s surprise attack was what took him down.

“It is. It’s the same!” Rimmer also nodded while raising his eyebrows slightly, showing that he was certain about it.

“The one who attacked me back then must’ve taken Sir Ogram by surprise while he was fighting against the White Blood Religion’s leader.”

Glenn’s red eyes started to blaze, even more intensely than lava. He seemed to be furious at the fact that Ogram was defeated by such a cowardly attack.

“Haa…” Raon breathed out a sigh of relief while watching Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn furiously grind their teeth.

‘I’m glad I managed to find it.’

He managed to find the proof of Derus’s surprise attack and even found a way to rescue Ogram.

“Yes, I knew that the idiot wouldn’t be defeated without doing anything.” Glenn twisted his lips into a smile while touching the piece of cloth. “There’s no way the Blood Spirit Passage could be closed down when he incorporated Tidebreaker and the energy of death into the White Hawk Gauntlet piece. He is still good at coming up with petty tricks.”

“I agree.” Raon nodded while looking at the piece of White Hawk Gauntlet that Glenn was holding.

‘Saying that he is amazing isn’t enough to describe what he’s done.’

The sole fact that he’d made those preparations without being noticed by Derus Robert and the White Blood Religion’s leader gave a glimpse of the depth of Ogram’s wisdom.

“Same goes for you,” Glenn nodded at Raon.

“What?” Raon’s eyes widened. He didn’t understand what he was talking about.

“Even I couldn’t tell for sure if Ogram had prepared any tricks. How did you even find it?” Glenn asked.

“It was all thanks to Tidebreaker.” Raon unleashed Tidebreaker’s energy from the tip of his finger. “Even though Tidebreaker is a martial art of the highest degree, it doesn’t have any color, form, or energy. It simply has a natural flow, and I could feel that faint nature under this spot.”

“Did you really reach that realm even though it hasn’t even been a year since you started learning Tidebreaker?”

“It was all thanks to the encounter with Sir Ogram in my mental world.”

He had only managed to reach the realm thanks to seeing Ogram in his mental world. He wouldn’t have been able to find the White Hawk Gauntlet without him.

“Ugh…” Glenn narrowed his eyes. He looked like he was displeased by something.

“My division leader is a quick study,” Rimmer admired while nodding his head.

“Isn’t Sir Ogram the only person with a higher realm in Tidebreaker at this point?”

“That might be true.” Sherly smiled faintly. “He immediately learned my twin sword technique as well. He is just outrageous.” Her eyes dimmed slightly as she thought about the past.

Roenn laughed, simply glad to know this about him.

“Ahem!” Probably because the other three were smiling, Glenn removed his displeasure by clearing his throat and lifting the corners of his lips slightly.

“The question is how to open this passage,” Raon sighed while pointing at the Blood Spirit Passage, which was struggling to drive away the Blade of Requiem. “Moreover, the White Blood Religion might have prepared a trap upon realizing that the passage isn’t closing…”

“That shouldn’t be the case.” Glenn calmly shook his head. “The Blood Spirit Passage only has a single use, unlike the dimensional door. The White Blood Religion’s leader and her pawns shouldn’t even have noticed that the passage didn’t close, absorbed in their joy at capturing Ogram.”

“That’s true…”

They had a lavish feast prepared in front of them in their hungry state. It was clear that no one would pay attention to a small mouse hole. As Glenn had said, it seemed extremely improbable that it would be a trap.

“It doesn't imply that there will be no traps, though,” Glenn stated.

“What?”

“Entering this passage is dangerous by itself.”

“What do you mean…?”

Raon’s eyes widened. He’d never imagined that Glenn would ever say that it was dangerous.

“There’s a formation made of bloody energy inside the White Blood Religion’s headquarters. It’s a formidable formation that drains energy and stamina from those who don’t have any bloody energy.”

Glenn raised his finger and drew a semi-circle.

“In the past, the king of the Bellan Kingdom, who used to be almost as powerful as the Six Kings, was overwhelmed by the formation in the White Blood Religion’s headquarters and perished.”

“Ah…” His words reminded Raon of when Derus laughed at the White Blood Religion’s leader in his previous life.

“Are you asking when the location of the White Blood Religion’s headquarters was discovered? It was obviously a plan to bait Bellan’s king inside so that they could consume his blood. The Eldritch Ephemeral Demonblood Formation set up in that place isn’t anything that can be destroyed. All they can do is to be slowly devoured by the bloody energy. She’s like a poisonous spider.”

Raon furrowed his brow, removing Derus’s laughter from his mind. He guessed that Derus had been planning to take advantage of the White Blood Religion’s leader all along.

“Moreover, the person who has spread the energy of death might be there as well. Ogram should be in a critical state as well.” Glenn wrinkled his nose while shaking off the White Hawk Gauntlet’s piece.

“In that case, instead of fighting…”

“Yes, we need to prioritize Ogram’s rescue, fixing a time limit for ourselves.” He nodded, saying that they weren’t going to have much time for battle.

Raon realized that even though Glenn seemed invincible, he didn’t take reckless action. Instead, he devised various plans before deciding on what to do. Raon could learn another lesson from him.

“What a shame, I would’ve liked to cut them all down if Sir Ogram were fine…” Sheryl hit her palm hard, saying that it was regrettable.

“But we should still be able to have lots of fun.” Rimmer swept his hair back with a smile.

“Huhu, we aren’t going there to play.” Roenn caught Rimmer’s shoulder, as he seemed too excited.

Their lighthearted smiles made it look like they were heading out for a picnic even though the White Blood Religion’s headquarters was the destination. However, there was a more important concern than their reactions.

“Even for me, I don’t know how to open this Blood Spirit Passage…”

“We just need to force it open.”

The moment Glenn lowered his finger, red lightning sparked, widening the Blood Spirit Passage that hadn’t even been wide enough for a single piece of paper to pass through until it was Raon’s height.

Crackle!

Raon’s jaw dropped as he stared at the red lightning that was squeezing open the Blood Spirit Passage.

‘Incredible…’

He was speechless. It was a brute force method, akin to tearing a person’s mouth to make it as wide as two meters. He’d thought that Glenn would open the path by using an artifact or understanding the flow of the Blood Spirit Passage, but he’d used brute force to open it instead. He couldn’t help but think that Glenn shared some similarities with Wrath.

“They must’ve noticed our presence from the inside now.” Glenn lowered his eyebrows, looking at the long opening of the Blood Spirit Passage. “We have fifteen minutes until this passage completely closes down. We need to find Ogram and come back out before then.”

“Fifteen minutes, that’s more than enough time.”

“We can wipe them all out and still have some time left.”

“Huhu, it’s time to straighten my back for the first time in a long time.”

Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn were still easygoing. They seemed to trust the existence called Glenn perfectly.

“Raon.” Glenn shifted his gaze at Raon for the last time. “We’ll attract their attention from the front. You should look for Ogram.”

“What?” Raon’s eyes widened at his unexpected order.

“You are the one who found this place.” Glenn nodded while pointing at the Blood Spirit Passage. “Judging from the White Blood Religion leader’s personality, their headquarters should be extremely vast. Even though we have fifteen minutes, it will be difficult to search it in its entirety. That’s why you should look for him while hiding your presence, as that would be the safest and the best way.”

He placed his finger on his lips as if he were whistling.

“Send us the Light Wind Division’s signal if you find yourself in a crisis.”

“…Understood,” Raon said.

“I’ll be counting on you.” Glenn’s words of trust resounded deeply in his heart for some reason.

“Let’s go.”

Glenn went into the Blood Spirit Passage before Raon could even respond. He felt like he’d gotten to witness many other sides of Glenn.

“All your gold will be mine if you don’t manage to find Ogram!” Rimmer was the second to enter, after telling him that it was a promise between men.

“Don’t worry. I’ll cut his wrist if he takes your gold.” Sheryl smiled beautifully with her eyes. She jumped into the Blood Spirit Passage after that frightening declaration.

“This feels like we’ve returned to the old days.” Roenn went down the Blood Spirit Passage, hiding a frightening amount of bloodlust in his gentle laughter.

“Haa…” Raon caught his breath and entered the Blood Spirit Passage after everyone else. He suddenly remembered Glenn’s words as he passed through the darkness.

‘The Light Wind Division’s signal?’

Rimmer would obviously know it, but the fact that Glenn knew about the Light Wind Division’s signal made him rather curious.

‘Why…?’

While he was wondering about it, the darkness faded away, and a pure white radiance erupted.

A huge palace hidden behind the darkness entered his vision. Everything he could see was as white as a quiet snowfield. It was as if the entire space was covered in a white curtain.

‘Why do they all look so similar?’

Since the buildings shared a lot of similarities, he had a feeling it would be a struggle to find Ogram.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The loud sound of an alarm was ringing throughout the White Blood Religion’s headquarters. They must’ve noticed the intruders, just like Glenn had predicted.

Raon concealed his presence and landed on the white ground. He could feel the fine sand under his feet, as if he were standing on a white sand beach.

‘The sand isn’t the important part right now.’ The sand under his feet and the similarities between the buildings weren’t his concerns. ‘My body feels heavy.’

He could sense the presence of the Eldritch Ephemeral Demonblood Formation because his aura was leaking just from standing there, his senses were drastically reduced, and his body felt multiple times heavier.

Whaaam!

Glenn, Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn were literally creating a scene of destruction, as if the formation was worthless against them. The White Blood Religion’s fanatics approaching them turned into a pool of blood and puddled on the ground.

‘They are using their strength to prevent their focus from shifting towards me.’

They were exerting their power excessively on purpose to make it easier for Raon to act. Raon lowered his head at Glenn and the three others before he ran toward the right side, where no bloody demons were present.

“......”

Glenn confirmed that Raon was gone before he struck a white tower right in front of him with lightning.

Whaaam!

With a tremendous explosion, the tower collapsed to the ground, snapping in half. The bloody demons underneath perished from being crushed by the debris.

“Come out, all of you!”

His roar wasn’t trying to simply distract them or call out the White Blood Religion’s leader.

‘That monster…’

His shout was calling out to the damned bastard, the swordsman using the energy of death who tried to kill Raon.

‘How dare you go for my grandson?’

He’d told Raon that he would do that to buy time for him, but he was planning to kill the one who dared to attack his precious grandson right off the bat if he came out.

“Come out right now!”

Glenn advanced, spreading lightning all around. The majestic pressure spreading from him made it look like he was trying to destroy the entire headquarters of the White Blood Religion.

“Err…” Rimmer awkwardly blinked from behind. “Didn’t you say that you were just going to buy time…?”

‘Wow…’ Raon swallowed nervously, watching Glenn’s lightning literally destroy the White Blood Religion’s headquarters. ‘Is the head of house that close to Sir Ogram?’

Glenn was almost going out of control, seemingly infuriated at the White Blood Religion for attacking Ogram. Raon was surprised that he could move like that in a space that weakened his strength and even consumed a huge amount of aura.

‘It might be dangerous for me as well if I don’t manage to find Sir Ogram…’

Raon laughed bitterly and climbed a tower, where he could see the entire headquarters from above.

‘How can they look so similar?’

The fact that he’d never been there before was part of the issue, but the fact that the buildings rising from the ground had the exact same shape, as if they were copy-pasted with decalcomania made it impossible to tell which one was which.

Moreover, he couldn’t even find him with aura perception because bloody energy dwelled in everything.

‘I can’t find him with Tidebreaker either. Is taking a hostage the only way?’

Since it was impossible to capture an apostle alive, he started to look for an archbishop or a bishop.

The Blade of Requiem in his right hand suddenly roared in a sad yet furious sword resonance upon smelling the intense bloody energy. Raon could feel the desire to kill all of the bloody demons from it.

‘Wait a moment…’ Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Blade of Requiem that was trembling furiously. ‘If everyone in here possesses bloody energy… I just need to find the person who doesn’t.’

Since Ogram was the only person who didn’t have any bloody energy, Raon figured he just needed to look for that presence.

‘Can you do it?’

Whir!

The Blade of Requiem emitted a confident sword resonance, as if assuring him that he could place his trust in it, before unleashing its ghastly energy by slicing it into razor-thin layers.

The enemies would’ve discovered the ghastly energy if nothing else was happening, but no one did because Glenn and the three Grandmasters were rampaging around.

Cring!

It didn’t take long until the Blade of Requiem vibrated violently, creating a path of ghastly energy.

‘Is it that it?’

Raon could see a building at the Western end that looked like a church. He moved towards the building, trusting the Blade of Requiem.

He activated the Perception of the Snow Flower, hiding inside the building.

‘Two people inside. Sir Ogram is here!’

He could sense Ogram’s presence from the person who was collapsed on the ground.

‘But out of all people, the other one is…’ Raon furrowed his brow, sensing the characteristics of the bloody demon who seemed to be guarding Ogram. He was someone that Raon had already met before. ‘The tenth apostle…’

He could feel the sharp and sticky bloody energy, characteristic of the tenth apostle.

However, he’d become a lot more powerful than in their previous encounter. Considering the fact that he didn’t even come out to check the ruckus outside, he must’ve been focused on guarding Ogram—that, or he was in the middle of cultivation.

‘In that case, there’s no reason to fight him head-on… Shall I try assassinating him?’

There were no windows in the building, but he figured it wouldn’t be impossible if he used the hard door.

‘Haa…’

Raon slowly caught his breath. He imagined various situations that could happen inside, then kicked the white metallic door as strongly as possible.

Whaaam!

Since his body had transcended human limits and even his aura was added to the strike, the steel door was torn off and flew towards the tenth apostle.

Whap!

The tenth apostle seemed to be cultivating with his eyes closed, but he rapidly raised his hand.

Crack!

The moment his hand tore apart the steel door like a piece of paper, a yellow radiance sparked from behind it.

It was Raon. A formless slash was unleashed from the tip of the Blade of Requiem, which he was holding in a reverse grip.

Slash!

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Harley]