Chapter 692

“R-Raon! Stop it!” The Suran Chief raised his arm and blocked Raon’s path. “It’s dangerous! It’s not just about my brother. It could be dangerous for you as well!”

He shook his head, calling Ogram his brother instead of leader.

“The energy of death shackling my brother’s soul can’t even be called a martial art anymore. It’s reached the realm of a curse, created with magic and sorcery! It’s going to get you too if you handle it carelessly!”

The Suran Chief shouted that the curse needed to be taken more seriously, worrying about Raon and not just Ogram.

“I’m well aware.” Raon nodded heavily while looking into the Suran Chief’s trembling eyes. “But I still need to do it. I’m confident I can do it.”

As the Suran chief had said, the energy of death used by Derus surpassed the logic of martial arts. The wound could contaminate his soul if he tried to save Ogram.

However, the Evil Eye of Wrath and the Ring of Fire allowed him to vividly sense the energy of death shackling Ogram’s soul. He was confident he could save Ogram without taking any damage.

“Benefactor, I’m also against it.”

Bellerton stepped forward while biting his lip.

“If it’s dangerous for both our leader and our benefactor, it’s better to not try it at all. If our benefactor ends up being harmed from this, we won’t be able to face the leader even if he wakes up.”

He shook his head, showing that he agreed with the Suran Chief.

“Do you really think that my brother doesn't realize that fact?” Garona entered the room, violently throwing the door open as if he were trying to destroy it.

“My brother cherishes my master more than anyone else here. If that weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have come here to begin with, nor would he have attacked the White Blood Religion’s headquarters! If my brother says that he can do it, that means that he really can!”

He came next to Raon and gave a big nod of approval.

“I believe in you, brother. I want you to do it.”

Garona raised his fist and pounded his chest, saying that he believed in Raon. Blood flowed from the bandage covering his shoulder, showing that he was straining his injured body.

“Hmm…”

“That’s…”

Since Garona, Ogram’s disciple, believed in Raon, even Bellerton and the Suran Chief couldn’t be against it anymore.

“Ahem!”

Raon looked behind him upon hearing Glenn clearing his throat. He hurriedly let his hand go because he realized that he was still holding his wrist.

“I’m sorry.”

“......”

Glenn didn’t say anything, simply looking at his slightly reddened wrist before he raised his gaze to Raon.

“Can you do it?” Glenn asked.

“I can’t do it on my own, but it’s possible with your help, my lord,” Raon stated.

“Then I’ll take responsibility for it.” He calmly nodded while stepping forward.

“What?”

“S-Sire?”

“I’m going to take the entire responsibility if it goes wrong.”

Glenn shook his hand, saying that he would carry the entire burden on his shoulders. The atmosphere around him, which used to be bitter because Ogram couldn’t wake up, was sparkling a faint red color.

“My lord! Saying such a thing…” Sheryl extended her hand towards Glenn, trying to stop him.

“Leave him alone.” Rimmer stopped Sheryl and brought his mouth to her ear. “He’s just happy right now because his grandson held his wrist,” he whispered so that only Sheryl could hear him.

“Huh…?”

Sheryl looked at Glenn while gasping. As Rimmer had said, he seemed to be glad from the bottom of his heart.

“I don’t understand why he is acting like this. Does he think that he’s a girl in puberty or something?” Rimmer shook his head at Glenn’s troublesome attitude.

Roenn simply let out a gentle laugh, understanding everything.

“I’m sorry. That was extremely rude of me.” Bellerton lowered his head at Raon. “You don’t need to take any responsibility, neither the head of the house nor our benefactor. It’ll be just a request from us. Please save our leader.”

“Please!”

It wasn’t just him. The Suran Chief and the other executives also lowered their heads.

“Brother.” Garona held Raon’s shoulder, saying that he was counting on him. His fingers were trembling nervously.

“Just wait a moment.” Raon calmly nodded at the Beast Union’s executives. “I’ll let you hear the Beast King’s hearty laughter again.”

* * *

Raon slowly caught his breath, then he unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. He moved the heat that wouldn’t waver to any pressure to examine the energy of death shackling Ogram’s soul.

‘This is the starting point.’

Ogram’s soul was surrounded by the energy of death, like a spiderweb wrapping up a spider’s prey. Unraveling all the energy of death surrounding the soul would’ve been too difficult, so he found eight knots that would allow him to cut the energy of death out without harming Ogram.

Raon guessed that he just needed to cut off the knots without making any mistakes and he would be able to rescue Ogram without injuring his soul.

“I’ve confirmed it.” Raon double-checked them multiple times and finally nodded his head at Glenn. “I’ll be leaving traces from now on, and you just need to cut those parts with your aura, my lord.”

“Are you absolutely certain that you’ve figured it out?”

“Yes.” Raon showed him a confident smile.

“I can tell that Ogram’s soul is separated from his body, but I can’t really tell what exactly happened to each part. That’s why…” Glenn put his hand on Raon’s hand, which was touching Ogram’s chest. “You should do it yourself.”

As soon as he said it, Glenn’s lightning energy entered through the back of Raon’s hand.

‘This is…’

It wasn’t anything like the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, nor was it like Glacier. It was pure lightning energy, almost like the lightning in the sky itself. It was powerful enough to shatter anything in the world, but it was as warm as a day in the spring at the same time.

Raon swallowed nervously while looking into Glenn’s slightly wavering eyes.

‘Is he going to teach me again?’

The fact that Glenn gave him the opportunity even though he could have easily handled it himself must have been out of consideration, allowing him to experience using lightning energy.

Raon realized Glenn’s intentions and tried to move the lightning energy at the back of his hand. He could freely control the red lightning energy as if it were his own, probably thanks to Glenn’s directions.

Spark!

He carefully rotated the lightning energy he received from Glenn before he shoved it into Ogram’s body.

‘I need to move it carefully.’

Since Ogram was pretty much in a vegetative state, he couldn’t tell Raon if it hurt. That was why it was important to move the lightning energy as precisely as possible to reduce the damage.

Haa.

Raon calmly caught his breath and brushed the blade of lightning down toward the first knot made of the energy of death that he had previously examined.

Slash!

Ogram’s body jolted violently, as if he’d been struck by a huge impact, and the first chain shackling his soul stretched before snapping and melting away.

Probably because of his extreme focus, Raon felt like his body was as heavy as if it were drenched in water even though he’d only cut a single chain. He bit his lip to endure it and guided the lightning energy toward the next bit of the energy of death.

Spark!

Thanks to the endless supply of lightning energy from Glenn, he managed to cut off six more knots. Whenever a chain of the energy of death was cut, a bit more of his complexion returned to Ogram’s face. His face was as pale as a zombie at first, but the red hue started to return.

“H-he’s coming back!”

“Leader!”

“Kuh…”

Bellerton, the Suran Chief, and Garona watched the positive change in Ogram with teary eyes. The three of them put their hands together while watching Raon, praying for his success.

Raon gave them a small nod before he moved towards the eighth knot. It was the last one, but it was too early to be relieved. After all, the single knot was connected to dozens of lines of the energy of death.

‘It won’t be easy.’

Since the last knot was the first knot that Derus had made, it was still binding Ogram’s body firmly. Raon couldn’t move his hand easily because he felt like the smallest mistake would accidentally cut Ogram’s soul.

‘Hmm…’

He bit his lip in frustration, and Glenn suddenly gripped the back of his hand with the hand that was delivering the lightning energy.

“Believe in yourself and proceed. You can do it.”

Hearing Glenn’s voice, which was perfectly carrying his trust in Raon, completely wiped out the anxiety and pressure weighing on Raon’s heart.

Crackle!

Raon nodded at Glenn and guided the replenished lightning energy. Slicing with the lightning blade fully incorporating Glenn’s noble will, Raon severed the last of the energy of death binding Ogram.

Claaang!

Dozens of chains forged from the energy of death shattered apart, and Ogram’s liberated soul seeped into his body.

“Haa…” Raon exhaled roughly and sank to the ground. “It’s done.”

He nodded while looking up at Glenn.

“Good job.” Glenn patted his shoulder with a faint smile on his face. He must’ve also noticed Ogram’s change.

“H-he is back! Our leader’s soul has returned to his body!” The Suran Chief jolted in shock.

“Th-then, our leader…”

“He should wake up soon.”

Raon answered Bellerton’s question instead of the Suran Chief, who had fallen speechless from the surprise.

“Th-thank you! Our benefactor!”

“Brother! Thank you!”

“Raon! You’re really…”

Bellerton, Garona, and the Suran Chief came towards Raon at the same time and hugged him.

“Excuse me, my lord. You can let my hand go now…” Raon smiled awkwardly while looking at Glenn’s hand, which was still holding the back of his hand.

“Ahem!” Glenn let out a long cough to clear his throat and briskly turned around.

“Haa… He’s so happy just because his grandson held his hand. He is going to faint if he ever hugs him.” Rimmer shook his head while whispering to Sheryl.

“He isn’t just any grandson. He is a praiseworthy grandson. I would’ve hugged him and never let him go if it was me.” Sheryl smiled faintly, saying that she could understand Glenn’s feelings.

“Indeed. There’s no other grandson in the world who is always good to his grandfather like that.” Roenn smiled gently, showing that he was also proud of Raon.

‘Hmm?’

Raon’s eyes widened as he was trying to discharge the energy of death scattered in Ogram’s body.

‘What’s going on…? Why is the energy of death…’

He was trying to scatter the energy of death into the air, but the energy started to be absorbed into his body instead. However, it quietly seeped into his body and mana circuits instead of trying to harm him, turning into the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s aura.

“Huh…?” Raon gasped in surprise, and Ogram’s forehead furrowed.

“Hmm…” Ogram lifted his eyelids heavily. “Where am I…?”

“Leader!”

“Master!”

“Brother!”

The executives inside the palace cried out loud and rushed at Ogram.

“Wh-what?! Glenn and Raon, why are you even here?!” Ogram’s haw dropped, unable to understand the situation.

“I just…” Raon smiled faintly while watching Ogram panic. “…came to repay the favor.”

“…I see.” Ogram pressed down his lips tightly after hearing the circumstances so far. “I’m indebted to you. It’s a huge debt, at that.”

He sighed, saying that he had no idea how he should even deal with it.

“A foolish animal shouldn’t be concerned about a debt.” Glenn snorted, calling Ogram an animal in a familiar manner, unlike during the Conference of the Six Kings. “You helped me too in the past.”

“That was during our childhood. It wasn’t a big deal either, unlike this time!” Ogram furrowed his brow, brushing it off as nonsense.

“Even though we were small, you still helped me. You don’t need to feel indebted to me. However…” Glenn lifted his index finger and pointed at Raon. “Make sure to repay the favor to him. It was him who asked to come here, who found your traces, and even managed to find you.”

“Yes, I’m aware.” Ogram nodded as if it were the natural thing to do. “I won’t be able to repay this gratitude even if I try for the rest of my life. Thank you, Raon.”

He gripped Raon’s hand tightly, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.

“Don’t hold his hand.” Glenn smacked the back of Ogram’s hand firmly, telling him not to try anything funny.

“Hmm, I still can’t understand what you are thinking.” Ogram laughed bitterly at his strange behavior.

“He is too good for you. You were beaten up by some mosquito.”

“I wasn’t defeated by that vampire! When I was fighting her…”

He told him about how the swordsman in a blue dragon helmet took him by surprise during the battle.

‘Blue dragon helmet? That was Derus all along?’

The Thespian Emperor from the Five Divine Orders had mentioned that a man wearing a blue dragon helmet had visited her to acquire some information. He’d thought that it was just one of Eden’s members since he wasn’t the Heavenly Demon, but it was apparently Derus Robert.

‘That bastard… What is he planning?’

Even though Raon had worked for Derus for a long time and managed to gather a large amount of information, he was still unable to understand his real intentions.

“To be honest, I couldn’t guarantee my victory even if I fought him in a one-on-one.” Ogram let his clenched fist drop powerlessly.

“He should be one of the people you know if he was that powerful.”

“No, I’ve never seen him before. There’s no one like him in the Six Kings and the Five Demons.” Ogram scrunched his nose, saying that a new faction must’ve appeared.

“Hmm…” Glenn briefly clicked his tongue, implying that he couldn’t guess his identity either.

“Sire.” Raon walked up to Ogram while Glenn remained quiet. “Have you experienced anything peculiar since you’ve collapsed?”

“Peculiar…? Ah!” Ogram loudly clapped his hands.

“I was drifting through endless darkness after they defeated me when I suddenly saw a small light that was incorporating Tidebreaker’s flow. The space was warm but cool at the same time, and light yet heavy. I remember stopping there for a brief moment to let my heart melt with it. It felt like a dream, but it didn’t feel like one at the same time.”

He nodded, saying that it was a mysterious experience.

“That must’ve been my mental world.”

Raon told Ogram about his experience in the mental world.

“So that’s why you came to find me…”

“I thought at first that you were simply there to teach me Tidebreaker, but I couldn’t forget the way your gaze seemed to be asking for help afterward.”

“How mysterious.” Ogram looked at Raon warmly. “I also thought about you when I collapsed.”

“About me?”

“Yes. I thought that you and Garona were the only people who might be able to find the White Hawk Gauntlet’s piece when I was shoving it into the Blood Spirit Passage.”

He let out a hearty laugh, saying that his passing thought had come true.

“Raon, thank you.” Ogram closed his eyes, expressing his heartfelt gratitude with his short words. “I’d like to treat you as the Beast Union’s benefactor and my foster grandson.”

He lifted the arm that Glenn had smacked and held Raon’s hand again.

“For you—”

“How dare you?!” Glenn smacked Ogram’s hand, frowning like a fiend.

Smack!

Ogram's hand turned red, showing that he had put his full strength into the smack.

“Just serve him as your benefactor! A foster grandson won’t do it!”

“No, I was just grateful to him—”

“Shut up! Shut your mouth right now if you don’t want to fight me to the death right now!” Glenn shook his head violently, absolutely refusing it.

“Ehh…”

Raon was standing awkwardly between Glenn and Ogram when messages showed up in front of his eyes.

[You’ve achieved a great feat.]

[All stats…]

[The trait Evil Eye of Wrath has…]

[The trait Backstab has…]

[A new title…]

The messages appearing in front of his eyes were announcing the rewards for the incident.

‘What a shame.’

If Wrath had seen them, he would have started rampaging, shouting, ‘There are too many rewards! Have you finally lost it, system?!’ It was regrettable that Wrath was still sleeping.

‘Huh…?’

Raon was clicking his tongue, regretting the fact that he couldn’t make fun of Wrath, when he suddenly noticed the last message.

‘Why is this showing up now?’

***

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]