Chapter 733

Naturally, the first person to react to Derus's strange statement was Lephon Robert himself.

"F-Father...?"

Lephon looked up at Derus, who was smiling maliciously, as his teeth chattered.

"What do you mean I'm not human? What nonsense are you saying!"

He revealed his astonished eyes, still unable to accept that Derus was the Blue Dragon Helmet.

"Don't worry, Lephon. You're an extraordinary being."

Derus stroked Lephon's cheek with the back of his blood-soaked hand, as if telling him to trust him. A red glow began to form in his sunken eyes.

"Magic Tower Master!"

Raon bit his lip and shouted to the Magic Tower Master Larian to his right.

"T-The thread magic hasn't broken..."

Larian exhaled sharply, saying that she was still binding Derus's arms, legs, and neck with threads.

"That's not magic."

Chamber frowned, looking at Derus.

"Nothing was caught in the magic circle that blocks artifacts and mana movement."

She shook her head, saying that it wasn't magic or a technique that used mana.

"It's not martial arts either."

King Lecross swallowed as he raised his sword.

"That's right. Derus hasn't moved an inch from that spot."

Glenn narrowed his eyes, saying that it wasn't that Derus had done anything, but that Lephon had appeared as if he had teleported.

"What the hell is this? What's going on!"

Ogram slammed his clenched fist down, saying he didn't understand.

"Derus Robert."

Raon bit the inside of his cheek as he looked at Derus holding Lephon in his arms.

'What the hell did you do?'

He couldn't understand what Derus had done when the Magic Tower Master was controlling him with thread magic, Chamber was blocking magic and artifacts with a magic circle, and Glenn, Lecross, and Ogram were suppressing him with their aura.

'Could it be...'

Had he borrowed the power of a Demon King? Like Wrath's 'Anger,' a Demon King's authority is neither mana nor aura. As it utilizes the emotions that being possesses, even a Transcendent Warrior can't easily block it.

'The remaining Demon Kings are 'Pride' and 'Lust'.'

But Pride was said to be related to Eden, and there was no indication of Lust at all.

'Rather...'

A sacred aura. A faint feeling similar to when he encountered the Holy power of the Saint in the Sacred Kingdom of Suphren spread. Moreover, if Derus had truly used the power of a Demon King, Wrath would have already said something.

'Wrath.'

Raon took a deep breath and looked back.

'Do you know something...?'

– He's gone mad.

Wrath's eyes were more distorted than ever.

– Why is that vulgar aura here?

He gritted his teeth, showing an anger greater than when he faced other Demon Kings.

'What is this aura?'

– It's the divine power of the Angels!

Wrath frowned, saying it was the aura of the Angels, and a powerful one at that.

'An...gels?'

Instead of a Demon King, he never imagined the name of Angels coming up here. It felt like he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.

– I've told you many times!

Wrath yelled, waving his arms.

– Angels are completely different from what you humans imagine!

He shook his head vigorously, saying that they were even more dangerous than demons.

'Damn it!'

If Wrath's words were true, they couldn't leave Derus alone now. If the divine power he possessed was similar to the authority of a Demon King, there was no telling what could happen.

"We have to attack now! Even if we can't get information, we have to kill him!"

Raon pointed his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword at Derus again.

"I know."

Glenn also seemed to feel the dangerous aura emanating from Derus as he raised his Heavenly Tremor to mid-level. The moment the red lightning flashed from the tip of the sword, the upper right side of Derus's body, who was holding Lephon, was completely ripped off.

"Guhak..."

Before Derus could even cough up blood, Chamber's magic and King Lecross's sword strike followed, blowing even his lower body away.

"Over here!"

Raon took a step with the Supreme Harmony Steps to save Lephon. He may not have been calm, but seeing the child's frightened eyes, he felt a reflection of his past and couldn't just stand by.

– You mustn't!

As he was about to grab Lephon, Wrath shouted.

– The medium isn't your enemy, but that child!

Wrath waved his arms frantically, telling him not to get closer.

'What do you mean...?'

As Raon swallowed, Derus, who had seemed dead, rose like a zombie and embraced Lephon again.

"Huff..."

It was a wound that would have killed any human, but Derus seemed to have already transcended the human framework, regenerating instantly and returning to his original body.

"W-What is this...?"

The Magic Tower Master fell to her knees, her fingers trembling.

"The magic is being distorted...!"

She widened her eyes, saying that she was losing control of the thread magic.

"A-Are you really my father...?"

Despite being scared by Derus's malice that was crushing his entire body, Lephon forced himself to speak. He seemed more afraid of the possibility that Derus wasn't his father than of his own death or this situation.

"Lephon."

Derus smiled eerily without answering Lephon's question.

"Haven't I given you a coming-of-age gift, right?"

"Why are you bringing that up now...?"

Lephon widened his eyes, unable to understand.

"Thank you."

Derus looked at Lephon's red sword, which he had given him as a birthday present, and blew his left chest apart. A jet-black hole erupted from Lephon's chest, from which a gruesome amount of blood gushed out.

"F-Father. Why..."

His eyes began to sink into darkness. The child's breathing stopped without hearing the answer he wanted. A thick book fell from Lephon's lifeless chest.

"Ah..."

Raon's hand trembled as he looked at Lephon, who was out of breath.

'What is this...?'

He never thought that Derus would blow his heart out and kill him, expecting to use Lephon as a hostage or for the child to undergo some kind of change. He still couldn't understand what had happened. It felt like his mind had gone blank.

* * *

"Bastard!"

With Glenn's roar, Derus's abdomen was split in half by a red lightning bolt.

"You call yourself a father after doing this!"

King Lecross, seemingly truly enraged, plunged his sword into Derus's neck.

"Evil spirit, not even worthy of being called trash!"

Chamber howled as she tore off Derus's remaining limbs. The leaders of the Six Kings explosively revealed the murderous intent they had hesitated to show because of Lephon.

"Gahk..."

Derus fell, coughing up black blood. Even his super-regeneration ability seemed to have reached its limit, as his arms and legs didn't reattach or regenerate.

"I... won't last much longer..."

He laughed with a dry voice.

"What the hell are you doing!"

Glenn gritted his teeth and plunged his sword into Derus's heart.

"He was your son!"

Having realized the importance of family, he spat out the deepest anger of everyone there.

"I'm sorry, but that wasn't my son, nor was he human."

Derus laughed with a voice that seemed about to break at any moment.

"Come out, Uriel."

He stuck out his tongue, looking at Lephon's corpse.

"It'll be troublesome for you too if I die, right?"

The moment Derus's weak voice faded, the red blood that filled the training ground turned into a brilliant golden light. A massive beat like the sound of a drum echoed from within Lephon's lifeless body. From inside the chest that had been pierced by Derus's sword, a scarlet flame began to burn like a ring, forming a new heart.

'That is...'

Raon swallowed as he looked at the heart that filled Lephon's chest where the bone and flesh had regenerated.

'Ring of Fire...?'

Strangely, the flame that filled Lephon's heart resembled the Ring of Fire. Glenn showered his Azure Sky Sword, enveloped in lightning, to prevent Lephon's transformation. However, the sacred flame burning over Lephon's body repelled Glenn's sword strike and raised an even larger pillar of light.

– He's coming!

Wrath growled like a beast, the veins on his forehead straining.

'Is there any way to stop him?'

– It's impossible! Once that child has arrived, there's no way to prevent the descent!

He shook his head, saying that there was no way to stop the descent no matter what they did. From within the sacred flame that had risen as if to touch the sky, something of a different caliber than humans came out. Golden hair and blue eyes. Although a common hair and eye color in this world, the being itself was different.

Each strand of golden hair shone like the sun, and within the blue eyes, a vast sky was contained.

Just by being here, an overwhelming presence naturally emanated, dominating the surroundings. He wore a snow-white robe as if cut from a field of snow, with golden ornaments on his shoulders, it seemed as if the words elegance and nobility flowed from him.

Three strange fire trumpets were tied to his waist, giving off an ominous feeling just by looking at them.

"How unpleasant."

The angel that Derus had called Uriel frowned as if this world itself was disgusting.

'This is...'

Raon's dry lips trembled, unable to move a finger.

'An Angel?'

– It's not just any Angel.

Wrath clenched his fist as he looked at Uriel.

– Archangel Uriel! The most despicable among the leaders of the Angels!

He revealed his anger as if he had a grudge against Uriel.

* * *

"Uriel..."

Chamber's blurry eyes trembled as she looked at Uriel.

"He is one of the Seven Archangels..."

She swallowed, saying that he was the most exalted being among the Angels.

"You are in a sorry state."

Uriel looked at Derus, ignoring everyone else here.

"You called me a long time ago, and only now do you appear?"

Derus twisted his lips, looking not at Uriel but at the air.

"Hmph."

As Uriel flicked his fingertips, Derus's torn body was restored, and color returned to his pale face. It was an ability that could only be called miraculous. However, even in this process, the scar on the back of Derus's hand did not heal. Uriel looked at the back of Derus's hand with disgust before looking away.

"I don't want to stay in this dirty place for a moment longer."

As he said he wanted to leave, wings as beautiful as a sculpture sprouted behind his back.

"You can't leave."

Glenn stood in front of Uriel, lowering his dry eyes.

"I don't care if you're an Archangel or a Demon King."

He said that he would behead him right here, surrounding his Heavenly Tremor with murderous intent.

"You..."

Uriel's transparent gaze, which had been dismissing humans as a species, wavered for the first time.

"Why does a being like you remain here?"

He frowned as if he couldn't understand.

"To be alone at that level without anyone bearing the causality in your place, what an absurd human you are."

Disgust flowed from Uriel's sacred voice. It was surprising in itself that an Archangel would hate and reject humans.

"Don't face him."

Derus shook his head as he stood beside Uriel.

"Even you would be in danger."

He said to withdraw, wiping the blood that had dripped down his forehead.

"You're underestimating us too much."

Chamber stepped forward, frowning.

"Who said we'd let you go?"

She extended a curtain of mana that couldn't be escaped, as if she didn't yield to Uriel's pressure.

"Ugh..."

Larian also combined thread magic and shadow magic to create a prison-like structure.

"Angel or whatever, this place will be your grave!"

Ogram and King Lecross also stepped forward, raising their aura as if they were ready to fight.

"This is why humans are troublesome."

Uriel lowered his straight eyebrows, turning his chin to the side.

"They don't know their place."

He stroked one of the three horn trumpets tied to his waist with his fingertips. Raon shuddered at Uriel's chilling voice. This Archangel seemed to detest humans even more than Demon Kings.

"But today is not the day."

As Uriel snapped his fingers, Derus and his subordinates' bodies were tinged with a translucent light. They weren't simply becoming transparent; it felt as if their bodies were disappearing from this place.

"Attack!"

"Stop them!"

Chamber and King Lecross were the first to unleash magic and sword strikes.

"Nghh..."

"How dare you!"

Larian and Ogram also poured out magic and fist strikes, but they couldn't touch Uriel and Derus. It seemed that they had already left this place, passing through all the magic and aura.

"What is this...?"

"Magic doesn't work at all?"

"Even for an Archangel, this is..."

The Transcendent Warriors of the Six Kings bit their lips as they watched Uriel become increasingly faint.

– It's Ethereal Transformation.

Wrath shook his head forcefully.

– In that state, even a Transcendent Warrior can't touch them!

He frowned, saying that neither aura nor magic would work.

'What kind of trap ability is that...?'

– However, he can't attack in that state either.

Wrath gritted his teeth, saying that he was trying to escape. Glenn stepped forward, pushing aside the leaders of the Six Kings. A hazy aura began to burn from the Heavenly Tremor.

'Soul Sword?'

It seemed to be the ultimate sword that had killed the leaders of the Five Demons and the Dragon in one blow.

"That is...!"

Even Uriel's eyes widened in surprise at Glenn's aura. It seemed that the Soul Sword would work even in Ethereal Transformation.

"Move and I'll cut you."

Glenn spoke in a cold voice, as if he would cut their soul if they tried to disappear like that.

"That sword could certainly reach me."

Uriel nodded forcefully.

"But if I die, you too will cease to exist on this earth."

He revealed unwavering eyes, as if he was sure.

"It seems you have much to protect, will you risk it?"

Uriel tilted his chin, looking around at the people who could barely breathe under the Archangel's pressure. His calm expression suggested that he wouldn't mind even if he died here.

"Hmm..."

Glenn turned to look at Raon. He seemed divided, his hand holding the Heavenly Tremor trembling slightly.

"No need to be so impatient, we'll meet again soon."

Uriel narrowed his eyes, touching the fire trumpet on his waist.

"There's not much time left."

He faded into a hazy color again, as if he knew Glenn's answer. The veins on the back of Glenn's hand bulged, but ultimately he couldn't wield his sword. Raon gritted his teeth so hard his gums hurt as he looked at the spot where Lephon had fallen.

'That book...'

On the blood-soaked ground lay Raon Zieghart's biography that he had promised to sign. The image of Lephon's smile as he shyly handed him the book was superimposed on the blood-soaked book, and the anger that was buried deep in his soul began to burn uncontrollably.

'Wrath!'

Raon gritted his teeth as he watched Uriel and Derus fade away.

'Is there anything you can do? I'll accept your anger...'

– There's no need! I'll help you, don't let that despicable bastard escape!

The moment Wrath yelled, a terrifying level of anger seeped out from the ice flower bracelet connected to him.

– Divine power and my authority are opposites! We can pierce even the Ethereal Transformation!

He clenched his fists, saying they could do it. Raon poured all of Wrath's anger and the Ring of Fire's energy into his Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, which were about to extinguish.

He slammed his left foot down hard enough to shatter the earth. Pouring out all the muscles and aura that surged from his lower body and energy center, he launched the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword that he had been holding behind his shoulder.

The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, drawing red and blue flashes, pierced the backs of Uriel and Derus.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – MurimTang]

[Proofreader – Mayank]