Seline, the archbishop of the White Blood Religion, swallowed nervously while looking at her arm on the ground.
âWhatâs happening? Where did it go wrong?â
The moment she saw the boy, Raon, the vampiric urge that sheâd been suppressing gushed out like crazy. That meant that his blood had a special power. She wanted to get stronger by drinking that blood.
Even Darigon told her to kill him if she had an opportunity, so she immediately chanted a piece of charmed sorcery and approached him.
It was perfect until that moment. He opened his arms, his eyes had lost focus.
However, the moment she tried to drive her bloody hand into his heart, a deadly light sprouted in Raonâs eyes, and he thrust his dagger at a tremendous speed.
She quickly concentrated on the bloody energy, but the dagger easily ripped past the bloody energy and severed her arm.
Drip. Drip.
The blood was flowing down from the clean cut on her forearm, but she still couldnât understand what had happened.
âKeuhâŚâ
Seline tightly bit her lips, which were turning white.
âIt hurts so much.â
The White Blood Religionâs cultivation technique, the White Spirit Aura, had the ability to reduce mental and physical painâand yet, the severe pain pulsating in her head suggested that the pain reducing ability had disappeared.
âH-How did you escape from my sorcery? What have you done to me?â
âYou are the one that did something to me.â
âIs it that daggerâs doing?â
When she looked at it again, the dagger Raon was holding was storming with a violent, ghastly energy. It seemed that the energy from the dagger was disturbing her regeneration and continuously inflicting pain on her.
âThat dagger released you from the sorcery.â
Seline frowned, glaring at the dagger.
âI wonder.â
Raon smiled faintly, spinning the dagger in his hand. His relaxed expression seemed to suggest that he thought it was already over.
That carefree attitude, despite facing her bloody energy, showed that he was in another dimension compared to the two idiots behind him.
âDo you think youâve won?â
Seline caught her breath, extending her bleeding arm. The White Spirit Aura spread out like raging fire, and the severed hand flew towards her on its own, attaching itself to the arm.
Fzzt!
The severed arm started to connect, creating a white steam. It was the regeneration ability of the White Spirit Aura.
âIf you let your guard down so muchâŚâ
While clenching her fist on the reattached arm, Selineâs golden eyes sparked.
âA hole will be pierced into your neck!â
* * *
Raon narrowed his eyes, while looking at Selineâs reattached arm.
âItâs the ability of regeneration.â
The White Blood Religionâs cultivation technique, White Spirit Aura, was said to grant a regeneration surpassing that of a troll.
Considering the way she had just reattached her arm, her rank mustâve been at least that of an archbishop.
However, the color of her face suggested that she hadnât completely recovered. The Blade of Requiemâs ghastly energy mustâve been continuously inflicting severe pain on her.
What an ugly power.
Wrath snorted scornfully.
A power that gets stronger from extorting other peopleâs blood. Itâs dirty and crude. The King of Essence wouldâve frozen her up to take out all of her filthy blood.
He tapped his wrist, telling him to remove her quickly since he didnât want to see her anymore.
âGasp!â
âHuhâŚ?â
Dorian and Zatice screamed in surprise when they finally managed to wake up.
âW-White Blood Religion!â
They hurriedly stepped back, realizing that the girl in front of them was an executive of the White Blood Religion.
âV-Vice-squad leader!â
âItâs okay. Just stay back.â
Raon waved his hand at them, focusing on the White Blood Region fanatic.
âConsidering the fact that you can reattach your arm, are you an archbishop or something?â
âWhat is that easygoing attitude, despite knowing that fact? Iâll make you regret giving me time to recover.â
âI wonder.â
The reason he wasnât attacking was simple. Itâs because the missionâs objective wasnât to kill her, but to solve the disappearances. He needed to extort as much information as possible from her.
âIâll kill you!â
The archbishop gathered her hands, chanting a spell in an unknown language.
Whir!
Her entire body turned white, and the intense fragrance of flowers engulfed the alley. His head started going blank the moment he inhaled the fragrance. It was a lot more powerful sorcery than the charm she used a moment before.
âItâs pointless, though.â
The moment the rings of fire resonated, the fragrance melted away. A charming spell of that level was insignificant against him. He looked down on the archbishop with clear eyes.
âH-How did youâŚ?â
The archbishopâs lips trembled in disbelief.
âIf that charm is all youâve got, it was meaningless for me to give you some time.â
Raon smiled coldly, holding his dagger in a reverse grip.
âLetâs finish this.â
He kicked the ground, jumping into the space that was full of bloody energy. He felt like his body was being crushed, but the Ring of Fire and the Blade of Requiem pushed back all the bloody energy.
âYou bastard!â
The archbishop glared at him, thrusting her hand. The straight trajectory, despite her agitated state, showed that her Bloody Hand Technique was befitting of her rank as an archbishop.
However, it was a bit lacking compared to her sorcery. The archbishop in front of Raon seemed to be more focused on sorcery than martial arts.
Whir!
Raon rotated the Ring of Fire at full power, focusing on the Bloody Hand Technique that the archbishop was using. Since it was the fundamental martial art of the White Blood Religionâs executives, properly watching it was bound to help him.
âDie!â
The excited archbishop kept attacking him with her hand, not realizing that Raon was going easy on her.
The entire alley was bursting with the energy coming from her hand, but Raon wasnât injured in the slightest.
âItâs fast, strong, and wicked.â
It was simple, but that was the reason it was powerful.
âYou cruel rat! How long are you planning to run around?â
âIâll stop if you want.â
Raon applied strength to his left foot, which he was pulling back to advance instead.
âGasp!â
He slashed down with the Blade of Requiem in his right hand, following the archbishop, who was withdrawing in a panic.
âArgh!â
The archbishop glared at him, extending her hand towards him.
Clang!
Although it was a clash between a blade and a hand, it sounded like a collision between metals.
Creak!
However, they werenât evenly matched. The Blade of Requiemâs violent ghastly energy burned with its resentment and ripped into the archbishopâs bloody energy.
âArgh!â
The archbishopâs eyes were trembling.
âNow is the time.â
Keeping his strength in his right hand, Raon quickly moved his left hand to put the red pin on the hem of the archbishopâs top.
Smaack!
The moment he confirmed that the pin was properly attached, he twisted his body to kick her ribs.
âKeuh!â
The archbishop groaned, slamming into the wall.
Pssh!
Without missing the opportunity, Raon dashed at her and pierced her shoulder with the Blade of Requiem. Grotesquely colored blood gushed out like a fountain.
âKuaah!â
The archbishop tore out her own flesh from her shoulder in order to run away, escaping to the side.
âIâll kill you!â
She straightened her finger and pointed ahead. A white light was shot like a flash from the end of her fingernail. It was the Bloody Finger Technique, which consisted of shooting an energy similar to an aura blade from the finger.
Whir!
Raon didnât overlook the skill this time. He used the Ring of Fire to read the Bloody Finger Techniqueâs flow, then slashed with the Blade of Requiem.
Cling!
The blade of ghastly energy created a half circle, completely ripping the Bloody Finger Techniqueâs energy apart.
âItâs not over yet!â
The archbishop kept shooting lines of bloody energy as if she wanted to fight until the bitter end, but they all melted down, unable to pierce through the wall of ghastly energy spreading out from the Blade of Requiem.
âH-HowâŚ?â
The archbishop stepped back in a panic. Raon stepped forward by the same amount, as if he were oppressing her.
âDonât come any closer!â
âDid you tell me to keep my guard up despite being so weak?â
Raon smiled coldly and tilted his head.
âJust as I suspected. The White Blood Religion is the cause of the Porvanâs disappearance incident.â
âJ-Just as you suspected?â
âAfter all, you lot are the only ones that would do something so dirty.â
âShut up!â
âWhy did you attack me? Did you believe you could easily drink my blood?â
âI told you to shut up!â
The moment the archbishop shot her Bloody Finger Technique, Raon dashed forward. He slashed the Blade of Requiem diagonally towards her before she could pull her hand back.
Spurt!
A cut appeared from her shoulder to her waist, and murky blood covered the space.
âKuaah!â
The archbishop screamed, covering her wound.
âWhere is your branch right now? Are the kidnapped people alive?â
âKeuhâŚâ
She faltered like a drunkard instead of answering and leaning back against a wall.
âO-Okay⌠Letâs see the bitter end right here. Iâll kill you no matter what.â
The archbishopâs eyes were filled with madness as she drew a triangle with her two hands.
Whir!
The spell she murmured spread throughout the space, and a crimson light radiated from the triangle as a tremendous energy started to convulse.
âJust like this⌠Kuk! What is this?â
Right before the energy exploded, a white hole appeared from the wall she was leaning her back against, creating a spiral whirlwind.
âDamn it! Darigon! What do you think you are doing?â
The whirlwind tucked the chanting archbishop inside, then curled itself to become smaller.
âDamn it! My name is Seline. Iâll definitely kill you, Raon Zieghart!â
The hole closed completely after Seline shouted her name and yelled at Raon.
âWhat? Did she run away?â
A lighthearted voice could be heard from behind them alongside a cheerful wind. It was Rimmer.
âUnfortunately, she mustâve run away after noticing the squad leader.â
Judging from the situation, it wasnât the archbishop herself, but her companion that forced her to escape after seeing Rimmer coming her way.
âHmm? Your face doesnât look disappointed at all, though.â
Rimmer snickered, looking at Raonâs serious eyes.
âIs that so?â
Raon shuddered. He was right. It didnât feel unfortunate for him at all, as he actually released her on purpose. He planned on catching something even bigger.
âV-Vice-squad leader!â
âAre you okay?â
Dorian and Zatice, who were stuck to a wall, came running at him.
âIâm okay.â
Raon waved his hand dismissively, then went to Rimmer, who was examining the traces of blood on the ground.
âAs expected, the White Blood Religion was behind the incident.â
âWell, I guessed as much.â
Rimmer licked his lips, looking at the orange blood as if he knew about it already.
âThis looks at least mid-level among the archbishops, but you actually overwhelmed her. Did you become even stronger?â
âShe wasnât that strong, probably because she was mostly focused on sorcery.â
Selineâs sorcery was powerful, but her martial art wasnât anything exceptional.
âHuhâŚâ
âThat wasnât strong?â
Dorian and Zatice dropped their jaws in bewilderment.
âYou must be the only one that would describe a White Blood Religion archbishop that way.â
Rimmer chuckled, standing up.
âItâs a shame. We couldâve located their headquarters if we managed to catch her.â
âThat probably wouldnât have worked, since torture doesnât work against them.â
Befitting their title of fanatics, members of the White Blood Religion were tenacious enough to endure any torture. In his previous life, Raon had experience torturing a White Blood Religion fanatic for several days without him ever opening his mouth.
âI guess, they are really tenacious after all. Thatâs why their main branch is still unidentified.â
âIndeed, we donât know where their main branch is. HoweverâŚâ
Raon smiled faintly, touching the red pin on his collar.
âWe might discover their Porvan branch soon enough.â
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Slaam!
Seline swung her white hand. The double wall was reduced to powder and collapsed. It was a power that made it difficult to believe that Raon had easily blocked it with the Blade of Requiem.
âDaaaamn it!â
She shouted, tearing at her wound with her nails.
âIt hurts! It really hurts! The pain isnât going away!â
Although she kept using the White Spirit Aura, the pain scorching her flesh didnât subside.
âDarigon! Do something about this!â
âCalm down a little.â
The old man, Darigon, walked up to her with a frown on his face.
âWhy did you summon me? I wouldnât have to endure this pain if I had killed him!â
âRimmer was making his move. If you had remained there, you wouldâve gotten caught.â
âKeuhâŚâ
Seline ground her teeth and scratched at the wall, which was severed like pudding and collapsed.
âStop destroying things. We need to keep using this room.â
Darigon clicked his tongue, examining Selineâs wound.
âItâs severe.â
Although the archbishop-class Selineâs aura should have healed all of her wounds, a strange power inside the scar was preventing the regeneration and was continuously causing her to feel burning pain.
âGhastly energy, and a very powerful one, at that. It looks like it will take a long time to get rid of it.â
âThatâs why that guy needs to be killed, at all costs!â
Enough murderous intent to give a person goosebumps burst from Selineâs eyes.
âIâll kill him! Iâll tear his flesh, grind his bones and blood, and drink itâŚâ
âThis wound wonât disappear even if you kill Raon. It might even last forever because of the resentment. MoreoverâŚâ
He injected bloody energy inside Selineâs wound before turning around.
âThey are going to arrive soon. Get yourself changed and finish your preparations.â
âKeuh, damn it! Damn it!â
Seline shouted, slamming the ground. Dragonâs office trembled to the point where it seemed like it could collapse.
âThatâs why I told you to gather information first. Itâs because of your gluttonyâŚâ
âShut up! You also wouldâve wanted to suck his blood before anything else if you had seen him!â
âWas he that good?â
âHaa, heâs mine. I have no intention of getting over this after all he did to me! By any meansâŚâ
âIt wasnât a complete loss.â
âWhat?â
âWhile you were getting shredded by him, the plan on my side succeeded.â
Darion snapped his fingers and the office door opened. Men wearing white robes entered to put a man and a woman, who were unconscious, down.
They were Inield and Princess Jayna, who were hospitalized in the clinic after being defeated by Raon.
âI personally went to capture them after I heard the news that they were at the clinic. If we can take these two, itâll be extremely profitable for us. The king of Balkar is going to rampage. He might even declare war against Zieghart.â
âDidnât Morell install magic artifacts on them?â
âOf course. I removed them all before bringing them here. Do you think Iâm an amateur like you?â
Darigonâs wrinkled mouth curved into a thin, jeering smile.
âIâll give you Inield if that person allows it, so you can drink from him and heal that wound.â
âWhat a sly old man.â
Seline acknowledged her defeat, then frowned. It looked like her anger had also died down, as her golden eyes turned calm.
However, none of them noticed the glowing red pins on Inield and Jaynaâs clothes.
* * *
Raon abandoned his original plan of going to the thievesâ guild, instead going to the city hall with Rimmer.
He entered the conference room alongside Morell, who was staying behind, and the swordsmen and magicians that had returned.
âWe managed to discover the enemyâs identity.â
Raon covered the conference room with an energy barrier so that the sound wouldnât escape before stepping onto the platform.
âHuh?â
âReally?â
âSo fast?â
âWow!â
It wasnât just the Light Windâthe jaws of Morell and Salamanâs magicians also dropped.
It was normal for them to be shocked, as he had discovered in a few hours something that city hall couldnât figure out in several months.
âIâm sure many of you mustâve expected this already, but the ringleader of the disappearances is the White Blood Religion.â
He took out a cloth covered in Selineâs blood while mentioning the White Blood Religion. Peopleâs eyes wavered upon seeing the murky light, which didnât look like the blood of a living creature.
âUnpleasant colorâŚâ
âWhite Blood Religion!â
âI knew it was them.â
âKeuhâŚâ
âThose nasty bastards!â
As expected of armed organizations of the Six Kings, the Light Wind and Salaman didnât fear the White Blood Religion of the Five Demons. Instead, they were filled with fighting spirit.
However, one person was spreading an extremely intense murderous intent instead.
Whir!
Martha. Her black eyes glowed like the hellfire, spreading a frightening murderous intent. It was fierce enough to make everyone inside the conference room turn back to look at her.
Why is the beef girl acting like that?
âWas it the White Blood Religion?â
Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at the vicious fire burning in Marthaâs eyes.
He thought she just had a peculiar personality because she always looked angry so far, but it was apparently because she was a victim of the White Blood Religion before joining Zieghart.
âHow did you get that blood, and where did you encounter the White Blood Religion?â
Morell pointed at the cloth with Selineâs blood, his eyes wide.
âReligion?â
âR-Religion, Sir? Keuh.â
Raon repeated the end of his sentence. Morell gritted his teeth and added âSirâ to the end.
âOn my way to the thievesâ guildâŚâ
Raon told them everything about his fight against Seline, and about her running away.
âY-You cut an archbishop and made her run away?â
âBut he became a swordsman only recentlyâŚâ
âHuhâŚâ
Morellâs eyes were trembling in disbelief, and the magicians of Salaman were also swallowing nervously.
âSeriously, youâŚâ
Burren also exclaimed in shock.
Support us at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
ââŚâŚâ
âWhite Blood ReligionâŚâ
Runaan and Martha were just staring at the bloody cloth, but their emotions were completely different. Unlike Runaan, who wasnât really feeling anything as she looked, Martha was glaring at it as if she wanted to kill it dead immediately.
âItâs regrettable.â
Morell turned his head, sighing briefly.
âThey arenât going to reappear anymore. No matter how crazy the White Blood Religion is, they arenât going to make their move after Zieghart and Balkar discovered their identity.â
He was right. Since they needed to take away the people they kidnapped, they should be preparing their escape.
However, it was different this time.
âThis timeâŚâ
Slam!
As Raon was about to speak, the conference roomâs door burst open and Zatice, who said he was going to visit the clinic, entered.
âW-We are in big trouble!â
He immediately continued, his hands trembling.
âPrincess Jayna and Inield, who were in the clinic, have disappeared!â
âWhat?â
âHuh?â
Everyone stood up in surprise upon hearing that the princess and Inield had disappeared.
âThe healers, knights, and magicians in the clinic as if they had fainted, and the princess and Inield were the only ones that disappeared completely!â
âImpossible! There was no reaction from the artifactsâŚâ
âThe artifacts were found on the beds they were in!â
Zatice raised his hand, showing them two necklaces and two rings.
âDamn it! They got us!â
âD-Damn it!â
Morell and the magicians clenched their fists, and the Light Wind swordsmen also swallowed nervously, as they didnât expect that to happen.
Clap!
As everyone was panicking, a clapping sound snapped them out of it.
âCalm down.â
âHow can I calm down right now? We have to do something! If we donât find the princess somehow, this whole city will be enveloped in flames! Even Zieghart might get in trouble!â
âItâs okay.â
Raon faced everyoneâs gazes, eyes as nonchalant as always.
âThe location of where the princess and Inield have been taken.â
He took the red pin from his collar, placing it in his hand. Once he brought forth the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivationâs energy, the pin floated by itself and pointed in a direction.
âThe location of the archbishop that ran away.â
Raon smiled faintly, looking at the people whose jaws dropped.