Chapter 598

“Zieghart is wherever you are?”

The auctioneer clutched his hair, which was swept back neatly, and burst out in laughter.

“The arrogance of a madman. Are you named Glenn Zieghart by any chance?”

He spread his arms, with his voice full of mockery.

“I thought it was the Northern Conqueror, too.”

“You arrogant brat, where do you think you are?”

“He is completely insane. I don’t even think he’s from Zieghart.”

“Get that hindrance out of here and continue the auction already!”

The bidders swallowed nervously at first but were relieved by the auctioneer’s reaction and sneered at Raon instead.

“I’ll take care of this place.”

Raon ignored the bloodlust directed at him from all around the auction house and shifted his gaze toward Siyan, Rimmer, and Leiran.

“The elves are seized behind the platform, so the three of you should rescue them.”

“A-are you going to be alright on your own?”

Siyan put her trembling hands together, worried about him.

“It would be difficult if I had to neutralize them all, but…”

Raon licked his lips, watching the South-North Union’s warriors closing down the encirclement and the angry auctioneers.

“I’ll be fine because they all deserve to die.”

The people inside the auction were there to buy the elven and human slaves. There was no reason to go easy on them because they all deserved to die.

“You’d be better off worrying about the sky collapsing one day than worrying about that monster.”

Rimmer stood up and took off his hood. He even removed the tool that was hiding his ears and stepped forward.

“Let’s go already. We can’t let our youngsters be humiliated any further.”

His brow furrowed deeply as he unsheathed his sword with his left hand.

“We’ll be counting on you.”

“Please be careful.”

Leiran and Siyan were about to follow Rimmer when the South-North Union’s warriors around them thrust their swords and spears, filled with deadly bloodlust.

Raon took a step forward and lifted Heavenly Drive. With a faint glimmer of a slash, the warriors blocking their paths were sliced diagonally.

Psssh!

Blood gushed out, their flesh hitting the floor and scattering red light everywhere.

“Huh…?”

“D-did they get killed so easily?!”

Originally, they had believed it would be a minor altercation, but upon realizing that wasn’t the case, they began to tremble as the scent of blood reached their noses.

“W-wait!”

The old man sitting right next to Raon raised his trembling eyes.

“A Zieghart with blond hair and red eyes. Can it be…?”

He shouted, almost sounding like he was screaming, because he had finally taken a closer look at Raon thanks to the change in the lightning.

“It’s Raon Zieghart!”

He shouted the name Raon Zieghart, and the entire auction house fell quiet, the heavy silence crushing their shoulders.

“R-Raon Zieghart is…”

“Th-the Dragon Slayer?!”

“Why is that monster even here…?”

Their faces turned pale even though they’d been laughing at him until a moment ago.

“Get moving.”

Rimmer nodded at Raon’s gesture and dashed below. He smashed the left wall of the platform by kicking it with his wind-covered foot and immediately barged in.

“Raon Zieghart…”

The smile around the auctioneer’s lips was completely washed away.

“You are entitled to say such a thing since you are called the Dragon Slayer. However, we are on a river right now.”

He lowered his eyebrows slightly and raised his hand. The auction house’s door opened violently, and even the South-North Union’s warriors waiting outside ran inside to surround him.

“This terrain is the most advantageous to us. Therefore…”

The auctioneer mussed his neat hair, his gaze that of a ferocious beast.

“Kill him!”

He shouted, and the South-North Union’s warriors surrounding him started to attack at once.

Raon raised Heavenly Drive, which was tilted towards the ground. A beautiful line was drawn alongside the bloody lighting, cutting through the bloodlust in the auction house.

Rip!

The South-North Union’s warriors were rushing forward with their swords and spears, but their heads dropped like ripened apples.

The sticky sound of blood soaking the ground was all that could be heard.

“Wh-what…?”

The auctioneer sank on his ass, his chin trembling in fear.

He wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the auction house was suppressing their breath, unable to budge a finger.

Raon stepped over the steaming blood and went down to the platform. The auctioneer’s face gradually became pale as he approached him.

“Wh-what are you waiting for?! Stop him! We are all going to die if we don’t do something about him!”

The auctioneer shouted at the people in the auction house to order their guards to stop Raon.

“Kuh!”

“St-stop him!”

“You should attack him, too!”

“There will be no issues as long as we get rid of that monster!”

The auctioneer managed to convince them, and they ordered their guards to block Raon’s path.

The remaining warriors from the South-North Union also started to move, and over 100 people were surrounding Raon already.

“It’s nice to have you gather on your own accord.”

Raon unleashed a red wave with Heavenly Drive, a cold smile on his face. The flower petals blooming from the tip of the blade fluttered in the air, small embers dwelling inside.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Thousand Flames.

Flame Spirit

The flower petals of raging flame advanced as slowly as dandelion seeds at first, but they suddenly accelerated to pierce into the warriors’ chests.

“Ah…”

“F-flowers?”

“Stop him!”

The warriors returned to their senses and tried to defend by unleashing as much aura as they could, but it was already too late.

Whaaam!

The Flame Spirit’s pieces exploded loudly as soon as they reached the warriors’ bodies, incinerating their flesh.

“Aaaack!”

“Cough!”

It didn’t matter whether they were a novice level Master or intermediate Master. Everyone perished the moment the red blade touched them, unable to fend off a single strike.

Raon cut down all the warriors and looked around at Dorian.

“Block the door.”

“Yes.”

Dorian nodded and stood in front of the auction house’s door. He looked afraid but determined to keep anyone from passing him.

Even he’s quite usable now.

Wrath chuckled while looking at Dorian.

“W-wait a moment!”

Raon started to walk down towards the platform, and the old man who’d purchased the elf called Casia came towards him and went on his knees.

“I-I’m Jisen from House Pensia. We’ve been on good terms with Zieghart for over fifty years…”

“Then that alliance is now over.”

Raon cut off the head of the pig that was rambling that he was an ally.

“Huh…?”

Jisen clutched his severed neck in disbelief and tilted towards the ground.

Not even the sound of breathing could be heard in the auction house, and Raon went down onto the platform.

“Aah…”

The auctioneer tried to step backward, eyes bloodshot.

“I haven’t seen anyone with such a nasty way of speaking in a long time.”

Raon swung his sword with a smile on his face. The blade landed lightly and cut off both his legs.

“Aaaaack!”

The auctioneer writhed in pain while screaming.

“I wanted to cut your mouth off right away, but…”

The auctioneer’s crumpled face was reflected in Raon’s frightening eyes.

“We have a lot to talk about.”

* * *

The luxurious room was adorned with the skins of beasts and monsters, laid out like decorative ornaments.

A young man in a white tiger leather coat licked his lips while checking the pile of gold.

“It’s so easy to make money compared to when I was a bandit.”

He chuckled, returning the handful of gold into a pouch.

“Desire is the best merchandise after all… Hmm?”

The young man was about to close the pouch but stopped himself and looked upwards.

When his gaze began to reflect curiosity, the door opened, and a middle-aged man in a black suit entered the room.

“Sir Raptor! W-we’re in trouble!”

“I also sense it.”

Raptor narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixated on the ceiling.

“Who was the visitor?”

“There were elves hidden among the customers! They are currently rampaging inside the auction house.”

“How did the elves even get here? It would be understandable if they were at the casino, but the auction house should require an invitation letter for entry.”

“I-I’m not sure about that…”

The middle-aged man hung his head, saying that he didn’t know.

“Well, we’ll find out after we catch them.”

Raptor smiled slightly and shook his hand.

“Because Eren should take care of them just fine.”

He injected his aura into the crystal ball placed at the edge of the desk. The transparent sphere turned dark and showed the auction house.

“He’s so smart. He is even using the guards that the pigs brought, in addition to ours… Huh?”

Raptor was casually shaking his finger but suddenly widened his eyes. A man holding a sword was slaughtering dozens of people in a single slash.

“…Is that really an elf?”

“Ah, yes. There are five of them total, and all of them are elves…”

“No, he isn’t.”

He firmly shook his head and laughed bitterly.

“That is Raon Zieghart, not a mere elf.”

“R-Raon Zieghart…?”

“He is the young monster who killed the mad dragon.”

Raptor furrowed his brow and lifted the crystal ball.

“This is crazy.”

The last time he’d seen Raon was when he’d gone to Gazel River with the Axe King.

It had only been two years since then, but the monster called Raon Zieghart had grown unbelievably.

“It looks like even I can’t win against him…”

He’d also gotten a lot stronger than before, but he didn’t stand a chance against that monster. He could only buy some time at best.

“Hmm…”

Raptor chewed his lip and turned his head.

“It can’t be helped.”

He opened the drawer and took out a white paper and a gray paper. They both had a strange glow that looked like they were absorbing the light.

Raptor wrote down on the paper that Raon Zieghart had arrived and stared at it for a moment.

“Who should I call…?”

He furrowed his brow in contemplation, and Raon turned around after neutralizing and torturing Eren. His lips twitched in his direction, implying that he’d noticed his presence.

‘That’s where you were.’

Raptor’s chin trembled upon meeting Raon’s red gaze.

“I have no time to deliberate.”

He burned both papers and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I just hope that someone comes.”

“S-save me…”

* * *

“Have you ever decided not to auction the people who begged for mercy?”

Raon smiled coldly while watching the auctioneer beg for his life.

“I…”

The auctioneer averted his gaze, lips trembling.

“Your end was already decided the moment you spoke nonsense about that child who lost her parents.”

Raon snapped his neck with his hand since death by a sword was too good for him.

“Kuah…”

The auctioneer's body convulsed, succumbing to fear and pain before he perished.

By the time Raon put down the auctioneer’s corpse, Rimmer, Siyan, and Leiran came onto the platform.

Their clothes were also smeared with blood, implying that they were fully determined to do what they had to.

About twenty elves were standing next to them, wearing dresses with thick makeup to match the human preference. They were still beautiful, but it was a sad and bitter sight.

“You should go outside before me.”

Raon shook the blood off his hand and pointed at the door of the auction house.

“What about you?” Siyan asked, exhaling quietly.

“I still have something to take care of.”

“What could that be?”

“You are planning to destroy this place, aren’t you?”

Rimmer pointed his finger up and down.

“You figured me out,” Raon chuckled, nodding his head.

“It’s because I’m fully aware of your personality.”

Rimmer chuckled and tapped on his scabbard.

“I want to do it myself, but it can’t be helped since I have people to take care of. You can do it instead. Let’s go.”

He climbed the stairs, holding a small elf in his arms.

“Pl-please be careful.”

“We’ll be waiting outside.”

Siyan and Leiran followed Rimmer, understanding that their priority was to get the elves out.

“Dorian.”

Dorian confidently nodded and came down towards him upon hearing Raon’s call.

“Shall I carve the path from the front?”

“No, take all the money and objects from this place.”

“What…?”

Dorian widened his eyes, unable to comprehend what he was talking about.

“I told you, I’m going to destroy this place. Take all the money and auction articles before that happens.”

“Err…”

“Leave on your own after getting them all,” Raon ordered, smashing the platform with his fist.

Whaaam!

The floor was destroyed and another casino was revealed. There were no gamblers or dealers around, but the assassins hiding all around the place dashed towards him.

They seemed to be trying to attack while Raon was still in mid-air because he was unable to freely move his body.

Raon slashed to the right with Heavenly Drive. The tip of the blade drew a line like a red comet and spread an intense heat.

Slash!

The assassins perished and fell before they could even throw the daggers they’d been hiding. Their wide eyes revealed how surprised they were.

Whaaam!

Raon stomped the ground powerfully upon landing on the floor. He destroyed the ground once again and went down to the next floor.

A man in a white tiger leather coat was sitting at the center of a room that looked messy because of the animal and monster skins displayed all around.

His head was covered by a yellow bandana, and his neat forehead was noticeable.

“You…”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the man’s face.

“Didn’t you say you were a bandit?”

It was Raptor, the South-North Union’s warrior that he’d encountered for the first time during a mission to track down the bandits when he was a trainee, and the second time at Gazel River.

“I need to obey my superiors since I’m just a salaryman.”

Raptor chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“You look like you’ve enjoyed it fully though.”

Raon snorted, looking at the luxurious room and the coat made of white tiger leather.

“Because everyone likes money.”

Raptor shook his head while giggling.

“But it looks like you’ve been solely focused on strength.”

His gaze trembled faintly.

“You’ve become so powerful that it’s making me speechless. Were you blessed by a demon or something?”

Raptor’s chin trembled in disbelief.

He wasn’t blessed by a demon at all. He extorted a demon king!

Wrath shook his head, saying that it was definitely not a blessing.

“Let’s stop the meaningless chatter.”

Raon raised Heavenly Drive, the blood having evaporated from the blade.

“You must have an account book where you wrote down the people who’ve purchased the elves, right?”

“…Why would I have an account book like that?”

Raptor’s daring voice became hoarse.

“So you have it.”

“It’s irritating how quickly you noticed.”

Raptor shook his head, placing his hand on his waist.

“Because trash like you never misses the opportunity to seize other people’s weakness.”

“Yeah, I do have it. I can’t simply give it away, though, since our group is rather trustworthy.”

He lifted his sword in front of him and bobbed his chin.

“I’ll decide after I see how powerful you are.”

“......”

Raon didn’t respond, swinging Heavenly Drive in a semi-circle. The blade advanced beautifully, unleashing a red wave from it.

The profound martial art surpassed the limit and slashed in a split second, reaching an extreme speed.

Slash!

The silver blade severed Raptor’s right side, reflecting the dazzling lighting from the ceiling.

Psssh!

Raptor’s right arm was torn off violently, as if a beast had gnawed on it.

“Aaack!”

Raptor screamed one step too late, showing that he hadn’t even managed to sense the attack.

“Someone like you could never even dare to judge me.”

Raon tilted his head, pointing Heavenly Drive’s spotless blade toward the ground.

“Now, tell me. Where’s the account book?”

***

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]