Chapter 636

House Robert

Derus’ Office

Derus Robert was reading documents, using the faint moonlight as a light source. By the time the crescent moon, reminiscent of a woman’s lips, reached the center of the sky, the hand holding his pen came to a halt.

“......”

Derus Robert put down his pen and took off his glove. Sticky blood flowed from inside the black leather glove and dropped onto the antique desk.

He stared at the crimson blood flowing down from the back of his hand for a moment before he shifted his gaze toward the door.

“Cubara.”

The door of the office opened as soon as Derus finished calling her name. Cubara entered and knelt on the ground, neatly dressed in her maid outfit.

“You summoned me, my lord?”

“You said Raon Zieghart also entered the grave, didn’t you?”

“Yes. He arrived a bit later than the other factions, but he still entered on the first day the grave opened,” Cubara lowered her head as she informed him about Raon’s entrance.

“......”

Derus closed his mouth again and stared at the blood flowing from the wound on the back of his hand.

Cubara waited for Derus to continue with her eyes closed.

“Was it this evening when the situation was supposed to conclude?”

Derus turned his head slightly, wiping the blood on the desk away with a handkerchief.

“Yes, sir,” Cubara responded without hesitation. “However, it might take a bit more time to manipulate the wounds on the corpses.”

“Hmm…” Derus licked his lips, watching the beautiful radiance of the moonlight. “I think I’ll have to go there myself.”

“What?” Cubara asked, surprised enough to act out of the norm, and raised her head. “There is a huge crowd around the grave right now. If people happen to see you…”

“I won’t go that close.” Derus shook his head, looking at the back of his hand again. “I just want to confirm something.”

He didn’t believe in superstition, but so far, the blood had only flowed from the wound on the back of his hand when his plans had gone awry.

‘Raon Zieghart… Is it your doing again?’

He’d believed there wouldn’t be any issues unless someone as powerful as a leader of the Six Kings or the Five Demons entered, but Raon’s intervention was concerning because he could be called the definition of unpredictable. Not a single thing had gone well for him when Raon was involved.

‘I can’t let him ruin it, not this time.’

Setting up the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave had cost an astronomical amount of money. If it ended up failing, the loss would be one thing—but even his great plan could end up ruined.

He couldn’t stand by and wait because of how important that plan was.

“Believe in Delpros and the Shadowed Serpent Division leader. After all, you’ve bestowed upon them the ability to control the entire grave—and they even have that with them…”

“Yes. The plan is perfect. However…” Derus Robert calmly shook his head. “Raon Zieghart has always surpassed my expectations.”

He stood up from his seat and wiped away the blood flowing from his hand with his lips. An eerie darkness fell over the office, as if even the moonlight was terrified of him.

“I need to watch him personally.”

* * *

Raon was about to walk towards Delpros, following the path created by the Light Wind Division.

Whaam!

Heavy shockwaves burst out from left and right, and the Light Wind Division was pushed back.

“Can’t you see us?!”

“You arrogant bastard.”

It was the Master of the Abyssal Sword and the sixth apostle. The two old monsters stood in the Light Wind Division’s way, their subordinates behind them.

“W-we should attack, too!”

“We can’t retreat now after we came all the way here!”

“Even someone like me can become the Sword and Saber Sovereign as long as I kill Raon Zieghart!”

It was probably because of Delpros’s mention of a new Sword and Saber Sovereign, but even the warriors from neutral factions jumped onto the battlefield and surrounded the Light Wind Division.

“How foolish.” Raon sneered at the Master of the Abyssal Sword and the sixth apostle. “Do you really believe that he will hand over the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s book of martial arts?”

He snorted while glancing sideways at Delpros, who was casually sipping his tea.

“I don’t really care even if he doesn’t.” The Master of the Abyssal Sword shook his head, twirling his thin sword. “I just need to kill him after I kill you.”

A frightening smile surfaced on his face at his confident declaration.

“Regardless of the book, I just don’t like you,” the sixth apostle stated as he furrowed his brow at Roan. “The religious leader asked me to bring you in alive, but no one will know if you die in a place like this.”

He wielded his hand like a weapon, emanating a powerful murderous intent. His white bloody energy was blazing like a heat haze.

However, the Master of the Abyssal Sword and the sixth apostle were still cautious toward each other even though they were looking at Raon.

“Hmm…”

Raon briefly caught his breath and observed the surrounding area.

‘Is there no one to stop them?’

Krasel, the Omniscient Sword Sage, and a knight order with a bison emblem on their chests had come from the Owen Kingdom—the latter being the Cohman Knights, rumored to be the strongest when it came to chaotic battles.

As for Balker, Barphil the Boltweaver was forming a magic array with the other magicians even though Raon had thought he was dead.

However, the two factions seemed to have no intention of helping Zieghart—they were simply watching the situation with serious eyes.

‘They must’ve encountered a doppelganger that took on the appearance of someone from the Void Sword Division on the fourth floor.’

Considering the way Balkar had been glaring at the Void Sword Division this whole time, he could ascertain that they were assaulted by a doppelganger disguised as members of the Void Sword Division, just as Serena had guessed.

“Fufu.”

Delpros raised his chin sharply and sneered. His expression was telling him that the situation was proceeding according to his plan.

‘I’ll destroy that face right now.’

Raon thrust Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem in between the destructive waves of energy emerging from the Master of the Abyssal Sword and the sixth apostle.

Incomplete Sword Field Creation

Divine and Demonic Harmony

He’d thought it was complete, but he named it incomplete again because he’d realized it still wasn’t good enough.

Whir!

Red flames burst from Heavenly Drive’s silver blade to incorporate the Divine, and silver frost welled up onto the Blade of Requiem’s crimson blade to create the Demonic—the divine and demonic swords. The haughty wave of energy emanating from the two edges pushed back the Master of the Abyssal Sword and the sixth apostle’s energies perfectly.

“Sword Field Creation…”

The sixth apostle bit his lip while looking at the divine and demonic swords that were blazing in different colors.

“I still can’t believe it even though I’ve witnessed it. However…” The Master of the Abyssal Sword narrowed his eyes and twitched the corner of his lips. “It’s a meaningless struggle.”

“Your life is what’s meaningless here.” Raon curled his lips while looking at the Master of the Abyssal Sword.

“You bastard!”

The Master of the Abyssal Sword couldn’t withstand the insult and dashed at him. He approached at an extreme speed, like a ray of light brushing past his vision, and thrust his sword towards Raon’s heart.

Raon lifted the divine sword in order to defend but a cheerful wind blew in from behind him.

Cring!

Rimmer moved forward before the divine sword and blocked the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s blade.

Claang!

The Master of the Abyssal Sword’s strike was deflected, blocked by Rimmer’s wind barrier.

“I don’t think he is your opponent, division leader.”

A refreshing smile was lying around his lips as he slightly turned his head.

“Can you do it?”

“Who do you think I am? I’m the demon’s subordinate.”

Rimmer shrugged his shoulders, telling him to get moving already.

“You won’t go anywhere.”

The sixth apostle thrust his hand as if he’d been waiting for it. It was an extremely violent martial art, but a profound principle was dwelling in it.

Just as Raon was about to execute the Frost Pond with the demonic sword, a heavy aura struck down like lightning from above his head.

Whaam!

It was Serena. Even though she was injured, she advanced as if she were perfectly fine and pushed the sixth apostle back with sheer power.

“Void Sword Division! Support the Light Wind Division!”

“Yes!”

The Void Sword Division followed Serena’s order and unleashed their heavy auras next to the Light Wind Division. Their swords weren’t showing the slightest hesitation.

“You’re just a corpse clinging to life.” The sixth apostle bit his lip, unleashing the astral sphere on his hand.

“Void Sword Division leader?”

“I almost fell in love.”

Serena smiled faintly while turning her head. Raon didn’t think he’d ever seen that expression on her face before.

“What?”

“Watching you just now was like I was seeing the head of house from the past.”

“Me, too. I thought our head of house was here,” Rimmer chuckled while avoiding the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s blade by a paper-thin difference.

“Raon, go.” Serena pointed at the throne where Delpros was located with her chin. “We’ll stop them here, so you should do what you need to.”

She smiled, saying that she would block their path even if the price ended up being her life.

“Thank you.”

Raon lowered his head at Serena and Rimmer before he headed towards Delpros again. He was still casually drinking his tea despite the situation.

Raon was about to leap towards him, clenching his divine and demonic swords.

“Stop.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t let you go.”

The knight captain and the Boltweaver stood in his path toward the platform even though they’d been simply watching so far.

“What do you think you are doing right now?”

Raon widened his eyes while looking at Kuzan the Cohman knight captain and Barphil the Boltweaver. He’d never expected them to get on his way, of all people.

“We were attacked by Zieghart.”

“You aren’t allowed to go until you give us a clear explanation.”

They unsheathed their sword and raised their staff, showing that they were serious about it.

“Are you telling me that you are going to break the pact of the Six Kings?” Raon bit his lip while looking at the Cohman knight captain’s sword and the Boltweaver’s staff.

“You are the ones who broke the pact first.”

“You attacked up on the fourth floor!”

The Boltweaver bared his teeth at the Void Sword Division while the Cohman knights were glaring at Raon, Rimmer, and the Light Wind Division.

“They were just fakes. They’ve attacked you with doppelgang—”

“If they were doppelgangers, they should’ve transformed into one of us instead of other people, shouldn’t they?”

“You are taking us for fools. Stop your nonsense.”

The Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver shook their heads, treating it as nonsense.

“Moreover, there’s no proof to your claim. On the other hand, we’ve actually been attacked.”

“I’ll listen to you if you offer your head.”

“......”

Raon looked at the Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver’s eyes while listening to them. Their eyes were tainted with desire, just like the others.

“You should get rid of that greed from your eyes before you say such a thing.”

He twisted his lips, looking at the Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver with his divine and demonic swords.

“Shut up!”

The Cohman knight captain swung down his sword without hesitation. The strike was wrapped in sharpness and swiftness despite how it looked.

Zap!

The Boltweaver finished chanting in an instant and unleashed five streams of lightning.

Thud!

Raon executed the Supreme Harmony Steps. He moved to the left as if he were sliding. He pushed the divine and demonic swords towards the lightning and sword strike rushing towards him.

Whaam!

He felt like his shoulders were being crushed by the tremendous impact. Raon bit his lip and raised his gaze.

‘They’re serious. Is this really happening?’

The Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver’s attacks were incorporating an intense bloodlust, as if they were really trying to kill him. Raon couldn’t understand them no matter how he thought about it.

“Kill them all!”

“We are more numerous!”

“Never fall back!”

“The Sword and Saber Sovereign’s martial arts is in our grasp!”

The Owen knights, Balkar’s magicians, the Holy Sword Alliance, the White Blood Religion, and even the neutral factions—everyone swung their swords, their eyes obscured in red heat. All of them looked insane.

‘Did they all lose their minds because of the treasure? No, this can’t be happening.’

Since killing him and obtaining the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s martial art didn’t allow them to immediately become the Sword and Saber Sovereign, they still had to keep fighting endlessly after that.

Raon couldn’t understand why they were acting that way, without thinking about the aftermath.

“God damn it!”

“Kill them! Don’t just stop them, just kill them all!”

“How dare you…”

Even Burren, Martha, and Runaan switched from a defensive formation to an extreme offense and started to push back the Five Demons and the neutral factions. The strange heat was also blazing from the Light Wind Division’s eyes.

“It’s burning. This is how a battle should be.”

Delpros sipped on his tea with an entertained smile, as if he’d expected it to happen.

‘This is strange.’

Raon furrowed his brow while fending off the Cohman knight captain’s sword.

‘This doesn’t make any sense.’

He could understand it for others, but it wasn’t normal for even the Light Wind Division to crave battle. A force that wasn’t their desire for treasure must’ve been at work.

‘Wait, another force?’

If it was another force applied in that land, there was only one possibility.

“Don’t run away!”

“Where do you think you are going?!”

The Cohman knight captain unleashed his astral sphere, and the Boltweaver summoned lightning in the sky. Unavoidable attacks assaulted him, one after the other, from the sky and the land.

Cring!

Raon stomped the ground. He executed the Frost Pond with the demonic sword and the Crimson Slash with the divine sword to create a diagonal shield of slashes.

Claaang!

He barely managed to block the Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver’s attacks, then he lowered his gaze toward the ground at the same time.

‘It was this boundary all along.’

Derus had altered the boundary on the fifth floor to taint people’s minds with desire for treasure and battle.

The fact that even Owen, Balker, the Light Wind Division, and the Void Sword Division were engulfed in madness in addition to the Five Demons and the neutral factions was proof.

‘What an amazing plan.’

It was such a nasty setup, to the point that Raon had to admire Derus Robert.

‘However… I won’t let it go as you wanted.’

He’d been continuously analyzing the boundary ever since he’d arrived on the fifth floor. He just needed to understand it a bit further and he’d likely be able to recover the boundary to the state it was in before Derus had altered it.

Raon twisted his lips while looking at Delpros, who was lifting his teacup towards him as if in a toast.

‘I’ll break that teacup before I take your life.’

* * *

“What are you doing? Weren’t you going to attack me?” Delpros smiled deeply while watching Raon frown.

‘You must be flustered, even if it’s you.’

He could guess that Raon must’ve been at a loss because the Six Kings, who should’ve been on his side, were attacking him instead.

It must’ve been surprising for Raon, but it was just a natural outcome.

‘Because this is the real plan.’

The fifth floor was the end of the grave where the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s actual legacy was located, and the boundary’s power was the strongest in that place.

Derus Robert wasn’t planning on killing everyone on the fourth floor to begin with. He wanted to cover the boundary that was affecting the warriors, who were already surprised at being attacked by their companions or allies, to make them take up arms against each other.

‘It’s normally impossible, but… It’s possible for him.’

Derus Robert had altered the boundary installed in the grave, changing it into a new one that made the warriors lose their reason.

Since it took over their minds at an extremely slow speed, just like the scent of alcohol in a pub, they were bound to fight without even realizing what got to them until the end unless they were in the Transcender realm.

Delpros curled his lips into a smile while watching Raon dodge the Boltweaver’s attack and the Cohman knight captain’s sword.

‘This is as far as you go.’

No matter how powerful Raon Zieghart was, it was impossible for him to fight the Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver simultaneously.

Since even Rimmer, Serena, the Light Wind Division, and the Void Sword Division had lost their sanity and were focused on fighting, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was already over.

‘His plan is so perfect.’

He’d entered the scene because he was worried that Raon might ruin the last stage of the plan just like he did for the rest, but it was unnecessary. His great lord’s plan was flawless.

While Delpros was casually lifting his teacup, Raon Zieghart leaped backward and crossed the divine and demonic swords.

He gritted his teeth and made a clear resonance through friction by using the demonic sword as the divine sword’s scabbard.

Whir!

The sword resonance bursting out all the way out to the dark space felt like it was awakening the mind rather than the ears.

“Hmph!” Delpros’s lips curved into a sneer, as he shook his teacup. “It’s pointless.”

He knew what that sword technique was. It was a sword skill that consisted of having the sword resonance pierce into the opponent’s hearing and stimulate their nerves. He must’ve been trying to awaken the warriors from their insanity by reaching their nervous system.

However, the boundary was completely different from simple brainwashing. It couldn’t be maintained for a long time, but in exchange, it could never be awakened with such a method.

“I advise you to stop your pointless attempt and focus on your survival. You… Huh?” Delpros started to laugh at Raon but stopped as his lips suddenly started to tremble. “What’s going on…?”

The Cohman knight captain who had been charging at Raon stopped swinging his sword, and the Boltweaver recalled his lightning.

“Wh-why was I attacking Raon Zieghart…?”

“What…?”

Their lips trembled in disbelief as they looked at the weapons in their hands as if they couldn’t understand what they’d been doing.

“Aah…”

“Wh-what?! Why did I just attack Zieghart?”

“Why…?”

“What happened to me?”

Cohman knights and magicians also stepped back while swallowing nervously.

Whir!

The battlefield suddenly paused and silence arrived.

“Y-you bastard! What did you do?!” Delpros barked, extending his hand towards Raon, who’d regained his composure.

“I told you, this land originally belonged to Zieghart.” Raon nodded with a calm smile on his face. “I’ve reverted the boundary to the state it was in before your manipulation.”

“What?”

“I removed the mind control from the boundary.” 

He murmured that he destroyed Derus’s boundary while pointing his finger at the ground.

Claaang!

Delpros dropped the teacup in his hand. The luxurious teacup fell under the platform and shattered into pieces.

“I-impossible…”

Derus had personally set up that boundary. He couldn’t believe that a greenhorn like Raon had managed to remove it.

“Wh-why were we even fighting?”

“I-I was just trying to be cautious, but why was I trying to kill…?”

However, people had regained their senses and were lowering their weapons. That implied that Raon had told him the truth.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Rimmer lifted his sword and pointed it at Delpros. “That mongrel did it.”

“Kuh!” Delpros bit his lip to the point of bleeding and shook his head.

“Shadowed Serpent Division leader, are you watching?”

[…Yes.]

The Shadowed Serpent Division leader took a long time to respond, implying that he was also shocked.

“Send that down.”

[But the time isn’t…]

“It’s already too late. The plan is ruined.” Delpros bit his lip tightly and glared at Raon. “I need to kill him by any means necessary.”

* * *

Raon smiled while watching Delpros’s panic.

‘I’m glad I’ve been preparing in advance.’

It would’ve taken him a long time if he had to suddenly start removing the boundary, but he managed to quickly finish his analysis of it because he’d been working on it ever since he arrived.

He resounded Blue Rain alongside the flow of the first head’s boundary, and it restored the boundary to its original state, awakening everyone’s minds as a result.

“I-I’m sorry.” The Cohman knight captain lowered his head. “It wasn’t my intent—no, it’s my fault!”

Even though it was done against his will, he admitted his mistake and lowered his head.

“The same goes for me,” the Boltweaver sighed. “I must’ve lost my mind because of the severe injury.”

He lowered his staff while apologizing.

“It’s fine. Instead, just don’t get in my way.”

“Forget getting in your way, I’ll even help you.”

The Cohman knight captain shouted that they would forfeit getting the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s relic while apologizing for his grave mistake.

Raon calmly nodded and stood in front of the platform where Delpros was sitting.

“It really is time for you to come down now.”

He was about to climb the stairs, but a transparent wall blocked his path.

“You remain unsightly until the very end.”

Raon twisted his lips and lifted the divine and demonic swords. The brilliant radiance of the flame and the weak glow of the frost spread their lights like a lunar halo and destroyed the wall blocking the platform.

Rumble!

Raon tilted his chin, standing in front of the shattering wall of aura.

“If you don’t want to come down, I’ll personally…”

“I’ll open it up.” Delpros twisted his lips.

“What?”

“I’ll open the path.”

He gestured with his hand, and the area behind the platform that had remained dark so far was lit up. It seemed to be the door leading to the outside rather than a new space.

“I-I’m leaving! I can’t stay here anymore!”

“Me too! I don’t want to die!”

The warriors from the neutral factions who’d been mindlessly fighting started to run towards the open door.

“Wait!”

Raon extended his hand to try to stop them, but they didn’t stop running because they were already terrified.

And…

Pssh!

Dozens of the warriors who’d been running towards the door were split apart like pieces of paper. Blood rained down and seeped into the ground. It was such a surreal sight.

Whir!

A bulky man walked out from the faint light.

He was an old man holding a blue sword in his left hand and a saber reddened from heat in his right hand. His face was full of wrinkles, but strangely enough, his skin was as clear as a baby’s.

He slowly walked towards them and raised his head upon entering the cavern. The black and white parts of the eyes were switched. A living being couldn’t possibly have those eyes.

“He is the one you’ve been waiting for.”

Delpros stood up, his lips curving into a twisted smile.

“Sword and Saber Sovereign, kill them all.”

***

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]