The silver demonic sword carved a trajectory resembling that of a saw blade.

Slash!

Delpros’s right arm was torn into pieces, and blue frost seeped into his shoulder.

“Gah…” Delpros let out a bloody scream, clutching his frozen shoulder.

“You’re already screaming? How annoying.” Raon shook his head indifferently and walked up to Delpros. He held his divine sword in reverse grip with his right hand and stabbed him.

Whack!

Delpros’s burning left leg was torn off.

“Uaaaah!”

Delpros crawled on the ground like a bug while writhing in pain.

“Because I’m only getting started.”

Raon smiled coldly and tapped on Delpros’s body multiple times with his finger.

“Y-you bastard, what have you done to me… Huff! Aaargh!”

Veins bulged one after the other on Delpros’s face. The intense pain left him unable to even scream, his entire body trembling in pain.

D-don’t tell me… Did you just use that torture method with the aura from those swords?

‘Correct.’

It’s cruel, but it’s a suitable torture for vermin like him.

‘A simple death would be wasted on a person like him.’

Raon had used the torture method that used heat and coldness with the divine and demonic swords. Delpros must’ve been hoping that he would die from the intense pain.

“Uhh…”

Delpros’s lips burst open and blood flowed from them. His distorted eyes were pleading for death.

Whack!

Raon smacked Delpros’s chest with his palm to make the rage worm inside his heart faint.

He created an aura barrier in order to prevent sounds from leaving and curled his lips up into a twisted smile.

“You are still as cowardly as before, Delpros.”

“Huh…?”

Delpros widened his eyes amid his pain. He was extremely flustered by the fact that Raon knew his name.

“H-how do you know my name…?”

“Where is your lord?”

Even though the rage worm was unconscious, the brainwashing engraved in his brain could be activated the moment Derus’s name was mentioned. That was why he only called him Delphos’s lord.

“Lord? What are you talking about? I have nothing like that!” Delpros wrinkled his nose, trying to act despite being tortured.

“I’m talking about that man who lives in the South. I guess he isn’t around here right now.”

“Wh-who are you? Who the hell are you?!” Delphos shouted desperately, chin trembling. He must’ve thought about Derus the moment Raon mentioned the South.

“Judging from your reaction, he must not be here. As expected. Well, that’s the natural thing to do.”

Derus was never going to enter the grave. It was a plot to show the world that he was unrelated to the incident.

‘And that’s going to be your downfall.’

If Derus had been inside the grave, no one would’ve survived and his plan would have succeeded. He wanted far too many things at once, and his greed ruined his entire plan.

“Just who are you…?”

“......”

Raon shook his head while looking at Delpros’s face, which was gradually turning pale from pain and fear.

‘He won’t last for long.’

Since he must’ve thought about Derus in his mind, his brain would be destroyed before long. Raon had something he needed to figure out before that happened.

“Your lord’s goal is to start a war, isn’t it?”

“Wh-what are you talking about? What war…?”

Delpros literally looked like he was possessed by a ghost at that point. His mental shock seemed to have surpassed his physical pain.

“Why is he trying to start the war?”

“Uuh…”

“So you don’t know.”

Raon smiled coldly. Because Derus has such a careful personality, he doesn’t even tell his direct subordinate about his entire plan. It would’ve been stranger if Delpros knew the reason he was starting a war.

‘This is enough.’

His guess that Derus wanted a war was confirmed. Since his actions could be predicted if his goal was known, that was a huge gain.

“Th-there’s no way someone like you knows about him! Everyone who knows has already died! Who the hell are you?!” Delpros shouted despite the intense pain.

“I’ll send your lord to hell after you, so you can ask him there.”

“Y-you’re insane. You have no idea what kind of person he is…”

“No, I’m fully aware. I know him better than anyone else.”

Raon chuckled and plugged Delpros’s mouth. He embedded Kuzan the Cohman knight captain’s sword and Barphil the Boltweaver’s staff in the earth right in front of him before he stood up.

“Beg for mercy until the moment of your death. No, keep begging for it even after your death.”

He destroyed the mana circuits throughout Delpros’s body with a sinister smile extending across his face. The heat and coldness had nowhere else to go and started to dig into his skin, destroying Delpros’s body and mind.

“Kuaaah…”

Delpros was still groaning even though his mouth was plugged. His eyes had rolled back because of the mind-shattering pain, but he couldn’t even lose consciousness, leaving him to feel the pain constantly.

“You still won’t be forgiven, though.”

Raon stood up. He briefly nodded at Kuzan’s sword and Barphil’s staff, which were trembling faintly because of Delpros’s convulsion.

‘Thank you. Rest in peace.’

He finished a short prayer for them and turned around.

“Peep.”

Raon shook his hand at Caiyan the phoenix, who had incinerated all of the monsters.

“Come over here, Peepie.”

[Pe-peep?]

Caiyan lowered its wings all the way down in surprise.

[Peep? Did you just call me Peepie?]

“Of course it’s you. Who else would it be?”

[Why would I be Peepie?!]

“Because you keep going peep peep.”

[I clearly told you, my name is Caiya—]

“Your name doesn’t matter. Since there’s still another person hiding around, look for his location. He might run away if you make contact, so just look for his location.”

The sorcerer who’d been helping Delpros was still hiding in the grave. He had to be taken care of in order to finish the incident.

[Peep! I’m the great phoenix! I won’t obey a mere human’s orders—]

Caiyan started to shake its head in refusal when it met Delpros’s eyes where he was still being tortured.

[I-I’ll get to it right away!]

Caiyan reduced its size to that of a chick, just like after it was killed about twenty times, and flew onto the ceiling.

H-how strange.

Wrath shook his head after witnessing the entire scene.

The humans the King of Essence has seen so far haven’t been like this. How come a human even worse than demon kings exists in this world…?

He closed his eyes, contemplating the different races at that point.

“Well then…”

Raon turned around, ignoring Wrath, who was lost in thoughts.

“Let’s put an end to this boring war.”

He embedded the demonic sword next to Delpros and concealed his presence.

Executing the Supreme Harmony’s Seventh Step, which was the stealthiest of the moves, Raon entered the battlefield where the echoes of clashing blades were still reverberating.

“What an idiot! It’s too late to withdraw!”

“Kuh!”

The most noticeable one was the duel between the sixth apostle and Serena, the Void Sword Division leader.

Unlike the sixth apostle, who was emanating powerful bloody energy around him, Serena’s hands were trembling as if she were about to die. It was actually praiseworthy enough for her to have lasted so long because the injury on her abdomen was severe.

‘I should start here.’

Raon moved behind the sixth apostle’s back, keeping his presence concealed. He removed his murderous intent and anger. Treating the divine sword he was holding as a branch, he stabbed it toward the sixth apostle’s back as if he were playing with it.

Pssh!

The divine sword’s blade emerged from the sixth apostle’s stomach as he tried to strike Serena’s head with a chop.

“Kuaaah!”

The sixth apostle stopped his attack with trembling shoulders. His eyes were filled with astonishment as he looked behind him.

“R-Raon Zieghart! But I’m sure you were over there… Ah!”

The sixth apostle coughed up blood upon seeing the demonic blade embedded next to Delpros. He’d finally realized that relying on his senses was a mistake.

“Hmm!”

Serena was also surprised, but she quickly returned to her senses and raised the sword she was barely holding on to.

“It’s regrettable that I couldn’t finish you off on my own, but…”

“Y-you cowards!”

“Get a good junior for yourself if you have a problem with it.”

She gritted her teeth and swung the sword down from above her head. The thick blade split the sixth apostle’s head in half. Pale blood splattered in all directions.

“Kuh…”

As expected of a high-ranking blood demon, the sixth apostle’s bloody energy was gathering for regeneration even though his head was split apart.

“They really are like bugs.”

Raon furrowed his brow and pierced the sixth apostle’s heart with the divine sword. The golden flame incinerated his bloody energy and even his soul.

“A-apostle!”

“Oh no…”

The White Blood Religion’s bloody demons clutched their heads and screamed as soon as the sixth apostle collapsed.

“This is our chance! Kill them all!”

Martha activated Berserk with infuriated eyes. The Light Wind Division followed her and drove the bloody demons into a corner.

“Haa…”

Serena sank to the ground with trembling lips. Because she’d lost so much blood, her face looked so pale as if she was about to die.

“Did that crazy bastard die already?”

“Not yet, but he is going to die soon.”

She wasn’t even aware that Raon’s battle had ended because she was fully focused on stopping the sixth apostle. Raon thought that she was better than him in terms of patience and willpower.

“I’ll take a rest, then…”

Serena tilted to the right side with a faint smile on her face.

Raon held her shoulder and carefully laid her down on the floor. He patched up her abdomen with the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld before he looked at the battlefield once again.

Claang!

Radiance gushed out like a comet from in between Rimmer and the Master of the Abyssal Sword. Their swords were striking so quickly that only the fluttering traces of aura could be seen.

Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed Rimmer, who now appeared as if he had returned to the state he’d been in before he lost his arm.

‘Did he tame the prosthetic arm?’

Rimmer couldn’t perfectly control the prosthetic arm before he’d entered the grave. He still looked a bit awkward because it wasn’t his real arm, but it didn’t look like that was still the case.

“Damn it!”

On the other hand, the Master of the Abyssal Sword was starting to falter upon noticing that Delpros and the sixth apostle had been defeated.

He’d realized that he was the only one left.

“Overeating is the reason for your death.”

Raon casually twirled the divine sword while looking at the Master of the Abyssal Sword. The divine sword’s flame slowly subsided, as if its strength was running out.

“The Sword and Saber Sovereign’s martial arts were too good for you.”

“Shut up!”

As soon as the Master of the Abyssal Sword clashed his blade with Rimmer’s, he rapidly turned around. He was increasing his speed with the impact. He rushed at Raon, his movement transcending the concept of swiftness.

‘Got you.’

He must’ve decided to go for a surprise attack because he believed the Sword Field was over, but Raon was only pretending. The impatience was accelerating the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s death.

Cring!

Raon fixed his grip on the divine sword with a cold smile on his face. The weakened flame roared back to life, erupting like a whirlwind. It was as if it had been doused with fuel.

Whaaap!

Streaming flames rose while dancing on the edge of his blade. It was the Flame Spirit. The flaming flower petals blocked the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s path.

“Sh-shit!”

The Master of the Abyssal Sword bounced back violently, like a ball hitting a wall. His arms and legs turned completely red, as if they’d been burned.

“Argh…”

He tried to jump mid-air to regain his balance, but it was a meaningless struggle.

Rimmer’s frightening eyes were sparking behind him.

“W-wait!”

“Do you have money?”

“What? M-money?”

“You should leave if you don’t.”

Rimmer swung his sword without hesitation. A dignified sword resonance burst from the sword in his prosthetic hand and cut off the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s head.

Pssh!

The Master of the Abyssal Sword sank into the blood with wide eyes, unable to believe his own death.

“Aww, I’m seriously dying here.” Rimmer sat on the ground while sighing, his Sword Field slowly subsiding. “Why is it always so hard when I hang around with you? Even the head of house wasn’t so bad!”

“Thank you for your work.” Raon smiled faintly and lowered his head.

“Th-the Master of the Abyssal Sword died…”

“This can’t be happening!”

“Oh, damn it!”

The Holy Sword Alliance’s sword demons stayed immobile, their eyes widened, unable to believe the Master of the Abyssal Sword’s death.

“The enemy leader has been defeated! It’s time to put an end to this battle!”

Burren unleashed the barren wind and leaped at the Abyssal Sword Division. The Light Wind Division and the Void Sword Division also dashed towards the end of the battle, mustering all of the energy they had left.

“Raon… Division leader.”

Runaan came up next to Raon and nodded at him. She’d become haggard because she’d been working the hardest in order to protect the Light Wind Division and the Void Sword Division.

“Is it over…?”

“No.” Raon shook his head, while watching Caiyan’s descent, flapping its wings like a chicken. “There’s still one last thing to take care of.”

* * *

“A-a monster…”

The Shadowed Serpent Division leader dropped the crystal ball from his hand. He simply stood there with a trembling hand, as if he didn’t even notice the shattered glass.

‘That’s an uncontrollable monster!’

Raon had smashed the countless traps prepared by Delpros and himself, even destroying the plan that Derus had devised.

Raon Zieghart seemed to defy human comprehension, breaking through all obstacles and even managing to kill Delpros. He was even more afraid of Raon than Derus at that point.

‘I need to run away as fast as possible!’

All of the monsters had died, the boundary was out of control, and he had no more people or traps available. All he could do was to return to the surface and deliver the information.

‘Damn it!’

Since it was Raon Zieghart, he could potentially find his hideout. He wanted to wrap things up as quickly as possible and leave that place.

The Shadowed Serpent Division leader gathered the documents with trembling hands. He even chanted spells, using sorcery to erase his traces, and finished his preparations to return to the surface.

‘I can get outside within an hour by using the device… Ah?’

The Shadow Serpent division leader started to walk towards the device leading to the surface but suddenly stopped. His lips trembled as he looked at the blade protruding from his abdomen and the blood flowing from it.

“Wh-what…?”

“So, you’re the sorcerer.”

It was Raon Zieghart. His frightening voice echoed in his ears alongside the sound of his blood dripping from the blade.

“H-how…?”

[Peep!]

The small phoenix sitting on Raon’s shoulder flapped its wings.

[No one can hide from me!]

“D-damn it…”

He could guess that the phoenix had figured out his location. Raon Zieghart was clever, too.

“You should know even less than him,” Raon sneered, shaking the sword embedded in his stomach.

“W-wait! I—”

“Just die.”

“Cough…”

He swung the sword upwards without the slightest hesitation. The Shadowed Serpent Division leader’s body was split in half and tilted towards the ground.

“Hmm…”

Raon took the documents that the Shadowed Serpent Division leader was carrying and looked around.

“Is this the control room?”

The room was filled with unknown machines and crystal balls. He could guess that they’d been controlling the monsters and traps from that room.

Raon searched the entire control room in addition to the documents. He found extensive information about the grave’s structure, explanations and analyses of the warriors, but, as expected, nothing related to Derus Robert.

“He is as sharp as always. However…”

Raon threw the documents behind him and curled his lips into a smile.

“He must be rather angry this time.”

* * *

Raon returned to the cavern on the fifth floor after checking the control room. The situation was over by the time he’d returned. Not a single one of the Five Demons had survived.

“You’re late!” Martha wrinkled her nose while looking at him.

“I was looking for something.”

He was about to hand over the documents but suddenly stopped. He’d noticed the Sword and Saber Sovereign, who was immobile in the exact same position as when the books of martial arts were burned.

“Has he been like that this whole time?”

“He isn’t showing any reaction at all.” Burren shook his head, saying that he hadn’t moved despite various attempts.

“He isn’t breathing either.” Martha clicked her tongue, standing next to the Sword and Saber Sovereign.

“Haa…” Raon briefly sighed while looking at the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s immobile eyes.

He could guess that he couldn’t move at all anymore because the core was broken. The Sword and Saber Sovereign was nothing but an empty corpse.

“Then we should just quickly send him off.” He made up his mind and walked up to the Sword and Saber Sovereign.

“You haven’t done anything wrong.”

The Sword and Saber Sovereign had good intentions. Derus was the source of all evil.

He unleashed the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation from his hand. Just as he was about to burn the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s corpse, his shoulders trembled faintly.

Thud!

The Sword and Saber Sovereign extended his hand and grabbed Raon’s wrist.

“Huh?”

“I have something to tell you.”

His eyes, which had once had the black and white parts switched, gradually returned to normal, radiating serenity.

“Rightful descendant of Zieghart.”

***

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]