Chapter 643

The swordsman who cut through the space was Aries, and the one who’d made the blue sword rise into the sky was Rector the Sword Demon.

The powerful sword strikes unleashed by two transcenders became a ray of light that clashed against the blade of death.

Whaaam!

However, Aries and Rector’s strikes were unable to perfectly remove the flow of death, likely because of their excessive haste.

Crack.

Raon gritted his teeth. He could feel the death entering his body, breaking through his ribs.

Just as he thought it was all over for him, the flow of the spear suddenly stopped. It was only for a split second, but he felt like the flow of time came to a halt.

Crack!

Aries dashed at him while tearing the space apart, and Rector rushed in like lightning from above to completely destroy the dark blade that had stopped moving.

Whoosh!

The energy of death faded away into a dim light as if it had never existed to begin with.

Pssh!

As the dark energy was about to sink into the ground, Raon threw a shard of his scabbard—which was floating in the air—onto the ground. The diamond-shaped shard turned dark, as if it were being stained with ink.

“Raon!”

As soon as Raon picked up the shard, Aries hugged him tightly and leaped back.

“They might attack again! Duck, everyone!”

She bit her lip while creating a thick sword barrier. An impatience Raon had never seen before was showing up on her face. She hadn’t even shown that expression when they were fighting against the mad dragon Kaibar.

“L-Lady Aries?”

“Wh-what just happened…?”

“Hmm?”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan’s eyes were wide with surprise. Even Masters hadn’t realized what had just happened.

“Stand back, everyone!”

“Lower your heads and hide behind trees or boulders!”

Rimmer and Serena, who were in the Grandmaster realm, were the only ones who noticed the dangerous situation. They made the Light Wind Division and the Void Sword Division withdraw.

“......”

Rector the Sword Demon didn’t even look back. He was spreading a frightening pressure around him, standing at the same spot as his first appearance.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you even if it costs my life.”

Aries bit her lip tightly. Her steadfast embrace radiated warmth, as if she were trying to dispel the lingering anxiety. She seemed truly resolved to protect them—no matter the cost.

Ugh…

Wrath groaned deeply while clutching his head.

‘Were you the one who stopped that dark blade?’

Y-yes.

He weakly nodded his head.

‘But why?’

Since Wrath was a parasitic soul, he had to go against causality in order to exert any physical power. Even though Wrath had grown somewhat affectionate toward him, it was still strange. There was no reason for him to withstand a huge amount of damage to his soul and real body to save Raon’s life.

It made him angry.

‘What?’

Even though the King of Essence is currently a soul, how could they be arrogant enough to avoid his senses? The King of Essence would’ve beat them to death if only he had his body!

Wrath let out a loud click of his tongue, frustrated that he couldn’t do it. He must’ve been angry at the fact that his perception hadn’t noticed the attack despite how omnipotent he should’ve been.

Don’t even try to look for them. It’s a powerful opponent.

‘I know.’

Raon calmly nodded.

You know? Do you know them, by any chance?

‘Yes, there’s no way I wouldn’t.’

Raon twisted his lips into a smile while looking at the darkened piece of the scabbard.

‘Because that bastard Derus is the only one who can use the Umbral Surge.’

The dark blade of death was an aura called Umbral Surge, one of Derus’s true powers. In fact, Raon could guess that it was Derus even without the Umbral Surge. Derus was the only Transcender who would try to kill him from an invisible spot.

‘However… His action strayed away from my expectations.’

Raon had thought that Derus would most likely avoid coming to the area. He believed that he would never go for an attack even if he did show up.

However, Derus had appeared and fired the Umbral Surge at him. Despite appearing to be a coldhearted machine, he was still a human being in the end.

‘Derus Robert.’

Raon twisted his lips while glaring in the direction where he assumed Derus would be.

‘You’re finally showing your tail.’

* * *

Cubara’s dry lips trembled as she watched Raon leave her vision between the dimensional rifts. She swallowed nervously and shifted her eyes towards Derus.

“Why are Aries Zieghart and the Sword Demon here…?”

“What a coincidence.” Derus Robert smiled faintly instead of getting angry. “I was already aware that Aries Zieghart and the Sword Demon were hiding around. I thought I could kill Raon Zieghart before they interfered. However…”

He continued while watching Raon be held by Aries, “Raon Zieghart managed to survive with his own strength. He destroyed his scabbard to earn a split second.”

“Ah…”

“And that split second saved his life. However, there were a few strange aspects.”

“Strange aspects…? Ah!”

Cubara stared at the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave before she raised her eyes. She could understand what strange aspect Derus was talking about.

“It must be Rector, the Sword Demon.”

“It’s totally possible for Aries Zieghart to cherish Raon Zieghart. It’s rather unexpected that she is willing to risk her life for him, but it’s still understandable.”

Derus narrowed his eyes while looking at Rector.

“However, the Sword Demon’s reaction is strange. Even though he gave Raon a small number of lessons in the past, he is still clearly his enemy. However, he looked even more impatient than Aries Zieghart.”

He shook his head while stroking his chin.

“Raon Zieghart and Rector the Sword Demon might be related differently than just as members of the Five Demons and the Six Kings.”

“I’ll look into it.”

Cubara immediately understood what Derus was trying to tell her and nodded her head.

“There’s one more thing.” Derus shook his finger at Cubara. “There was another strange reaction from Raon’s body. Investigate everything about Raon’s life again.”

“Understood.”

Cubara nodded without hesitation even though she already had a huge pile of information about Raon.

“You should go on ahead. They’ve likely already read the direction of the attack.”

“Yes,” she immediately responded and disappeared into Derus’s shadow.

“When ‘she’ mentioned that someone could get in my way, I obviously thought it was going to be Glenn Zieghart. However…”

Derus narrowed his eyes, his hands clasped behind his back. His lips curved into an emotionless smile as he gazed down upon Raon, his eyes filled with anger and exhilaration.

“It might be you instead.”

Before the resonance of his quiet voice even came to an end, cold wind was all that remained in the mountainside where he used to stand.

* * *

They left.

Wrath furrowed his brow while clutching his forehead.

Damn it! This is so frustrating.

He kept repeating the same thing, saying that he would’ve run to catch the perpetrator if only he had his body.

Raon nodded while tapping on Wrath’s head, which had turned red from anger.

‘Derus Robert… Just how powerful have you become?’

Even though Wrath wasn’t in his real body, his senses still far surpassed Raon’s aura perception. However, even Wrath had completely missed the presence until Derus had started to attack. Raon could guess that Deurs must’ve improved far more than he had imagined.

“Auntie. We should be fine now.” Raon sighed briefly and held Aries’s shoulder.

“Hmm?” Aries widened her eyes, wondering what he was talking about.

“When we consider that they went for a surprise attack from afar, they likely don’t wish to reveal their identity. They’re likely gone by now.”

“I’m aware, but…”

She briefly nodded, showing that she’d expected that much.

“They must’ve escaped already. You can relax now.”

Raon stood up while smiling.

“Wh-what just happened?”

“What’s even going on?!”

“An enemy?”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan ran toward them, realizing that the situation was over. It wasn’t just them. The entirety of the Light Wind Division was showing their surprise with their gazes.

“There was an assault.” Serena furrowed her brow, looking in the direction where the dark blade had come from.

“A-an assault?” Dorian widened his eyes, coming out from the sofa, where he’d been hiding.

“Yes. I’m not sure who they were, but they were going for Raon.” Rimmer bit his lip while looking at them. He seemed frustrated that he couldn’t stop the blow.

“I-I didn’t notice at all.”

“Damn it!”

“Hmm…”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan were also clenching their fists in irritation, frustrated that they couldn’t do anything against the attack.

“They were powerful enough that even I barely noticed the attack. I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t prepared.” Aries shook her head at the three team leaders, telling them they shouldn’t blame themselves. “Even among the Transcenders, the attacker should be one of the stronger ones. They might even reach my father’s level…”

“Our head of house?”

“Yes.” She sighed, saying that it was possible despite how unbelievable it was.

“I can’t tell who it was. I’ve never seen that aura before.” Rimmer furrowed his brow, saying that he couldn’t guess who the perpetrator was at all.

“A-a Transcender?”

“Why would a Transcender try to kill Raon…?”

Cold sweat flowed down Burren and Martha’s noses.

“It must be because I’ve ruined their plan,” Raon chuckled while pointing at the grave’s entrance, where the darkness was wavering.

“You ruined their plan?” Aries rapidly shifted her gaze, asking what he was talking about.

“That place wasn’t a grave. It was set up in countless ways to make a war break out within the Six Kings, Five Demons, and the neutral factions. What happened there was…” Raon briefly explained what happened in the grave to Aries.

“…Since their plan, which had to have cost an astronomical amount of manpower and resources, was ruined, the leader of the faction that devised the plan must’ve tried to kill me.”

“Hmm, that’s true…”

“That must be the case.”

Serena and Rimmer nodded in agreement.

“So, who is the one who devised that plan?”

Aries swept her side hair back, glaring at the spot where the blade was launched from.

“There’s no one like them even among the Six Kings and the Five Demons. No… We can’t be sure, but their names are all known.”

She furrowed her brow, saying that she’d never seen anyone like that despite having seen all of the leaders of the Six Kings and the Five Demons.

“I’m not sure either. However…”

Raon smiled faintly while looking at the scabbard piece, where Derus’s Umbral Surge was dwelling inside.

“They won’t be able to hide forever.”

Derus betraying his expectations wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

Since he’d revealed his energy, it wasn’t completely impossible to identify the Sky Sword Saint Derus Robert as the villain Derus Robert, who’d committed countless misconducts in the underworld, in the future.

The fact that Derus had revealed his Umbral Surge could’ve been the biggest profit he’d gained that day, even surpassing the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s martial arts.

“Anyway, it really seems to be over.” Aries nodded while looking at the quiet forest. “We should quickly leave this place just in case, but before that…”

She briefly licked her lips and looked at Rector the Sword Demon before asking, “Why are you even here, geezer? I mean, why did you defend him?”

Aries showed her confusion, staring at the Sword Demon with serious eyes.

“So…” Rector slowly turned around. His gaze was so calm that it even looked coldhearted. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“No.” Aries calmly shook her head. “I’m thankful. I wouldn’t have been able to save Raon if it weren’t for you, geezer. I couldn’t properly exert my strength because I had to move too quickly.”

She honestly admitted her lack of strength, just like her usual personality.

“I’m thankful, but I still don’t understand it. Why did you save Raon? What are you plotting?”

“......”

Raon briefly nodded while watching Rector’s emotionless complexion.

‘She’s right.’

Unlike Aries, there was no reason at all for Rector to risk getting injured to save him.

“I only saved him because the legacy in the grave would disappear without him.” Rector glanced sideways with a freezing glare.

“And how did you figure that out?”

“It would’ve been strange if I didn’t. They’ve been rambling about it all this time.”

He pointed at the neutral faction’s warriors who’d come out along with the Light Wind Division. He must’ve heard about the circumstances inside the grave through their chatter.

“Hmm…”

“I-I’m sorry.”

The neutral faction’s warriors bowed their heads, unable to offer any excuse for their actions.

“That was the only reason.”

Rector’s sword vibrated faintly as if it craved immediate bloodshed.

“Hmm…”

Raon groaned while looking at Rector’s emotionless eyes.

‘It’s not completely impossible.’

The Holy Sword Alliance was crazy for swords and swordsmanship, and the Sword Demon was one of them. That was why it wasn’t totally implausible that it was the reason behind his actions.

However, the Sword Demon’s gaze was so impatient that it couldn’t be the only reason. Raon could guess that he was lying.

“I can’t really believe it, but…” Aries tilted her head, expressing her doubt. “I guess there’s no reason to pry any further.”

“......”

Rector maintained his cold expression, as if he didn’t really care what she thought about it.

“So, are you looking for a fight to claim the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s legacy?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

He embedded his sword into his eyes as if he were asking for a fight to death. His human self seemed to have turned into a sword incarnate.

“What a crazy geezer.”

Aries furrowed her brow and raised her sword at mid-height. The principles of the space sword flowed around her, distorting her surroundings like a shimmering heat haze.

Rumble!

Just as Aries and Rector were about to thrust their swords towards each other’s body and soul…

Crack!

The blades they were holding were cracked at the same time. It was at the parts that they’d used to fend off Derus’s attack.

“......”

“......”

Aries and Rector relaxed their stances after observing each other’s weapons for a moment.

“Since there’s an unidentified Transcender, I don’t think today is a good day for it.”

“I agree.”

Rector nodded, and the Holy Sword Alliance’s warriors who’d been hiding behind him started to approach.

“Raon Zieghart, let me ask two questions before I leave.”

“Please do.”

Raon nodded at Rector, who was treating him like a complete stranger.

“Did the Master of the Abyssal Sword die?”

“Yes.”

“Next question. Did you really acquire the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s martial arts?”

“Yes.”

“The way you shattered your scabbard must’ve been one of the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s techniques.”

“Indeed.”

Raon nodded since it was meaningless to lie to him.

“I see.”

Rector calmly nodded with an unreadable expression and turned around without hesitation.

“I won’t be sending you off.”

Aries shook her hand, gesturing for him to leave already.

Raon watched Rector as he slowly left when he suddenly widened his eyes. He saw a familiar face behind him.

“Mustan!”

It was Mustan, Rector’s disciple.

“......”

Once his name was called, Mustan’s shoulders flinched before he turned around.

“Come over here!”

Mustan’s soul was bound to him because of the emotion of Envy. Raon guessed that he might be able to figure out Rector’s real intention if he asked Mustan.

“I can’t do that.”

However, Mustan refused his order. He calmly stared at him for a moment before he followed Rector.

‘What?’

Mustan’s eyes were pure and the energy of Envy shackling him still remained. Raon couldn’t understand why he was ignoring his order even though his soul was bound to him.

The reason is simple.

Wrath snorted, saying that it was a trivial matter.

If a subordinate whose soul belongs to you disobeys you, it implies that he believes your command wouldn’t be beneficial to you.

‘Then could it be…?’

Raon swallowed nervously while looking at Rector, who was walking in front of Mustan.

***

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]