Chapter 670

Splash.

The demonic energy being trampled under Raon’s foot was wriggling like a bug. The demonic energy trembled in a grotesque manner, as if it was terrified, before it flew down between the handrails.

Tsk.

Raon clicked his tongue, climbing the stairs that were saturated with demonic energy.

‘This is endless.’

He would’ve exhausted the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier’s energies just to reach that place if he hadn’t had the emotion of wrath that Wrath had given him.

The reason Baorn had done everything at the top of the tower must’ve been because he believed Raon wouldn’t be able to break through that terrible path of demonic energy.

Kuh…

Wrath’s plump fist trembled as he was sitting on Raon’s shoulder.

This is not what the King of Essence wanted! This isn’t why he gave you the wraaath!

He kept screaming in frustration as Raon climbed the stairs. He seemed to be unable to believe that his weapon had become Raon’s.

‘I’ll buy you some ice cream after everything is over. Please be quiet for now.”

Raon sighed while pressing down on Wrath’s head.

Haap.

Wrath closed his mouth tightly, as if he’d been waiting for it. Raon was hit with the suspicion that Wrath had been working toward that goal the whole time. He seriously couldn't get used to that demon king.

“Hey.”

Saintess Olga shook her hand from behind him and asked, “Aren’t you busting your butt?”

“Busting my butt?”

“I’m asking if you aren’t overstraining yourself too much!” Her eyebrows trembled, unable to believe that he could drive away the demonic energy without any issues. “If you’re using your lifeforce…”

“Don’t worry about me. I’m not as reckless as you.”

“What the fuck…? What’s with that attitude when I’m worried about you?” Olga ground her teeth violently while glaring at Raon.

“What do you mean that you aren’t as reckless as her?” Rimmer looked at Raon, wondering what he was talking about.

“The fake saintess over there is consuming her own lifeforce whenever she runs out of holy power.”

“What…?”

“The black lines engraved on her limbs aren’t tattoos. It’s the result of a phenomenon where the skin melts as she converts her lifeforce into holy power.” Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the saintess’s pouting lips.

“Hey! That’s the same as borrowing money with a high interest rate with no prospect of paying back! Why are you living like that?!” Rimmer’s eyes widened at her ridiculous behavior because he had an experience of fighting like that in the past.

“It’s none of your business how I live.” Olga shook her hand, telling him to mind his own business.

“Don’t waste your holy power for no reason.”

Raon gestured with his chin towards Olga’s frowning expression. Her personality was the complete opposite, but what she was doing reminded him of Merlin, making him feel uncomfortable.

“I’m the one who’ll take care of my own life. Shut up already.”

“You are going to die before you even punch them at this rate.”

Wrath had provided another piece of information about Olga’s heavenly connection.

‘Early death.’

People whose upper energy center was open from the moment of their birth regardless of their intentions were unable to live long.

‘Are you sure she really doesn’t have much longer to live?’

The King of Essence already said so! Her upper energy center is a lot more open than Pineapple Girl’s. She won’t live for long even if she wants to!

Wrath snorted, complaining about how many times he had to ask.

‘I can understand why Baorn said that.’

The reason King Baorn had said that he would kill the god who was trying to take Olga away so early must’ve been because he knew about her lifespan.

‘I never expected to see a woman who is as insane as Merlin.’

She was already born with a short lifespan, yet she was further shortening it in order to save others. She was pretty much a moth flying into fire while carrying straws on the back.

“You…”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Olga, and Wrath suddenly surged up.

Wait a moment! There’s no way the ice cream shop would be intact in the midst of this mess! Go outside right now!

‘We just need to buy from another store… They’re above us.’

Raon had been trying to convince Wrath, who was clinging to him, to calm down when he suddenly looked upstairs. The flow of demonic energy was intensifying rapidly. 

Someone was upstairs.

He climbed the stairs, his eyes landing on Father Firn and Royal Guard Captain Danief, who were standing on the gray land. It seemed to be a mixture of holy power and demonic energy.

“I didn’t expect that you’d really manage to get here.” Father Firn’s eyes widened in surprise.

“......”

Danief was still speechless. He was staring at them calmly.

“Firn! Danief!” As soon as Olga came upstairs, she shouted their names. “You sons of bitches!”

Her shoulders trembled as if they were about to collapse, showing her intense frustration.

“Olga.” Father Firn smiled, calling Olga by her name instead of her title as a saintess. “You came all the way here after unleashing enough holy power to protect the entire kingdom. You are really going to die at this rate.”

He calmly shook his head, implying that he knew about Olga’s secret.

“Yes, I’m going to die. After killing you first.” Olga gritted her teeth and raised her fist.

“You are the one that I can’t understand, even less than Olga.” Firn let out a small sigh, his eyes turning to Raon. “I can’t understand what you used to break through the demonic energy. It wasn’t holy power, aura, or mana. What power did you…?”

“......”

Raon didn’t answer Father Firn’s question. He stepped upon the gray floor and headed towards the stairs leading to the next floor.

“I’m sorry, but this is as far as you can go, Sir Raon!”

“......”

Father Firn thrust his fist, white energy blazing around it, and Danief unsheathed his sword, going for his neck at the same time.

Raon didn’t even take a glance at Father Firn and Danief. He advanced toward the stairs indifferently.

Whoosh!

Before Father Firn’s punch and Danief’s blade could reach Raon, a white light and a blue wind floated into the air.

Clang!

It was Rimmer and Olga. They blocked Father Firn and Danief’s attacks perfectly, standing to the left of and behind Raon.

“I’m your opponent!” Olga ground her teeth, blocking Father Firn’s punch with her forearm.

“I was asked to take care of you from the very beginning.” Rimmer licked his lips, looking at Danief, who was crossing blades with him.

Raon climbed the stairs, which were filled with even more powerful demonic energy, without even glancing at Olga and Rimmer’s clashes.

“Hey!” Olga furrowed her brow while looking around at Raon. “Bring that fucker Baorn back by his collar!”

“If he’s still alive.”

Raon nodded casually and climbed to the next floor. He didn’t look back or slow his steps. That showed his full trust toward the two of them.

“Stop!”

Firn’s body became blurry, as if he were seeping into a fog. He headed to the stairs in order to catch Raon, but Olga’s body blocked his path in front of the stairs.

Whaam!

The fists incorporating the holy power clashed against each other, a powerful shockwave engulfing the surroundings.

Claaang!

Danief also launched the astral energy at Raon, but it was stopped by Rimmer’s sword, only causing an intense vibration that was capable of destroying the floor.

“Get out of my way—”

“It’s time to distribute the cards since you joined the game. Where do you think you are going?” Rimmer nodded his head, looking at Danief’s wavering eyes.

“Olga! You have to believe in his majesty!” Firn’s chin trembled as he pushed Olga’s fist away.

“Believe in him? Are you seriously telling me to believe in a king who joined forces with a demon and sacrificed his people?” Olga twisted her lips into a smile while looking at Firn.

“We are living in turbulent times. This is the only way to survive in this continent, where the Six Kings, the Five Demons, and even the monsters surpassing them are rampaging around! His majesty made this decision in order to save this kingdom—”

“I agree that God is a son of a bitch. God is deaf and blind. But you don’t even have eyes or eardrums!”

She gritted her teeth and thrust her fist, which was surrounded by holy power.

Wham!

Firn easily fended off Olga’s extremely fast punch and raised his hand to chop at her abdomen.

Whack!

Olga blocked his hand with her elbow, but she stepped back with a frown on her face, implying that she was losing in sheer strength.

Thud!

Olga pushed the ground and dashed toward Firn. She punched him repeatedly, giving him no time to breathe.

The attacks looked random, but an intricate technique refined over a long period of time dwelled within.

However, Firn deflected all of her punches as if he were reading the flow of her fist perfectly.

“Olga.” Father Firn shook his head, getting into a similar posture as Olga. “It looks like you are forgetting who taught you martial arts.”

He narrowed his eyes, extending his fist with the white flame of divinity blazing around it.

“Yes, I learned it from you.” Olga nodded calmly.

‘I forgot? Definitely not.’

She could clearly remember when she tried to copy Firn’s punches with her small, childish hands. Baorn and Danief were smiling behind them, sunlight stiffening her dress, and a refreshing wind was cooling her sweat-drenched hair.

She didn’t forget a moment of it.

It was precisely because her memories with them were engraved in her head that she had to stop her teacher, who’d given up on being a human—even if her life had to come to an end.

“Olga, you can’t win against me.”

“I heard that masters are happy when their disciples surpass them.”

Olga lowered her posture as if she were crawling on the ground. She almost looked like a lion hiding in the bushes, targeting its prey.

“I wonder if it will be the case for you.”

Her skin on her shoulders and thighs melted, engraving her with a holy scar.

Creak!

Olga kicked the ground, a noble expression that suggested that she didn’t seem to feel any pain at all on her face. She reappeared on the left, her fist thrusting towards Firn’s waist.

“Hmm.”

Firn’s eyebrows trembled slightly in surprise, but he still managed to block Olga’s punch by raising his fist.

Whoosh!

As if Olga had expected that her punch would be blocked, she took another step toward Firn to connect into multiple punches. The shockwave erupted from the impact of her sharpened fist.

“For you to surpass me—Hmm?” Firn was deflecting Olga’s fist, but his shoulders suddenly trembled.

‘What is this…?’

The trajectories of Olga’s punches were gradually growing unexpected, and they were also powerful enough to break through his defenses and shake his bones and organs. 

To his knowledge, Olga wasn’t that powerful.

Smaaack!

The impact from Olga’s fist became far too powerful, making it difficult to defend against. The moment his fingers trembled from the intense pain, her fist struck his waist.

“Cough!”

Firn coughed up blood and was sent flying backward. His waist was deeply dented, like crumpled paper.

“Wh-what…?”

“It’s too early to be surprised.” Olga approached Firn while gritting her teeth and thrusting her fist once again.

“Kuh!”

Firn raised both his hands into a defensive posture. He gave up on offense and focused all of his holy power on defending himself.

However, Olga’s fist bent like a long whip to ignore Firn’s defense, rupturing his shoulder and abdomen.

Whack!

Firn coughed up blood and clashed against the wall of demonic energy.

“Wh-what’s happening…?”

“I’ve always wanted you to stay above me.” Olga bit her lip, standing in front of Firn, whose legs were trembling.

“No way…” Firn shook his head with trembling lips. “Have you been hiding your power…?”

“My realm of martial arts kept increasing like crazy the closer I got to the end of my life.” Olga nodded heavily. “Shall I call it a gift from death?”

She twisted her lips downwards and thrust her left fist.

“Kuh…”

Firn couldn’t even withstand a single punch from Olga anymore, getting hit on the right side of his chest and rolling across the ground.

“Stand up. You have a long way to go for me to finish venting my frustrations.”

“A-amazing. However…”

Firn put his hands together while coughing up black blood. Black demonic energy erupted above the white holy power, unlike before. His wounds that had revealed his flesh after the punches began to regenerate while wriggling.

“I can’t withdraw here either!” Firn shouted, charging at her. The gentleness in his face had changed into complete malice.

Rumble!

The divinity and demonic energy engulfing his fist created a sinister harmony. The tremendous amount of energy storming around seemed to be trying to destroy the space itself.

Whaam!

Olga stomped the ground powerfully. Her eyes were reflecting her faith instead of fear.

“This is the last skill you taught me.”

The faint white light glowing from her small fist started to radiate intensely, as if it were reflecting the sunlight. The shards of divinity scattered by the demonic energy started to twine with each other like threads, creating a brilliant glimmer.

Swaaa!

Olga and Firn’s postures looked like reflections in a mirror. However, the victory and defeat of the master and disciple who’d decided to walk different paths were decided by their wills.

Crack!

Since Olga had only walked a single path from the beginning, or rather because she didn’t even look at the downward path, her fist destroyed Firn’s demonic energy and smacked his right cheek heavily.

“Cough…”

Firn’s cheekbone was broken, and he collapsed on the ground while spitting out all of his white teeth. The light faded away from his eyes, implying that he’d fainted from the single strike.

“Huff…”

As soon as Firn collapsed, Olga sank to the ground, coughing up black blood. Three more black lines were created on her leg. It was surprising that she was still alive.

“Shit…”

Olga swore while looking up at the ceiling. She violently ground her teeth, frustrated by the fact that she couldn’t move anymore.

“Make sure to drag him down here!”

“The pupil surpassing the master.” Rimmer pointed his chin at Olga while facing Danief in front of him. “It’s the wish of all masters. Is that also the case for the knights?”

“......”

Danief swung his sword upwards from below without saying anything. The slash, utilizing an astral sphere, skimmed past the tip of Rimmer’s hair.

“Knights have chivalry. Does chivalry state that you are allowed to do such a thing?”

“…A knight’s job is to risk his life for the lord.” Danief’s eyes glowed in a frightening manner as he swung his sword diagonally.

“A knight can even jump into the hellfire if ordered by the lord.”

“That’s wrong.”

Rimmer shook his head and easily pushed back Danief’s sword. It wasn’t by sheer strength. The will accumulated by his soul was dwelling in his sword.

“You are gravely mistaken about a knight’s nature.”

“You are just a lowly swordsman…”

“Yes. The lowly swordsman in front of you is going to teach you about true chivalry.”

Green wind and red lightning started to rampage around the white blade he was holding.

“Sword Field Creation. Song of Wind and Lightning.”

As his silvery voice resounded throughout the space, the world filled with demonic energy became twisted. The wind and lightning incorporating the energy of the Great Nature stormed around from all directions, radiating a powerful light.

“It will be done in a single strike.”

Rimmer nodded at him while pulling back the blade with wind and lightning dwelling inside.

“......”

Danief accepted the single-strike match. He wielded his sword with two hands and pulled out all of his aura. The astral sphere blazing above his blade was heaving like a wave.

Drip.

The moment the water droplet of demonic energy flowing down from the ceiling fell on the ground, the swords of the swordsman and the knight turned into a dazzling ray, advancing towards their opponents.

Rumble!

The astral sphere blazing from Danief’s blade surged down like a tidal wave, trying to erase everything from Rimmer. The demonic energy getting in the astral sphere’s way was ruthlessly destroyed.

Cring!

Rimmer’s eyes sparked blue, and the wind and lightning rampaging all around subsided in an instant, being absorbed into his blade.

Sword Field Creation, Eye of the Storm.

It was a new sword field, applying the last strike of the Eye of the Storm into the Song of Wind and Lightning.

The Light Wind Style’s wind was what made it possible. The wind ruling over the atmosphere summoned a storm of lightning from the darkness.

Danief’s blue tidal wave was in the way of the single trajectory that the lightning storm was creating.

Crack!

The wave of astral sphere that Danief had poured his all into was cleaved in two, his sword crumbling into pieces.

Psssh!

A dangerous amount of blood gushed from Danief’s chest. He fell to his knees in total exhaustion and dropped his sword, which was split in half.

“Wh-what…?” Danief’s lips trembled in disbelief, blood pouring from them. “…should I have done?”

He wasn’t asking about his defeat. He was asking how he could’ve stopped Baorn.

“A knight isn’t a marionette that does nothing but follow their lord.”

Rimmer bit his lip, thinking about Barphil the Boltweaver and Cohman Knight Captain Kuzan, who had perished after saving Raon in the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave.

“The knights I’ve seen so far were capable of standing back up for the sake of their lord even after they’d sinned, and they risked their lives to stop their lord if they decided to walk the wrong path. If the lord strays away from their path, a true knight should kick their ass if necessary in order to teach them the right path.”

“Kick the ass of the lord who is walking the wrong path…”

Danief clenched his fist while looking upwards. He seemed to be regretting that he was unable to stop Baorn.

“Don’t worry. The king that I serve is going to drag your foolish lord down.”

“The king that you serve?”

“Yes. He is a delinquent king who kicks me before I even have to kick him.”

The moment Rimmer nodded his head, the demonic energy covering the upper floor was divided, golden flames surging from it. He smiled while pointing at the young man with blond hair and red eyes standing amid the flame.

“That young man is the young king of Zieghart that I follow.”

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Harley]