On a hill that rose like the horn of a buffalo.
"Ah..."
Rector the Sword Demon, who had been watching the war between Zieghart and the South-North Union, let out a weary sigh.
"Raon..."
He couldn't take his eyes off Raon, who stood next to Glenn, his dry lips trembling.
"M-Master!"
Mustan lowered the telescope from his right eye and approached Rector.
"Is that really Lord Raon? I can't believe it even though I'm seeing it with my own eyes!"
He panted, unable to believe that Raon had saved Glenn.
"It is. It really is..."
Rector clutched his rapidly beating chest, his gaze still fixed on Raon.
"It's Raon. The child has returned."
Only Raon could exude such a mysterious yet bold aura. His grandson, thought to be dead, had returned even stronger.
"Haa..."
Rector placed his hand on the ground. His legs had given out, and he could no longer stand.
'Thank goodness.'
He had stayed on this battlefield to save Sylvia, but he never imagined he'd see Raon again. Seeing that child alive and well even soothed the piercing pain in his mind.
Especially the sight of his grandson standing proudly after saving Glenn Zieghart from the Transcendent Warrior's ambush made even his seemingly dead heart beat again.
'Should I say it's a pity...'
He even had the absurd thought that he wished it had been him Raon had saved, not Glenn.
'But that's not right.'
Rector let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
"Master, what shall we do?"
"For now, we watch."
On the Six Kings' side, there's Zieghart, Owen, Balkar, and the Beast Union, while the Five Demons have the South-North Union, Eden, and the White Blood Religion. The skill of that blue Dragon Helmet Demon is unknown, but with the elf from Sepia and two Spirit Kings by Raon's side, they absolutely won't lose.
'Still, just in case, it'd be better to get a bit closer.'
He decided to descend the hill, ready to save Raon if he were in danger.
"He'll be here soon too, so let's go down to the riverbank."
"Understood."
Mustan nodded and gestured to the subordinates behind him.
"Raon."
Rector clenched his fist, his eyes fixed on Raon as if vowing never to lose him again.
"Thank you for coming back."
* * *
The war, which had paused at Raon's shout, resumed. The first to move were Ogram and the Martial Artists of the Beast Union.
"Follow me!"
Ogram leaped towards the right harbor. Despite being in a difficult situation where he could barely handle the First Apostle, he charged fearlessly towards the White Blood Religion.
The colorless fist aura that extended from Ogram's fist exploded, simultaneously bursting the heads of five White Blood Religion members.
"You mosquito bitch."
He stood before the Leader of the White Blood Religion, a sinister smile on his face.
"Did you enjoy my blood?"
"Indeed. It was quite sweet."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion licked her lips, eyeing Ogram's neck.
"Thanks to that, I've gained the power to easily crush you, even before you lost your strength."
She nodded, seemingly ecstatic.
"Oh really? Let's see you try!"
Ogram twitched his finger as if daring her to come at him.
"You'll die, you know? I don't need your blood anymore."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion curled her red lips into a sneer.
"A warrior from the Beast Union does not fear death!"
As Ogram was about to charge in with his subordinates, the elegant sound of horse hooves came from behind him. King Lecross, the Silent Sword Master, stood beside Ogram with his silver knights.
"The Leader of the White Blood Religion has become unbelievably strong."
He frowned at the powerful bloody energy emanating from the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"We'll need the Beast King's help."
Lecross raised the white sword hanging from his saddle and looked down at Ogram. He smiled, saying he needed help rather than offering it, so as not to hurt Ogram's pride.
"Your courtesy is excessive."
Ogram chuckled and shook his head.
"Fine. The more hands to kill this mosquito, the better!"
He clenched his fist, glaring at the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"Will the two of you be enough?"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion snorted and brought her hands together. Behind her, a Blood God of a different form from before appeared. The Blood God's size swelled to more than half again, its arms and weapons increased, and a halo of pure white light floated behind its back.
The tremendous wave of bloody energy made it seem as if a haze of pure white was rising around them.
"Kuh..."
"Six Kings bastards!"
"Protect the Leader!"
At the advent of the new Godly Blood Summoning Ritual, the White Blood Religion members flashed their eyes, raising an even fiercer bloody energy.
"Let's go!"
Ogram roared and stomped the ground. The colorless aura that blazed from his shoulders burst through space as it extended.
"Charge."
King Lecross spurred his horse forward. The clear aura emanating from his white sword formed a massive lance and shot forward. The powerful shockwave from the clash between the White Blood Religion, Beast Union, and Owen Kingdom swept through the South-North Union headquarters.
While the White Blood Religion and Beast Union clashed on the ground, Eden and Balkar were competing in the sky.
"Why don't you call the other two instead of wasting time?"
The Fallen narrowed his eyes at Chamber, who was sucking on a lollipop.
"Don't try to be clever."
Chamber pushed up her witch's hat, twisting her lips.
"You think we'd bring the other two when we don't know what you're up to?"
She snorted and turned her gaze.
"I can understand the Holy Sword Alliance, but the Black Tower has a big grudge against Raon and Zieghart because of the Flame Demon General incident. The fact that they're not here means they're up to something else. Are we crazy enough to bring them all?"
Chamber waved her hand as if shooing away flies.
"The little Derus and the shut-in are guarding our home. Don't worry about it." (E/N: *cough* *cough*)
"It's not going to be easy, is it?"
The Fallen shook his head, looking at Chamber. He surveyed the chaotic battlefield and let out a short breath.
"This war will truly bring more losses than gains."
"Is this really the time to be thinking about that?"
Chamber sneered and spread her hands. The sky and ground reversed as if an hourglass had been flipped, leaving The Fallen and Eden's executives standing upside down.
"Forget about gains and losses, worry about your own life!"
As Chamber brought her hands together, space compressed, and the bodies of The Fallen and Eden's executives seemed about to be torn apart.
"Kuh..."
"Argh!"
"T-This is..."
As Eden's executives screamed, unable to escape Chamber's magic, The Fallen snapped his fingers. With a crisp sound, the distorted space straightened out, and the inverted world returned to its original form, bathed in brilliant light.
"I've become quite familiar with your magic. It's not difficult to manipulate."
The Fallen shook his head, saying Chamber's magic was simple.
"What a coincidence. Same here."
As Chamber tilted her chin, the world began to rotate in her desired direction again. The sky and ground, caught between the two Transcendent Warriors, gradually darkened as if struggling.
"Kill them."
"Destroy them all!"
Eden's executives behind The Fallen and Chamber's magic battalion clashed in the distorted space. After decades, the Six Kings and Five Demons finally confronted each other head-on.
* * *
Raon quickly assessed the increasingly complex battlefield situation.
'The Leader of the White Blood Religion has definitely gotten stronger.'
The Leader of the White Blood Religion seemed to have absorbed all of Ogram's blood, emitting a much more ferocious bloody energy than before. However, with both Ogram and King Lecross against her, it should be fine.
'The Fallen and Lady Chamber are evenly matched.'
The Fallen seemed to have a slight edge, but there wasn't a significant difference between the two. That side should be manageable as well.
'And here...'
Glenn Zieghart was beside me, and our enemies were the South-North Union Leader and Derus Robert. All three had sustained serious injuries, so neither side could overwhelm the other.
'However...'
Raon lifted his gaze towards the sky.
'We have the Spirit Kings on our side.'
Beside him were Ifrit, the Fire Spirit King, and Elayim, the Water Spirit King. With these two Spirit Kings, they couldn't lose.
"Raon!"
Sylvia ran quickly towards Raon, seemingly forgetting they were in the middle of a war, and embraced him.
"Raon. Raon."
I could feel her shoulders trembling as if they might break.
-Mom...
Wrath sniffled as he nestled against Sylvia's head.
"I'm sorry."
Raon bit his lip as he held Sylvia's shaking shoulders.
"It's okay. As long as you're alive, it's okay."
Sylvia raised her softly glistening eyes, grateful just to see him again.
"You bastard, what happened to you!"
Martha bared her teeth as if about to grab his collar, her eyes reddening.
"Raon. Are you alright?"
Burren nodded, as if everything was fine now that he had returned.
"Uh..."
Runaan pursed her lips, unable to express her emotions at the moment.
"Division Leader!"
"Raon..."
Dorian and Yua rubbed their reddened noses with sorrowful expressions.
"Let's catch up later."
Rimmer shook his head as he stood in front of Raon.
"We need to end this war first."
He shrugged, looking more pleased than anyone despite his words.
"Of course."
Raon nodded and surveyed Derus and the South-North Union Leader again.
'The South-North Union Leader is in worse shape.'
Although Derus was also severely injured, his energy remained intact. On the other hand, the South-North Union Leader had not only sustained serious injuries but his energy had also greatly diminished, making him easier to deal with. It seemed best to leave the South-North Union Leader to Glenn and use the Spirit Kings to pressure Derus.
"Ifrit."
Raon pointed at Derus Robert.
"Attack him."
"Leave it to me!"
Ifrit pounced on Derus, scattering Crimson Flame from his hands.
"Lady Siyana, I'll need your help too."
"Ah, yes!"
Siyana bowed her head and advanced towards Derus alongside Elayim. The death aura blazing atop Derus's sword clashed with Ifrit's Crimson Flame in mid-air, creating a blood-red wall. On the opposite side, the Moon Water waves drawn by Elayim, the Water Spirit King, blocked Derus's space to move.
"Was I always this popular?"
Derus twisted his lips into a smile, his gaze fixed on Raon rather than the two Spirit Kings.
'He seems to be hiding something.'
His expression suggested he wasn't finished yet. He clearly had another strategy.
'I'll have to wait.'
Since both he and Glenn were injured and exhausted, it seemed best to use the power of the two Spirit Kings to force Derus to reveal his hidden card.
'Whatever it is, we have the advantage now.'
As Raon was about to move towards Derus, suppressing his internal injuries, Glenn approached from the side.
"Raon. Come this way."
Glenn raised his Heavenly Tremor, suggesting they attack the South-North Union Leader together.
"Me too?"
"Yes. Follow me."
Glenn nodded and stepped forward first. His body became a red light beam as he advanced. Raon followed behind Glenn, raising his Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Red flower petals blooming from the blade covered the battlefield. Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Heavenly Drive. Fire Spirit.
A storm of red flowers, more splendid and elegant, swept over Dranos's entire body.
"This is nothing!"
Dranos, true to his Transcendent Warrior status, instantly erased the Fire Spirit despite his severe injuries. However, the moment the Fire Spirit's petals settled, an even deeper red light burst forth from Glenn's Heavenly Tremor. Dranos, unable to withstand the power imbued in the Heavenly Tremor, fell to his knees on the river's surface.
"Kuhak..."
He coughed up blood, leaning on his half-broken Sea Spirit Spear.
"Hmm..."
But black blood also seeped from Glenn's lips. It seemed he had been internally injured even before this war began. His internal injuries must have worsened when he was exposed to the death aura while forcibly twisting the direction of the Heavenly Sword.
"Let's keep going."
Glenn wiped the blood with the back of his hand and struck down an even thicker lightning bolt.
"Yes!"
Raon nodded and fired his Flame Dragon Strike. Dranos gripped his broken Sea Spirit Spear and braced himself, but before long, he was helplessly pushed back, coughing up blood.
"Kuhehe..."
Dranos trembled as he held the Sea Spirit Spear, a grotesque smile forming on his face.
"You're so desperate to kill me. Fine. I'll die!"
He raised the Sea Spirit Spear, screaming. An enormous energy, no less than Glenn's, blazed from him. The entire Lable River seemed to flip over from the tremendous wave of aura.
"He's using his life force."
As Glenn said, Dranos was not only using his aura but also drawing on his very life force to envelop the spear. It was a determination to kill us even if it meant his death.
"Raon."
Glenn stepped forward, raising his Heavenly Tremor.
"Have you mastered the tenth form of the Azure Sky Sword?"
"Yes. I was able to grasp it this time."
"Then use that. Watch my back and follow."
He nodded approvingly and stepped forward.
"Great Canal!"
The South-North Union Leader threw the Sea Spirit Spear, concentrating all the energy he had accumulated. A massive Water Dragon, formed by the azure aura blazing in place of the broken spear tip, appeared, threatening to engulf the entire river.
As the Water Dragon opened its dark maw, ready to devour everything, a noble aura settled on Glenn's Heavenly Tremor. A dark and heavy sky blocked the Water Dragon's ascent.
A different sky was contained in Raon's Heavenly Drive. It was an endless, vast, and unchanging blue sky. The tenth form of the Azure Sky Sword, Azure Sky Drive. The different colored skies drawn by Raon and Glenn, grandfather and grandson, created a mysterious harmony, unfolding a majestic light.
The enormous Water Dragon that had obscured even the sky was torn apart with its mouth agape, and a red line was drawn across the neck of the South-North Union Leader standing behind it.