Chapter 707

Whack!

Beorn stomped with his left foot to push Federick back and thrust his blade even more deeply into Raon’s chest where he’d fallen into the river.

‘I broke through him.’

He could feel the sensation of the blade piercing through his flesh. However, a Grandmaster didn’t die that easily. It was important to make sure to finish him off.

Whir!

Beorn unleashed the astral sphere at the tip of his blade, not paying any attention to the silver frost and water droplets bursting from the river.

“Stop it!”

Since Rimmer was rushing toward them at the speed of light, he immediately made the astral sphere explode.

Wham!

The astral sphere blazing from the tip of his blade exploded, the shockwave resulting from it engulfing their surroundings. The water splashed repeatedly, and the Light Wind Division’s swordsmen were swept away in all directions.

“Aaaaaah!”

Rimmer thrust his blade at Beorn while screaming.

Clang!

Beorn lifted his long blade from the river to fend off Rimmer’s strike. His sword was smeared with sticky blood.

“It’s already over.”

“Nonsense!”

Rimmer pushed forward with his sword while biting his lip, but Beorn’s gaze was unwavering.

“I pierced Raon Zieghart’s heart and exploded the astral sphere in it. Even a Transcender wouldn’t be able to survive that.” Beorn shook his head, saying that Raon must’ve been torn into pieces.

“There’s no way he would die that easily!” Rimmer violently pushed Beorn back and dived into the river to find Raon.

“You’re going to die!” Red bloodlust erupted from Martha’s black eyes. She unleashed Berserk and rushed at Beorn, unable to suppress her anger.

“Shut up!” The same went for Burren. He unleashed the blade of wind, veins bulging from the back of his hand.

Cring!

Instead of facing Rimmer, Burren, and Martha’s attacks, Beorn took a step back to deflect their power.

“I have no reason to fight you.” He narrowed his eyes, saying that he had already completed his mission.

“Hey, are you sure you killed him?” The Evil Goat Demon twisted his lips while blocking Rabawin’s sword.

“As I already said, I made the astral sphere explode inside his heart. Raon Zieghart is dead.” Beorn stated Raon’s death as if he were crushing the last hope remaining in them.

“You...”

“Aah...”

Burren and Martha lowered their swords as if strength was leaving their bodies. The Light Wind swordsmen’s chins were trembling in disbelief as well.

Even though everyone fell speechless with widened eyes, Runaan stepped forward.

“He isn’t dead.” She shook her head with unwavering eyes. “Raon never dies!”

With a ringing shout, she unleashed blue frost.

“Yeah, there’s no way that crazy bastard would be dead!” Martha nodded and followed Runaan.

“I have no intention of fighting you.” Beorn fell back once again without lifting his sword. He disappeared into the shadow of the waves, saying that his job was over.

The Evil Goat Demon started to laugh like a madman, a satisfied smile on his face despite coughing up blood under Rabawin’s pressure.

“The nuisance is finally dead.” His twisted gaze was directed at Runaan. “Runaan, we can finally become one. We’ll spend a happy time together...”

“That’s never going to happen.” Runaan maintained her composure despite facing the Evil Goat Demon’s frightening pressure. Her calm eyes looked like she was never going to waver in any situation. “Raon isn’t dead, and I’ll be the one to kill you, Syria.”

“Kill me?” A red tongue darted from the Evil Goat Demon’s helmet. “That doesn’t sound too bad.” He waved his hand with a smile, as if he were looking forward to it. “I’ll be back to fetch you soon.”

The Evil Goat Demon cut his own hand with his sword. The long blade became shorter once it absorbed the blood, and his body became blurry, as if he were surrounded by fog.

“What are you doing right now?!”

Rabawin’s sword cut through the Evil Goat Demon, but he turned into smoke and disappeared as if he were just an illusion. He seemed to have used the same artifact that he’d used to appear before them.

“Damn it!” Rabawin lashed at the river in frustration. He slapped his own cheeks to return to his senses and raised his gaze.

“Come down, everyone! Search the entire river!”

“Yes!”

The sailors on the Navy Wind put on their equipment and dove into the river to look for Raon.

“We should go as well. We need to find him no matter what. He must still be alive.”

“Yeah, there’s no way he is going to die here.”

Martha bit her lip and went ahead into the river. Burren and the Light Wind Division’s swordsmen nodded their heads and followed her.

“......”

Runaan clenched her trembling hands into a fist and dove into the river after everyone else.

* * *

Rumble!

The riverside where Raon and the Axe King’s duel to the death had occurred had become a completely different terrain.

The land and forest were completely gone, and the endless river was all that could be seen—as if it had become an ocean. The entire land was dug out, and the water had filled that space.

Wham!

The swordsman wearing the blue dragon helmet was sent flying on the thin layer of the river. Black blood was gushing from his mouth, and his right shoulder was completely wrecked, swaying like a reed.

“Kuhuhuhu.”

The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet casually straightened his back, acting as if he was unable to feel the pain. He grinned at Glenn, who hadn’t moved a step from his spot.

“Is this the famous Seamless Perfection? It did surpass the human realm for sure.”

“Can you really laugh now?”

The South-North Union’s leader furrowed his brow while wiping away the blood flowing from his lips. His sallow complexion suggested that he was also injured.

“Of course I’m laughing,” the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet giggled, clapping his hands. “Because this is a great opportunity for my progress.”

He scratched his own neck, saying that he could get a taste of another realm from watching Glenn’s sword.

Wham!

The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet lifted the dark sword while licking his lips, and the fissured sky shattered, Chamber and the Fallen emerging from it. The two magicians were wounded all around their bodies, a testament to their intense battle in the other dimension.

“You damned masked bastard!” Chamber ground her teeth, throwing back her witch hat, which was torn more than halfway.

“Even at your age, the title of the Archmage of Eternal Flame hasn’t lost its shine.” The Fallen smiled faintly while shaking off his torn robe. “However, I can see some small openings from time to time. Your moves are too shallow.”

“What a coincidence. I also figured out how to snap your wings.” Chamber beckoned with her fingers, asking to resume the battle.

“Stay back.”

Glenn raised Heavenly Tremor, standing next to Chamber. The lightning erupting from the white blade turned into thousands of lightning strikes, engulfing the world.

Whaaam!

The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet, the South-North Union’s leader, and the Fallen. The three Transcenders were pushed back by the lightning, blood gushing from their mouths.

“Let’s put an end to them right now.”

“What? Wahahahaha!”

Just as Glenn was about to unleash Heavenly Tremor with a pale expression on his face, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet burst into laughter, covering his ears. Even the battle came to a halt because of the sinister laughter.

“I see, so it ended up happening. What perfect timing.”

“What are you talking about...?”

“We should stop playing around.” He shook his hand, suggesting they stop fighting.

“You aren’t allowed to leave this place alive.” Glenn tried to approach with a furrowed brow, but two golden radiances fell from the sky.

Whaaam!

A wall separating Zieghart and their enemies was created, tearing the river apart.

“What...?” Sheryl raised her gaze while lowering her twin swords. Five dazzling lights were glimmering from the dark sky.

Dragons. Moreover, every single one of them was at least an ancient dragon.

Whir!

The enormous body of the gold dragon gleamed, the largest of all dragons in the world. It then shifted into a human form, landing gracefully in front of Glenn and the swordsman wearing the dragon helmet.

“Lord.” Glenn bit his lip while looking at the dragon lord blocking his path.

“Stop the fight.” The dragon lord stretched out his hand toward Glenn and the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet. “I can’t overlook the battle continuing any further.” He shook his head, demanding that they cease their battle.

“You always appear at a time like this.” Glenn curled his lips into a smile while looking at the dragon lord. “Withdraw now, or I’ll cut you down along with them.”

“Are you declaring a war against dragons right now?”

“You were the ones to offer offense first. I’m the one who will decide when I’ll ascend to heaven.” He raised Heavenly Tremor, showing that he was serious about it. The pure light radiance illuminating the world was an entirely different type of energy from the lightning.

Whir!

Calling him the sword god wasn’t enough to describe his absolute power. His posture was bringing mystery and despair at the same time.

“Wh-what the...?!”

The dragon lord stepped back in panic, and the South-North Union’s leader bit his lip to the point of bleeding. Even the Fallen was nervous, and his mask distorted as a result.

“How about listening to me before you swing that thing?” However, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet stepped forward, looking like he was enjoying the situation. “It’s about Raon Zieghart, who you were trying to protect by coming all the way here.”

He smiled, mimicking a slicing motion with his finger across his neck.

“He is dead.”

“......”

Glenn’s red eyes became turbulent, and Heavenly Tremor tilted downwards even though it looked like it was never going to waver.

“Bullshit!” Sheryl shook her head, treating it as nonsense.

“Don’t trust him! He is just trying to escape!” Roenn also furrowed his brow, claiming that he was definitely lying.

“You can go there and figure out if I’m telling the truth or not. He died at the location where your pirate ship was standing by.” The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet shrugged his shoulders, saying that he wasn’t lying. “It’s so sad that all of the protagonists of today’s duel have died.”

He laughed while covering his mouth, despite saying that he was sad.

“Pirate ship...”

Glenn’s hand trembled with Heavenly Tremor in his grasp, looking at the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet.

‘Is he telling the truth...?’

Aries’s pirate ship, the Navy Wind, had been standing by at a location where the South-North Union couldn’t see before heading upstream. The fact that the Navy Wind’s presence was revealed implied that Raon really may have been harmed.

“You won’t even be able to retrieve his corpse if you don’t go there right away.” The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet waved his hand, suggesting that he should hurry up and go.

“Old man, you can’t fight against them in your current state anyway,” Chamber sighed quietly and shook her head. “Let’s confirm Raon’s condition before we do anything.” She unleashed her mana, saying that she was going to send him there with a teleportation spell.

“...I understand.” Glenn nodded while gritting his back teeth. “If anything happened to Raon, you will never find peace, not in life or death.” The flame erupting from his eyes was showing that he was serious about it.

“I’ll be waiting.” The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet stretched out his hand while taking a step back.

“Get ready.” Chamber closed his eyes, and a huge magic circle appeared on the river, engulfing Zieghart’s warriors and Balkar’s magicians.

Whir!

She snapped her fingers, and the warriors and magicians standing in the magic circle turned into light and disappeared.

“Haa...” The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet, Derus Robert, smiled while whistling.

“Did Raon Zieghart really die?” The South-North Union’s leader furrowed his brow while coming up next to him.

“According to the report, yes.” Derus nodded while stroking the back of his hand.

“Then we shouldn’t let them leave like this! This is the perfect chance to kill Glenn Zieghart!” The South-North Union’s leader clenched his fist, asking what he was doing.

“No. It’s pretty much suicide to attack him right now. Sending him away is the right thing to do.” The Fallen licked his lips, speaking as if he could read Derus’s thoughts.

“You are as smart as always.” Derus pointed his finger at his own head while giggling. “I wasn’t planning on killing him today to begin with. It’s impossible to do so.”

“Then why were we even fighting?”

“In order to sharpen the blade.”

“The blade?”

“Yes. Since we’ve finished sharpening the blade now...” He stroked the dark sword, while deeply curling his lips into a smile. “We just need to stab him.”

Splash!

The united army of Zieghart and Balkar landed in front of the Navy Wind as a ray of light.

“Hmm...”

Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at the river, where the pieces of a deck were floating around. There weren’t many people on the river, and he could feel many presences under the surface.

“M-my lord!” Rabawin, who’d been breathing roughly on the river, lowered his head toward Glenn. His eyes were wavering like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean.

“What happened? Never mind that, what happened to Raon?” Glenn immediately mentioned Raon’s name, landing in front of Rabawin.

“We were taken by surprise while we were transporting him. The Evil Goat Demon appeared by using a teleportation artifact...” Rabawin quickly explained the situation.

“Th-they disappeared after claiming that the young master Raon is dead.”

He shook his lowered head, showing his embarrassment.

“Did you just say that his chest was pierced and the astral sphere exploded from inside?” Sheryl’s teeth chattered. If the astral sphere exploded while his heart was pierced, even she couldn’t possibly survive it and died right away.

“Yes. But we’ve still been looking for him. If there’s no way he would’ve died—”

“Tell everyone to come out.”

“Ah, yes!”

Rabawin went into the water and sent an aura message, and the Light Wind Division and the Navy Wind’s crew surfaced from the river soon enough. Their faces were deeply soaked by a mixture of tears and river water.

“Haah...”

“Guh...”

Rimmer, Burren, Martha, and Runaan were the last ones to come out, their pale faces implying that they hadn’t left the water until then.

“M-my lord.”

“Stay back.”

Glenn stepped forward and lifted his right hand.

Rumble!

His will erupted explosively, and the river turned into a huge water drop, floating as a whole.

“I’ll block it.”

Chamber clasped her hands together, and a wall of mana formed where the water had been drained, preventing the river from refilling.

“Get down, everyone!”

Rimmer jumped down to the floor where the water had disappeared without even catching his breath. The Light Wind Division also went down without even wiping up the moisture and continued the search.

“......”

Glenn examined the riverbed while holding the water in the air.

‘He’s not here.’

Soil and gravel were all that existed, no one to be found. The bones of some monsters or humans were scattered around, but they couldn’t possibly belong to Raon.

‘Raon! You would never die in a place like this!’

Rumble!

Glenn gritted his teeth and lifted even more water from other locations.

Since he had already gone through a difficult battle even by his standards, it caused an internal injury, making the blood flow from his mouth. However, it never stopped him from controlling his will.

“I-I don’t think he is here.”

Chamber bit her lip, letting out a stiffened voice. She lowered her head, saying that Raon was nowhere to be found even though she searched the entire surrounding area.

“Ah...”

Martha groaned upon seeing the red dagger shining from the riverbed that was revealed in the end. It was the Blade of Requiem in a shattered scabbard.

“Th-this...” She picked up the trembling Blade of Requiem and brought it to Glenn. “It’s Raon’s sword.”

“......”

Glenn closed his eyes after seeing the Blade of Requiem in a half-broken scabbard.

Its shape suggested that it didn’t break from reaching the riverbed. The scabbard had been shattered by a massive impact from the outside.

Crack!

Red blood flowed from Glenn’s hand that was holding the Blade of Requiem. His emotions spread around through his will, making the water floating in the air evaporate, and red heat started to rise from the riverbed.

“Sheryl.” Glenn shifted his gaze, wiping the blood flowing down from his lips. “Hold a grand council. The agenda will be...”

He bit his lip while looking up to the moonless sky.

“The South-North Union’s annihilation. No, it will be the annihilation of the Five Demons,” Glenn firmly declared, as if he didn’t care anymore about the aftermath.

“M-my lord!” Rimmer ran up to Glenn and fell on his knees. “Raon didn’t die yet!”

“Th-that’s right! He would never die at a place like this!”

“There’s no way he is going to die!”

“He is still alive.”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan also shook their heads alongside Rimmer, asking to keep looking for Raon.

“......”

Glenn quietly closed his eyes before opening them again.

“The search will continue. But I can’t just idle around while waiting.”

Raon was a child who just wanted to get stronger, a child whose gaze brimmed with confidence as he declared that he would restore Sylvia’s status as a direct line. Glenn couldn't let him go so easily, especially since, as a grandfather, he had failed to love him properly.

“Hold the grand council in the house, and...”

It happened when Glenn was showing his intense fury, determined to see the end of it.

Rumble!

The waves curled up into the air split apart, and the Sword Demon Rector appeared. He bit his lip, feeling anxious at the messy situation.

“What even happened here?”

“......”

Glenn and Rector’s gazes clashed against each other violently.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried