Chapter 115
Chapter 115
At that moment.
A group carrying massive swords on their backs was traversing the demon forest.
“Sir Executioner, it’s been reported that the Second Seat has already engaged in battle.”
Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, the man with green hair smiled brightly.
“Seems like they’ve been blocked at the gates?”
“It appears Kane Rehinar has stopped them.”
“Heheh, returning to his homeland after such a long time only to be stuck outside… that must be infuriating.”
As a result, a clash had erupted.
“We should hurry before the battle ends, right?”
“You may need to move quickly, sir.”
“Hm?”
“The latest report indicates… the Second Seat is being pushed back.”
“What!?”
The man with green hair raised his voice.
Who was the Second Seat?
He was the second strongest among the Executioners.
And yet, he was being overpowered?
This was the most absurd thing he had heard in a while.
“Let’s pick up the pace.”
The group clad in heavy armor cut through the undergrowth.
As they sprinted at full speed, trees whizzed past on either side.
Boom!
From up ahead, a tremendous wave of energy was emanating.
It was prickling their skin.
The hair on their bodies stood on end.
The man with green hair arrived at the end of the forest where the Rehinar’s eastern gate was visible.
“What’s going on with him?”
What he saw was the Second Seat, Aiden Von Fresia, unleashing the power of Oblivion.
It was a power he only used when cornered.
He never imagined he’d use it this quickly.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm…”
The Executioners were all rivals.
If the Second Seat died, someone would take his place.
The position was tempting, but...
Making a wrong move could disrupt the great plan of the Meyer Family.
They couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“Look, over there!”
Suddenly, red spikes erupted from the ground, impaling even the Second Seat’s troops.
It was a horrifying sight.
“Could you face the Second Seat and kill those others at the same time?”
A chill ran down his spine.
Even he couldn’t do it.
Kane Rehinar looked like a monster.
“He’s insane… It’s clear his power didn’t come from the guardian’s skills. He gained it by consuming the Blood Star.”
In the midst of all this, the feeling of greed began to creep up on him.
If only he could seize that Blood Star.
It had made even a fool so powerful. What would it do for him?
He could possibly even challenge the patriarch of the Meyer Family.
“I’ll put off dealing with the Second Seat and intervene.”
He changed his plan.
Initially, he intended to create chaos by dividing their attention.
But now, after seeing the Blood Star, greed clouded his judgment.
He decided it would be better to kill Kane and claim the Blood Star.
The man with green hair drew his greatsword and charged forward.
Green mana gathered around his blade.
With his fierce energy, he swung the sword, and in that instant!
A wolf-shaped aura opened its massive jaws, engulfing both Kane and Aiden.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the ground split apart.
The man with green hair swiftly disappeared into the cloud of dust.
His greatsword, shrouded in green energy, was leveled horizontally.
He swung it with full force.
Although there was a fierce resistance, the man with green hair overpowered it with brute strength.
His opponent’s sword was forced back.
Kane felt his swords recoil.
Boom!
The air compressed, then exploded.
The man with green hair, now standing amidst the rising dust, smirked at Aiden, who was struggling.
“Look at this disgrace. If it weren’t for me, you would’ve died here. You know that, right?”
Aiden clenched his teeth hard.
He had been saved by his rival—by none other than the third seat.
“Shut up! I could’ve taken him down on my own.”
“Your men don’t seem to agree,” the man with green hair retorted, pointing at the fallen soldiers.
“They’re nearly wiped out, aren’t they? At this rate, you’ll lose your position as the Second Seat.”
“How dare you!”
“If you want to keep that seat, we need to work together.”
The man with green hair smiled greedily.
Aiden read the expression on his face.
It hurt his pride, but…
There was no other option.
‘I even used the power of Oblivion, yet I was still overpowered. Georg was badly injured, and the Knights have suffered near-total annihilation. Even if I survive this, I have no hope left.’
The Meyer Family: the prideful House Of the Sun, desired only the strong and the useful.
If he couldn’t meet those two requirements, his title as an Executioner would be stripped from him.
He might even be treated as a burden by them.
‘As humiliating as it is, it’s better to follow the Third Seat’s suggestion.’
He clenched his teeth so hard that blood began to trickle from his mouth.
“I will follow your lead.”
The Third Seat also wanted the Blood Star, just like him.
That’s why he proposed cooperation.
“You’d better give it your all from the start. He’s not someone to be underestimated.”
“With the two of us working together, we won’t lose. Unless he’s as strong as one of the Twelve Star Lords, the Blood Star is ours,” the man with green hair said confidently, despite Aiden’s warning.
* * *
“Ugh, cough cough!”
Kane coughed up blood after being slammed into the fortress wall.
“Kane! Are you alright?” Blata, who was in Kane's arms, asked worriedly.
“Cough cough! It's nothing… I just let my guard down for a moment. Don’t worry.”
Kane wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his wrist.
Then he looked ahead.
He had expected Aiden to show up.
But Senar was a surprise.
“The Blood Star caused a major butterfly effect.”
The destruction of Dyer and Tegelo hadn’t significantly altered the storyline.
Only minor details had changed in how things were resolved.
He knew the butterfly effect would happen eventually.
But so far, nothing major had shifted.
However, Senar was different.
While Count Dyer had been a member of a collateral branch, Senar was a direct descendant and held one of the highest positions.
His full name was Senar Dyer.
He was the Third Seat and the true master of the Dyer family.
“I thought the Sixth or Fourth Seat would show up, but I was wrong. Well, the Third Seat isn’t bad either.”
Kane planned to kill both Executioner here.
If three Executioners died within a year, how would the Meyer Family react?
They would undoubtedly try to kill him.
The Blood Star’s danger would become apparent once again.
Kane dusted off his clothes and stood up.
“Are you alright, young master?” Yoshua appeared.
“I’m fine.”
“I’ll handle one of them with Yoshua” said Mikhail, who had also shown up.
“Originally, I planned to leave them to you, but that won’t work. I have to kill them myself. I’ll reach five stars today.”
He was at level 78, only two levels away from the max.
If he wiped out the Meyer Family Executioners, he would reach max level.
This was the starting line for hitting five stars.
Like with other characters, there were conditions for his own promotion.
[Conditions for Kane Rehinar’s 5★ Promotion]
Absorb the Blood Star
Evolve Blood Dance Skill to UR grade
Advance to Blood Knight
Kill five of the seven Executioners of the Meyer Family
The difficulty was insane.
He had already completed two of the conditions.
Only two more remained, and that meant he had to kill those two Executors.
“You two, don’t interfere.”
Kane stepped forward.
As he walked, he removed the shadow gloves from his hands.
[You have removed the 4★ ‘Gauntlets of Shadow’.]
[Mana concealment effect has disappeared.]
Suddenly, a massive surge of mana erupted from Kane’s body.
As if everything up until now had been a game.
A purple mist expanded around him without restraint.
Crackle-
Electric currents ran through the air.
The sky darkened.
The world was now shrouded in shades of black and crimson.
Kane fully revealed his Blood Oath, the fourth form of Blood Rune.
His 6-star sword, BloodSky Blade, hummed with resonance.
The power embedded in the sword varied greatly depending on the wielder's mana.
As the BloodSky Blades absorbed Kane’s blood mana, its true might was revealed.
“This should be more than enough to kill them.”
Kane’s eyes gleamed.
At the same time, his pupils flashed, and the space around him tore open.
Slash!
Aiden’s chest was slashed diagonally.
He didn’t even realize he had been wounded until Senar, who stood beside him, shouted.
“Second Seat! It’s a sneak attack, fall back!”
Senar was also caught off guard by Kane’s sudden attack.
He hadn’t even sensed Kane swinging his sword.
“What a terrifying monster—ugh!”
Senar gasped.
The attack had come not from the front, but from the side.
And it wasn’t a sword strike.
“Gah!”
It was Aiden’s blood.
Compressed droplets of his blood had flown toward Senar and pierced his shoulder.
“...Magic! Blood Ma—”
Senar couldn’t finish his sentence.
Kane’s foot slammed into his side.
Crack!
“Urgh.”
The sound of Senar’s ribs breaking echoed.
He tried to gather his wits, but Kane’s assault was relentless.
“Be torn apart.”
Countless blood droplets swirled around Senar in a vortex.
[Blood Sword: Carnage.]
A brutally cruel skill.
The blood droplets didn’t just envelop Senar.
They wiped out everyone who had come with him.
The people trapped in the blood tornado thrashed about helplessly.
Blood splattered in every direction, as if being wrung out of their very bodies.
“You bastard!”
Aiden, furious, unleashed his Twin Swords of Protection technique.
But—
Thwack thwack thwack!
The concentrated, compressed droplets of blood struck his arms, legs, and abdomen.
As his body was thrown backward, Kane appeared above him and slammed his face into the ground.
“Ugh!”
“Who do you think you are, crawling in here?”
Mana was being drained through Aiden’s face, gripped tightly in Kane’s hand.
It was the Blood Knight’s passive skill, Mana Drain.
“Aaaaagh!”
Aiden screamed in agony.
Not only was the mana he had accumulated throughout his life being drained, but even the power of Oblivion was slipping away.
His blood and bodily fluids as well.
Everything was being sucked into Kane through his hand.
Aiden struggled, but it was useless.
Both of Kane's BloodSky Blades were embedded in Aiden’s chest and abdomen.
The more Aiden tried to move, the greater the pain intensified.
Kane extended one arm toward Senar.
As the Blood Sword technique Carnage neared its end, Kane unleashed another attack.
[Blood Sword: Explode.]
[Tl/N: Blood Sword is the first move of the Blood Dance skill]
The blood droplets falling from the sky began to explode.
A chain of detonations followed.
The enemy's screams were drowned out by the deafening blasts.
Pieces of flesh rained down along with the blood.
Not a single person emerged unscathed from the explosions.
Only Senar was still somewhat intact, though his body was severely battered.
---
As the booming sounds faded away, the world felt eerily silent, as if all sound had vanished.
No birds chirped, and no water rippled.
Only the overwhelming quiet remained.
Fabi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“That… that….”
He couldn’t bring himself to speak.
The opponent was none other than Grand Duke Aiden, a formidable man at the 7th-class level.
One would expect to sustain some damage in such a fight.
But what was this incomprehensible display of power?
If it had just been Aiden, Fabi wouldn’t have been this shocked.
Yet the new enemy was just as powerful as Duke Aiden.
And Kane had completely overwhelmed them.
No, even that was an understatement.
He had torn apart a Beginner-tier 7th-class expert with staggering ease.
Kane’s strength was astonishing.
While Fabi stood there, speechless, Kane dragged Aiden and Senar across the ground toward him.
“Lock them up in the family dungeon. I’ll personally interrogate them.”
“......”
“Sir Fabi?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Please also take care of cleaning up outside.”
Fabi, who never showed fear in front of anyone, was now frozen with tension.