“Since Father likes that guy, his blood must taste excellent! I'll show you a rare sight of me sucking his blood while he's still alive!!”
With a roar, Baron King began to charge at us.
I wanted to use lightning magic on the charging Baron King, but...
‘Magic is on hold for now!’
I decided to hold back.
Baron King seemed to not remember fighting me earlier.
After all, magic was the only thing that could properly damage Baron King.
I judged it would be much better to use it in an emergency or for a final blow.
With that judgment, I unleashed the Thunder Sword Art's Initial Stance.
Whoosh! Rumble!
The instantly deployed Initial Stance activated my dantian, and the internal energy flowing from it began to envelop my sword.
Internal energy manifested as blue electricity.
“You're showing off some interesting tricks!”
Seeing my swordsmanship, Baron King naturally charged at me.
“Show off your skills to your heart's content! Opportunities to perform for me are rare!!”
Having reached the front of the throne, Baron King condensed the red aura enveloping his body, and instantly created a spear.
It was red, similar to the spear the Gravedigger wielded.
However, the color was subtly different.
While the Gravedigger's scythe had a red paint-like feel, the spear Baron King created had a gruesome appearance, as if real blood had coagulated.
Whoosh!
The blood-red spear thrusting towards me.
I deployed my swordsmanship to block the rapidly piercing spear, but...
Clang!
Unfortunately, Baron King's spear didn't touch my sword.
What blocked his spear was...
“Hmph!”
the Gravedigger's red scythe.
As if clean blood and corrupted blood clashed, red sparks flew between the spear and the scythe, brilliantly illuminating the surroundings.
“Ugh!”
Baron King looked at the Gravedigger, who had blocked his spear, with a demonic expression.
“Is that guy so important to you!?”
“That's not it! Please listen to me!”
“Those words! Words! Words!! I'm sick of them!!”
Baron King grew even more enraged by the Gravedigger's words, and swung his spear, deflecting the scythe.
Clang!
“Gah!”
“Lifetime!”
The spear, having deflected the Gravedigger's scythe, began to fiercely thrust towards his chest.
Whoosh!
“Lifetime! Did you even listen to me!?”
Just as the spear was about to pierce the Gravedigger's chest.
Clang!
“!?”
“I asked you to watch my performance.”
The sword I swung changed the spear's trajectory, and I was able to change the future where the Gravedigger's chest would be pierced.
As soon as I changed the spear's trajectory, I immediately used a combo technique to swing my sword at Baron.
But my sword, swung with all my might, was...
Thud!
“!?”
“Your performance is lackluster.”
caught by Baron's bare hand.
It was a contrasting scene to how he was futilely defeated by my sword in the first dream.
It showed that earlier he was just casually dealing with me, but now he was serious.
‘One more swing and it's over.’
Unfortunately, this sword is at its end.
Since Baron's blood got on it, I wouldn't be able to use it for long.
Thinking this was my last chance, I began to pour all my internal energy into the tip of my sword.
Crackle! Gurgle!
“Ugh!”
Baron, startled by the lightning energy surging into his hand, let go of the sword.
And I, seizing that opening, swung my sword with all my might.
Whoosh! Crack! Crack!
My swordsmanship, aimed at his opening, fortunately landed effective blows on Baron.
The sword cut his arm, and sliced across his waist as it passed.
From Baron's skin, where he was cut by the sword...
Hiss!
red steam rose, and a burnt smell began to spread.
“You bastard!!!”
He didn't seem to feel the pain of the cut, but he clearly felt the sensation of being seared by electricity.
Whoosh!
“I was going to let it slide, but I guess I can't!”
The target returned to me.
But this time, too, just like before, the Gravedigger blocked the spear.
Clang!
“Hmph!”
But Baron didn't let himself be hit twice in a row by the same trick.
Clang! Whoosh! Clink!
Responding to the Gravedigger's defense, he began to unleash a barrage of attacks.
Whoosh! Clang-clang-clang! Clink!
And the Gravedigger and I, working together, began to pour attacks on Baron.
But my sword, which I had been swinging diligently, was...
“How annoying!”
“!?”
beginning to melt from Baron's blood.
‘It held up well.’
I mourned the melting sword and threw it away.
From the start, I had resolved to discard it as soon as blood touched it, and had already used up all my internal energy.
I took comfort in the fact that I was able to swing it a few more times.
Baron scoffed, seeing me suddenly unarmed.
“Hahahaha! If you have the courage, try punching me!”
Baron was relaxed even while engaged in a fierce battle with the Gravedigger.
But as I looked at Baron, who was scoffing at me, I...
‘What is it?’
felt a strange sense of incongruity.
“Father's bodyguard seems to have lost his mind!”
Baron, leisurely mocking even while fighting the Gravedigger.
‘That's strange? The Gravedigger's skill should be superior.’
I already knew the extent of the Gravedigger's scythe skills.
I had experienced it directly through possession, and even confirmed it with my own eyes through the Qi Spear.
No matter how I thought about it...
‘There's no reason for him to be pushed back like that.’
There was absolutely no reason for the Gravedigger to be pushed back by Baron.
I harbored that doubt for a moment, but...
Clang-clang-clang! Clink! Whoosh!
“Hahahaha! Your dazed expression is amusing!”
“Ah!”
I immediately snapped out of it at Baron's taunt, and extended my arm.
Baron, thinking I was actually going to punch him, scoffed at me.
“Are you really going to punch me? Hahahaha!”
“No! If you touch Baron's body with bare hands...”
The Gravedigger, flustered, tried to stop me.
But instead of clenching my fist with my arm extended, I opened my hand.
And then...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
I unleashed a lightning strike with all my might on Baron.
‘It's much better to unleash maximum output from the start than to clumsily sear him with electricity.’
I enjoyed the melody of Baron's screams along with my rapidly depleting mana.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!!
“Aaaaaaaargh!!”
Baron screamed at the unexpected yellow lightning.
Listening to Baron's screams, I shouted to the Gravedigger.
“Now's your chance!”
The spear that had been in Baron's hand was already on the floor.
The scythe that wouldn't melt even if Baron's blood touched it.
I thought that if he swung that scythe, he could definitely harm Baron.
But the Gravedigger, upon hearing my shout, was...
“Ugh...”
He clutched his chest, as if the pain had flared up again.
And unfortunately, the chance to kill Baron was...
“I'll kill you!!!”
futilely missed.
Baron, who had somehow grown accustomed to my lightning strike, swung his cloak and shouted.
“Die!!!”
Boom!
And at the same time, his body burst.
The ability to burst his body, just like before, and scatter blood everywhere.
Since I already knew about it, avoiding it wasn't difficult.
I grabbed the groaning Gravedigger, who was clutching his chest, and immediately deployed the Heavenly Wind Divine Art.
And barely...
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
I managed to hide behind the throne and avoid the blood scattered everywhere.
The Gravedigger, who had escaped with me, led by my hand, clutched his chest and apologized to me.
“I... I'm sorry. The pain suddenly...”
“...”
“It seems it won't work after all! At least you should escape...”
I looked at the apologizing Gravedigger and asked with a serious expression.
“Please be honest with me. You didn't fail to do it, did you?”
“...”
The Gravedigger's pain was not a lie.
He was clearly feeling pain.
However, it was definitely not enough pain to prevent him from delivering a final blow.
The Gravedigger was...
“Please be honest with me.”
hesitating to kill him.
He slowly released the grip on his chest, then nodded.
“You're right. I... I just couldn't bring myself to cut my son.”
“...”
Only now could I grasp the situation.
The Gravedigger hadn't been defeated by Baron and had his chest pierced.
From the start, the option of killing his son simply didn't exist for him.
“I'm sorry. I clearly... clearly swore that this time I would take away my son's sins, but...”
“...”
It wasn't just weak hesitation.
The Gravedigger could never cut Baron.
That was the Gravedigger's past, present, and future.
‘At this rate, the dream will just keep repeating.’
In the worst-case scenario, I would also fall into this cycle of dreams.
But I couldn't just abandon the Gravedigger and run away either.
Gurgle...
The puddles of blood scattered everywhere began to writhe and move again.
Watching the blood puddles move, I asked the Gravedigger.
“Tell me about that guy's abilities.”
“My son's abilities are...”
I briefly heard about Baron's abilities from the Gravedigger.
Most of Baron's abilities were related to slaughter using blood.
The first ability was [Corrosive Blood].
It was an ability that made everything melt away if it touched Baron's blood.
But one way to counter that ability was...
“[Corrosive Blood] can be blocked if you possess a weapon like mine.”
It wasn't just that the weapon wouldn't melt in the blood; it meant that the wielder of the weapon became completely immune to [Blood Corrosion].
“And with this scythe... I can surely... my son...”
“...”
Furthermore, I learned that the Gravedigger's weapon was currently the only means to kill Baron.
As soon as the explanation ended...
“How boring! How long do you intend to hide!?”
Baron, seemingly having finished his recovery, began to condense the puddles to form a body.
There wasn't much time left.
I explained the last resort to the Gravedigger.
“Let's use Possession Sorcery.”
“B-but if you get hurt in that state...”
When in a state of Possession Sorcery, it inevitably becomes a one-on-one fight, not a two-on-one.
And if I take damage in that state, only my own body will be harmed.
However...
“If we hesitate like this, we'll both die. More importantly, if that happens...”
I stared at the Gravedigger and spoke firmly.
“Your son will also be trapped in this hellish dream forever.”
“Gah...”
It was a scene that showed how important Baron was to the Gravedigger.
‘What's so good about a guy like that...’
The Gravedigger I knew was the best sage king with excellent leadership.
However, when it came to matters concerning his most important son, he showed weakness.
‘Is it because I don't have children...’
I simply couldn't empathize with the Gravedigger's paternal love.
While he hesitated like that...
Rumble!!
“How long do you intend to make me wait!!”
“!?”
Blood surged from around the hidden throne, and rushed towards us.
***
Baron grumbled, looking at the blood-covered throne.
“I was just going to play along, but I got excited without realizing it...”
He wanted to slowly kill that man in front of his father.
However, his pride was hurt by having to directly approach the two.
Because he waited for them to come out, his patience ran out first.
Due to his depleted patience, he had covered the throne in blood.
“...They must be dead.”
Baron was certain that the man had died due to his [Corrosive Blood].
“Father, won't you tell me your thoughts? Your thoughts on seeing the guard who tried to protect you dying!”
It was the moment he lamented, about to melt the throne with blood.
Stomp, stomp....
“Huh?”
From behind the throne, a being covered in blood slowly walked out.
At first, because he was covered in blood, I naturally thought it would be Father.
But the being who walked out from behind the throne was....
“Haa... I really feel awful.”
It was the man who had been protecting Father.
If it were an ordinary being, it would have already melted in the blood and screamed.
“H-how....”
But....
“Haa... I feel awful, and it even hurts.”
The man, even though he was completely covered in Baron's blood, showed no signs of corrosion at all.
“Haa... It hurts much more than before.”
He was merely clutching his chest, as if feeling pain there.
The man who was clutching his chest like that...
“It's time to wake up from the nightmare, you unfilial bastard.”
Like the Grim Reaper, he held a scythe and began to approach Baron.