The Blood-Mad Ogre

Ogre.

A monster hailed as the tyrant of forest and mountain — gifted with overwhelming strength, startling agility, and a keen intelligence to match. Its savagery ranked among the worst of all monsters, so much so that mages who tried to tame one were often the ones who ended up dead.

Eden, which wielded the power of monsters, naturally possessed a creature that had inherited an ogre's traits.

The Mad Blood Demon.

A name meaning "a ghost maddened by blood" — and one that suited the ogre's brutality and madness all too well.

"The Mad Blood Demon...?"

Raon bit down on his lip. He felt the blood that welled up slide along his chin.

"Even for a sprout of Zieghart, recognizing this helmet at a glance... that's no ordinary eye."

The Mad Blood Demon caught the helmet he'd been spinning with a chuckle and closed his fingers around it.

"And I can't get an accurate read on your strength, either. So it was you who cut down the Green Lightning Demon?"

Raon gave no answer. His hands trembled. The Mad Blood Demon's power was beyond him as he was now. No — even if everyone here pooled their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strength, they still couldn't handle it.

"Why would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠someone like you be here...?"

"I was the one who handed the mission to the Green Lightning Demon. Never imagined he'd go down that easily."

The Mad Blood Demon rose with a low chuckle. His height was enormous. It was as if an iron tower had erupted above the palisade.

"That cloth. It's an item called Dark. It's got a special property — conceals the energy inside whatever it wraps. You got lucky, old man. If you hadn't covered it with that, this village would've been ash from the start."

The Mad Blood Demon kindly explained the cloth wrapping the Goblin King's magic stone.

"Well. Thanks to that, the job made its way to me."

He set the ogre helmet — large as a cauldron lid — onto his head. Of course it didn't fit. But the moment he channeled his aura, a strange resonance rose from the helmet.

A piercing whine rang out, like something turning deep inside, and the helmet began shrinking to fit the Mad Blood Demon's skull.

A heavy drone followed. Green molten metal poured from the helmet and engulfed his body, and ogre armor began to form, boulder-like muscle standing out in sharp relief.

There's no opening.

Raon clenched his teeth. He wanted to strike, but the Mad Blood Demon showed not the slightest gap.

A light of madness surged from the helmet's empty eyes, and for an instant Raon couldn't breathe.

"Raon Zieghart."

As he barely held on, Wrath surged up from the bracelet. His voice was heavy, as if weighted with lead.

"I'll be honest. Right now you have two choices."

Choices?

Wrath's voice was grave, as if speaking only the truth.

"The only choices granted to you are those two."

Burren Zieghart was inspecting the palisade he and the trainees had erected one more time.

Not bad.

They'd built it the way the instructors had taught them, and even finished in a short span, the durability wasn't poor. It looked solid enough to hold against orcs or goblins without much trouble.

Most of the materials had come from Dorian's pouch. It had been helpful — though Burren still couldn't understand why anyone would carry things like that around.

"Lord Burren. Raon disappeared with the village chief. Will that be all right?"

A collateral-line trainee standing right behind him approached and whispered.

"And?"

Burren turned and asked it back.

"Well — if he takes some treasure the chief is handing over..."

"That's meaningless."

Burren gave a short laugh and shook his head.

"You all know this, don't you? If it hadn't been for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Raon, it wouldn't have been just us — this entire village would have drowned in blood. Whatever he receives, whatever he learns, we have no right to speak on it. And..."

The sincerity in his voice shut every collateral-line trainee's mouth.

"We all bear the name of Zieghart. Competing to grow stronger inside the house is one thing. Out here, there's no need to quarrel and no need to envy. You've realized that much yourselves, haven't you?"

"Well, that's..."

"Yes."

The collateral-line trainees nodded.

He's right.

The fight against the Green Lightning Demon had left a deep impression on them. Honestly, they didn't even feel jealousy or envy anymore.

"Looks like even you maggots have finally gotten your heads on straight."

"Marta?"

Burren looked up at the voice dripping with contempt. Marta was sitting in a tree beside the palisade, swinging her legs.

"Why are you here?"

"Wanted to see if you actually built the palisade properly."

"And? How's it look?"

"Not bad for a bunch of sloppy bastards. At least your brains aren't completely rock."

"You've checked, so get lost. We'll finish up here."

"There's only one person who can give me orders."

Marta snorted and dropped down from the tree. She was starting toward Burren when a rustle came from the brush inward of the palisade.

"Who's there!"

"Come out!"

Burren and Marta dropped into stances — and a silver-haired girl burst from the undergrowth.

"Runaan?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Fruit."

Runaan held up the basket in her hands. Golden apples, ripe and yellow, filled it to the brim.

"Why are you picking those here?"

"For Raon."

"The villagers already picked some."

"These are fresher."

Runaan answered in a quiet, even murmur, her eyes distant.

"Anyone watching would think you two were already married."

Marta sneered, her gaze ice-cold, but Runaan showed no reaction at all as she gathered up the basket.

"I'm going."

She was about to leave when it happened.

A colossal roar tore through the outskirts of the village, as if the very axis of the earth had twisted.

"Wh-what was that!"

"What in the..."

"That's..."

Burren, Runaan, and Marta — who had dropped into a crouch with their heads covered — snapped their eyes wide.

"Raon."

"That's the direction Raon and the chief went!"

Runaan and Marta moved first.

"Emergency! Grab your weapons and call the other trainees!"

"Yes!"

Burren barked the order as he chased after the two of them.

They were all about to sprint toward Raon when another surge of overwhelming power erupted, rolling all the way to the center of the village.

Among collapsing buildings, a blond boy clutching something was hurled through the air.

"Huh?"

"Hah!"

Runaan and Marta stared, mouths falling open, at the boy tumbling across the ground.

"Raon?"

"R-Raon Zieghart!"

It was Raon. His lips were clenched, his face even more taut than when he'd faced the Green Lightning Demon.

"Runaan!"

Raon shouted her name and threw whatever he'd been holding.

"Mm."

Runaan sprinted forward and caught it. It was the village chief, unconscious, blood running from his forehead.

"Runaan. Marta. Don't come closer! Get out of here now!"

His expression was so desperate it looked as if his breath itself might snap.

"What the hell are you..."

Marta started toward Raon, then stopped and looked west.

A savage stride, as if the earth itself were screaming, split the sand-dust hanging in the air.

A green giant was coming — as if a mountain had taken human form. The muscle of his arms and legs was packed as hard as bunched stone, and madness burned in his sulfur-yellow eyes.

"That's..."

"O-ogre armor..."

The pressure rolling off the man in the helmet and armor of an ogre — the so-called king of mountain and forest — froze Marta and Runaan's thoughts in place.

"Th-the Mad Blood Demon..."

The name spilled from Marta's lips. At that blood-scented name, the air grew heavier still.

"There were some cute little ones here too."

"Ah..."

Madness seeped from the Mad Blood Demon's helmet. Marta and Runaan's legs shook as if they were about to drop.

"Raon! What now— hhk!"

Burren and the trainees, arriving late, flinched and stopped dead. The Mad Blood Demon's presence had locked their bodies in place.

"Slow, for people wearing the name of Zieghart."

"Ah..."

"Th-that's..."

The Mad Blood Demon's pupils flashed yellow. Under the thick killing intent of a predator, the trainees clutched their chests and dropped to their knees.

"Snap out of it!"

As the trainees started to collapse, Raon's clear voice punched through the Mad Blood Demon's terror. His focused aura spread, and light returned to the trainees' darkened eyes.

"Stand there like idiots and we'll be wiped out! Burren! Give the trainees orders and evacuate the villagers! Marta, Runaan — fall back and get ready to support!"

"Mm."

"Hah..."

"A-all right. I'll be right back!"

Burren clenched his teeth and sprinted to the rear. Runaan and Marta channeled their aura and split off to either side.

"Assume a single punch from that thing will kill you. Don't meet him head-on. Support me."

Raon spoke softly, never taking his eyes off the Mad Blood Demon. Runaan and Marta nodded at the same time.

"Instructor Rimer always said it, didn't he? You have to surpass your limits."

Raon clenched his teeth and went on.

"That time is now. This is the moment we push both mind and body past their limits."

"Surpass your limits?"

The Mad Blood Demon grinned and closed his fist. Crimson Battle Qi surged, and the air warped around it.

"And you think that'll be enough?"

Raon rotated the Ring of Fire to bleed off the tension and reset his grip on the sword.

It was a single strike.

Even after he'd dodged the Mad Blood Demon's fist technique, his skin had split. Overwhelming power. Strength with no end in sight.

Even in my previous life, this would've been hard...

If it were an assassination, maybe. But in a frontal fight, even with his previous life's body, he had no confidence he could beat this monster.

The situation was nothing short of despair — but he couldn't fall back. One way or another, he had to find an opening and take the thing's head.

But...

He couldn't see one. It was like a cliff of unknown depth given human form. Not the smallest gap showed itself.

"You were acting like you'd charge any second. Not coming?"

The Mad Blood Demon lifted his chin and grinned.

"If you won't come to me, I'll come to you!"

He stomped, crushing the earth. In an instant, Raon's entire field of vision filled with the Mad Blood Demon. The speed was absurd.

The Mad Blood Demon closed the distance at a blur and drove his fist forward. Raon brought his sword down to meet the boulder-sized fist aimed at his head.

Flame that split the air poured from the blade toward the Mad Blood Demon's fist.

"That firepower's not bad!"

The Mad Blood Demon twisted his fist, voice almost cheerful. Scarlet Battle Qi bloomed and met Revolving Heaven head-on.

The serpent of fire coiled around the sword was crushed by the Mad Blood Demon's aura and snuffed out.

"Hhk!"

Raon's pupils warped. The fist that had erased Revolving Heaven's strike drove straight for his heart.

"Kraaah!"

He roared and twisted the blade. The Mad Blood Demon's fist slid along the face of the sword and veered aside.

A terrifying crack of ruptured air burst out, and the buildings to the right collapsed in a heap.

"Hah—!"

Raon caught his breath and fell back. Even after deflecting the blow, his shoulder screamed as if it were about to tear from its socket.

I really almost died.

Cold sweat ran down his brow. If the Ring of Fire hadn't read the flow of that fist, he would have burst like a tomato.

He glanced aside. Runaan and Marta were biting their lips, eyes lost, with no idea what to do.

Not yet.

Raon sent the message with his gaze. This wasn't the time to move. This was the time to watch. He had to endure the Mad Blood Demon's fists a little longer — long enough to show them the thing's movements before they joined the fight.

Only then would even a ten percent chance appear. No. Even one percent.

Flame roared up again as Raon kindled the Tenth Flame once more. Fire born at the sword's tip wound the entire blade in a sheath of heat.

"That's right. A flame that dies to a single punch isn't any fun!"

The Mad Blood Demon leapt like a bird and smashed his fist down. Raon used the sixth form of the Yeonseong Sword Art to knock aside the fist falling like a meteor.

The red Battle Qi the Mad Blood Demon unleashed began ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crushing the Tenth Flame's fire all over again.

"Powerful flame aura. Firepower enough that I can see how that idiot Green Lightning Demon fell to you. But it won't work on me. Do you know why?"

The Mad Blood Demon smiled, a chilling curve of the mouth, and drove his fist in.

"Of course I do."

Raon slipped the punch by the width of a sheet of paper and brought his sword down.

"It's your trait, isn't it."

"You know it well. That's right. You can't cut me with flame."

The Mad Blood Demon slammed his palm down, chuckling. Raon barely dodged, but the wind pressure alone split his cheek open and drew blood.

"Flame aura means nothing to me — not when I've inherited an ogre's power!"

He was right. Ogres were monsters strong against the fire attribute — creatures that smashed fortresses even after taking dozens of fire arrows.

But the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames was not the only weapon Raon had.

"Then I'll just use something else."

"What?"

A piercing blue frost surged up in Raon's red eyes.