"Haaa..."
Martha lowered her stance, breathing heavily as if ready to dash out at any moment.
"W-wait a moment!"
Krein ran over and grabbed Martha's wrist.
"You can't just rush into battle!"
He shook his head with a pale face, suggesting there were things they needed to do first.
"Please calm dow... huh?"
Krein blinked in confusion while telling Martha to calm down.
"Why are you so calm?"
Krein had rushed over expecting Martha to go berserk at the sight of the White Blood Religion, but her eyes remained coldly composed.
"I may have a nasty temperament, but I'm not an idiot."
Martha raised her fist and flicked Krein's forehead.
"Ugh, I'm sorry..."
Krein rubbed his forehead while raising one eye.
"Then first, we should contact Lord Raon..."
"Communications are blocked."
Martha frowned as she looked at the white fog enveloping the port and village.
"That fog must be blocking visibility from the outside and controlling the flow of mana."
Given how communication with Raon was cut off as soon as the White Blood Religion's ghost ship entered the port, that white fog clearly had the ability to block external communications.
"Raon probably noticed, but just in case..."
Martha threw the crystal orb she was holding to the ground. With a sharp crack, instead of shattering into pieces, the crystal orb disintegrated into dust as if it had never existed.
'This will get the message across.'
This crystal orb was an artifact created by the magic tower. Usually used for communication, when broken in emergencies, it would reveal their location to other connected crystal orbs. However, knowing Raon, he would have already prepared to sail here before she even broke the orb.
"Well done. Now we should fight..."
"Wait."
Martha raised her hand to stop Krein who was about to rush forward.
"Huh? Why...?"
"Because we need to know what these White Blood Religion bastards are doing."
They needed to understand how the White Blood Religion erased ports without a trace to save the people who had disappeared. Now wasn't the time to fight, but to observe.
"Ah, understood."
Krein nodded with wide eyes, seemingly surprised by Martha's calm judgment.
"Sh-ship, it's the White Blood Religion!"
"The White Blood Religion is attacking!"
"That white robe... could it be an Archbishop..."
"These damn blood demons!"
The White Blood Religion's white robes were so infamous that people recognized the blood demons and stepped back with trembling lips.
"Filthy blood demon!"
A mercenary with a sword strapped to his back stepped forward, wrinkling his nose.
"How dare you come here!"
He drew his sword while shouting at them to leave immediately.
"Oh foolish citizens."
The Archbishop stepped forward and removed the hood covering his face. Revealing his elegant features with golden hair and blue eyes, he addressed the people at the port as 'citizens' with an arrogant tone as if he were royalty.
"The Blood God's mercy has descended upon your ignorant souls."
The Archbishop smiled benevolently while ignoring the mercenary's sword pointed at his neck.
"This bastard..."
Unable to contain his anger, the mercenary swung his sword at the Archbishop.
"Very well. I shall bestow upon you the first blessing."
As the Archbishop clasped his hands together with a sinister smile, the mercenary's sword stopped mid-swing.
"Wh-what is..."
The mercenary turned his sword around and stabbed himself in the abdomen. With a sickening sound, he stared blankly at the blood flowing from his stomach, unable to believe he had harmed himself. As the Archbishop wiggled his finger, the blood that was falling to the ground rose and flowed toward him.
"What did you do to me..."
The mercenary gasped painfully, unable to comprehend the situation.
"I should have a taste first."
The Archbishop smiled at the bewildered mercenary before licking the floating blood with his tongue.
"Not bad at all."
He nodded, saying this blood would be worthy of offering to the Blood God.
"Then let's begin."
As the Archbishop clasped his hands together, a massive wave rose before the ghost ship he had arrived on, sweeping over the village and its people. This was no ordinary wave. It was an evil surge imbued with bloody energy.
"Arghhhh!"
As soon as the wave hit him, the mercenary dropped his sword and collapsed where he stood. The blood flowing from him seemed to have a will of its own as it was sucked into the ghost ship.
"D-damn it!"
"What's happening?"
"C-can't move my body..."
"It's the blood demons' magic!"
Other mercenaries and villagers trembled helplessly, unable to move their limbs as the wave swept them away. With a resonating hum, the Archbishop cast his blood magic, causing the bloody wave to intensify and mercilessly destroy buildings and homes.
The villagers seemed to lose all their strength, ceasing their resistance and freezing in place with vacant eyes.
"Let's go."
The blood demons moved as if they had been waiting, putting collars on the physically and mentally restrained people and dragging them toward the ghost ship.
'Now I understand.'
Martha twisted her lips as she watched the wave of bloody energy approach, destroying the port itself.
'Why the ports were obliterated without a trace.'
The reason people disappeared without a trace was because of that Archbishop. His mental manipulation abilities and the wave of bloody energy prevented people from resisting as they were dragged onto the ship.
'The reason we couldn't sense the bloody energy...'
Martha lowered her eyebrows as she looked at the White Blood Religion's sailing ship that was creating the waves of bloody energy and white fog.
'It's because of that ship.'
Though she didn't know what magic was used to create it, that ghost ship had the ability to absorb people's blood and bloody energy. They used that ship to perfectly erase any trace of bloody energy, making even Raon and herself believe only ordinary seawater had passed through.
"P-please..."
"Spare us!"
"Just kill us here instead!"
While some people remained conscious, they couldn't move their bodies due to the wave of bloody energy and were captured and dragged away by the blood demons.
"Consider the Blood God's blessing an honor."
As the Archbishop nodded with a pious smile, the blood demons drew their scimitars from their waists. When the White Blood Religion attacked villages, they would devour half the people on the spot and kidnap the other half to their headquarters, and it seemed they intended to follow that doctrine today. With a sharp swoosh!
Just as the White Blood Religion members were about to strike their scimitars at the necks of the people they had dragged, a yellow light grazed past their heads.
With a thud, as the light faded, the heads of the White Blood Religion members who were about to kill people fell to the ground, and Martha, her red hair tied back, stood before the Archbishop.
"Natchal Division! Protect the people!"
"Yes, commander!"
As she stamped her foot while lowering her sword, the Natchal Division swordsmen who had been hiding among the people rushed forward with fierce winds, cutting down the White Blood Religion members.
"If it's the Natchal Division..."
The Archbishop lowered his trembling gaze as if he hadn't expected this.
"The Light Wind Palace of Zieghart!"
He swallowed dryly as he met Martha's fierce gaze.
"It's the Rakshasa of the Light Wind Palace!"
"She hasn't left yet!"
People sighed in relief as they called out Martha's name and title, believing they were saved.
"I'm not the Rakshasa."
Martha frowned at the people who had called her Rakshasa as she looked back.
"Even at a time like this..."
Krein shook his head while muttering how amazing this was.
"Thanks to you, all the mysteries have been solved..."
Martha stepped forward through the waves mixed with the blood demons' blood and jerked her chin at the Archbishop.
"Now it's time for you to die."
***
With a crack! Raon frowned as he saw Martha's location at the hidden port appear in the crystal orb he was holding.
'So they did come there after all?'
He had started preparing to sail as soon as communication with Martha was cut off, thinking something was wrong, and he was glad that judgment hadn't been incorrect.
"Palace Master! The preparations are complete!"
Lawaine bowed to him, saying they could move immediately.
"Sikot Port where Lady Martha is located is right next door, so it won't take long."
Despite his words, he bit his lip anxiously.
"Then let's depart immediately."
As Raon nodded, Lawaine turned around and called to the crew.
"Set sail! Move at maximum speed!"
Due to the urgent situation, Lawaine took the helm himself.
"P-Palace Master! I've contacted all the others as well!"
Dorian panted, saying he had informed all the scattered Light Wind Palace swordsmen about Martha's location at Sikot Port.
"Good work."
Raon patted Dorian's shoulder and gestured to the swordsmen on the ship.
"The attack has likely already begun. Be fully prepared to fight as soon as we reach the port."
"Yes!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen let out a roaring battle cry with their hands on their sword hilts, as if telling him not to worry.
"..."
While Raon was watching the flowing sea, Dorian paced around the deck, fidgeting as if he needed to use the bathroom.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm worried about Lady Martha and the others..."
Dorian bit his lip, saying he was worried about Martha and Krein because he had read Paras's fear with his Mind's Eye.
"Krein might be hard to trust, but Martha is there."
Raon calmly shook his head.
"She will protect everyone without a single casualty until we arrive."
Martha only acted rashly as a charge commander because she trusted him. If she stood in a leadership position giving orders, she would undoubtedly move more wisely and calmly than anyone else.
"R-really?"
Dorian blinked his eyes as if he couldn't believe it.
-Hmm...
Wrath let out a low groan as he looked at him.
-This king likes the beef girl, but I'm not so sure about the wise part.
He blinked, saying he couldn't imagine Martha moving wisely and calmly either.
"You'll see when we get there. What worries me instead is..."
Raon frowned as he watched the sea growing increasingly rough despite it being a cloudless, sunny day.
'This smell of blood.'
They hadn't even reached Sikot Port, but the smell of blood and an ominous energy began flowing from the sea. This wasn't just a feeling - something in the sea was actually changing.
'What in the world is happening...'
Just as Raon bit his lip while watching the churning sea, the Blade of Requiem, which had been quiet until now, began vibrating violently as if it would break his waist.
'No way...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he gripped the Blade of Requiem, which was shaking violently as if it had encountered its mortal enemy.
'The ones behind this...'
***
With a thunderous roar! Martha brought down a heavy Astral Ring, tearing apart the wave of bloody energy that had been restraining the villagers.
"I-I can move..."
"My legs are free from the wave!"
"Quickly, retreat!"
"Don't just run away alone, help the others too!"
The people freed from the blood magic crawled away, escaping to the back of the village.
"Stay back there."
Martha nodded approvingly at the villagers before approaching the Archbishop standing in front of the ghost ship.
"I heard you had left, yet you were hiding here for over a month."
The Archbishop frowned as if dumbfounded.
"We're a bit stubborn, unlike you who give in to impulses."
Martha snorted dismissively at the White Blood Religion itself.
"You're not Raon Zieghart - someone like you means nothing!"
The Archbishop shook his head violently while raising his bloody energy.
"Before the Blood God's blessing, nothing..."
"You're noisy."
Martha twisted her lips and brought down the sword she had raised above her head. With a resonating boom! The Archbishop hastily drew up his bloody energy to block Martha's terrifying downward strike.
"Ugh..."
His whole body trembled as he struggled to block Martha's casually delivered attack.
"I've figured out all your tricks now, you know?"
Martha curled her blood-red lips as she tightened her grip.
"Just die."
As she let out a chilling smile, the weight in her sword increased at a terrifying speed, cutting through the Archbishop's bloody energy and splitting his body in half.
"Huh? Arghhhhhh!"
The Archbishop fell to the ground, screaming belatedly as if he hadn't even felt his body being torn apart.
"Shut up."
Martha stepped forward and crushed the screaming Archbishop's head.
"Huh..."
The blood demons froze in place, seemingly shocked by Martha's martial prowess in killing the Archbishop with a single strike.
"Deal with those ones."
Martha waved to the Natchal Division swordsmen and climbed up the white stairs leading down from the sailing ship.
'This comes first.'
There must be a device on this ship controlling the waves of bloody energy and the fog. She needed to destroy that first to save not just individuals, but the entire village.
"Understood!"
"Leave it to us!"
Krein and the swordsmen nodded reassuringly and began fighting the remaining blood demons in the port. After confirming that the swordsmen were overwhelming the blood demons, Martha boarded the sailing ship known as the ghost ship.
'How clean.'
Unlike its weathered, ghost ship-like exterior, the interior was immaculately maintained as if newly built. Though blood magic was deeply engraved on the deck and walls, strangely, no trace of bloody energy could be felt. This magic seemed to erase any traces of bloody energy from the outside.
The blood demons on the deck drew their scimitars, wary of her intrusion.
"How do I stop the tidal wave and fog?"
Martha jerked her chin at the blood demons who were radiating killing intent toward her.
"..."
The blood demons didn't answer and slowly approached. Though they must have instinctively sensed the vast difference in martial prowess, they didn't back down.
"Right. You're that kind of bunch."
Martha muttered "good" as she swung her sword at the blood demons on the right. As her sword passed through, the blood demons behind it exploded without a trace.
"I suppose killing everyone and destroying everything will stop it."
Just as Martha twisted her lips and approached the blood demons inside, the door to the cabin above the deck opened with a screech. A middle-aged bald man with a round belly like a pot walked out, holding two women with vacant eyes in his arms.
"You fools..."
The bald middle-aged man clicked his tongue disapprovingly and kicked the blood demon in front of the cabin. With a thud! Though the kick wasn't particularly strong, the blood demon spat crimson blood and never rose again.
'That's...'
Martha frowned as she looked at the dead blood demon.
'Did he burst it from the inside?'
Though it looked like a light kick, he had clearly killed the blood demon by bursting energy from within. Though not transcendent, he was a martial artist of a higher level than herself.
"You..."
Martha bit her lip as she looked at the pot-bellied blood demon.
"You're an apostle."
"Don't you know me?"
The pot-bellied middle-aged man raised his chin arrogantly and frowned.
"I am the ninth apostle who serves Her."
He called himself the 9th Apostle while smiling sinisterly.
"You're quite pretty. I should bestow upon you the Blood God's blessing as well."
The 9th Apostle licked his lips as he looked Martha up and down, then bit into the neck of the woman beside him.
"Hmm..."
He slightly frowned as he watched Martha standing calmly despite seeing someone die.
"The 10th Apostle said you were like a beast, but this is unexpected."
The 9th Apostle spat out the woman's flesh onto the floor with a cold smile. He seemed to have heard everything the Archbishop had said, as he knew her identity.
"I didn't expect provocation wouldn't work."
"If I fell for such cheap provocation, the one who taught me would weep."
Martha raised her sword while maintaining an unwavering gaze.
"I won't say I'm going to save you. However..."
She nodded without averting her eyes from the women dying in the 9th Apostle's grasp.
"I will ensure your revenge."
Martha charged toward the 9th Apostle, emanating an aura of rage darker than killing intent.