The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 932

 Chapter 932

 

"Hoo..."

Raon let out a breath of relief, gripping his trembling shoulder.

'The gamble paid off.'

He had quickly devised and executed a plan to escape from Greed, and fortunately, it seemed to have succeeded. No, it wasn’t just Lust, Gluttony had come as well. This was enough of a gain to start planning a new move.

A gamble?

Wrath furrowed his brows as if he couldn't understand.

What kind of gamble are you talking about?

‘After Greed appeared, I scattered the Demon Kings’ authorities lingering in the air to the outside.’

Since this dimension was no different from the devildom, the remnants of the Demon Kings' powers he had wielded were spread out like lingering thoughts. Using Garunua’s wind, he sent those authorities outward in an attempt to call any Demon Kings who could help him. Fortunately, the gamble worked.

So that's why you released the wind when you barely had any strength left.

Wrath let out a huff, now realizing the reason Raon had used Garunua.

To think you were coming up with something like that while standing before Greed... You really are—

He furrowed his brows, as if even calling Raon insanely daring wouldn’t be enough.

[As expected of my master....]

Shut up!

Wrath flicked Zircon on the forehead. Even Raon couldn’t help but think the demon was starting to look pitiful.

‘But there was something I didn’t anticipate.’

Raon shook his head as he looked into Lust's pink eyes.

Something you didn't anticipate?

'I didn't expect Lust to be in the devildom.'

He had strongly released the authority of <Lust>, hoping she would come, but like Greed, she emerged from the gate of devildom.

Raon couldn't understand why Lust, who had been traveling with Merlin, had come from the devildom.

"I searched for you everywhere, but I never expected you to call me first."

Lust smiled brightly, waving at him in genuine delight.

'She was searching for me?'

Raon blinked as he stared at Lust.

‘If she was searching for me, why was she in the devildom?’

Don't even try to understand that stalker. Like the King of Essence said, she's the worst at directions in all dimensions.

Wrath shook his head, saying that next time they see her, she might come down from the heaven.

"Do you have any bead ice cream…?"

Gluttony smacked her lips hungrily.

"Of course."

Raon reached into his subspace pocket and took out a box of bead ice cream, originally prepared as a snack for Wrath.

"Ooooh...."

Gluttony eagerly took the box and immediately started eating, seemingly indifferent to the current situation.

AAARGH! That’s the King of Essence's!

Wrath grabbed Raon by the collar, shaking him furiously.

‘It’s fine to share a little.’

Raon brushed Wrath’s hands off with a shake of his head.

‘I never expected Gluttony to come, either.’

In truth, he had only intended to call Lust. As long as she came, he believed he could escape this crisis. But with Gluttony here as well, the situation had taken an even more favorable turn. Even if she had come just because she needed money for ice cream, he was still glad to see her.

With these two Demon Kings on his side, he wouldn’t just be able to drive Greed away, he could also create an opportunity to receive his authority

“I had a feeling when I saw you send out that wind…”

Greed licked his lips as he gazed at Raon, standing between Gluttony and Lust.

"Was this the outcome you were aiming for? It only makes me want you even more."

His golden eyes gleamed as if his greed had only grown, and it looked as though flames of greed were burning within them.

"Get lost."

Lust frowned and placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, making it clear that she wanted Greed to leave immediately.

"A bit of a shame…."

Gluttony tossed the empty ice cream box into the air and stepped in front of Raon. It seemed like she was positioning herself to protect him from Greed.

"You didn’t seem like the type to toy with women."

Greed deliberately stretched out his words, as if trying to provoke Lust.

"How exactly did you manage to win over that obsessive woman?"

He sneered, pointing at Lust with his long fingers.

"What Lust shows me isn’t obsession…."

Raon looked at Lust, whose captivating allure concealed a deep and unwavering sincerity, and tilted his chin slightly.

"It’s affection."

"Wra... Wrath...."

The moment Lust heard the word affection, an overwhelming surge of pink current erupted from her. If Raon didn’t possess the authority of <Lust>, he might have been drawn into that authority and suffocated.

You… you insane bastard!

Wrath smacked Raon hard on the back of the head.

What the hell do you think you’re doing, saying something like that?! Do you even realize what you’ve just done?!

'I'll leave the aftermath to you.'

Raon shrugged at Wrath as if to say, "Good luck handling it."

You… you will be struck by divine punishment! Neither the god nor the demon god would ever let this slide!

Wrath furiously shook his head, saying that neither celestials nor demons would ever do something like this.

"Lust, you are making a huge mistake. That isn’t Wrath, it’s—"

Even Greed, surprised by Lust’s reaction, opened his mouth in an attempt to calm her down.

"Shut your stinking mouth."

Lust twisted her lips in disgust, showing she had no intention of falling for Greed’s tricks, and drew her sword.

"I’m known for being quite the playboy, but you’re something else entirely. You’re downright excessive."

Greed sighed and shook his head, realizing that reasoning with Lust was pointless. Instead, he turned his gaze to Gluttony.

"Gluttony. You said you were out of money?"

Greed gestured toward Gluttony, who was licking ice cream off her fingers.

"You seem to have developed a taste for human food. In that case, I’ll give you all the money you need."

A cascade of white gold coins rained down from his palm like a waterfall.

"With this, you can indulge in your appetite without limit. No, if you want, I can even turn humans into your slaves and build an entire kingdom dedicated to satisfying your hunger."

'......'

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Greed trying to entice Gluttony.

‘Did he already figure out my relationship with Gluttony in such a short moment?’

Since arriving here, the only things Gluttony had said were that she had no money, wanted ice cream, and was hungry. And yet, from just those three sentences, Greed had already grasped the nature of their relationship. He truly was different from the other Demon Kings.

"Gluttony, don’t listen to him—"

"Your money smells bad."

Just as Raon was about to stop her from being swayed, Gluttony cut him off and shook her head, refusing the offer outright.

"Smells bad?"

Greed’s eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah. I’ll take money from Wrath instead...."

Gluttony revealed a firm look, she had no interest in Greed’s money.

'Huh?'

Raon let out a sigh, watching Gluttony make a firm decision.

‘Don’t tell me….’

Did she come here not because she was out of money, but to save me?

It hadn’t been that long since he last gave her gold coins. It wasn’t yet time for her to come looking for more, yet she still showed up. That meant it wasn’t about the money, she had really come for him.

"...You must be too fixated on eating to understand."

Greed flicked a gold coin between his fingers and chuckled.

"There’s no such thing as bad money. The nature of money depends entirely on its owner."

With that, he waved his hand, sending the gold coins back into the darkness before lifting his gaze.

"Two monarchs, huh...."

Greed glanced between Lust and Gluttony, licking his lips.

"I could take them on, but the problem is... I don’t know when Wrath might jump in. I suppose I have no choice."

He twisted his ankle slightly, as if signaling his intent to withdraw.

‘Zircon.’

Raon quickly called out to Zircon as he observed the situation.

[W-Why are you calling me?]

Zircon, who had been cowering in fear of Wrath, slowly lifted his head.

'Can you restore even a little of my body and mental strength?'

[Hmm… It won’t be easy with just my power alone, but there is a way.]

Zircon nodded, saying that while it wouldn’t be simple, a method did exist.

'Then that’s good enough.'

Raon nodded and took a step back, he allowed a faint hint of relief to show before shifting his gaze.

You idiot!

Wrath shook his head in disbelief.

If you make a face like that, you're practically announcing that you can't summon the King of Essence!

He shouted, as if questioning what Raon was doing.

"As I thought."

Greed’s golden eyes gleamed as he stared at Raon.

"So Wrath really can’t come out right now!"

His long fingers stretched forward, revealing a greed that could never be satisfied.

"Khh..."

Lust and Gluttony moved to block his hand, but Greed had already made up his mind. His chilling smile remained fixed on Raon.

Look! You fool!

Wrath clicked his tongue in frustration, his expression filled with disappointment.

That guy might not be able to defeat Lust and Gluttony, but he can break through between them and reach you in an instant!

He waved his hands frantically, warning that Raon could be dragged into the devildom.

‘I did it on purpose.’

Raon calmly shook his head as he watched Greed’s growing greed

What?

‘With two Demon Kings on my side, letting him go now would be a waste.’

If only Lust had come, he would have been satisfied with just forcing Greed to retreat. However, now that both Gluttony and Lust were here, the odds of winning were overwhelmingly in his favor. Letting Greed leave now would be nothing but a loss.

‘I can see through Greed’s thoughts now.’

If he had acted confident or provoked him earlier, Greed would have considered the possibility that Wrath might advent and retreated quickly.

However, by showing a sign of relief, Greed's greed flared up completely, and he became entirely focused on capturing Raon.

As Wrath had said, Greed was a demon, a Monarch of Greed. His greed wasn’t limited to just money, he coveted everything. His intentions were now crystal clear.

"If I’m facing two Monarchs, it’s only fair to give them the proper treatment."

Greed licked his lips greedily and raised a finger.

"Let’s say… a simple one hundred million gold."

The moment his lips curled into a smirk, a dazzling golden radiance burst into existence before them.

Kuwaaaaaaa!

*   *   *

"I knew you’d do that."

Lust gritted her teeth and stepped forward. Pink flames shimmered along the path her sword carved, forming a massive wall.

"You’re going to make me hungrier...."

Gluttony let out a small sigh and brought her hands together. A brilliant white light, as pure as freshly fallen snow, erupted from her palms, suppressing the golden radiance that tried to break through Lust’s flames.

Kuwaaaaaaaang!

The clash of energy between the three Demon Kings sent shockwaves rippling through the entire dimension. The sky split open, black lightning crashing down, while the ground crumbled, swallowing the corpses littering the battlefield.

‘Zircon.’

Raon moved far back and called out to him.

‘You said earlier that you could restore at least a little of my body and mental strength. How do I do it?’

[….]

Zircon stared at him for a moment before nodding.

[Eat the peridot birthstone you obtained earlier.]

‘Eat the birthstone?’

[Peridot’s power is currently dormant inside the stone. If you consume it, its energy will clash with mine, allowing you to regain some of your physical and mental strength.]

He lifted his finger, emphasizing that this was the only method available.

'It's a bit big...'

Raon frowned as he looked at the peridot. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Zircon, but the gemstone was too large to swallow easily.

[Don’t worry. Once it’s in your mouth, it will naturally melt away.]

‘Hmm… alright then….’

Raon looked at Zircon once more before placing the peridot into his mouth. Just as Zircon had said, the gemstone melted instantly on his tongue, dissolving like ice cream.

Kuuuuuuung!

As a refreshing energy, like spring water, flowed down his throat, an explosion of power surged through his chest, as if it were about to burst.

"Kh...!"

A searing pain, as though his heart was about to shatter, made him involuntarily shut his eyes and hunch forward.

Uuuuuuuung!

However, the pain didn’t last long. When he opened his eyes again, strength had returned to his body, which had been so weak that even moving his fingers had been difficult. The throbbing ache in his head faded, as if doused in cold water.

While he hadn’t fully recovered his full strength, he was back to a state not much different from his usual self. To think he had recovered this much after enduring only a brief moment of pain, the power of peridot was truly incredible.

[As I said, it’s the result of my energy clashing with Peridot's. You should be able to fight for a while. And....]

Zircon hesitated, his eyes clouded with a hint of sorrow.

[This is goodbye to you.]

‘What?’

Raon’s eyes widened as he looked at Zircon. His spirit form was beginning to fade, proving that his words were no lie.

[I’ve used up all of my power, and so has the peridot. When two birthstones collide like this, their consciousness disappears, leaving only raw power behind.]

Zircon tapped Raon’s forehead with his finger.

[Of course, you won’t gain all of our power at once. It will take root inside you gradually, like a tree spreading its roots, and slowly become your own.]

‘That’s not the issue. You’re saying you’ll disappear,  are you really okay with that?’

[Don’t worry. When you die, we will simply return to being two birthstones, scattered once more. And…]

Zircon slowly turned his gaze toward Wrath. The sorrow in his eyes was suddenly replaced with pure rage.

[I'd rather disappear than live with that ill-tempered bastard of a demon!]

W-What? Ill-tempered?

Wrath’s eyes widened in disbelief.

You ungrateful wretch! After all he did for you!

[Go ahead and kill me! I’m disappearing anyway, you thick-headed brute!]

Are you insane?!

Wrath swung his fist, but Zircon’s spirit form had already begun to dissapear, causing the strike to miss completely

[Enjoy getting yelled at by your master for the rest of your life!]

Zircon stuck his tongue out and dissipated into black mist.

Kuaaaaaaagh!

Wrath swung his fist in frustration, but Zircon had already disappeared, so he was just hitting the air.

‘Tsk tsk, just how badly did you bully him…?’

Raon clicked his tongue and shook his head at Wrath.

What do you mean bully?! The King of Essence was merely showing friendly affection…!

‘That’s exactly what bullies always say. If you hadn’t bullied him, would he have run away?’

Ugh....

Wrath clenched his teeth in frustration, unable to argue back.

'Anyway, give me your <Wrath> and a part of your soul to me for a moment.'

Huh? What kind of insane nonsense is that?!

Wrath’s eyes widened as if he had just heard something truly absurd.

‘I have to pretend to be you for a while. So give me a part of your soul and <Wrath>.’

You... You insane lunatic! Why would the King of Essence ever do that?!

Wrath fumed and clenched his fists in refusal.

‘You must have already forgotten. You said you’d do anything if Zircon didn’t serve me because of your wrath.’

Huh…?

Wrath’s chin quivered like a freshly caught fish, as if he had just remembered that promise.

‘Right now is…’

Raon grabbed Wrath by the head, a cold smile forming on his lips.

‘The time to fulfill that promise.’

Uuuuugh…!

Fear and shock surfaced in the Demon King of Wrath’s eyes.

 

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