The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 935

 Chapter 935

 

“Rensia?”

Raon widened his eyes as he saw the girl walking out from behind the ruined fountain.

Delicate features paired with eyes that exuded determination. Just moments ago, he had been convinced that Rensia was dead—but here she was, walking toward him

‘An illusion? No… this is real.’

Seeing the real Rensia made it feel like a dream, and all the strength left his body. He felt like he might collapse and faint on the spot.

“Rensia!”

"You’re alive! Kiddo!"

“Ah…”

Burren, Marta, and Runaan also lowered their weapons, seemingly overwhelmed with relief that Rensia had come back alive.

Huh? Wha—?

Even Wrath gaped, his mouth wide open, clearly not having expected Rensia to be alive.

How... how is that little brat still alive?

He stepped back in a daze as if he had seen a ghost.

“Sir Raon!”

Rensia staggered slightly as she ran toward him and embraced him. Her face was pale, and she couldn’t hold her balance, clearly, she hadn’t fully recovered.

“I’m so glad you made it back safely! Truly…”

Despite her condition, she still wasn’t concerned about herself, thinking of others first as always.

“How did you…?”

“I was lucky.”

Roenn stepped up beside Rensia and let out a deep sigh of relief.

“All the priests and healers left in Montiro said there was no way to save her and refused to treat her. We were preparing to move her elsewhere when, fortunately, divine intervention came in time.”

He raised his hand and pointed toward the saintess Olga, who was walking over from the fountain.

“Despite being busy, the saintess took the time to channel her holy power to heal Lady Rensia. If it hadn’t been for her, things would’ve turned out very badly.”

Roenn bowed his head, saying that Rensia survived thanks to Olga.

“S-Saintess! Thank you!”

Rensia also bowed deeply. Since she had been unconscious, this was likely her first time actually seeing Olga.

"It was a fifty-fifty chance. Seems like it wasn’t your time to die."

Olga gave a faint smile and gently patted Rensia’s head. Her fingers, marked with dark lines, trembled slightly as if from exhaustion. “…What about Lady Chamber?”

Raon suppressed his pounding heart and stepped closer to Olga.

"I managed to keep her alive—for now."

Olga nodded calmly. She reached into her pocket for a cigarette, but when she saw Rensia, she lowered her hand again.

"When you say 'kept alive'..."

Raon moistened his dry lips, catching the implication in her words.

"You saw it too. Her body was torn up, bones exposed, and the mental damage is far worse."

Olga shook her head, saying those weren’t wounds that could be easily healed with holy power.

“We won’t know what kind of condition Lady Chamber will be in until she wakes up.”

She lowered her eyes, stating that nothing was certain yet.

“Then... is it possible she won’t be able to use magic anymore?”

Taking down the Black Tower had shifted the balance of the Five Kings and Five Demons. If Chamber were to step down now, all of that would amount to nothing. And with the Beast King Ogram having lost his full strength as well, Chamber couldn’t afford to fall.

"The upper energy center of Transcenders is so thick and solid that even breaking it on purpose is nearly impossible. But hers has been cracked. Healing her won’t be easy. However…"

Olga swept back her blood-stained hair and shook her head.

"I'll do what I can. So wipe that sickly chicken face off, would you? It's disgustingly ugly."

She tilted her chin arrogantly, as if telling him not to worry.

"That’s a saint-like thing to say."

Raon chuckled and nodded.

"Thank you. For coming all this way, for saving the others—everything."

He drew Heavenly Drive and offered Olga a Zierghart’s sword salute with his sword.

From bringing along the knights and priests, to treating the wounded even amidst the chaos, to saving Rensia and refusing to give up on Chamber, Raon was grateful for everything she had done.

“Is talking cringe all you learned while we weren’t seeing each other? The Black Tower’s basically our main enemy too. If we can fight, we fight, simple as that.”

Olga snorted and waved her hand.

"In fact, I should be thanking you for calling me. Never thought I’d get to see the Black Tower crumble with my own eyes."

She smiled with genuine warmth, as if just being part of this war was enough for her.

"And truthfully, you’ve done more for Schper than we did today. We haven’t forgotten that."

Olga shook her head, saying that without Raon, the Holy Kingdom of Schper might have ceased to exist.

"Ugh, you’re giving me goosebumps. Can you stop with the embarrassing lines already? It’s making me cringe."

Raon rubbed his arms and threw her words right back at her.

"Sh-Shut up! You’re the one who started it! It rubbed off on me, damn it!"

Olga’s face turned as red as an autumn apple as she ground her teeth.

“Uh…”

Rensia blinked blankly, as if she couldn’t believe that someone known as a saintess would use such crude language.

“Hey, kid.”

Olga gestured to Rensia, who wasn’t all that shorter than her.

"Come here. Judging by your complexion, I need to do a bit more healing."

“Eh? I’m fine, really…”

“Shut it and come. I was too busy earlier to treat you properly. And girls shouldn’t be left with scars on their bodies.”

She shook her head, saying she needed to erase every last trace of the wounds.

“Ah, alright.”

Rensia bowed politely to Raon and reluctantly followed Olga.

“Hey.”

With her arm over Rensia’s shoulder, Olga glanced back at Raon.

"Let’s call today even, yeah? You helped us, and I helped you. So don’t go saying any weird stuff later."

Making it clear she didn’t want thanks, she shouted out that they were square and walked into the makeshift medical tent.

That woman’s markings have gotten darker.

Wrath frowned as he looked at the lines along Olga’s arms and legs.

They’ve even spread to her fingers. Looks like she really doesn’t have much time left.

‘I saw it too.’

The black lines on Olga’s body weren’t tattoos. They were the result of her forcibly drawing in holy power, her skin melting as a consequence.

Even now, she seemed to be sacrificing her lifespan and soul to draw in holy power, to destroy evil, and to save lives.

"She said we’re square, but…"

Raon clenched his fist and let a faint smile spread across his lips.

"I might just rack up another debt instead."

Back then, he hadn’t even dared to try because he lacked the ability, but now, he felt he might be able to fix Olga’s condition.

‘You think we can help her?’

Hmph…

Wrath glanced at the medical tent where Olga had entered, then snorted.

Restoring balance, at least, should be doable.

It seemed he had taken a liking to her too, he nodded without much hesitation.

‘I’ve been thinking about this for a while now.’

Raon chuckled, gently stroking Wrath’s nose.

‘You don’t really seem like a Demon King.’

That’s an insult!

‘Is it?’

Raon gave Wrath’s flailing forehead a push and started walking toward the ice cream shop, where Gluttony and Lust were waiting.

*   *   *

“Urgh…”

Saintess Olga’s fingers, marked with black lines, trembled after she finished treating Rensia.

“S-Saintess? Are you alright?”

Rensia sat up, looking at her with worried eyes.

“Don’t get up.”

Olga weakly pressed her fingers against Rensia’s forehead.

“Worry about yourself first. If I’d arrived just a second later, you’d be dead.”

She wasn’t joking. If she had hesitated for even a few seconds or arrived a little late, Rensia would have died. Her injuries were that severe. The fact that she could even speak now was nothing short of a miracle.

“But if the Saintess who treated me is sick…”

"Adults can handle being in pain."

Olga waved her hand, telling her to just sleep.

"Ah, but I haven’t thanked anyone yet. I can’t sleep like this."

“Thanked? Thanked who?”

"Sir Raon… and everyone else."

Rensia smacked her lips slightly, as if disappointed that she hadn’t properly thanked Raon yet.

"I received so much help. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to escape the Black Tower’s grasp, not even in death."

She still couldn’t believe it was real. Tears welled up in her green-colored eyes.

“How exactly did they help you? I came in such a hurry, I don’t know the full story.”

Olga motioned lazily with her hand, inviting her to talk if she wasn’t sleepy.

"Shall I? When I first met him, he didn’t even go by the name Raon. He came in pretending to be some rich merchant…"

Rensia clutched her blanket tightly, her voice bright as she began recounting the story.

“…and that’s how we managed to open the gate to the Black Tower. I don’t remember much after that because I got hurt.”

"I know what happened after that, so that’s enough."

Olga nodded, saying there was no need to go further.

"Now that you’ve said everything, feel better?"

“Yes!”

Rensia nodded with a cheerful smile.

“Then sleep.”

“Huh? But I still haven’t thanked, oh.”

When Olga placed her hand on Rensia’s forehead, the girl let out a faint, rhythmic breath and drifted off to sleep.

"Hoo…"

Olga let out a weary breath and looked toward the direction of the fountain where Raon had been.

“You really haven’t changed one bit.”

She had heard that Raon had become a Transcender and had wondered how he might have changed.

She was worried whether the purity she had once seen in him still remained, but it seemed he hadn’t changed in the slightest.

The young hero who had once risked his life to save the Holy Kingdom of Schper, even though it had nothing to do with him, was still standing there, sword in hand, fighting for others.

‘…If only I hadn’t changed either.’

Olga glanced down at the black lines covering her arms and legs and smiled bitterly.

‘But it’s too late for that now.’

She had used up a tremendous amount of holy power to restore the Holy Kingdom to its rightful place. And today, again, she had spent a large amount defeating the demons and saving Chamber.

Now that the black lines had reached halfway up her fingers, and chills ran through her whole body, she knew her time was nearly up.

‘Still… I have no regrets.’

She had helped Hopen, once indecisive, grow into a worthy Holy King. She had drilled hellish training into new knights and priests, making them capable.

And she had repaid the debt of gratitude she owed to Raon, which had weighed on her heart all this time. With all that done, she felt she had nothing left to regret, even in death.

‘Even so…’

Olga approached the bed where Chamber lay. Her head ached from the holy power drain, but she couldn’t stop yet.

‘I have to save this person, no matter what.’

Chamber had to survive if they were to gain the upper hand in the power balance between the Five Kings and Five Demons. Even if Olga herself died, she had to make sure this woman lived.

"Tch. this is why I never get to smoke…"

She bit down on a pen instead of a cigarette and placed her hand over Chamber’s head. In the damp air of the makeshift medical tent, a warm light flared to life like a winter ember, and it kept glowing without end.

*   *   *

After ordering the Light Wind Palace swordsmen to keep watch, Raon headed for the bead ice cream shop near the fountain.

Thankfully, the place was empty, and Gluttony was devouring all the bead ice cream, digging into the container like it was her own.

Judging by the empty metal containers rolling on the floor, there wasn’t much left.

Meanwhile, Lust had placed a single scoop of ice cream on a table and was staring blankly into space, wearing an eerie, unreadable smile.

W-Wait a second!

Just as Raon was about to open the door and step inside, Wrath jumped in front of him.

Are you really going in there? That stalker is inside!

Wrath shook his head, urging Raon to reconsider.

‘If I don’t go in, Gluttony’s going to eat your ice cream too.’

Uh…?

At that, Wrath swallowed dryly as he watched Gluttony literally eating through even the metal containers.

‘We have to stay here until support from the house arrives. If you don’t eat now, you might not see bead ice cream again for a while.’

Raon tapped Wrath’s head, telling him to think carefully.

Guhhh…

Wrath trembled at the jaw as he looked back and forth between Lust, who seemed truly lovestruck, and Gluttony, who was utterly devouring the ice cream.

This damned world! Nothing ever goes my way!

Caught between appetite and fear, he clutched his head, unable to make a choice.

‘I still need to say thanks first. I’m going in.’

As Raon reached for the door, leaving the indecisive Wrath behind, a voice called out.

“W-Wait!”

Jaina came running up from behind, calling out to him. Her face was completely pale.

“What is it?”

Jaina was in charge of reporting everything happening here to the Five Kings. If she looked this panicked, it meant something serious had gone wrong.

“I can’t contact headquarters… or Balkar.”

Her eyes trembled as she looked up at the still-dim sky.

“It seems like something's happened with one of the other Five Kings!”

*   *   *

The audience chamber of Owen, a place that exuded such overwhelming pressure it felt like it crushed one’s soul just by entering. It was a place where no one could avoid feeling intimidated, but today, it was different.

The massive chandelier, once the very definition of opulence, had crashed to the ground and shattered. The red carpet, soaked in blood, bubbled and churned like a living thing.

The lion knights who had sworn loyalty to the great king had fallen without even hiding the fear and despair in their eyes. The blood flowing from their bodies soaked the carpet and opened a path leading to the throne.

Goooooooo...

Even the throne standing at the center of the audience chamber had been split in half, and its owner, the Silent Sword Sovereign Lecross, leaned against a cracked wall, coughing up pitch-black blood.

Squelch.

A silver-haired man in a blue long coat stepped forward, treading over the blood spilled from the knights. He stood before the split throne, and with a subtle flick of his slender fingers, the lion’s throne, unshaken for centuries, collapsed in an instant.

“Silent Sword Sovereign. Was your name always this hollow? Or…”

Derus Robert. Once ranked among the Six Kings alongside Lecross, the absolute master of the sword, curved his lips into a frosty smile.

“Did I simply become that much stronger?”

With a sword soaked in crimson blood, he stepped over the ruins of the throne and approached Lecross.

“Derus Robert…”

Lecross raised his blood-drenched shoulder and forced his sword upright.

“Why are you here?”

"You people attacked us first. Did you expect me to just sit around and do nothing?"

Derus shrugged, as if it were obvious. His entire aura felt like it belonged to a completely different being from the man once known as the Sky Sword Saint.

“When Chamber made her move, there was a hole in your communication network. We have a rather capable mage on our side who was able to exploit it.”

Derus Robert wore a cold smile, saying he had no interest in rescuing the Black Tower’s master, he preferred to return the favor by attacking one of the Five Kings instead.

"Not rescue, but revenge? How ridiculous."

Lecross twisted his lips as he locked eyes with Derus’s icy blue gaze.

Truthfully, they had predicted that the Five Demons might launch a counterattack.

That’s why not everyone had gone to the Black Tower, they had made preparations to cover for Chamber’s absence.

‘But the problem is…’

Lecross furrowed his brow as he watched Derus approach at a calm, unhurried pace.

‘That bastard’s strength is far beyond what I expected.’

Derus Robert now possessed a level of power that was in a completely different league from when he was one of the Six Kings. Even with Lecross giving his all, it was difficult to properly block Derus’s sword.

‘Was the gap always this wide?’

It hadn’t been long since Derus had left the Six Kings. For him to become this powerful in such a short time—it was likely that he had been hiding his true strength all along. It reminded Lecross of facing Glenn.

"If a demon falls, then a king must fall too. Soon, it’ll be Four Kings, Four Demons."

Derus waved his finger as if it were a foregone conclusion that the Black Tower would be no more.

“No, it’ll be Three Kings and Four Demons!”

At the moment Derus flicked his finger, Lecross brought down his raised sword. The blade emitted a brilliant blue light, taking the form of a lion as it roared and split the heavens and earth.

Lion Spirit Sword’s Armament Art.

The mighty slash, cloaked in unbreakable steel, tore through the audience chamber and raced straight toward Derus Robert’s very soul.

Kuwaaaaaaaaang!

Derus raised his own sword. A blinding white light burst forth and clashed head-on with the Armament Art. An immense explosion erupted between the two strikes, shaking the entire audience chamber, and the royal castle itself, until it began to collapse.

‘Did I get him?’

Derus Robert’s presence faded quickly. It would’ve been nice if he’d actually died, but Lecross doubted it was that simple.

As Lecross stepped back, trying to regain his breath, a chilling sensation crept up from behind.

Fwoooosh!

There wasn’t even time to exhale. He twisted his waist reflexively, but it was too late, the blue arc had already brushed against his skin. Derus Robert had somehow moved behind him, and his blade drove deep into Lecross’s shoulder.

“I was aiming for your heart, but you dodged that well.”

Derus tilted his chin slightly, as if genuinely impressed.

“But that won’t change anythi—hm?”

He had started to press the sword down through Lecross’s shoulder, but then stopped.

“I figured it might happen, but… you’re here faster than I expected.”

Derus let out a faint breath and turned around.

ROOOAAAAAR—

Through the black clouds above, red lightning streaked like cracks across a shattered sky, twisting the sky with a thunderous cry.

As the royal castle collapsed, a cloud of gray dust rose into the air, then scattered as if gripped by fear. Through it, an old swordsman with red eyes appeared, standing atop the blood of fallen knights.

“At last, we meet.”

Glenn Zieghart. The man who eradicated the demons of the north and earned the nickname of Lightning God. The swordsman who rose to the pinnacle of the continent drew his sword.

“Derus Robert.”

 

 

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