The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 976

 Chapter 976

 

Goooooh!

Raphael’s severed head began to move on its own. Her twisted blue eyes glared downward at Raon.

“You bastard….”

Her gaze boiled like molten lava, filled with both shock and disbelief.

“I told you, didn’t I? A mere pigeon can never understand the will of a phoenix.”

Raon ignored the chilling murderous intent Raphael emitted and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

‘There’s no reason to hide my power from a celestial.’

The one who summoned Raphael was Derus Robert. It was obvious that he had informed her about him, so there was no need to hide Wrath’s authority.

‘Which is why it’s a shame.’

If that had been her true body, it would’ve been perfect.

Since this Raphael was merely an avatar, even with her head severed, she seemed completely fine.

If it had been her real body, he might not have killed her, but he could have dealt a serious blow. The fact that he couldn’t made it frustrating.

“How dare a mere human!”

Raphael screamed, as though tearing her throat, and her murderous intent exploded across the entire royal capital of Balkar.

Fwaaaaaah!

As killing intent surged from Raphael, a faint light returned to the eyes of those who had been entranced by her.

“Huh…?”

“T-That’s supposed to be an angel?”

“She seems like a completely different being now.”

“She’s not an angel… she’s a demon….”

Those who had been offering sincere prayers swallowed dryly as they stared at Raphael.

“What…?”

Olga, more shocked than anyone, bit her lip hard enough to draw blood as she stared at Raphael.

“I was told to leave you alone, but it seems crushing an insolent insect is the right thing to do.”

The staff in Raphael’s hand flickered with golden light, raising an immense divine power.

The light it radiated was so intense, it was hard to even keep one's eyes open.

Wooooooong!

The light surging from the tip of the staff reached the sky and then fell as a golden bolt of lightning.

“Ugh….”

The speed at which the lightning fell was much faster than expected. As Raon was about to bend his knees to dodge, someone stepped forward.

“...How dare you.”

It was Glenn.

Glenn, who hadn’t moved even when tens of thousands fell under her influence, immediately raised his hand the moment Raon was in danger.

“Do you even know who you’re touching?”

Without even drawing the Tremor, Glenn raised a single finger, and summoned a red lightning bolt.

Kwarrrrrrrrrgh!

The red thunderstorm, pouring down with the weight of his immense fury, ripped Raphael’s golden lightning apart like paper.

Peoooorrk!

Glenn’s Heavenly Lightning Cultivation didn’t stop at erasing the divine bolt. It also burned away what remained of Raphael’s avatar’s body, leaving nothing behind.

“You… so it’s you….”

Raphael let out a dry, disbelieving breath.

“A human… who dares to look up to the heavens.”

As she bit her lip and glared at Glenn—

Raon moved his fingers.

Flaaash!

The Wooden Ring Sword, which had been shot alongside the Void Severance, fell, now imbued with the same Heavenly Lightning Cultivation as Glenn’s.

Thuck!

Raphael’s head was pierced through by the sword. It began to crumble into black ash, disintegrating into the air.

“You…”

“To suffer countless pains, to be worn down by cold and heat, and sometimes… to lose sleep because of nightmares, that’s what it means to be human.”

Raon raised his chin as he looked at Raphael, whose form was now scattering like black dust.

“…So that’s what it means to be human. A fine answer.”

Raphael, no longer showing the fury she had just moments ago, lowered her single remaining eye in a composed manner.

“But the time left for your kind is short. If you desire salvation, then follow me… and wait for heaven.”

Her final voice carried the same warmth as when she first descended, echoing across the entire Kingdom of Balkar.

Fwoooosh.

Raphael’s last remaining right eye turned to dust, and with that, her avatar completely vanished.

“Haaah….”

Raon slowly looked up at the darkening sky and bit his lip.

‘Even knowing she couldn’t win, was she trying to at least see her goal through by continuing to enchant the people to the very end?’

Even as her avatar was being erased by Glenn and himself, she still tried to fulfill her purpose here. She was a woman of such caliber that the title of archangel didn’t feel wasted on her.

He told you! That bitch is the most insidious of them all!

Wrath gritted his teeth in annoyance as he glared at where Raphael had been.

Still, it’s a relief you cut her down cleanly. If you hadn’t stepped in, every human here would’ve ended up in that wretch’s grasp!

He patted Raon’s shoulder like he was proud. He usually never gives praise, but when it comes to celestials, he couldn’t hold back.

“Is this really okay…?”

“He… he really cut down an archangel….”

“So now we’re even killing angels? Then again, he is the Sword Emperor…”

It seemed Raphael’s enchantment faded depending on a person’s strength. The powerful ones had already come to their senses and were now shaking their heads as they looked at Raon.

“W-Wait, killing an angel… doesn’t that make you a demon?”

“Well, his personality’s already more demon than angel. Maybe it’s only natural.”

Dorian and Krein had also recovered their senses and chuckled among themselves.

“He’s right. Our palace master is closer to a demon than an angel.”

Burren nodded slightly, smiling thinly in agreement.

“Forget angels or demons, he’s just a madman. Who the hell even thinks of cutting down something like that?”

Martha let out a dry breath, still dumbfounded by what just happened.

"He’s super freaking handsome today."

Runaan simply gave a thumbs up in admiration.

“Phew… Why do I feel so drained?”

“Right? Was that thing really an angel?”

“Not sure. When she got slashed by the Light Wind Palace master, she looked more like a demon….”

Even the heads of the factions aligned with the Five Kings seemed to have broken free from Raphael’s enchantment, swallowing dryly as they exchanged words among themselves.

“Raon! That was incredible!”

Ogram praised him loudly and clapped his massive hand on Raon’s shoulder.

“How did you manage to cut through that pillar? The power behind your strike didn’t seem much different from mine!”

He nodded, genuinely impressed.

“There must’ve been something special contained within the sword strike.”

King Lecross approached as well, eyes wide with astonishment.

“You can’t understand our boy with logic!”

Chamber waved her hand as if telling them not to question it and just accept it.

“Our boy?”

Glenn furrowed his brows at Chamber.

“That’s one thing I absolutely cannot accept.”

Unusually raising his voice, he glared at her.

“Why are you getting mad all of a sudden…?”

Chamber took a step back, flustered by the unexpected anger.

“……”

Larian, on the other hand, just kept looking up at the sky with eyes shining, deep in thought.

“Hmm….”

Raon turned his gaze away from the heads of the Five Kings and looked at the heads of the neutral factions who had yet to choose a side.

They still wore dazed expressions, as if they hadn’t completely escaped Raphael’s enchantment.

‘This isn’t good.’

Thanks to Raphael revealing her true nature partway through, her enchantment didn’t take full hold, but that didn’t mean it had no effect at all.

‘If even warriors were affected to this extent, then ordinary citizens of Balkar must be far worse.’

Raon had thought they could easily gain the support of the remaining neutral factions through the Conference of the Five Kings, but it seemed Derus had no intention of just sitting back and letting it happen.

'She said we don't have much time left, didn't she?'

Raon smacked his lips as he looked up at the sky, which had darkened again after Raphael disappeared.

‘Then we’ll need to move even faster.’

Yeah. Tear off every last one of those celestial bastards’ wings!

Wrath nodded in approval, saying it was a good thought.

‘Speaking of which….’

Raon nudged Wrath and gestured with his head.

‘Don’t you have anything like a Demon King’s song or something?’

*   * *

A dim space, scattered with particles of warm light.

Fiiiiiik!

A red line slashed across Raphael’s neck, and sacred-looking red blood streamed down.

"Ha…."

She wiped the blood with her fingers and let out a hollow laugh, as if in disbelief.

“You’re saying the injury sustained by my avatar carried over to the real body?”

Raphael looked at the blood on her fingertip with trembling eyes, clearly unable to believe it.

"I told you, didn't I?"

The man lounging on a black sofa lifted his head, Derus Robert. With a somewhat pale face, he curled his lips into a faint smile.

"Raon Zieghart is a being more special than either the celestials or the demons."

Derus removed his black leather glove. From the wound on the back of his hand, sticky blood flowed down.

"This wound, which even you, the Archangel of Protection, couldn't heal, was also left by him."

Instead of wincing from the pain, Derus’ eyes narrowed with something close to pleasure.

“Why did you tell me not to kill that human? With power like that, wouldn’t it be best to eliminate him quickly?”

Raphael narrowed her eyes.

"Because there's much we can use him for."

"Use him?"

She tilted her head, as if asking what he meant.

“Raon will be an enormous asset in our final war.”

Derus flicked his finger lightly and said she would understand when the time came.

"……."

Raphael folded her arms with a displeased look.

“Enough about Raon. So? Did the bugs follow you?”

Derus shrugged, as if asking whether her trip to Balkar had gone well.

“That human you told me not to kill got in the way, so I couldn’t finish everything.”

Raphael slowly shook her head.

“But my voice and divine power remain in their minds and bodies. Even if it’s not to the extent you hoped, it will still have a significant effect.”

She nodded, saying that many humans would now doubt each other.

"As expected…."

Derus lightly clapped his hands, saying he had believed in her.

" I made the right decision bringing you in as the next one."

He smiled, saying it had been worth pushing himself to summon her.

“In terms of overall power, we’re still at a disadvantage. The Five Kings won’t remain injured forever.”

Derus frowned, saying that once the heads of the Five Kings recovered, the current balance would collapse.

“That’s why your role is crucial. I hope you continue drawing those bugs over to our side.”

"…Human."

Raphael cast a piercing gaze at Derus. A chilling energy rose over her blue eyes.

“Watch your tongue. I am not your subordinate. I merely…”

“You mean we walk the same path? I’m well aware of that, Archangel.”

Derus gave a shallow bow to Raphael, indicating he understood. Then, rising slowly from the sofa, he walked toward the door.

“Get some rest for a while. Heal that wound too.”

With a light wave of his hand, Derus disappeared into the dim room.

“Raon Zieghart…”

Raphael clutched her still-bleeding neck and bit her lip.

*   *   *

The next day.

Raon once again entered the great conference hall of Balkar, standing behind Glenn.

Originally, the festival should have continued, but due to Raphael's sudden appearance, the heads of the Five Kings held an emergency meeting.

“What the hell is with these archangels coming down nonstop!”

Ogram, visibly irritated, slammed his fist onto the round table.

“Archangels are absolute powerhouses, even among Transcenders. Having one on Derus’s side is almost like having two of the Five Kings backing him.”

King Lecross sighed deeply, saying the situation wasn't good.

“No.”

Chamber shook her head as she opened a bag of candy.

“It might not even be the second one. They could be hiding more archangels.”

She popped a piece of candy into her mouth and added that it was dangerous to make assumptions too soon.

“Hmm… You’re right.”

King Lecross lowered his brows, acknowledging his misjudgment.

“So much for the celebration. This isn’t the time for one.”

Xanthos frowned, saying the situation had flipped entirely in just a day.

“Yeah. We shouldn’t have been celebrating just because we killed the Black Tower’s master. We should’ve moved quicker.”

Chamber sighed, expressing regret.

“And to think it wasn’t even her true body, it was just an avatar. Unbelievable.”

She gritted her teeth, questioning where such a damned ability came from.

“Given this, I’d say the war situation isn’t looking good.”

King Lecross bit his lip, murmuring that the Four Demons side might be stronger than them now.

“Still, once we recover, we’ll be more than capable of winning.”

Ogram clenched his fist, asserting that once he, Lecross, and Chamber were back in peak condition, they would win the war.

"That's true. But…."

Chamber narrowed her eyes, looking at the corner of the round table.

“One of the ones still in good condition has been oddly quiet. Same as yesterday, just sitting there doing nothing.”

Chamber turned her gaze to Larian, who sat quietly beneath her robe, murmuring something incomprehensible to herself.

“…Doesn’t your whole body just shiver from it?”

Larion slowly lifted her head. In the eyes that were usually filled with shyness and annoyance, strange formulas had begun to shimmer.

“A celestial. And not just any celestial, an archangel straight out of legend. Even just her avatar and protective abilities were astonishing. What else could she be hiding?”

Larian cupped her flushed cheeks, twisting her lips in feverish curiosity.

“I want to dissect that pure-white body… slice it little by little with a dagger and draw out her divine power. She’s even rarer than a demon.”

Her words came one after another, so eerie it was hard to tell what her original personality had been.

“There it is... the true nature of that shut-in mage.”
Chamber shook her head.

“Hey, you need to hurry up and recover at least.”

She gave a casual wave toward King Lecross.

“Yes. I shouldn’t take much longer.”

King Lecross nodded, adding that he had almost finished driving out the energy of death, he had simply avoided overexerting himself.

"What about those who saw Raphael?"

Glenn turned his gaze to Xanthos.

“All Grandmasters have recovered.”

Xanthos nodded, saying that all those at the Grandmaster realm had broken free of Raphael’s enchantment.

“But those below Grandmaster still seem to have her words stuck in their heads. It doesn’t feel like ordinary charm magic.”

He shook his head, saying that the weaker one's martial strength, the stronger Raphael's enchantment seemed to take hold.

“We’ll have to deal with that first.”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, saying there was no point in gathering here if they couldn’t erase the mark Raphael had left behind.

“That’s true.”

Chamber bit her lip, saying they couldn’t let anyone leave the capital until that was taken care of.

“Just tracking down the Four Demons is already pushing us to our limit, and now we’re about to waste even more time.”

She shook her head, clearly displeased.

“There is a way to break Raphael’s enchantment quickly.”

Raon stepped forward to the front of the round table as he spoke, his voice calm and sharp.

“And there’s a way to track down the Four Demons. Of course, it’s not flawless, but it should work.”

"A way to erase Raphael’s energy?"

“And to locate the Four Demons?”

"Are you serious?"

The heads of the Five Kings all opened their eyes wide at once.

"Yes. First..."

Raon turned his frosty gaze toward the leaders seated at the round table.

“…let’s start by stirring up the lizard’s nest.”

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