The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1068

 Chapter 1068

 

“Please wake up….”

Martha tightly held Denier’s hand and cried out, calling him dad, but his time had already come to an end.

Tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue shortly, as if in pity.

That weird bastard has finally left as the father of the beef girl.

He furrowed his brow, saying that even Denier’s betrayal must have had its reasons.

‘That must be so.’

Raon exhaled softly.

‘Because Martha saw Denier’s memories.’

Denier had passed on his own memories to Martha, and Marta, after reading them, accepted him again as her father.

Within them, there must be various circumstances entangled that I cannot know.

He’s curious about what kind of life that man lived.

Wrath smacked his lips, wondering just what kind of life he must have lived to commit betrayal after betrayal.

‘I don’t really know either.’

I also had only regarded Denier as a villain similar to Derus, so today’s events were confusing in many ways.

‘But one thing is certain.’

Raon pressed his hands together as he looked at Denier in Martha’s arms.

‘As you said, that man is Martha’s father.’

That’s right. The vow bound to the Beef Girl’s soul was more difficult to undo than even a Transcendence-level curse, yet that guy carried it away after swelling it several times over. Such a thing is impossible for a human mind.

Wrath gave a heavy nod, saying it was possible only because he had the heart of a father.

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

“……”

Runaan silently approached the sobbing Martha and quietly lent her shoulder.

“Hic.”

Martha bit her lips and leaned her body against Runaan. The two, who had seemed like sworn enemies, now felt like friends who no longer needed words.

“Is it over….”

Burren raised his gaze to the still-dim sky and let out a long breath.

“This war was especially exhausting.”

He sat down on the spot, saying he was worn out both physically and mentally.

“I, I’m still scared….”

Dorian rolled his eyes side to side.

“I-I feel like the White Blood Religion’s leader might revive and come at us right now….”

He swallowed dryly, saying it felt like she would come back to life and appear before them.

“Words become seeds! Don’t spout nonsense!”

Krein furrowed his brows and kicked Dorian.

“Still, it’s not strange for him to think that way.”

Raon gave a faint laugh, taking Dorian’s side.

“Because she was relentless.”

Normally he would have smacked Dorian on the back of the head, telling him not to talk nonsense, but having seen the White Blood Religion’s leader’s obsession with life, he understood his words.

“I, unlike that coward, it was a breeze for me! The White Blood Religion is nothing special!”

Krein puffed out his chest, trying to boast now that it was all over.

“Something was a little strange to me.”

Trevin frowned and turned his gaze aside.

“Strange?”

Raon tilted his head, looking at Trevin.

“Every time we faced a dangerous situation, some building would collapse or the ground would split, and an opportunity would present itself. Suddenly, my aura returned and I was able to help the palace master. Thanks to that, although there are many seriously injured in the Light Wind Palace, there were no deaths. Isn’t that too lucky?”

Trevin said the timing was too perfect and the luck too much, and he was suspicious of the situation.

‘He’s not wrong.’

Raon narrowed his eyes and looked around.

‘Because I experienced something similar.’

When I was blocking the Goddess of Blood Devouring Anguish in a state of complete exhaustion, there were times its movements would slow down for a moment.

I thought it was because the bloody energy it possessed was almost depleted, but thinking back on it now, that didn’t seem to be the only reason.

‘On top of that….’

The fact that the aura recovered clearly means someone intervened.

The Light Wind swordsmen had said that, thanks to their aura suddenly surging, they gained the strength to block the Goddess of Blood Devouring Anguish.

At the time, things were too urgent so I let it pass, but anyone could see that it was something artificial.

‘Don’t you know anything?’

Raon jabbed Wrath with his elbow.

The King of Essence knows nothing.

Wrath turned his head, whistling. It meant that whether he knew or not, he wasn’t going to tell.

‘I don’t even have the strength to spread aura perception.’

With my remaining aura and stamina at rock bottom, it was hard enough just to stand, let alone extend aura perception.

“Ugh….”

As he looked around with a sigh, Evelyn held her waist and forced herself up.

“Evelyn. Are you okay?”

He walked to her on trembling legs, drained of strength.

“No, I’m not okay.”

Evelyn spat out the blood gathered in her mouth and shook her head.

“It feels like my head’s split, my heart’s burst, and my arms and legs barely move.”

Then you should already be dead!

Wrath shook his head, saying it made no sense.

“Let's start with some temporary measures first.”

“Those measures….”

As Raon tried to give her medicine for internal injuries, she stretched her arms toward him.

“If you hug me, I think everything will be solved.”

Evelyn’s purple eyes sparkled as she said that was all she needed.

“Sorry, but….”

Raon raised his hand to push her back as she approached.

“This isn’t the time for that.”

He gave a short shake of his head and pointed to Martha, who was holding on to Denier.

“Ah….”

Evelyn let out a low groan, as if only now realizing the other side of things.

A madwoman is a madwoman….

Wrath shook his head, saying that even when Evelyn seemed good, she ended up making him recoil in disgust.

“I don’t know how things went, but in the end, the White Blood Religion’s leader died by your Hearth Sword, right?”

Evelyn smiled, saying she didn’t know the process but at least knew the result.

“No.”

Raon firmly shook his head.

“Those two did it. I just helped.”

He pointed at Martha and Denier, repeating exactly what Rimmer had once told him.

“I see.”

Evelyn closed and then opened her eyes, saying that while it was vague, she got the feeling.

“You’ve done well. If it weren’t for you, we could never have destroyed the White Blood Religion.”

Raon bowed his head sincerely to Evelyn.

“Thank you, Evelyn.”

“Between us, thanks aren’t needed!”

Evelyn waved her hand, saying not to give such thanks. Raon wanted to ask what she meant by ‘between us,’ but he was too afraid to ask.

“Then, are there two left now?”

It was when she held up two fingers, her index and middle.

“Where are the patients!”

The medical team prepared by the Five Kings Alliance rushed over with urgent faces.

“P-please, start here!”

“This way!”

“He’s lost consciousness, and his breathing is weak!”

The Light Wind swordsmen pointed to the Transcenders of the Five Kings they had been guarding, and to Balder.

“Y-Your Majesty….”

“This isn’t good.”

“Take emergency measures first!”

The healers and priests sweated coldly from their foreheads, realizing their own abilities alone wouldn’t be enough.

“The Ragged Saint and the Saintess will be here soon! Do everything you can until then!

They quickly moved their hands, as if determined to hold on while treating others until Federick and Olga arrived.

“Th-this person has already passed away.”

“What?”

At the words that he had passed away, Raon quickly turned his head.

“Still, look again!”

Martha dragged healers and priests by force, making them check Denier.

“S-sorry.”

“This is beyond what we can do….”

The healers and priests shook their heads, apologizing.

“Ugh….”

Martha once again grasped Denier’s hand and bit her lips. It seemed she couldn't let her father go yet.

“Instead, this person might somehow be saved.”

One of the priests approached Martha’s mother, spreading holy power and casting healing arts.

Wooooong!

As holy power and healing enveloped Martha’s mother, her pale complexion slowly began to regain color.

“Mmm….”

A faint groan escaped Martha’s mother’s lips.

“Huh…?”

Hearing that voice, Martha instantly turned her head, eyes wide open.

“M-mom?”

Carefully holding Denier, she stepped toward her mother.

“Mom! Have you regained consciousness?”

Martha trembled at her lips, unable to lay her hand on her mother, afraid this moment would shatter like a dream.

“M-Martha….”

Martha’s mother immediately recognized the grown-up Martha and formed a faint smile.

“Y-you recognize me?”

Martha’s reddened eyes filled again with tears, as if she had been worrying that her mother wouldn’t recognize the child who had now become an adult.

“Of course. There’s nothing a mom doesn’t know.”

Martha’s mother, saying why ask such a thing, nodded her head with difficulty.

“Mom… Mom!”

Martha called the name she had been holding back and embraced her mother.

“My daughter. You’ve been through so much, haven’t you?”

Martha’s mother patted her back, as if she knew everything.

“No… mom, you’ve suffered so much more….”

As if emotions she had held back for over twenty years surged up all at once, Martha couldn’t finish her words.

“But….”

Martha’s mother let out a short breath as she looked at Denier.

“What happened with that man?”

Though she had seen it through the body of the White Blood Religion’s leader, she still couldn’t understand, and shook her head.

“He’s my dad.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Martha opened her lips.

“Just as mother gave birth to me, he’s the dad who raised me.”

She gave a radiant smile, as if proud of it, as if erasing her sadness.

“……”

Raon let out a white breath as he saw Martha’s smile, where sadness and love came together.

‘One person leaves, and one person comes.’

Meeting inevitably brings parting, and those who leave are bound to return.

Martha, overcoming today’s sadness, would be able to grow further as a human being.

‘Now I’ve really reached my limit.’

Seeing the reunion of Martha and her mother, my tension eased, and my vision blurred. I couldn’t endure any longer.

I wanted to know the situation of Zieghart, the confrontation between Derus and Darkan, but my mind no longer worked.

‘I'm glad, Martha.’

Looking at Martha, laughing while crying, I slowly fell backward.

“Yes! Hugging jackpot!”

As my eyes closed and the sound of the world faded, someone lifted me into their arms and let out a cheerful voice.

“……”

That's too much. Way too much!

*   *   *

“Hmm?”

The Beast King Ogram raised his trembling hand.

‘My strength is returning.’

His aura and realm of martial arts, which had been useless no matter how much he trained after having his blood drained by the White Blood Religion’s leader, were now very slowly recovering.

‘Did those guys pull it off?’

There was only one thing that could bring change to the martial strength that had never returned no matter what he did until now. It had to be that the Five Kings alliance struck down the White Blood Religion and killed its leader.

‘At last….’

Ogram clenched his fist as massive as a boulder.

‘I can fight again!’

Whenever the other heads of the Five Kings moved, he had to remain on standby, and though he didn't say it his pride had been heavily wounded.

But now he could fight at the very front again, as in the past. He was so overjoyed, it felt like his heartbeat was pounding against his ears.

“It would be good to tell Derus.”

Ogram smacked his lips as he lifted his gaze.

‘If he hears that the White Blood Religion’s leader is dead, he too will be shaken.’

He was about to raise his voice to provoke Derus.

Jjeojeojeojeojeojeong!

Before he could even blink, dozens of sonic booms rang out through the air.

Derus and Darkan were clashing with their swords in a realm beyond his perception.

‘…Were they always this strong?’

Now that his power had returned, he could feel the martial strength of Derus and Darkan in his very skin. If he stepped into that clash, his head would be severed instantly.

‘Even if I recover all my strength, it’s impossible.’

Even if all the martial strength he lost to the White Blood Religion’s leader returned, he could never win. Though they were both Transcenders, he hadn’t imagined such a gap, his shoulders lost strength.

‘Damn it….’

As Ogram bit his lips hard, the swords of Derus and Darkan fell toward each other’s necks.

Jjeoooeoooeooong!

With a thunderous roar, a pitch-black rift split open between Darkan and Derus. The shockwave of aura so immense caused the balance of the present world to begin to collapse.

“It seems the White Blood Religion’s leader is dead, doesn't it?”

Darkan, even while fighting Derus, seemed to have read Ogram's condition and tilted his chin.

“You must have expected it, but it must sting that you didn’t get what you wanted.”

He shrugged his shoulders, mocking Derus.

“Not particularly.”

Derus shook his head calmly, as if he already knew of the White Blood Religion’s leader’s death.

“Killing you here and taking your power is a much greater gain.”

He curled his lips upward, as if this was all the better.

“You dream of the impossible.”

Darkan snorted at Derus.

“The only one who can cut my neck is the strongest sword on the continent, Glenn Zieghart.”

He lowered his hand, saying that with Derus’s current skill it was absolutely impossible.

“Of course, you’re not bad. I never thought there would be another who could withstand my sword to this extent.”

Darkan smacked his lips, saying it was a good thing he had agreed to Raon’s request.

“I’ve seen enough, so now let’s fight properly.”

He leaned his upper body forward and pushed back Derus, whose sword was locked against his.

Woooooong!

At the moment Derus was forced backward, Darkan aimed his black sword at his heart.

“Until one of us dies.”

The moment the words “until death” spread with a chill, his black sword vanished, and an invisible, formless sword rose up. It was a Heart Sword carved out of the soul.

“A Heart Sword….”

Derus narrowed his eyes, as if he instantly recognized Darkan’s Heart Sword. He sensed that it could not be avoided and raised his sword, blazing with the energy of death, right where he stood.

“Good resolve!”

Darkan lifted his chin as if he thought well of it and shot out his Heart Sword.

Fwoooosh!

Darkan’s Heart Sword, surging like a storm, pierced through Derus’ body and dug into the soul that was contained within.

Kyaaaaang!

The two-colored souls that had reached the end of Transcendence collided, and the balance of the world collapsed as a new world unfolded.

Hoooh.

In the sword’s space, where everything had sunk into gray, Darkan’s mental world unfolded.

“……”

Even though he had been dragged into a space he had never seen before, Derus did not falter and calmly moved his eyes.

“What a boring reaction.”

Darkan smacked his lips briefly.

“This place is….”

“Your mental world, I suppose.”

Derus gave a slight nod, as if he knew already.

“Then the talk is quicker. Here, you and I will swing our swords until one of us dies. Of course, it will be you who dies.”

Darkan tilted his head, as if asking if it wouldn’t be fun.

“A space like this….”

Derus tilted his chin up diagonally and stomped his foot. An overwhelming level of soul burst out from him, shaking the very mental world itself.

“Can it withstand my soul?”

As Derus let out a chilling smile, something pitch-black, filled with tens of thousands of eyes, stretched endlessly from behind him like the branches of the world tree.

“You….”

Darkan's jaw trembled as he looked at Derus' grotesque soul, which could not be described as belonging to a human.

“Are you truly human?”

 

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