The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1130

 Chapter 1130

 

Hwaaaah!

Raon’s chin trembled as he saw the white energy blazing from behind Rector’s back.

‘This isn’t aura.’

The energy rising from Rector’s shoulders wasn’t aura restored through Evelyn’s healing.

It was the power called vitality, or life force. Like Ramiel, he was drawing out even his own vitality to stop Derus Robert.

“Grandfather!”

Raon grabbed Rector’s shoulder to stop him.

“What are you doing right now!”

He gripped Rector’s shoulder tightly, begging him to stop, but the old man seemed unwilling to do so, releasing even stronger vitality instead.

“The one who will die here has already been decided.”

As if resolved to burn away his own life, Rector roughly pushed Raon away.

“You still have things you must do.”

He motioned with the hand holding his sword, urging Raon to step back.

“You also have things you must do, grandfather!”

Raon bit his lip hard as he stared at Rector.

“For me, there is only you all.”

Rector slowly turned his head toward Raon.

“If you can live and smile, that is my happiness and my dream.”

He smiled, clearer and brighter than ever before, as though that alone was enough for him.

“Ah….”

Raon’s jaw trembled as he looked at Rector’s face, which seemed to be shining.

‘He looked like he could disappear at any moment.’

Leaving aside that Rector was consuming his vitality, his very soul was shining so brilliantly it felt as if it would be erased from reality. Just seeing that made it hard to breathe.

‘No.’

Raon bit his lip until blood burst forth and gripped Heavenly Drive tightly.

‘I can’t let grandfather off like this!’

In this second life, I had finally built a family, finally found people I loved.

I couldn’t let Derus take away what was most precious to me once again.

Ssshhh—

Raon reversed his grip on Heavenly Drive and raised it above his head.

‘The only way to overcome this situation is the Demon King’s Advent.’

Honestly, I wasn’t sure the Demon King’s Advent could push Derus back, but there was no other way.

‘You can help me, right?’

He can help.

Wrath nodded calmly as if he had expected Raon to make this choice.

However, you will lose many of the things you have built up until now. You will become weaker than before the war against the White Blood Religion.

Wrath turned his eyes as if asking whether he would still do it.

‘I don’t care.’

As long as I could still wield a sword, it didn’t matter. Once a path was taken, I could walk it again, faster than before.

You really are a foolish bastard.

Wrath let out a thin laugh and nodded.

Begin now, before that old geezer of yours turns into a withered tree.

‘Thank you.’

Raon nodded and was about to drive Heavenly Drive into his own abdomen when—

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Thunderous clapping sounded from the air that had been thick with murderous intent.

The clapping came from Derus Robert. He clapped politely with the two hands that had been about to attack Raon.

“Hmm?”

Rector stopped burning his vitality and frowned. His expression showed he had no idea what Derus was thinking.

“How moving.”

Derus stopped clapping and softly curled his lips into a smile.

“It was a scene that made me understand, in one breath, what human, no, what familial love is.”

He nodded broadly, as if deeply touched by Rector’s sacrifice.

“I thought I had witnessed the downfall of many houses, and yet their endings were always the same.”

Derus raised one long, slender finger.

“The ones who shouted that family was precious were always the first to put their own lives above all else. Some offered up their children’s hearts to survive, others brought back their parents’ heads.”

He bared his white teeth as if he had enjoyed watching such scenes.

“But you… you’re trying to offer up your lives for one another. A true family, I haven’t seen one in so long. My heart is trembling.”

Derus nodded sincerely, saying Raon and Rector’s bond had moved him.

“What are you scheming.”

Rector didn’t fall for Derus’ words, tightening his grip on his sword.

“I mean it literally. I am moved by your familial love.”

Derus smiled, saying he wanted to praise them for showing such a good sigh.

“Bullshit!”

Raon stepped forward, biting his lip.

“What kind of bullshit is that coming from the bastard who abandoned his family and house with his own hands!”

He shouted, his fury erupting from the resentment of his previous life, when Derus had used him and cast him aside.

“You’re gravely mistaken. Like everyone else, I too cherished my family and my subordinates. It’s just that…”

Derus gently shook his head, still smiling.

“There were things more precious to me than them.”

He lowered his hand, saying it was just that everyone has different values they prioritize.

“You of all people should understand.”

Derus tilted his chin toward Raon, looking down at him. In those blue, gleaming eyes, it felt as though a demon that toyed with humans like insects was laughing.

“Yeah. I know very well what kind of bastard you are.”

Raon glared at Derus and ground his teeth. He wanted to gouge out that bastard’s eyes and cut his throat right now, but the fact that he couldn’t do it with his own power hurt like a wound to his heart.

“There’s been nothing but cold ones around me, so I missed this kind of warmth.”

Derus lifted the hand that had been wrapped in killing intent and placed it over his left chest.

“It feels good to feel human emotion again after so long.”

He nodded slowly toward Rector, who frowned at him.

“As thanks, I won’t kill you right this moment.”

As Derus flicked his finger, the fierce vitality burning around Rector began to subside.

“Wh-what is this…”

Rector breathed heavily as the vitality he’d been burning returned to his soul. He, too, seemed to realize that Derus had become something different than before.

“You…”

Raon bit down on his lip as he glared at Derus.

“What are you thinking right now?”

The Derus Robert Raon knew would not leave problems that would cause trouble later. If he and Rector recovered from their injuries, they would be a force capable of facing archangels or highest level Transcenders, so he couldn't understand the reason for not killing them immediately and leaving them like this.

“As I said…”

Derus waved his hand lightly.

“I’m merely satisfied by an emotion unique to humans that I felt after a long time.”

He slowly closed and opened his eyes again, as if that were truly all.

He’s lying through his teeth!

Wrath shouted, shaking his head furiously.

Even those shiny eyes of his are screaming it’s a lie!

Wrath ground his teeth, glaring at Derus Robert’s blue eyes.

‘I know it too. He must have another motive.’

Derus is a monster without a human heart. He could not possibly feel moved or pleased in the way a human does.

“You’ve got another scheme, and you’re a bastard who only spits out polite speech when you’re feeling at ease.”

Raon twisted his lips as he looked up at Derus.

“The moment you’re driven into a corner, you drop polite speech and start throwing out curses, I know how pathetic you are, so who are you trying to fool?”

The man called Derus Robert speaks politely even to children when he’s in a good mood, but when his plans fall apart or something unexpected happens he immediately drops it and spits out vulgar words one after another, a narrow-minded petty bastard.

Seeing him use polite speech with me and Rector, the very ones who ruined his plans over and over again, it was obvious he was hiding something.

“There were times like that, yes. But…”

Derus gently shook his head.

“I am very different from that time now.”

He smiled, saying he had made many changes in himself.

“B-bullshit. The man who even used the White Blood Religion’s leader dares to say that”

Martha shouted, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

“Th-that’s a lie….”

For Dorian to overcome his fear and call it a lie, it meant that not a single person present believed a word of what Derus said.

“Of course I’m not saying I’ll just let you go.”

Derus Robert lightly waved his fingers.

“No matter how good I might have felt, someone precious to me has died, so I must exact a price worthy of that.”

He pointed toward the burning corpse of the archangel Ramiel.

“Price?”

Raon furrowed his brow, repeating Derus’ words.

“Yes. I’ve recently learned a new martial art. I’d like to test it.”

Derus Robert spread open his palm.

Whoooosh!

An invisible, formless energy surged up from his hand. It was so sharp, so chilling, that merely sensing its presence made Raon’s arms break out in goosebumps.

“They call this the Heart Sword. I’m sure the two of you know it well?”

Derus smiled faintly as he aimed his Heart Sword at Raon and Rector.

“H-Heart Sword…?”

Rector’s chin trembled as he finally realized what kind of change had occurred within Derus.

‘…What on earth is that bastard thinking?’

Raon clenched his teeth as he felt Derus’ Heart Sword.

‘He’s openly revealing his Heart Sword?’

If he were hiding his strength and putting on an act, that would’ve been one thing. But the fact that he openly said he’d learned the Heart Sword made it all the more unsettling. Every hair on my body stood on end as a cold shiver ran down my spine.

“If you can withstand my Heart Sword, I’ll spare everyone here.”

Derus turned his gaze toward Rector, proposing a one-on-one wager.

“Withstand your Heart Sword?”

Raon ground his teeth.

“How is someone who’s already exhausted supposed to endure a sword that cuts the soul!”

He shouted and waved his hand in refusal.

“I haven’t been practicing the Heart Sword for very long. It’s still weak, dull, even.”

Derus shrugged lightly, saying his proficiency was still low.

“Fine.”

Rector didn’t argue. He nodded at once.

“Come at me as much as you want.”

He clenched his fist and raised his chin, as if ready to die without regret.

“Grandfather!”

Raon rushed toward Rector and grabbed his hand.

“It’s fine. Right now, I can endure anything.”

Though his legs and arms trembled with exhaustion, Rector smiled the same as always.

“Even a Heart Sword won’t be enough to bring me down.”

He told Raon to believe in him and turned his head back.

Thud!

Raon bit his lips hard, looking at Rector’s back, then raised his hand in a knifehand and struck him on the neck.

“Ah….”

Caught off guard, Rector collapsed without resistance.

“I’m sorry.”

Raon caught him as he fell, lowering his head.

“But I can’t let you die.”

Rector had never awakened the Heart Sword himself, and his soul was already weakening rapidly. If he faced Derus now, death would be inevitable.

I could never watch grandfather die right before my eyes.

“I’ll take your Heart Sword.”

Raon stepped forward to where Rector had stood, tilting his chin slightly upward.

“Not bad.”

Derus gave a thin smile and nodded.

“You were the one I wanted from the start.”

The moment Raon saw that smile, he felt a chilling blade pierce straight through his body.

Whoooosh!

Derus Robert’s Heart Sword tore through space and reached right before Raon’s soul.

‘Only a Heart Sword can block a Heart Sword.’

Raon summoned the sword of his heart, forged from his soul, and stood before Derus’s Heart Sword.

Paaaaang!

When the two Heart Swords collided, a massive shock that could twist a Transcender’s soul burst forth.

Jjijijijijik!

The two Heart Swords didn’t bounce off each other like physical blades, instead, they clung together, drawn as if magnetized.

‘Th-this is….’

Raon swallowed dryly as he felt his Heart Sword being pulled toward Derus’.

‘My Heart Sword is being sucked into his!’

Normally, when Heart Swords collide, a battle of will and intent unfolds between swordsmen, but this time was entirely different.

His Heart Sword was being rapidly sucked into Derus’, as though absorbed.

‘Even if his Heart Sword has an absorption trait, this doesn’t make sense.’

There’s no way Derus’ Heart Sword is stronger than mine.

Derus had only learned the Heart Sword after fighting Darkan, long after I had mastered it. Yet he hadn’t just caught up, he had completely surpassed me. It was incomprehensible.

“Excellent.”

Derus’s lips twisted into an ecstatic smile.

“Now I can finally see who you truly are, and what you’ve been hiding.”

He grinned as if he could read Raon’s very life through the Heart Sword forged from his soul.

‘Damn it….’

Raon gritted his teeth and resonated the Ring of Fire, but he couldn’t stop his Heart Sword from being drawn in. All he could do was slow it down slightly.

“It’s over.”

It was when Derus was about to grab Raon's Heart Sword, which had come right before his eyes, with his hand.

Chwaaaaaak!

The space between Raon's and Derus' Heart Swords, which had been connected, was thinly split as if cut by a sword.

“Hmm!”

Derus widened his eyes for the first time, staring at the severed space between the two Heart Swords.

“You’re finally here!”

Evelyn, who had remained silent until now, clasped her hands together with a bright smile.

Vwoooom!

Mana flowed from her fingertips, opening a dimensional gate that blazed with blue light.

Rumble!

A colossal door, large enough for a giant to walk through, opened wide—

and from it stepped a blond-haired, red-eyed old swordsman crackling with crimson lightning.

“You again.”

Glenn Zieghart.

The continent’s strongest sword, wreathed in fury, stood before Derus.

“Haa…”

Raon exhaled a sigh of relief at Glenn’s arrival and looked up at Derus.

‘Now that bastard will, huh?’

What—!

Until now, every time Derus had faced Glenn, he had always worn a startled expression, constantly looking for a chance to escape.

“It’s been a while.”

But this time, he was smiling deeply, as if he had been waiting for Glenn all along.

“Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart.”

 

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