The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1134

 Chapter 1134

 

Fwoooosh!

Raon narrowed his eyes into thin slits as he stared at the black flames that made his entire body break out in goosebumps.

‘It’s certain.’

That’s the energy of death.

A power that amplified malice even more than the death energy wielded by necromancers, an energy that killed the living and buried the dead in darkness. Those black flames were unmistakably the energy of death that Derus Robert had used.

‘Why did the energy of death appear?’

Raon clenched his jaw as he looked at the calmly burning black flames.

‘It shouldn’t have anything to do with me.’

If the energy of death had appeared after entering the memory of the first head of house Zieghart created by the golden flame, it would have been understandable, but what summoned me into this memory now was this energy of death.

I couldn’t understand why this flame had come to me, someone who possessed the power to erase the energy of death.

‘Is it because I saw the first head of house’s memory at Martial Blade Mountain?’

Raon stroked his chin, retracing what had happened so far.

It was the first time something like this had happened since I discovered the first head’s memory in the Martial Blade Pavilion’s library, so I wondered if this might be an extension of that.

‘No. The first head’s memories have always been fragmented.’

The memories of the ancestor I had seen so far were related to each other, but they had never continued to the next part.

Seeing the black flame suddenly ignite in the garden of annex building, which had nothing to do with anything, it was clear that there was an entirely different reason behind it.

‘Is it because I met Derus Robert?’

No, that’s strange too.

I had clashed with Derus Robert more than once or twice. I’d even sliced apart the energy of death he spread myself, but nothing like this had ever happened before.

‘Then it means something different happened this time… huh?’

As he thought that, something deep within his soul trembled.

‘Could it be….’

Raon placed a hand on his chest and furrowed his brow.

‘Because my Heart Sword is connected with Derus’?’

If my guess was right, then the memory I’d entered now must be Derus Robert’s memory.

‘I should confirm it.’

Raon steadied his breathing and stepped through the black wall of flame that hung before him like a curtain.

Fwooooosh—

As he passed through the dark flame, a familiar landscape appeared.

Not of his current life, but House Robert, where he had once devoted his entire life and soul in his previous one, unfolded before his eyes.

‘House Robert….’

So it really is because my Heart Sword connected with Derus’.

My Heart Sword had nearly been absorbed by Derus Robert’, but thanks to Glenn, I barely managed to escape that crisis.

I thought it had been cut cleanly, but judging from the situation now, it seemed that Derus’ mental image had been drawn toward me instead.

‘Is it because of the Ring of Fire? I suppose it’s a blessing in disguise.’

I had thought Derus gaining the ability to absorb Heart Sword was the worst-case scenario, but thanks to Glenn, I was now seeing fragments of Derus’ memories. It could become a much greater advantage than I expected.

‘Where is the bastard?’

Raon walked through the familiar Robert garden, searching for Derus’ presence.

But no matter where he went, there was no sign or trace of the man.

‘Looking closely, the garden seems a bit different.’

House Robert itself was just as I remembered, but the layout of the garden and the direction of the paths were slightly different.

‘The past… quite far in the past, maybe.’

Since it was a sight I had never seen in my previous life, this must have been House Robert from an era I didn’t know.

‘Should I go inside the mansion?’

Just as Raon was about to enter House Robert mansion—

Crunch.

A sound of leaves being stepped on came from the far end of the garden.

‘Over there.’

Raon clicked his tongue lightly and walked toward the corner of the garden where the sound had come from.

‘As I thought, this place is unfamiliar to me.’

Originally, a tall wall decorated the garden here, but now, a small hidden space lay tucked among the thickets.

Holding his breath, he stepped inside, and saw a silver-haired boy who looked no older than ten, and a middle-aged man with a cold expression. Their faces were similar enough to tell they were related by blood.

‘Derus Robert!’

Those inhumanly cold eyes, and that upward curl of the lips that mocked the world, I could tell, even if no one else could. The silver-haired boy who looked under ten was unmistakably the young Derus Robert.

‘Then that man must be….’

Just as Raon turned his gaze toward the man standing opposite Derus—

Ssshhh—

The cold-faced man dropped to his knees without hesitation. Bowing his head reverently, he pressed his lips to the tips of Derus’ feet. It was the highest form of courtesy, a gesture of submission like that of a slave to his master.

“……”

Derus gave a slight nod, his expression one of arrogance, as if the man’s obeisance were only natural.

‘Hm…?’

Raon’s eyes narrowed as he looked over the man.

‘That long coat… only the head of house is allowed to wear that.’

The cold-faced middle-aged man was wearing tHouse Robert's long coat, the same one Derus Robert always wore. Since only the head of house could don it, that meant this man was the current head of House Robert.

‘Then he’s the previous head… but a father showing such submission to his son?

The man standing before Derus had to be Teruan, the previous head of House Robert. Yet why was he showing such obedience to his own son?

More than that, just witnessing, no—beyond confusion, simply witnessing the scene sent a chill deep into my soul.

‘What in the world….’

As Raon bit his lip, unable to make sense of the situation—

Ssshhhhh.

Derus, who had been looking down at his father with arrogant eyes, slowly turned his gaze toward me. His lips curled upward grotesquely, as if he had noticed me.

But unlike Zieghart’s first head, it didn’t seem like he was truly aware of my presence. This was likely an illusion, a projection born from the concept of “Derus” within my mental image.

‘You….’

Just as Raon tried to speak to him, black flames carrying the energy of death flared up before his eyes, as if saying it wasn’t time yet.

Fwoooosh!

The deathly black flame surged upward with even greater intensity, blocking Raon’s view.

‘So to learn who Derus truly is….’

I need to become stronger than I am now?

It seemed he would have to grow powerful enough to pierce through the thickened black flame to move on to the next scene.

“Fine.”

Facing the scorching black fire, Raon nodded calmly.

“It won’t take long.”

After making a declaration close to certainty, he closed his eyes and opened them again, only to find the black flames gone, replaced by the bright, clear garden of the annex building.

Hey, you brat!

Wrath pounded Raon’s shoulder and gnashed his teeth.

Where in the world did you go this time! The scent of death was oozing from you!

He glared with his big, round eyes, demanding to know what Raon had done.

‘Seems like Derus Robert left me a little gift.’

Feeling a faint trace of the energy of death at the edge of his soul, Raon smirked.

You’re talking nonsense again.

Wrath shook his head, saying he was sick and tired of hearing nonsense.

Enough! Go home and eat something first!

He smacked his lips, insisting that Raon fill his stomach before talking.

‘Sorry, but I don’t think I have time for that.’

Raon turned toward the training ground and pulled a Nadine bread from his subspace pocket.

Wha…?

Wrath gaped at him.

P-put that down! That bread is dangerous! You’ll die if you eat it!

He spread his hands in panic, begging him to stop.

But the Nadine bread was already in Raon’s mouth.

Kyaaaaaah! My mouth! It tastes like burning rubber!

Ignoring Wrath’s scream, Raon sprinted toward the fifth training ground.

‘I have to get stronger, faster than ever.’

If I wanted to learn who Derus Robert truly was.

*   *   *

“One year? No, one year and one month later?”

Inside the blue screen, Chamber scratched the bandage around her forehead as though in disbelief.

“One year and one month? That bastard’s clearly scheming something, even the timing he chose is suspicious!”

She frowned and asked why he had agreed to that.

“Even the Destructive King of the North probably had no choice.”

King Lecross nodded calmly, as if he understood Glenn.

“Derus is a monster who knows how to use people’s psychology.”

His lips trembled thinly, as if his body still hadn’t fully recovered.

“You should have called me to that place!”

Ogram let out a fierce roar on the screen, as if regretting that he couldn’t beat Derus to a pulp.

“Damn traitor!”

His body covered with wounds, he seemed to be training desperately for the war to come and he emitted an energy wave on a completely different level from before.

“Ugh…”

Magic Tower master Larian, as if completely drained of stamina, raised a hand slightly while covering her body with a blanket, it looked like a gesture meaning assent to anything.

“Why is she acting like that?”

Ogram frowned as he looked at Larian’s screen.

“Leave her be. I’m in a terrible state right now, so Larian is alone making the magic circle and maintaining the dimensional gate. She’s having a hard time. She probably has almost no time to sleep.”

Chamber looked at Larian with eyes full of apology and pity, and bit her lip lightly.

“…Can neither of you truly return?”

Ogram ground his lips as he looked at Chamber, still bandaged, and Lecross leaning on his staff.

“Muscle old man! I’ll recover and come back on my own, so don’t worry!”

Chamber puffed out her chest indignantly, insisting she was doing everything she could to get back to how she was before.

“…Yes.”

Lecross said nothing, he slowly looked at Glenn, Chamber, Larian, and Ogram in turn, then nodded.

“I don’t think I can. Even if I recover, it will be hard for me to be of much help.”

He gave a weary smile, saying that even if his body and mind recovered as much as possible, it seemed it would be difficult to display even Grandmaster-level skill, let alone Transcendence.

“Instead, I will mobilize all of Owen’s resources to support the war.”

Lecross lifted his chin calmly, saying that part needn’t be worried about. Still, his hands trembled violently from the regret of not being able to fight directly.

“Goddamn fiendish bastards!”

Ogram stomped his foot roughly. He put so much force into it that the roar echoed even in Zieghart through the blue screen.

“No matter how things have gone, Derus Robert has declared war, and we have no choice but to prepare for it.”

Glenn closed his eyes slowly, opened them, and stared at the blue screen showing the heads of the Five Kings.

“But it’s clear they’re preparing something during that year and one month. They must be devising a way to eliminate all of us. So before that….”

He rose from the throne and laid his hand on Heavenly Tremor.

“Use all the capabilities of the Five Kings to find the locations of Derus Robert and Eden.”

A red spark of lightning flashed across Glenn’s eyes.

“Before that year and one month passes, we will cut their throats first.”

*   *   *

“…Therefore, Zieghart will enter a state of war readiness from now on.”

After explaining everything that had happened to Zieghart executives gathered in the audience chamber, Glenn declared a state of war readiness.

“Derus dares to declare war?”

Balder’s clenched fist trembled.

“The public enemy of the entire continent, Isn’t that… ugh!”

He turned to Karoon, wanting him to show some anger, then flinched back in alarm.

“Yes. That man is out of his mind.”

Karoon, as if his pride had been scratched by Derus’s declaration of war, was letting an icy ghostly flame bloom above his eyes.

“I won’t be able to stand it unless I cut his throat.”

Karoon, rarely showing such deep anger since his change, gnashed his teeth until a sound escaped.

“……”

Burren, as if agreeing with Karoon’s words, nodded heavily from behind Raon.

“A year and a month? Those numbers are strange.”

Aris twisted his mouth and said that just from the timing of the war she could smell a conspiracy.

“That’s exactly right.”

Glenn nodded calmly at Aris.

“Derus is clearly hiding his intentions. Therefore we will not wait a year and a month for the war, we will strike him first.”

He pressed his fingertips together and said this war would not be started by Derus and Eden, but by the Five Kings.

“Use the remaining time to train with everything you have. Everyone in the house must become Zieghart’s blade.”

Glenn raised his chin as he ordered them to prepare for war with their lives on the line.

“Uhm…”

The moment Glenn finished speaking, Balder raised his hand.

“Excuse me, we’re in the middle of the successor candidate test right now, what will happen to that?”

He pursed his lips, saying that while war preparations were important, but that part also needed to be resolved.

“Balder…”

Karoon cast a cold glance at Balder, as if thinking that now was not the time for that.

“Ah, no… it’s just that we need to know what we need to know…”

Startled by Karoon, Balder hunched his shoulders in a flinch.

“No, he’s right. The successor test had already been underway before this.”

Glenn nodded calmly at Balder.

“I’ll move up the test to finish within a month. And as for the final test…”

He glanced at Karoon and Raon standing side by side and nodded.

“The successor will be decided as the one who inflicts the greatest damage on Derus and Eden before the war begins.”

Advance Chapters