The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1174

 Chapter 1174

 

Wooooooong!

Bartius stood at the center of a pitch-dark forest where not a single ray of moonlight reached, raising both hands in front of his chest. The golden sphere floating above his palms was slowly being refined into the shape of a key.

Restoring the dimension key that Trosour, the leader of the Black tribe, had forcibly twisted and used back to its original form did not seem easy. Cold sweat beaded and dripped down Bartius’s forehead.

“Is it a difficult task?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Bartius, who was frowning deeply.

“Yeah. It’s quite difficult.”

Evelyn stepped closer to Raon and lightly brushed her shoulder against his.

“That dimension key carries the Dragon Lord’s unique energy, but Trosour used it and contaminated that power. Restoring it to its original state, of course it wouldn’t be easy.”

She nodded, as if acknowledging Bartius’s magic skill.

“Right now, only that sparkly dragon could do it.”

Evelyn shrugged, saying that the task would probably be difficult even for her.

“I see.”

Raon smacked his lips as he turned his gaze away from Bartius.

‘So it’s practically impossible.’

It was rare for Evelyn to acknowledge another being when it came to magic. If she said it was difficult, then Bartius was challenging something close to the impossible.

Hmph! If it were the King of Essence, he’d just smash it and force the dimension open!

Wrath clicked his tongue, saying humans and lizards were truly troublesome.

‘Well, that would be easier… No. That’s not right.’

Raon nodded in agreement with Wrath, then shook his head.

‘Is it because I’ve grown so suddenly? My way of thinking feels like it’s becoming on the same level as this useless glutton.’

Normally, I would have calmly assessed the situation and chosen the most efficient method. In fact, when Trosour fled, it would have been the right decision to take help from Bartius or the other dragons rather than opening the dimension alone and facing him alone, but I had tried to resolve it on my own to test my might.

‘That’s not a good direction.’

Unless one possessed might on the level of Wrath or Glenn, it was impossible to handle everything alone. I still had many shortcomings, so it was only right that I listen to others and accept help.

‘I need to be careful next time.’

Was it because he became stronger while gaining human emotions? I felt an omnipotent confidence, as though I could accomplish anything. Making a mistake in a situation like this would be irreversible, so it seemed best to calm my mind in advance. - Hmph! Then saying you would kill the Lizard Boss alone was also an act of arrogance.

Wrath snorted as if he knew it would come to this.

Then cancel it right now! Just say you were trying to look cool, and the others will understand!

‘No. That’s different.’

Raon shook his head calmly.

‘I’m not looking down on the Dragon Lord, but he’s someone I have to defeat myself.’

I knew well how strong the Dragon Lord was. He might not be on the level of Glenn or Derus, but among the other absolute beings of the Six Kings and Five Demons, he would not fall behind.

But if I could not defeat such an opponent one-on-one, I would not be able to advance to the next stage. Even if it meant risking my life, I had to overcome the Dragon Lord.

You’ve finally developed the mindset of a true strong one.

Wrath lifted his chin as he looked at Raon.

Before, you were cold like an assassin despite being just a brat.

The demon king nodded, saying he finally liked him a bit.

‘…Was I?’

Raon smiled faintly. Wrath was usually foolish and gluttonous, but in matters like this, the Demon King was strangely perceptive.

But there’s something even more important.

Wrath lowered his voice and stepped closer.

‘Something important?’

That’s right. More important than anything right now….

He took a deep breath, saying Raon absolutely had to listen.

‘What is it?’

Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at Wrath.

Dragon roast! You’ve caught five lizards already and haven’t grilled even one! What kind of nonsense is this!

Wrath smacked his lips, demanding he take out the dragon meat and grill it right this instant.

Red? Black? Blue? Which one should we eat to earn a good reputation for eating well?

Drool dribbled from his mouth as if eating dragon meat was already a certainty.

‘Haa….’

Raon sighed and shook his head.

Don’t sigh, take it out right now!

‘Let’s ignore him.’

Ignoring Wrath, who was acting up due to his useless-glutton disease, Raon turned his gaze toward where Burren and Martha were.

“How does it feel to have killed your first dragon?”

He asked about the battle first, intending to point out what Burren needed to improve.

“It wasn’t as difficult as I expected. Honestly, we killed it fairly easily.”

Burren nodded, saying the fight had been easier than he thought.

“However, due to the fear imprinted since childhood by the name ‘Dragon,’ I made many mistakes. If my body hadn’t stiffened, I could have ended it right at the start….”

Even without being prompted, he frowned as he reflected on what he needed to fix.

“In a way, this is the first time we’ve fought a dragon properly.”

Martha frowned as she paused mid-chew on her jerky.

“If you know what to fix, then just do better next time! Stop grumbling and just eat!”

Having realized what needed improvement, she said that was enough and handed Burren some jerky.

“Martha’s right.”

Raon smiled faintly.

“The weight carried by the name ‘dragon’ is heavy, so making mistakes in the first battle is only natural.”

I myself had made mistake after mistake in the fight against the mad dragon Kaibar and received much help from Aris. Burren and Martha making mistakes in their first fight against a dragon was hardly something to criticize.

“Still, it can’t be like this next time.”

Raon raised a finger.

“Next time, be thoroughly prepared so that you can win even if you have to fight an ancient dragon.”

He curled his lips slightly, saying he would not let a second mistake pass so easily.

“Of course.”

Burren nodded heavily, as if vowing never to disappoint.

“Don’t worry. Next time, I’ll cut off its head in a single sword strike like you did.”

Martha clenched her fist, saying she had figured out how to cut down a giant dragon.

“Then….”

Raon turned his head to ask Dorian as well—

“I learned something too.”

Evelyn stepped in closer, smiling brightly.

“That dragons become truly frail creatures once you seize their dragon heart.”

Her cheeks flushed warmly, as if she were pleased that the spell she had created to kill dragons this time had been so effective.

“Ahh, gripping that feeble pulse was really fun.”

Evelyn stroked her pale hand, saying she wanted to feel it again.

“Uuugh….”

Dorian bent forward, clutching his head. His eyes trembled as if he found Evelyn more frightening than the dragons themselves.

S-she’s really a madwoman that’s impossible to deal with! Of course they can’t move if you grab their heart! The Dragon Heart is the lizards’ heart!

Wrath pulled Raon’s body back, begging him to get away from Evelyn.

However, it wasn’t only Wrath and Dorian who felt fear at Evelyn’s words.

“W-Why is my body trembling?”

The Blue Dragon Sirtiren swallowed dryly as he glanced at Evelyn.

“Isn’t that human a bit scary? Her eyes seem a little unhinged to begin with?”

The Red Dragon Balasiur’s jaw trembled.

“G-Grabbing a Dragon Heart and making a dragon unable to move… what kind of human is that….”

The Black Dragon Dariauran rubbed his own neck, goosebumps rising, and sighed.

“She’s extremely dangerous. I need to research what that spell is.”

The White Dragon Bursiarabi closed his eyes as he recalled Evelyn’s spell.

The dragons began holding a discussion, feeling fear not of Evelyn’s magic, but of Evelyn herself.

‘Honestly….’

Even in the midst of this, Raon met Evelyn’s gaze, fixed solely on him, and grabbed the back of his neck.

‘Evelyn is scarier than the Dragon Lord….’

*   *   *

“Head of house!”

Chad, the master of the Shadow Agents, opened the doors of the audience chamber and entered.

“New information has arrived from the Light Wind Palace master!”

He said that a message had come from Raon and held out a pristine white envelope.

“Hmm!”

Glenn, looking slightly tense, made his eyebrow twitch faintly and accepted the letter from Chad.

“What does it say?”

Sheryl smacked her lips as she looked up at Glenn from below the platform.

“Huhuhu, it seems he’s taken down a dragon already.”

Roenn smiled, saying it looked like Raon had found the first key.

“That would make sense. It’s already been a day.”

Sheryl nodded, as if agreeing with that thought.

“No.”

Glenn shook his head firmly.

“Not one. All three.”

His hand holding Raon’s letter trembled violently, as if he were overwhelmed with excitement.

“Th-three…?”

Sheryl widened her eyes, clearly not having expected that.

“Yes. He says that in a single day, he killed three tribe leaders and obtained all the keys needed to reach the Dragon Lord.”

Glenn slowly curled his lips upward and lifted his head.

“Insane….”

Sheryl stared blankly at the letter, as if she couldn’t believe it even after hearing it.

“haahaahhaahaa….”

Even Roenn let out a drained, flustered laugh, something rare for him.

“Ahem!”

Glenn let out a loud, deliberate cough, evidently satisfied with Sheryl’s and Roenn’s reactions.

“It says that the dimension gate leading to the Lord will open at the coming dawn.”

He looked out the darkened window, saying that the battle between the Lord and Raon would likely occur in a few hours.

“H-Head of House. Are you really not going to the place where Sir Raon will fight the Lord?”

Chad bit his lip and looked up at Glenn.

“You know that the Lord is an existence of an entirely different level, even among dragons.”

He looked restrained only because Glenn stood before him, but the Dragon Lord in his true form was a powerhouse with enough might to rule the continent.

“…Yes.”

Glenn stared at the letter for a long while, then nodded.

“The Lord is strong. Even the grown Raon would find it difficult to defeat him. Still, this time, I won’t move.”

He nodded, saying he would let Raon fight the Lord one-on-one.

“What? But why…?”

“If he can’t overcome the wall called the Dragon Lord, he can’t go any farther.”

As if he truly trusted Raon, Glenn clenched his fist. It trembled faintly, like a waning moon falling gently.

“Raon is strong. He will absolutely not lose.”

*   *   *

“Hoo….”

Bartius let out an exhausted breath as he turned around.

“It’s finished.”

Three golden keys, flashing brilliantly, floated above his open palms.

Each key had a different shape, all engraved with geometric patterns.

“So this can open the dimension where the Dragon Lord is hiding?”

Raon asked as he stepped toward Bartius.

“Yes. If I infuse my mana into these keys and turn them, the Lord’s dimension will open.”

Bartius nodded, saying all preparations were complete.

“However, looking at the shapes of these keys, it seems that when the Lord’s dimension opens, the news will also reach the other dragons. It looks like a war will break out.”

He clicked his tongue, calling the Lord a truly insidious dragon.

“I see.”

Raon gave a brief nod and turned around.

“Don’t worry. We’ll block everything else so you can face the Lord alone.”

Burren spoke first, grinning as if he had read Raon’s thoughts.

“Yeah. I’ll beat them all to death!”

Martha pounded her chest with her fist, telling him to trust her.

“P-Please don’t trust me, but trust this person….”

Dorian slightly lowered his head and pointed at Evelyn.

“Raon. Finish it quickly, and let’s go home.”

Evelyn smiled brightly, showing complete trust. It seemed she had grown attached to the house as well.

“Do not worry about the other dragons and move forward.”

The Red Dragon Balasiur put strength into his voice with his chin lifted high.

“You can leave the rear to us.”

The Blue Dragon Sirtiren also let out a refreshing laugh, saying she was confident in guarding the path.

“I will not make a mistake this time.”

The Black Dragon Dariauran bared his white teeth, vowing on his life.

“Since we’ve made a promise, we’ll keep it. You should think only of the Lord.”

The White Dragon Bursiarabi tipped his chin while clasping his hands behind his back.

“Then I’ll trust you.”

Raon drew a faint smile and looked at Bartius.

“Open the dimension.”

With the gazes of old comrades and newly gained allies upon him, he extended his hand.

“I’ll trust you too.”

As Bartius gently raised both hands, the three keys rose into the sky.

Twooooo!

The keys bored into space as if there were keyholes in the air, rotating half a turn to the right.

Creeeak!

With a grating sound like an ancient door opening, a golden dimension unfolded in the dark sky before dawn.

Kugugugugugu!

The instant the dimension opened, the immense mana inside it made everyone, Raon included, hold their breath.

Wooooooong.

What was visible was a pitch-black universe and a single golden star. A massive universe standing above the sky filled the inside of the golden gate.

‘Where is the Dragon Lord?’

Just as Raon searched for the Dragon Lord under the overwhelming pressure of the grand universe—

Kugugugugugu!

The lone golden star, the only thing shining in the empty universe, began to stir.

Advance Chapters