The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1180

 Chapter 1180

 

‘I knew it from the start.’

Raon roughly swept back the blond hair that had fallen over his forehead.

‘That the Dragon Lord had borrowed another being’s power.’

The absolute authority magic the Dragon Lord had secretly prepared contained enough power to kill most of the humans on the continent.

No matter how much he was the king of dragons, it was an impossible magic, so it had been natural to assume that he had drawn upon the power of another being.

‘Of course, the moment I became certain was when he used dragon words on me.’

Just as I was about to unleash my final sword technique while detonating the authorities of the Demon Kings, the Dragon Lord’s eyes suddenly glowed green, and he pronounced death upon me through dragon words.

I could tell it wasn’t the Dragon Lord’s own power, but that of someone else. However, the moment the words were spoken, I was dragged into the mental world of death, and at the time, I couldn’t clearly recognize whose energy it was.

‘Since I couldn’t properly sense it, I naturally assumed it was an archangel….’

Raon let out a hollow chuckle as he looked at the green-haired young woman who had burst out by tearing open space.

‘To think it was Envy, the Demon King of Envy.’

The beautiful woman now standing before me was not human, but Envy, the monarch of devildom. I had never even considered the possibility that she would appear here, so I was honestly taken aback.

‘No, maybe this works out better?’

Seeing the confusion in Envy’s eyes, it was clear she recognized me. It felt like I could still fool her using the name of the Demon King of Wrath, Wrath.

‘Actually, I might not even need to use Wrath’s name.’

In the past, I had introduced myself to Envy as Wrath’s vessel. Now, my might had transcended humanity and reached a level close to that of a Demon King, so it did not seem necessary to say much.

No wonder!

Wrath slightly furrowed his brow, as if he had sensed it from earlier.

Ever since that lizard pronounced death upon you through dragon words, there’s been an ambiguous, foul stench!

He let out a dry laugh, saying that the power of Envy had been concealed to a ridiculous degree.

‘Ambiguous stench?’

It’s not as filthy as the archangels, but it’s not clean either.

Wrath shook his head, saying that Envy was trash, but still not on the level of an archangel.

In any case, that wench really does stick her nose into everything.

He let out a sigh.

Still, he can’t understand how she managed to win over a lizard that hates Demon Kings, of all things, a Dragon Lord.

Wrath narrowed his eyes, saying that was what puzzled him the most.

‘I find that strange too.’

Dragons are born as mediators who protect this continent, so they instinctively hate beings from other dimensions. It wasn't even archangels, I couldn't understand how he had borrowed Envy's power.

‘I’ll have to solve that new mystery first.’

Raon smacked his lips as he looked at Envy, who was frowning deeply.

‘It’s definitely different from before.’

When I first met Envy, just opening my mouth in the face of her absolute presence required all my strength. She felt like a god, it was hard just to stay conscious.

But now, it was different from then.

‘It’s worth a shot.’

If I fought Envy at full strength, I would lose without question, but I had at least reached a level where the fight wouldn’t end instantly.

No, since I had grown once more while fighting the Dragon Lord, I might even be able to fight her evenly for a brief moment.

I could feel that I had grown enough to stand face-to-face with Envy, the monarch of Envy, even without borrowing Wrath’s name.

Hmph!

Wrath snorted softly.

Even if she looks like that, she is still a monarch of devildom. If you take her lightly, you’ll pay dearly!

He smacked his lips, saying that even he had struggled a bit to firmly suppress Envy.

‘Then that just makes it more fun.’

Feeling the heated exhilaration rising within him, Raon stepped forward to face Envy.

“It’s been a while.”

Envy lifted her chin arrogantly, displaying her confidence that she obviously knew who he was.

“Monarch of Envy.”

He even lowered his voice, putting on bluster that wasn’t entirely empty.

“You….”

Envy’s red lips trembled slightly.

“What have you done? How did you gain that level of might….”

Realizing that he was not Wrath himself but merely Wrath’s vessel, she swallowed dryly.

“Because that being is always watching. Including right now.”

Raon glanced at Wrath floating above his head and jerked his chin. Since it wasn’t a lie, he straightened his back confidently.

“No matter how much Wrath helped you, it’s impossible for a mere vessel to possess this level of might!”

Envy shook her hand violently, as if it made no sense.

“Even if others, including me, had given you our authorities, it would still be impossible!”

She let out ragged breaths, saying she had never seen anyone grow this rapidly in the entire history of dimensions.

“And in just ten years!”

In Envy’s eyes, confusion and shock were thoroughly mixed at the incomprehensible situation.

‘This might be easier than I thought.’

Raon curled his lips as he observed Envy’s expression.

No, that wench! What is wrong with her!

Wrath gaped, utterly dumbfounded.

Get a hold of yourself! This bastard is just lying again!

He raised both hands, telling Envy to pull herself together.

‘You’re noisy.’

Raon pushed aside the Wrath he had referred to as that being with the back of his hand, like swatting away a pet.

“Wrath. What in the world has that madman created….”

Envy bit her lip until it bled. Her eyes trembled faintly, revealing fear toward Wrath.

‘Looking at this, it really is because of you.’

Raon let out a small chuckle.

‘Thanks to how much you tormented Envy, it seems she’s still a little pressed down by your name.’

Just as I had intended from the start, Envy seemed to accept my growth as Wrath’s doing, and, though only slightly, she appeared to feel fear.

Be... because of The King of Essence?

Wrath’s mouth fell open as he realized that Envy’s uncharacteristic shrinking, so unlike a Demon King, was because of him.

No! Don’t let yourself get toyed with by this damned bastard’s intentions, move! He doesn’t even have the strength left to move anymore!

He shouted at Envy to pull herself together, but naturally, his voice did not reach her.

‘I told you to stay still.’

Outwardly, Raon showed respect toward Wrath, while inwardly pressing his head down as if he were a nuisance.

Grrk.

Wrath tried to endure somehow, but was eventually pushed down and fell to the ground.

“Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Gluttony, Lust, and even Greed. You’ve raised all the authorities to the level of a Demon King’s chief aide. Especially wrath, it’s so complete that it feels like Wrath himself was the one wielding it….”

Envy continued to gasp violently, still unable to comprehend it.

“Envy. I have something to ask as well.”

Raon tilted his chin slightly as he looked at her.

“How did you win over this lizard?”

He pointed down at the Dragon Lord, crushed against the ground beneath his foot.

“Hmm….”

Envy bit her lip, looking even more annoyed as she glanced at the Dragon Lord.

“Speak.”

Raon met her eyes and rested his hand on Heavenly Drive.

“That being is curious.”

Lowering his gaze arrogantly, he used Wrath as an excuse.

Stop selling the King of Essence’s name already!

Wrath leapt up, grinding his teeth.

Aren’t you strong enough now yourself?!

‘I’m completely drained. And this is easier.’

I might be able to get an answer by proving myself in battle so she would answer me honestly.

But right now, I had poured out all the power I had, and selling Wrath’s name was far more convenient.

“Haa….”

Envy let out a sigh, as if she had no choice.

“It started with….”

[Envy, Demon King of Envy!]

The Dragon Lord ground his teeth.

[I—I never imagined that voice belonged to you!]

His jaw trembled as if he had never even considered that Envy had lent him her power. It seemed his attention had been so focused elsewhere that he hadn’t realized it at all.

“Shut up.”

Raon put strength into his leg and stomped down on the Dragon Lord’s snout.

Bbeoeeoong!

Even though he hadn't infused much mana, his physical strength was so great that the bridge of the Dragon Lord’s nose collapsed.

[Krooooah!]

The Dragon Lord howled in pain and with his shattered pride, tears streaming down his face.

“Speak.”

Telling her to continue, Raon looked at Envy.

“It began as curiosity.”

Envy smacked her lips briefly as she looked at the Dragon Lord.

“A dragon who serves as the continent’s mediator. And a Lord at that. I thought it would be quite amusing if such a being were to fall to a Demon King’s temptation.”

She wore a sly smile, as if recalling that time.

“In truth, this lizard did possess envy, if only a little.”

“Envy?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Envy.

“Yes. Envy, unbecoming of a dragon. Of course, it was so faint that it was difficult for me to put my power to use.”

Envy shook her head, saying she couldn't start anything with that level of envy.

“I observed him steadily for a long time, but there was no particular change. It was nothing more than interest to me as well, so I was about to stop when….”

She slowly licked her red lips with her tongue.

“A change occurred. That extremely faint envy began to boil, surging like erupting magma.”

Envy brushed the Dragon Lord’s eyes with her pale hand.

“This enormous Dragon King began to envy a single human—”

[S-stop! Shut up!]

The Dragon Lord trembled all over as he spat out dragon words. As if he never wanted that secret revealed, he struggled and resisted even with the Heart Sword lodged in his soul.

“I told you to shut up.”

Raon once again moved the Heart Sword, Die to Live, again to stop the Dragon Lord’s movements.

[Gkeuuaaaaagh!]

Struck by pain once more, the Dragon Lord froze and screamed.

“What a peculiar power.”

Envy frowned as she sensed the presence of the Heart Sword embedded in the Dragon Lord’s soul.

“Well, in any case, this enormous dragon felt envy toward a tiny human, a swordsman named Glenn Zieghart.”

Unexpectedly, she spoke Glenn’s name.

“Glenn Zieghart?”

“Yes. You know him well too, don’t you?”

Envy tilted her chin, as if it were only natural that he would know.

“The Dragon Lord believed himself to be the strongest on this continent, if he unleashed his true power. No, if he summoned all dragons, he thought there was no one, no faction, that he could not annihilate. But when Glenn Zieghart rose to the realm of the absolute, that belief began to change.”

She gently stroked the Dragon Lord’s trembling scales, as if pitying him.

“An existence that could not be killed even by gathering all the dragons. The emergence of an absolute among humans he had regarded as insects caused cognitive dissonance within the Dragon Lord. That impure feeling eventually became envy. At first, he envied only that overwhelming might, but later, he came to envy everything about Glenn’s very existence. And so….”

Wearing an eerie smile, Envy tore a single scale straight off the Dragon Lord.

“I slipped into that gap. No one would ever expect a Dragon Lord to be tempted by a Demon King. Even the Lord himself did not realize it, which made it all the easier.”

She spun her finger lightly, saying that the Dragon Lord’s envy had grown far too great, and with no one harboring suspicion, making the temptation easy to succeed.

“Ha….”

Looking down at the Dragon Lord, Raon let out a hollow laugh.

“So that’s all it took for you to try to kill all humans?”

He was so dumbfounded that no words came to mind. He could not understand how such trash had ever become the king of dragons.

“Envy?”

Gold Dragon Bartius’s jaw trembled in disbelief.

“After causing all this, you’re saying that’s the reason…?”

He glared at the Dragon Lord with eyes like those of a demon, as if he would rather never have heard the truth.

[Envy, is it.]

Blue Dragon Sirtilen let out a short sigh.

[The Lord who hated humans turned out to be more human than anyone.]

She lowered her gaze calmly, as if she felt pity for the Dragon Lord.

[You pathetic bastard!]

The Red Dragon Balasiur ground his teeth until they scraped loudly.

[You should have just gotten stronger! Why be envious of a human!]

He clenched his fist, unable to understand the Dragon Lord’s thinking at all.

[That is…?]

Black Dragon Dariauran let out a hollow laugh.

[The Lord I once revered?]

He clawed at his own head, ashamed of the years he had spent admiring the Lord.

[I expected it to be for some trivial reason. But….]

The White Dragon Bursiarabi pressed her lips tightly together.

[I never imagined it would be something as small as envy. I still have a long way to go.]

Even he, always composed, squeezed his eyes shut, finding it hard to accept reality.

[T-That can’t be….]

[The Lord felt envy toward a human?]

[It’s a lie! It has to be a lie!]

[B-But what I feel from the Lord is that Demon King’s energy….]

[I can hardly believe it either, but it’s likely the truth….]

[N-No! Absolutely not!]

Even the dragons who had been rushing in, ready to sacrifice their lives to save the Dragon Lord, stopped at Envy’s words and began arguing among themselves.

“The flower had already bloomed, and all that remained was to wait for the fruit to ripen. To think it would all fall apart like this.”

Envy smacked her lips in regret, disappointed that the outcome she wanted had not come to pass.

“I even gave up watching over him just to hide my existence completely from the Dragon Lord, and now it’s all over. Honestly, Wrath, you’re never any help.”

Mid-sentence, Envy frowned deeply, irritation written all over her face.

“So that’s how it was.”

Knowing that Envy’s words were true, Raon calmly looked at the Dragon Lord.

‘Should I call him pitiful?’

Envy may have lit the fuse, but judging by the Dragon Lord’s condition, he clearly would have carried things out on his own.

The wretched sight of a dragon who had torn down everything he had built over a long span of years out of envy toward humans gave Raon much to think about.

“I’ll be going now.”

With a sigh, Envy opened the green dimension once more.

“I’m too irritated to stay….”

“Wait.”

Raon shook his head as he sliced through the dimensional gate Envy had opened with his sword.

“Where do you think you’re going after causing all this?”

He waved his hand, saying it was absolutely not allowed. He curled his lips as he took in Burren and Martha behind him.

“That being wants you to take responsibility.”

R-Responsibility? Don’t tell me you’re going to—

Wrath, who had suddenly found himself turned back into “that being”, blinked blankly.

You’re selling the King of Essence out again?!

Even loan sharks don’t sell off names as often as you do!