The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1216

 Chapter 1216

 

‘Hup.’

Raon drew a short breath as he looked up at the summit of the Tower of Babel, blazing with radiant light.

‘What an overwhelming amount of divine power.’

A chilling shiver ran down his spine at the immense divine power erupting from the shattered sky. It seemed that what was descending from up there was a real archangel.

‘What do you think?’

Raon lightly nudged Wrath, the one who knew more about archangels than anyone else in this world.

Just as you suspected!

Wrath growled as if grinding his teeth.

The thing hiding up there is a filthy chicken-feathered bastard!

Judging by the sheer scale of the divine power, he was certain an archangel was descending, and his brow furrowed deeply.

‘Can you tell which one it is?’

Raon himself still couldn’t distinguish archangels by divine power alone, so he looked to Wrath.

Hmmm….

Wrath rubbed his chin with his round hand.

That absurdly flashy light gives it away. It’s probably Raphael.

‘Raphael? The archangel of healing?’

That damned bitch, she acts like she’s refined and dignified, but in reality she’s a deranged woman who’s completely obsessed with flashy, over-the-top displays!

Wrath snorted, saying that no one except Raphael would resort to such vulgar, excessively ornate staging.

‘Raphael….’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the sky, where the light and divine power continued to intensify.

‘If it really is Raphael, this might be the perfect opportunity.’

Raphael was an archangel specialized in healing. If I could kill the enemy’s healer, one said to be able to heal grievous wounds and even revive the dead, it would be the greatest possible achievement I could secure in Heaven.

Raphael’s abilities aren’t limited to healing alone.

Wrath smacked his lips briefly.

That damned bitch can also use magic to amplify the power of the celestials. If you can kill her here, just as you said, there could be no better outcome.

He nodded firmly, making it clear that if Raphael truly appeared, he had to kill her by any means necessary.

‘That’s the plan.’

Raon bit down hard on his lip as he glanced at Derus Robert, who was wearing a benevolent smile.

‘But why isn’t the high-and-mighty archangel coming down yet?’

She’s probably throwing a tantrum.

Wrath wrinkled his nose as he looked at the sky, which was now radiating five different colors of light.

‘A tantrum?’

Raphael sees herself as an exalted being beyond reproach. Just the thought of having to speak with a human, one she considers no better than vermin, and then lower herself further by acting alongside them is enough to irritate her. That’s why she’s deliberately dragging things out.

Wrath let out a snickering laugh, saying he could vividly picture the irritation twisting Raphael’s face.

‘An angel with a personality like that….’

Raon let out a dry laugh at Wrath’s words.

That was when—

Tuuuuung!

Perhaps because the vibration in the sky was so intense, the Tower of Babel, already risen into the divine land, shook as if it were about to collapse.

Kugugugugugu!

At the moment the tower tilted sharply to the right, as if it were about to fall, the strongest light and divine power yet erupted, and time itself came to a halt.

Wooooooong!

The tower, which had been tipping to one side, suddenly froze in midair as if time itself had solidified. At the same moment, the sky erupted in a golden radiance, glowing like the light of dawn breaking across the horizon.

From within that vast torrent of light, a single, slender figure slowly rose into view.

She was taller than most men, yet her body revealed the graceful and beautiful curves unique to a woman, and from her back spread eight wings as white as the first snow, as if they would cover the sky.

Her entire body shimmered indistinctly, as though veiled in mist, and the sight of her alone radiated an otherworldly presence, something that could not possibly belong to the mortal realm.

“Gasp!”

“A-ah…!”

“Th-that….”

At the sight of the archangel, who seemed to give physical form to the very concept of nobility, every being standing on the ground froze in place, mouths hanging open, unable to speak a single word.

Yet what truly overwhelmed them was not merely her presence or her figure.

Between softly cascading strands of golden hair shone flawless, snow-white skin, and within it gleamed blue eyes that sparkled like finely set jewels. Faced with beauty that transcended humanity itself, the residents of Heaven trembled violently, as though they were standing before a god.

“Ugh….”

Raon let cold sweat bead across his skin and deliberately made his knees shake, pretending to be shaken to the core by the archangel’s descent as part of his act as Jilpen.

‘Just like you said.’

Outwardly, he maintained the act, but inwardly he kept a cold, clear mind as he carefully examined the slowly descending archangel.

‘It’s Raphael.’

Just as Wrath had said, the archangel descending from the sky was Raphael, the angel of healing and protection. Having witnessed Raphael’s descent before, I was able to remain composed.

Looking at that face makes my blood boil!

Wrath trembled his tightly clenched fist.

That bitch only looks right once her face is completely smashed in!

He swung his fist through the air, saying he wanted to punch Raphael in the face immediately.

‘Don’t worry.’

Raon waved his hand with a faint smile.

‘I won't just smash her face, I’ll cut off her head.’

I had passed through the Land of Clouds and come all the way to Heaven, spending a great deal of time. To avoid wasting all that time, Raphael had to die here, no matter what.

‘Of course, I need to be careful.’

Raphael had previously sent an avatar into the heart of enemy territory and acted as if it were her main body. More than her counterattack, I had to be wary of her escaping by using an avatar.

“Whaaaah!”

“An archangel! You can tell the moment you see her!”

“How can such a being even exist….”

“I—I can’t breathe! She’s completely different from humans!”

“It’s not just her face or her body, she’s on a completely different level of existence!”

Oh, God!”

Those who had once believed archangels were no different from humans were struck with awe by Raphael’s presence. They collapsed to their knees, hands clasped tightly together.

“Uuugh….”

“I—I need to build a tower too!”

“Yeah. I can’t stand it! I’m definitely going to build one!”

“I don’t care what it takes! I’ll do anything just to meet her!”

As if their souls had been seized by Raphael’s presence, the residents of Heaven began pouring out desperate vows, swearing to risk their very lives to build towers.

“Hmm!”

Watching the violent surge of desire ripple through Heaven, Derus Robert curled his lips upward. It seemed to be exactly the reaction he had hoped for.

“Uuugh!”

Raon, keenly aware of Derus Robert’s gaze, deliberately unleashed the kind of overwhelming emotion a human would inevitably display upon encountering an archangel.

Thud!

Raphael descended, touching the ground lightly with the tip of her foot, and at once released an even more brilliant golden radiance. While archangels naturally emitted light, she went a step further, deliberately pouring divine power into her presence to heighten the spectacle and draw all eyes to herself.

“So it’s you.”

Raphael approached Raon and smiled warmly, like sunlight.

“I am Raphael, Archangel of Protection and Healing. God heard your small wish and asked me to descend and grant it.”

She nodded serenely, saying she had personally received God’s command and come down to this land.

“R-Raphael?”

“Wooooo!”

“It’s real! The Tower of Heaven was real after all!”

“I can’t believe I lived long enough to see an archangel….”

“I could die without regrets!”

“No! Why die? We should live and have our wishes granted too!”

The residents of Heaven erupted into screams and cheers, their excitement spiraling into near hysteria at the appearance of archangel Raphael.

“M-my….”

Raon hunched his shoulders as if crushed by her presence, barely parting his bloodied lips.

“Make me a Transcender! Give me the power to take revenge on the humans who looked down on me!”

Once again, Raon acted the part of a human driven mad by desire, spewing forth the anger and greed he had piled up in his chest.

“Of course.”

Raphael’s lips curved into a smile that was eerily devoid of human warmth.

“That is precisely why I descended to this land.”

She nodded gently, as if telling him not to worry.

“However, to grant your wish, a little time is required.”

Raphael raised her snow-white index finger.

“Wait exactly one hour. After that, you will be reborn as a Transcender.”

She looked at Raon with sparkling eyes, as if asking whether he could wait.

“O-one hour?”

Raon blinked as he murmured the words to himself.

“That’s all it takes?”

Even if the celestials had created this land and Raphael herself had descended, I thought that staging the act of turning a mere Expert realm human into a Transcender should take at least half a day.

“That’s right.”

Raphael raised a single finger again, as if one hour were more than sufficient. From her reaction alone, it was clear that this land called Heaven possessed far greater power than Raon had anticipated.

“O-of course!”

Raon nodded hard.

“If it’s only that long, I can wait without any problem!”

As if to say there was no need to worry, he folded his arms.

“Then let us begin.”

Raphael knelt down, clasping her hands together as if offering a prayer to God, and slowly closed her eyes. Faced with such a solemn sight, the people forgot even how to breathe, fixing their gazes on her alone.

Raon and Derus Robert both waited for Raphael to open her eyes, each wearing a smile that meant something very different.

*   *   *

[Does it really take an hour?]

Derus Robert sent his will to Raphael, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[No. It could be finished even faster than that. The preparations are already complete.]

Raphael tilted her chin, saying she could grant power to the human called Jilpen at this very moment.

[Is it a performance? Not bad.]

Derus Robert let out a quiet chuckle, instantly grasping why Raphael had chosen to draw out the time to one hour.

[Just as you said, the amount of desire flowing into Heaven through that human has already more than doubled. Giving the livestock an appropriate performance will help squeeze out even more. As expected, you understand.]

Raphael nodded, implying that since she descended as an archangel, it was only right to extract the maximum amount of desire from the humans through additional theatrics.

[Well, I suppose there’s no way you wouldn’t understand. You’ve done plenty of that kind of performance yourself, almost as much as I have.]

She curled her lips as she spoke of Derus during his time as one of the Six Kings.

[Yes. I did have a time like that.]

Derus Robert slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, speaking of that period, which hadn’t even been that many years ago, as though reminiscing about childhood.

[Still, this human truly is unusual. To possess desire this strong.]

Raphael let out a faint scoff as she sensed the desire blooming within Raon’s soul.

[As you said, he wouldn’t be a bad piece to use in the war after this. I’ll handle him myself.]

She raised her fingertips, indicating that she would directly control Raon.

[Do as you like. But first, you must grant him the power to reach Transcendence.]

Derus Robert lowered his brows, saying that showing everyone in Heaven the sight of Raon becoming a Transcender came first.

[Of course.]

Raphael nodded calmly.

[That is why I descended to this filthy land myself.]

*   *   *

“Haaah….”

Raphael exhaled slowly, revealing eyes as blue as the ocean.

“It is done.”

She rose to her feet, gathering radiant light between her hands.

“Th-that is….”

Raon’s lips trembled as his face turned pale, as though he were overwhelmed by the enormous power gathered in Raphael’s hands.

“This is the power you desired.”

Raphael curled her lips into a mocking smile.

“If you allow this divine power to settle into your body, you too will become a Transcender capable of shaking the world.”

She lifted her chin, telling him to accept the overwhelming power that made one recoil just by looking at it.

“Are you afraid? If so, you can stop now.”

Raphael narrowed her eyes as if to say he could still back out.

‘This is a test.’

Raon sneered inwardly as he met her gaze.

‘She’s judging whether I’ll still be a useful human from here on.’

Rather than trusting Derus Robert’s assessment alone, Raphael was deliberately testing me herself, gauging whether I would continue to be useful.

“Af-afraid? What are you talking about at this point! Even if I die, I’ll die after swallowing that power!”

Raon shook his head violently, just as Jilpen always did when overcome by desire, saliva and foam spilling from his mouth as he ranted.

“I thought so.”

Raphael nodded calmly, as if she had expected that answer.

“Then let’s begin without wasting any more time.”

Holding the vast mass of light close to her body, she stepped toward Raon.

Fwoooooosh!

The divine power Raphael had gathered burst into a blinding radiance. At the same moment, her body, previously indistinct, as though shrouded in mist, solidified completely, taking on clear, vivid form.

‘Now.’

The instant Raon sensed Raphael’s true soul fully settle into her physical body, he raised his fingertips.

Huuuuuum!

In a single instant, the ten rings resonated together, and a light even more brilliant than divine power bloomed from the edge of his hand.

A sword that cut soul and body at once.

A sword capable of cutting gods and their very hearts flared up from within his soul.

Chwaaaaaak!

At the very moment the brilliantly shining blade’s edge fully formed, Raphael’s head fell to the ground—
A serene smile still on her face.

Thud.

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