The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1220

 Chapter 1220

 

“Hmm.”

Derus Robert leaned back into an antique leather chair, a black book resting in his hand.

“So Raon Zieghart actually created the sword technique that killed Raphael by using that method? How interesting.”

Ignoring the bustle of activity outside his study, he stroked his chin, replaying Raon’s sword technique in his mind.

“If that method were applied… no, if it were operated in reverse, it might even be possible to restore that.”

Derus Robert’s face brightened, like a traveler discovering a cool oasis in the middle of a scorching desert.

“That bastard who’s done nothing but get in my way will finally be useful for once.”

He wiped the black blood trickling down the back of his hand across his parched lips.

“Letting you live was the right choice after all, Raon Zieghart. No, Raon.”

Rolling his lips into a smile stained with his own blood, Derus murmured Raon’s name.

“There’s no longer any need to keep something as trivial as Heaven.”

He clenched his fist roughly, as if declaring that both Heaven and the Land of Clouds would be discarded entirely.

“Heh.”

Having regained his composure, Derus Robert opened the black book again. A faint smile crossed his face as he began writing on its blank pages.

Zzzzzzt!

Without even lifting a pen, merely moving his finger caused neat lines of text to carve themselves into the book.
The characters, however, were not of the present age, but resembled ancient sigils from a forgotten era.

Knock, knock.

A knock came at the door of the study while Derus was still writing without pause.

“Come in.”

Without lifting his eyes from the book, he gave a slight nod.

Ssshhh—

The one who entered was Cubara. Lifting the hem of her maid’s skirt slightly, she bowed.

“As ordered, the self-destruction spell installed at the headquarters has been activated. In one hour, everything that exists here will be erased without a trace.”

She closed her eyes briefly as she reported, then opened them again.

“A dimensional gate will open in thirty minutes, so you’ll be able to relocate immediately.”

While speaking, she bent her waist slightly, watching black energy slowly seep up from the study floor.

“Well done.”

Clearly pleased, Derus gave her a casual wave of his hand.

“And the moment we move, dispose of all other Heavens and Lands of Clouds as well.”

“…Pardon?”

Cubara’s eyes, usually half-lidded, opened wide in shock.

“I’ve already gathered more than enough desire. Enough to wage a war and still have plenty left over. Any more would be a waste of time and manpower.”

He shook his head, noting that the necessary amount of desire had already been collected before Raon started causing chaos.

“I’ve prepared far beyond what’s necessary. Now it’s time to focus on my might.”

He clenched his fist, strength gathering at his fingertips.

"Besides, I’m getting tired of running away from that old man."

A frown creased his brow as he thought of Glenn Zieghart, who had interfered at every turn.

“Then….”

Cubara seemed to grasp his intent instantly, her eyes widening further.

“That’s right. I’ve finally found the key to surpass both Glenn Zieghart and the Heavenly Demon. Defeating the two of them is only a matter of time now.”

Derus smiled faintly, confident that given enough time, he could surpass even Glenn, the strongest swordsman on the continent.

“Of course, I won’t deal with the two of them directly.”

With a sinister smile that suggested another scheme, he brushed his hair back.

“…Understood.”

Cubara bowed deeply, indicating she would follow his will without question.

“Then I’ll proceed with the final preparations.”

She had just finished her report and begun to rise—

KWAAAAAANG!

A tremendous roar and violent tremor erupted from the west, shaking the entire headquarters.

“Th-this is…!”

For the first time, Cubara’s jaw trembled, confronted with a situation she had never even imagined.

“Hah….”

Derus let out a hollow laugh as chunks of stone and dust fell from the ceiling, soiling the black book. He snapped the book shut and clenched his hand tightly.

“He really came all the way here?”

Grinding his teeth, Derus stared in shock at a reality that had exceeded even his worst assumptions.

“How is this possible?”

The distance from Heaven to this headquarters was immense.

Even if Raon could track my soul, he would have to physically travel to follow it. And even if he discovered the location, he shouldn't have the coordinates to teleport. By all logic, reaching this headquarters so quickly should have been impossible.

“Did he predict everything from the very start? Ha! When it comes to the mind, he’s truly surpassed the master.”

Derus chuckled, half in admiration, at how Raon had refined the assassination and espionage techniques Derus himself once taught, and used them to strike at an utterly unexpected moment.

“Raon Zieghart….”

As he watched the study’s walls and ceiling continue to shake, the cold smile vanished from his face.

“Just how far ahead were you seeing?”

Derus Robert ground his teeth so hard it almost made a cracking sound, all the composure he had moments ago completely gone.

“What should we do?”

Cubara bowed her head toward Derus, as if judging that the crisis had already begun and that immediate containment was the priority.

“There’s only one option left. Send the shadows to the front, and pull the elites back into the inner depths.”

Derus twisted his lips as he looked at the black energy that had already risen halfway through the study.

“We’ll have to force a result, right in the midst of death itself.”

 *   *   *

Hooo—!

Raon gasped for breath as he stared at the massive stone gate, split cleanly in half and shattered apart.

'We finally made it.'

Without Evelyn, we never would have found this place.

Evelyn had continuously observed the forest where Derus was hiding, tracking his soul until she eventually found the single path hidden within.

It looked like a proper stone gate now, but just moments ago, this place had appeared to be nothing more than ordinary bushes.

Without Evelyn's magic, we would have missed this spot, searched the vicinity in vain, and ultimately lost Derus.

“What a foul, lurking stench.”

Glenn frowned as he looked at the black energy seeping out from beyond the gate.

“It suits its master perfectly.”

Rector replied, drawing his sword in response.

“So if we take down Derus Robert here, there won’t be any need for a war a year from now, right?”

Martha smacked her lips, as if eager for the fight.

“If it reduces the number of sacrifices, I’m willing to do anything.”

Burren nodded quietly, already carrying himself with the mindset of a leader.

“……”

Runaan said nothing, but her killing intent was thicker than anyone else’s as she tightened her grip on her beloved sword, Snow Flower Sword.

“Hoo….”

Raon exhaled slowly, raising Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword.

“Ugh…”

Evelyn staggered back, exhausted, and leaned against a tree.

“I’ll… leave the rest to you.”

She waved a limp hand, signaling that she needed to rest after pouring all her energy into the tracking.

“Wh-who are these people?!”

“Wait! Those are Ziegharts!”

“They chased us all the way here?!”

“Are you insane?! Report this to the higher-ups! It's an enemy attack!”

"Enemy attack! Zieghart has invaded!"

Derus Robert’s subordinates trembled violently as they stared at the Zieghart elites who had smashed through the hidden entrance.

“Stop them!”

“Don’t let them reach the inner depths!”

“Build a wall with your lives if you have to!”

Yet, true to the fact that they had been trained by Derus Robert himself, they recovered quickly, reporting the situation and throwing themselves forward to block the path at any cost.

“Good.”

After nodding to Evelyn, Raon drove both Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword into the ground, where black currents were rising.

KUUUUNG!

The two swords erased the death-tainted earth and erupted with radiant light.

Sssss—

Above the dark forest, now choked with black mist, a golden sun and a silver moon rose into the sky.

Sword Field Creation, Divine and Demonic Harmony.

Holding a divine sword tempered by the sun in one hand, and a demonic sword forged from moonlight in the other, Raon advanced toward Derus’s charging Shadows.

Shraaaash!

As he swung the divine and demonic swords, filled with burning wrath, space itself split into four pieces. The humans caught within were torn apart mercilessly, reduced to sprays of red blood.

Squish.

Stepping over ground soaked in blood and darkness, Raon pushed deeper into Derus Robert’s headquarters, a place whose name he did not even know.

“Anyone who doesn’t wish to die, fall back! The only one I’m here for is Derus Robert!”

He stomped hard enough to make the earth tremble, shouting that Derus Robert alone was his target.

“Then all the more reason to stop him!”

“Block the path!”

“Hold them back, even if it costs your lives!”

“Offer your lives for him!”

Derus Robert’s subordinates charged forward, burning away their vitality, as though it no longer belonged to them.

“Hah….”

Raon furrowed his brow and raised the divine and demonic swords—

“Why are you stepping in here?!”

“We’ll handle this!”

“Save your strength—!”

Martha, Burren, and Runan stepped forward, positioning themselves in front of Raon and leveling their swords at Derus’s subordinates. They stomped the ground firmly, declaring they would clear the way.

Claaang!

Martha’s heavy blade smashed the skulls of the enemies directly ahead.
Burren’s sharp sword split the enemies on the left cleanly in two.
Meanwhile, Runaan summoned frost through the tip of her blade, freezing the bodies and souls of the enemies on the right into stark white ice.

“Go!”

“Palace Master! Go!”

“Leave it to us….”

Martha, Burren, and Runaan forced back the endlessly surging Shadows of Derus with brute strength, nodding firmly for Raon to run ahead.

“Raon. Go without worry.”

Rector stepped between Burren and Martha, a gentle smile on his face.

Claaang!

When he brought down the sword clenched in his prosthetic arm, deep blue cracks tore through the headquarters buildings Derus had built up over many years, and every Shadow ahead was split cleanly in half.

"I'll support your friends."

Rector shouted that he would guard the entrance just in case, telling Raon to go after Derus Robert.

“Understood.”

Raon nodded heavily as he looked at Rector. With Rector at the entrance, even powerful celestials could be held off. It was safe to entrust the rear to him.

“Let’s go.”

Raon extended his hand toward Glenn.

“I can feel Derus Robert’s presence deeper inside.”

At the end of the path opened by Rector, Burren, Martha, and Runaan, Derus Robert’s energy was unmistakably present. As expected, he had not yet escaped this place.

“I hope this ends today.”

Glenn nodded calmly and rested his hand on Heavenly Tremor Sword.

“It will.”

Raon lowered his chin with resolve and moved forward along the path carved open by his comrades.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

“Don’t let them pass!”

“You will never reach him!”

Derus Robert’s subordinates sprang out from the darkness, launching ambushes.

“Your opponents are us!”

“Let leaders deal with leaders.”

“I’ll freeze you all….”

But they were cut down one after another by Martha, Burren, and Runaan, who followed behind.

Thud!

Raon sent them a grateful look and continued forward.

Derus Robert’s headquarters was larger than expected, but aside from the entrance area, there weren’t many people inside.

So this is the headquarters of that scheming bastard?

Wrath frowned as he watched Derus Robert’s subordinates collapse one after another.

That bastard’s like an empty peanut. All shell, no substance!

He sneered, mocking how the place looked grand on the surface but lacked substance.

‘No… that’s not it.’

If it were Derus Robert, he would never consider even this headquarters truly safe. He would have pulled his core forces out in advance.

I was certain of that. And that certainty was exactly why I had abandoned everything else and pursued him without delay.

Whooooo—

As they kept running, a massive door burning with black light came into view at the end of the dim corridor. From beyond it, Derus Robert’s sinister presence seeped out.

“That’s it.”

Glenn lowered his brows slightly, sensing it as well.

“We don’t know what he’s planning. Move carefully.”

Drawing Heavenly Tremor Sword, he stepped forward first.

“Yes!”

Raon nodded heavily and ran at Glenn’s left side. He steeled his resolve, loosening the unpleasant tension coiling in his limbs so he could respond to anything.

“Hmph!”

As if daring any attack to come, Glenn snorted and brought Heavenly Tremor Sword down.

Shraaaash!

The moment his blade struck the ground, space itself tore apart, and the black-burning door collapsed without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Whoooooosh!

Soft light spilled into the corridor from beyond the door, revealing the interior of a vast chamber.

Sssss—

Derus Robert was standing in front of a throne on a black platform, his hands clasped behind his back. Behind him, a black sun burned slowly in the air.

“Raon….”

Derus bit down hard, thick veins bulging on his forehead, as if he had never imagined seeing Raon here.

“Didn’t I tell you? Today marks the beginning of the war.”

Raising the divine sword that burned away the darkness, Raon aimed it straight at Derus Robert’s heart.

“If you lost the war, you hand over your head. Where do you think you’re going?”

 

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