The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1223

 Chapter 1223

 

Crunch.

Raon bit down hard on the tip of his tongue as he watched Derus Robert smiling wickedly.

‘It’s certain. That bastard Derus Robert is…

He’s planning to blow this place up.

I had thought Derus Robert’s reactions and behavior were strange from the start, but now that I looked at the situation as a whole, it was obvious. Derus intended to completely destroy the headquarters he himself had built.

What did you say…?

Wrath eyes widened as if asking what he meant.

If this place explodes, he’ll die too, won’t he?

His brow furrowed, as though the idea made no sense.

No, before that, isn't this place filled with the supplies and subordinates he’s stockpiled?!

Wrath shook his head, insisting that even Derus Robert wouldn't go so far as to self-destruct.

‘He won’t die even if this entire region is blown away.’

Raon shook his head calmly.

‘You saw it too. Derus Robert has the ability to make the wounds I inflicted disappear as if they never existed. An explosion alone won’t kill him.’

Derus Robert had suffered injuries that would have left an ordinary human, no, even a Transcender, unable to move, yet he erased them as if turning back time.

That monster could only be killed by completely severing his soul with the Heart Sword.

‘And even if that weren’t the case, he would’ve prepared an escape route.’

This place is Derus Robert’s headquarters. Someone like him would obviously have prepared both a self-destruction spell and a teleportation spell to escape in case something went wrong.

So… he’s going to kill all of his subordinates here?

Wrath hurriedly turned his gaze away.

Even if they’re weak, there have to be more than a hundred of them!

His pale lips trembled, as if he couldn’t believe it.

‘It’s entirely possible. If it’s that bastard…’

Raon tightened his grip on his sword, recalling the cold cruelty of Derus Robert he had experienced firsthand in his previous life.

‘He could kill not just hundreds, but thousands.’

Derus Robert was the kind of man who wouldn’t blink an eye even if he sent thousands of his own subordinates to their deaths for what he called a greater cause.

If sacrificing everyone left here could inflict serious damage on me, grandfather, and Zieghart elites, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it.

W-what kind of monstrous bastard is he…?

Wrath ground his teeth, sickened by Derus Robert’s wickedness.

But how did you know he was planning to blow this place up?

He narrowed his eyes, emphasizing how important that question was.

‘I thought something was off from the moment we arrived. There were no elite warriors or high-ranking celestials, only low-level warriors everywhere. And on top of that…’

Raon briefly stroked his chin, recalling the sight of Derus Robert’s subordinates carrying armfuls of luggage when he smashed through the main gate.

‘They were all carrying supplies, as if they were about to abandon the headquarters. In other words, Derus Robert had planned to destroy this place from the start.’

Ah…

Wrath let out a small gasp, finally understanding.

Then don’t tell me this too—

He frowned as he looked at the black mist thickening across the floor.

‘That’s right.’

Raon followed Wrath’s gaze downward and nodded.

‘Derus Robert said that because of the energy of death embedded in this mist, his power doesn’t run out, but that isn’t it.’

Raon let out a heavy, murky breath as he peeled back the truths hidden within Derus Robert’s sneer, one by one.

‘The energy of death gathering right now is gunpowder meant to blow this headquarters apart. The moment that bastard lights the fuse, a bomb will explode instantly.’

After fully uncovering Derus Robert’s intentions, Raon ground his teeth.

Then why is he telling your grandpa to use his true power?

Wrath tilted his head, unable to understand that part.

If he dies before the energy of death explodes, wouldn’t it all be meaningless?

He furrowed one eyebrow, still unconvinced even after hearing Raon’s explanation.

‘To kill him, or drain his strength.’

Raon shook his head briefly.

‘The amount of mist hasn’t changed for a while now, which means the preparations for self-destruction are already complete. He intends to trigger the explosion the moment grandfather gets provoked and unleashes his true might.’

From the moment Derus Robert began provoking Glenn, the energy of death spread across the ground hadn’t changed significantly.

It was clear that the instant Glenn stepped forward, Derus intended to detonate all the energy of death gathered here and blow everything away.

‘No matter how strong grandfather is, if the energy of death on this scale explodes, he’ll suffer serious injuries. Or, while trying to protect me, he might draw out all of his true might and be forcibly made to ascend. In the worst case…’

He could die.

Derus Robert was now secretly targeting grandfather. Seeing how much colder he was than I had originally known, it felt as though I were facing an emotionless machine.

He really is a madman!

Wrath frowned deeply, incredulous.

‘That’s right. He’s not sane.’

No, he’s not the only one, the same goes for you!

Wrath frowned slightly.

The King of Essence didn't notice a thing, so how did you figure out that madman’s entire plan?!

Wrath huffed, baffled that compared to Raon’s, his own intuition felt completely lacking.

‘You learn things as you live.’

Raon gave the answer with a faint smile, as if saying that Wrath would understand once he learned the truth someday.

You really do have way too many damn secrets!

Wrath scrunched up his nose in annoyance.

‘I’ll tell you everything later.’

Raon let out a thin breath as he stared at Derus Robert.

Fine then!

Wrath clicked his tongue shortly, as if choosing to trust him.

‘So how are you going to deal with that?’

He exhaled heavily while looking at the energy of death that had risen to knee level.

Even if you’ve figured out Derus Robert’s plan, isn’t there no way to stop it?

Wrath bit his lip, saying that if the conditions for self-destruction were already complete, they were essentially trapped with no escape.

“Glenn Zieghart, which is more precious to you, your own life, or your grandson’s?”

Derus Robert giggled as he raised his sword wreathed in black flames toward the sky.

At that moment, it felt as though the entire world lost its light. The chilling energy of death rose up to the waist, sending shivers down the spine as it reached out to caress one’s soul.

“Hmm…”

Glenn looked at Raon with uneasy eyes, as though Derus Robert’s provocation had shaken him. His fingertips trembled slightly, as if he were debating whether to use his true strength to kill Derus.

‘You’re right.’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Derus Robert continue to provoke Glenn.

‘We’re deep inside Derus Robert’s headquarters right now, in a perilous situation where outside support would be meaningless. But…’

Twisting his lips as he felt a new power breathe vitality into his exhausted body and mind.

‘Derus Robert has forgotten one thing.’

Raon let out a small laugh inwardly as he looked at Glenn.

[Grandfather.]

He sent Glenn a message through will so that Derus Robert couldn’t hear, delivering words that Glenn couldn’t help but follow.

[You trust me, right?]

*   *   *

“Hmm!”

Derus Robert curled his lips upward as he watched Raon and Glenn Zieghart’s faces grow pale.

Just as I expected.

The combined techniques of Raon and Glenn were far stronger than I had expected. Had I not recovered using the energy of death, I would have been in serious danger.

But even so, with their current might, they could never kill me.

No matter how much stronger Raon was than expected, physical wounds couldn’t deal fatal damage to me, and Raon’s Heart Sword was something I could block.

‘The real problem is Glenn Zieghart.’

If Glenn Zieghart resolved himself to ascend and unleashed his full power, my life would be in danger.

Through countless refinements, Glenn’s Heart Sword had surpassed the limits of the middle realm. No matter how special my soul was, there was a risk I could be killed in a single strike.

‘Normally, I would think only of fleeing from Glenn, but this time is different.’

The entire area was saturated with the energy of death that I had deliberately and secretly stockpiled while constructing this headquarters. The sheer amount was beyond even my own capacity to contain, and if I detonated it all at once, not even Glenn Zieghart could fully withstand the blast.

‘There is only one choice given to you.’

Glenn Zieghart revealing his true might.

Having shown that ordinary attacks couldn’t kill me, the only option Glenn had was to unleash his full strength here and then ascend.

‘Of course, even then, you still wouldn’t be able to kill me.’

The moment Glenn Zieghart revealed his full strength, the fuse connected to the energy of death would be lit, instantly activating the self-destruction spell.

From what I had seen of Glenn so far, he would sense the danger of the self-destruction magic and choose to save his beloved grandson Raon rather than kill me.

‘Then that old man will be able to do nothing, and leave.’

I had planned to make use of Glenn separately, but being chased like this was more trouble than it was worth. Making Glenn disappear here instead didn’t seem like a bad option.

‘And even if support arrives, it’ll be meaningless.’

In any case, all I had to do was activate the self-destruction spell and escape through the dimensional gate I had prepared in advance.

The archangels were elsewhere, and the elites and high-ranking celestials had already been sent away. There was nothing for me to lose.

“Hoo… very well.”

Glenn sighed deeply, as if he had no choice, and straightened his back.

Gooooooo—

A light that had never existed before gathered in his red eyes, and a terrifying heat began to blaze.

Kwaaaaaaah!

The Destructive King of the North, Glenn Zieghart.
The swordsman acknowledged as the strongest on the continent revealed his true might, and the sky shattered like thin glass while the land screamed, unable to bear the weight.

“Even if I disappear, I will kill you.”

Declaring Derus Robert far too dangerous to be left alive, Glenn snarled that it would end here. Lowering Heavenly Tremor in his hand, he drew forth an absolute sword forged by honing his soul.

“Hrrgh….”

Derus Robert exhaled sharply as he felt the extreme killing intent emanating from Glenn.

‘This is real!’

Judging by Glenn’s eyes and killing intent, he was staking everything he had to tear my soul apart.

“I was waiting for this moment!”

Derus Robert stomped his foot, revealing an arrogant gaze as if looking at a mouse caught in a trap.

Kuyung!

As if resonating with his stomp, the pitch-black energy of death spread across sky and earth began to convulse violently, gathering before his chest in a moment shorter than an instant.

“I asked you earlier.”

Derus Robert twisted his lips into a grin as he looked at Glenn, whose eyes were wide with shock.

“Which is more precious to you, your own life, or your grandson’s? I’ll give a gift to someone as indecisive as you. Will you kill me, or….”

He flicked his gaze sideways toward Raon and slightly lowered his shoulder.

“Will you save your grandson?”

With those words, Derus Robert thrust his hand into the condensed mass of death energy gathered before his chest.

Pajijijijik!

The energy of death compressed into a small sphere spat black sparks in all directions, as if it were about to explode at any moment.

“You don’t have much time to think. It’s about to blow.”

Derus Robert waved his hand and was just about to step into the dimensional gate rising behind him—

“There’s one more choice.”

Raon Zieghart, someone who hadn’t existed in Derus Robert’s calculations at all, shot forward like a bolt of lightning, drawing forth a radiance that shimmered in five colors.

“We don’t need the gift you prepared, so…”

With a razor-sharp smile, Raon hurled the immense condensed mass of desire that archangel Raphael had intended to give him straight toward the energy of death on the verge of exploding.

“Take it back!”

 

 

Advance Chapters