The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1264

 Chapter 1264

 

"S-seriously, what the..."

The Bear Alteration Demon opened his mouth wide as if he were looking at a madman.

"Where does that kind of confidence even come from? It’s not like you’re Glenn Zieghart or the Heavenly Demon..."

His lips trembled as he admitted he simply couldn’t understand Raon’s sheer nerve.

“Confidence, huh…”

Raon gave a small nod, calmly accepting the barb hidden in the Bear Alteration Demon’s words.

"Ugh..."

As if he’d realized he was getting nowhere with Raon, the Bear Alteration Demon turned to Dorian instead and let out a strained groan.

“I-I’ll say this again. The being I’m summoning isn’t human, tt’s a mystical creature that guards Eden’s holy land. If you anger it, forget about entering Eden. It’ll attack you relentlessly. The only way is to show proper respect, speak with it, and then offer a sacrifice!”

He deeply furrowed his brow at Dorian, telling him to please listen to what he was saying.

“Uh…”

Dorian blinked as if saying that even if he spoke to him, it would be useless.

“That’s… what he says?”

He raised a hand toward Raon, asking if he’d heard all that.

“Well, it’ll be fine. The sacrifice is good, so there’s no problem.”

Dorian puffed out his chest proudly, clearly confident in what he had prepared.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

The Bear Alteration Demon scowled.

“The things laid out on the ground right now are not sacrifices, but merely materials of sorcery to call the gatekeeper.”

He shook his head forcefully, saying that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the mystical creature.

“Ah…”

Dorian’s face stiffened, starting to look just as grim as the Bear Alteration Demon’s.

“Th-Then don’t tell me… the sacrifice you mean is…”

“Of course it’s human! And not just any human, only those with talent in some field can be offered as a sacrifice!”

The Bear Alteration Demon ground his teeth, saying that was why he had planned to bring the children.

"This is driving me crazy. No one here listens to a word I say!"

He shouted that he hadn’t known Zieghart was this reckless, then panted for breath.

"H-human sacrifice..."

Dorian gulped, his throat dry, and turned to Raon.

“We didn’t bring a sacrifice, did we?”

“……”

Raon said nothing. He simply jerked his chin toward Dorian.

“Pardon? N-No…”

Dorian frantically waved both hands.

“I don’t carry people around in my belly pocket! They aren't daily necessities! I’m not the Five Demons or anything!”

He gasped, insisting that even as the Light Wind Palace’s quartermaster, he did not carry human sacrifices around.

“No. You’re the sacrifice.”

Raon tilted his head as if asking what nonsense he was talking about and pointed at Dorian with a long finger.

“Eh? Ah…”

Dorian’s eyes went dull and cloudy, like a broken egg yolk.

“…Huh.”

Even the Bear Alteration Demon’s jaw trembled in shock.

“You’re both completely—”

“Just call it already.”

Raon waved his hand impatiently, telling him to stop wasting time.

“…Fine. Don’t blame me later.”

The Bear Alteration Demon glanced at the dazed Dorian, shook his head, then put on his roughly pieced-together mask. After a small sigh, he began the ritual.

“Y-You’re really going to offer me as a sacrifice? I really don’t have any talent!”

Dorian clutched Raon’s leg and shook it desperately, begging not to be abandoned.

“Sorry, but there’s no one else.”

Raon, following the Bear Alteration Demon, put on the mask of an orc warrior and shook his head.

“H-Hic!”

Dorian, unable to read Raon’s true intentions, hiccuped repeatedly, his eyes trembling.

"Ughhhh..."

He grabbed his head, desperately trying to think of a way out of this, but in the end, no solution came. All he could do was let out a torn, miserable groan.

“……”

Raon turned his gaze away from the sniffling Dorian and looked at the Bear Alteration Demon, who was in the middle of performing the sorcery. Even just summoning the gatekeeper seemed difficult, sweat ran down his forehead.

‘That’s no ordinary sorcery.’

As its very purpose was to open a door that was never meant to open, the sorcery the Bear Alteration Demon was unfolding now was clearly no ordinary method.

Hey, you…

Wrath stepped into his view, frowning deeply.

What in the world are you thinking.

He twisted his jaw, clearly unable to understand.

‘What do you mean?’

Raon tilted his head.

What are you relying on to act so recklessly?!

Wrath sighed as if Raon was being ridiculous.

The King of Essence knows better than anyone that you've grown!

He nodded, acknowledging Raon’s current might.

But, there are still those stronger than you. There could even be someone in there who rivals your grandpa. So what exactly makes you act so boldly?!

Wrath bit his lip slightly, unable to hide his concern.

‘Are you worrying about me?’

Raon smiled faintly.

D-Don’t talk nonsense! Just answer the King of Essence!

Wrath wrinkled his nose, saying this wasn’t the time for jokes.

‘Well, you’re right.’

Raon narrowed his eyes thin as thread while feeling the sorcerous energy rising from the ground.

‘I haven’t reached my grandfather’s or the Heavenly Demon’s level yet. If the Heavenly Demon suddenly appears, or if several warriors on my level rush me at once, I could die.’

He slowly closed his eyes.

‘But strangely… I don't feel that danger at all.’

He opened them again, lips curling upward.

‘No, if anything, it feels like I have to be here. Like I must enter Eden.’

For a head of house to entrust everything to his instincts was reckless. And yet, strangely, this instinct didn’t feel wrong at all.

‘And it even feels like I know what to do once I’m inside.’

Everything felt natural, as if he had already experienced this situation.

Huh…

Wrath stared into his eyes and drew in a sharp breath.

Did that feeling perhaps come to you as naturally as perception?

‘Yes. Honestly, rather than a feeling, it’s more like certainty.’

Raon nodded while feeling the sensation of the Ring of Fire swirling around his heart.

Is it future sight? No, since you didn’t actually see anything, perhaps it’s future sense… or future perception.

Wrath muttered that Raon seemed to be feeling the future itself.

‘Feeling the future…?’

Raon smacked his lips lightly while placing a hand over his chest where the Ring of Fire was swirling.

‘Did the Ring of Fire awaken as I reached the absolute realm?’

Even when the Ring of Fire had reached ten stars, he had never felt the future like this. Whether it was because his level had risen and the Ring of Fire’s power awakened, or because this situation was special, he didn’t know yet.

Seriously, how far will that damned ring go...

Wrath was grinding his teeth at Raon’s chest when—

Wooooooooong!

The Bear Alteration Demon’s ritual completed. Golden light erupted from the magic circle spread across the ground, and a massive dimensional gate opened.

Perhaps the sorcery itself carried a concealment effect, no light or sound leaked beyond the immediate area.

“It’s… it’s done.”

The Bear Alteration Demon wiped the sweat dripping from his chin as the circle glowed brighter and brighter.

“Do whatever you want now! Whether you offer him as the sacrifice or just die!”

He stepped back, leaving it to them.

Kuuuuung!

The golden light that had risen above the magic circle shot upward as if piercing the dark night sky, revealing a massive gate embedded with chains thicker than a human torso.

However, in front of that gate, something even larger began to walk forward.

Kugugugugugugu!

A face emerged, so breathtakingly beautiful it felt like it squeezed the heart just to behold it. Long black hair shimmered like silk, and a crown rested upon her head. She radiated elegance and a dangerous, intoxicating allure at the same time.

But as the Bear Alteration Demon had warned, "it" was not human.

Its face was that of a woman, but its body was a lion as massive as a fortress wall. Its tail was a serpent tipped with five horns, and from its back, where its mane bloomed like a flower, spread a pair of pure white wings.

“Such carefully prepared offerings.”

Something even more grotesque and enormous than a chimera, bearing a woman’s head, a lion’s body, a serpent’s tail, and a bird’s wings, stepped forward, its foot larger than a building.

“My name is Sphinx. Until the day he returns, I am the one who guards this gate.”

The creature with the woman’s face lifted her chin arrogantly as she declared her name.

“Gyaaaaaah!”

Dorian tore at his hair and screamed at the sight of the gatekeeper, which far exceeded anything he had imagined.

“N-No! Don’t abandon me!”

He shook his head wildly, begging Raon not to offer him up. The moment he felt the overwhelming difference in might from the Sphinx, he gave up any thought of resisting.

“Ugh…”

The Bear Alteration Demon dropped to his knees, hands trembling violently, crushed beneath the sheer weight of the Sphinx’s soul.

Hah…

Even Wrath let out a breath of disbelief at her appearance.

Her form is unusual, but that is not what matters. The gate behind her is one thing, but that creature herself is no ordinary being.

He lowered his brows, understanding why the Bear Alteration Demon had been so tense.

“……”

Raon didn’t react. He simply stared quietly at the Sphinx, and the gate looming behind her.

"Noisy humans. If I didn't like these offerings, I would have devoured you immediately."

The Sphinx snorted and took the ritual offerings laid on the ground. The woman's face seemed to crave the jewels, the lion's body the meat, the snake's tail the fruit, and the bird's wings the grain.

“If you wish to open the gate to the garden, offer a human with talent and answer my question.”

Her cold blue eyes lowered as she declared that only then would she open the gate behind her.

"Here's the sacrifice."

Without the slightest hesitation, Raon lifted a finger and pointed at Dorian.

"Guaaaack!"

Dorian’s mouth dropped wide open, as if he had never even imagined Raon would truly offer him up as a sacrifice.

“Are you insane…?”

Even the Bear Alteration Demon’s eyes widened and trembled.

“Hmm…”

The Sphinx lowered her head slowly until her gaze locked with Dorian’s. From the tips of her toes extended claws larger than battle-axes, and the serpent tail flicked out its red tongue, dragging it slowly across Dorian’s cheek, as if inspecting the quality of the offering.

“Oh?”

After observing Dorian for quite some time, the Sphinx violently stamped the ground.

“Excellent! With a sacrifice of this caliber, the path for his return will be paved all the more smoothly!”

She nodded vigorously, clearly approving of Dorian’s talent.

“Very well! I accept this sacrifice!”

The Sphinx declared she would accept Dorian as the sacrifice and dragged him beneath her foot.

“Aaaah! Noooooo! Please!”

Dorian screamed and thrashed in terror, but her strength was overwhelming. His resistance meant nothing.

“So what’s the question?”

After glancing at the howling Dorian, Raon tilted his chin toward the Sphinx. He deliberately put on an arrogant air and channeled Ascara’s Combative Energy to erase any suspicion from the Sphinx.

“Insolent one.”

The Sphinx frowned faintly.

“Very well. Rules are rules. I shall give you a riddle.”

She lowered her finely shaped brows and corrected him, it would not be a question, but a riddle.

“A riddle?”

Raon’s eyes widened.

‘Wasn’t it supposed to be a question about Eden?’

He had expected a question about Eden itself. The word “riddle” caught him off guard.

“I—I didn’t know that part either!”

The Bear Alteration Demon broke out in a cold sweat, claiming he didn't know since it was his first time actually doing this.

Hmph! What good intuition! It was all false instinct!

Wrath scoffed.

“…Fine.”

Raon steadied his breathing and nodded.

“Go on.”

There was no turning back now. He lowered his hand and signaled for her to begin.

"I cannot speak, yet I hold all stories."

“I have no eyes, yet I let you see everything as though it were drawn before you.”

“I reveal my true self only to the one who opens me.”

“What am I?”

The Sphinx twisted her lips upward, confident no one could solve it.

“St-Stories? True form? W-What is that supposed to be?!”

Even in sheer terror, Dorian rolled his eyes frantically, trying to think. But nothing came to him.

"Cannot speak but hold stories? What kind of..."

The Bear Alteration Demon muttered under his breath, mind racing but blank.

Bwahahahaha!

Wrath burst out laughing.

A riddle full of nonsense! That kind of question is given so it won’t be solved at all! Your intuition is shit! Take it out at once, throw it away, and flush it!

He grinned wickedly, delighted to have something to mock.

If you solve that, the King of Essence will grant you whatever you wish!

“Stories… painted… opened…”

Ignoring Wrath, Raon quietly linked the words together, tilting his head slightly.

“Hmph. Did you think I didn’t know what you are?”

The Sphinx’s smile turned vicious.

“Rules or not, I will never allow anyone who seeks to harm the garden to enter!”

She bared her white teeth, admitting she had given an unsolvable riddle from the start.

“Even if I grant you time, it is meaningless. You will become my prey—”

“Answer.”

As her claws rose to strike, Raon lifted his hand.

“A book.”

He nodded calmly. It hadn’t even taken him ten seconds.

“…What?”

The Sphinx froze mid-sneer, her mouth hanging open.

“Y-You. How…?”

Her jaw trembled as if it might split apart.

"I cannot speak, yet I hold all stories, I have no eyes, yet I let you see everything as though it were drawn before you, I reveal my true self only to the one who opens me. It can only be a book.”

Raon nodded calmly, saying it was not that difficult.

“R-Right! It’s a book!”

Dorian clapped his hands loudly, nodding hard as if everything had suddenly clicked.

“That’s right. It can only be a book.”

The Bear Alteration Demon swallowed thickly, clearly agreeing with Raon’s answer.

Huh…?

Even Wrath’s hands trembled slightly, as though he had just realized that “book” was indeed the correct answer.

H-How did you…?

Even knowing the answer, it was difficult, so he let out a dull groan as if wondering how he had known it.

“The answer’s correct, isn’t it?”

Raon tilted his chin toward the Sphinx.

“Ugh…”

Since the Sphinx had kept mentioning rules, she wouldn't be able to lie if it really was the answer.

“Y-Yes. The answer… is a book.”

As expected, the Sphinx couldn't lie and nodded heavily.

“Then open the gate, as promised. Sphinx.”

Raon did not celebrate the victory and simply waved his hand calmly.

“Damn you…”

The Sphinx ground her teeth while glaring at Raon, then slammed the ground forcefully. A violent tremor shook sky and earth as the chains hanging on the gate she guarded began to come loose.

Kuuuuung!

When the last of the chains fell away, the massive golden gate slowly creaked open.

“The gate is open. But—”

The Sphinx bared her white teeth and pressed down harder on Dorian beneath her foot.

“This human cannot enter! He is my sacrifice!”

She released a fierce wave of energy as if that too were part of the rules.

“Of course,” Raon said quietly. “However…”

After confirming that the gate to Eden was fully open, he reached behind his back and grasped Heavenly Drive.

“Are you trying to launch a surprise attack now! A human’s sword cannot affect me—”

She snorted in confidence.

Jjeeeeeee!

The instant Raon drew Heavenly Drive, the Sphinx’s colossal body split cleanly in two.

“A-ah….”

Her entire body trembled violently, as if she couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Thick veins stood out in her bloodshot eyes.

“I know. I know you’re a mystical creature that’s immune to physical attacks. That’s why I cut down your soul instead.”

Without a drop of blood staining it, he slid Heavenly Drive back into its scabbard and walked toward the Sphinx.

Kuuuuuuung!

Split in half, the Sphinx began to scatter into the air as golden mana.

Step.

Raon walked through the spirit body of the Sphinx, who could no longer answer or pose riddles, brushing off the particles of golden mana from his sleeve.

"No complaints, right?"

 

 

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