The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1286

 Chapter 1286

 

‘So…’

Raon lightly tapped the table and lifted his chin.

‘You’re saying <Pride> isn’t just being arrogant or cocky, it means being unbearably arrogant. The kind of arrogance that makes people sick of you just by looking at you?’

He narrowed his eyes as he repeated the explanation of <Pride> that Wrath had drilled into him over and over again.

Argh! Yes, exactly!

Wrath shouted in irritation.

How many times are you going to make me explain it?!

He waved both fists around as if telling Raon to finally get it already.

‘Sounds simple enough.’

Raon nodded confidently.

‘So basically, I just need to act full of myself.’

In the end, acting prideful was just openly showing off and carrying yourself like you were above everyone else. Honestly, it sounded much simpler than he expected.

And the reason you’re still stuck like this is because you can’t even do something that simple!

Wrath frowned like he genuinely couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

And It’s not enough to just pretend! From the very core of your soul, you have to truly believe that you are superior to everyone else!

He clicked his tongue and said that unless Raon truly believed, from the depths of his soul, that he was inherently superior to others, he would never even begin to sense <Pride>, not even the faintest trace of it.

‘…Then that’s difficult.’

Unlike before, Raon let out a deep sigh.

‘Because I’ve never thought of myself that way.’

Others might find it hard to believe, but not once in my life had I ever considered myself exceptional. Which meant awakening <Pride> wouldn’t just be difficult for me, it felt nearly impossible.

That’s the part the King of Essence cannot understand!

Wrath let out a long sigh.

As much as he hates admitting it, even by the King of Essence’s standards, your talent and abilities are far from ordinary! He truly cannot understand why you keep thinking of yourself as average!

He tipped his chin up, stating that anyone could see Raon was an outstanding human being.

‘I can see why it looks that way. But…’

Raon calmly shook his head at Wrath.

‘I’m really not someone special.’

I had lived two lives, and in this life, I had cultivated the Ring of Fire, the special martial art of Zieghart’s first head of house, since birth, so it was only natural that others saw me as extraordinarily talented. But in truth, I wasn’t gifted or exceptional.

I had simply been lucky.

‘...Haa.’

Raon exhaled heavily and brushed a hand through his hair.

‘This is harder than I thought.’

Even after hearing Wrath explain the essence of <Pride>, he still couldn’t fully grasp it.

Haa…

Wrath let out another long sigh alongside him.

That’s exactly what the King of Essence told you! You and Pride are complete opposites!

He bared his teeth as if convinced Raon would never understand no matter how many times he explained it.

‘Still, I didn’t think I’d struggle this much.’

I had assumed awakening <Pride> would be no harder than awakening the other demon kings authorities, but I had been completely wrong. Even after returning to Zieghart and spending an entire week on it, awakening <Pride> still felt impossibly far away.

But why are you so obsessed with <Pride> anyway?

Wrath floated closer and tilted his head.

You were never that interested in the Demon Kings’ authorities to begin with. You never even made much effort to awaken them.

He looked genuinely puzzled.

‘True. I wasn’t.’

Raon nodded in agreement.

‘But this time… <Pride> feels different somehow.’

What?

Wrath narrowed his eyes immediately.

A-Are you saying <Pride> is superior to <Wrath>?!

He ground his teeth, clearly offended by the idea that any authority could surpass <Wrath>.

‘That’s not what I mean.’

Raon calmly shook his head.

‘Both <Pride> and <Wrath> are already powers beyond comparison. There’s no point ranking them against each other. What I’m saying is… all seven emotions of the demon kings are gathering inside me.’

Looking into Wrath’s blue eyes, he recalled each of the Demon Kings’ authorities dwelling within his soul.

‘If the authorities of the seven Demon Kings, which should have been impossible to gather, truly come together inside me, then I feel like something entirely new will awaken.’

It wasn’t just a vague feeling anymore.

It was conviction.

If <Pride> awakened, something inside his soul would fundamentally change.

“Hm…”

Wrath rolled his eyes up and down as he looked at Raon.

It’s true that no one has ever gathered all seven Demon Kings’ authorities into a single body. Most exploded after obtaining just three.

He nodded as though conceding the point.

So what exactly do you think will change?

‘I don’t know.’

Raon shrugged.

‘I won’t know until <Pride> awakens.’

Right now, all he had was a vague sense that some kind of transformation would happen. Beyond that, he knew nothing.

And truthfully, even that was only a feeling.

So in the end, you have no answer at all!

Wrath frowned deeply, grumbling that they had wasted their time yet again.

‘No, I still realized something thanks to you.’

Raon chuckled softly as he stood up.

Realized what?

Wrath tilted his head.

‘You were right. I was being too impatient. The important thing was never whatever change the Demon Kings’ power might bring.’

His anticipation over becoming stronger through <Pride> had clouded his thoughts and dragged him into unhealthy thoughts.

But he was not a sorcerer or a mage.

He was a swordsman.

What he should always rely on were his own mind, body, and sword.

‘When you can’t find the answer, you focus on what you should be doing.’

He drew his sword and raised it overhead.

‘I’ll swing my sword instead. And I’ll do it…’

Raon curled his lips into a grin as he unleashed a sword strike fierce enough to split apart the sky itself.

‘Proudly.’

*   *   *

Burren stood in the fifth training ground, rubbing his neatly trimmed chin.

“<Pride>, huh…”

It was great that, thanks to Raon, I had obtained the authority of <Pride> from the Demon King Pride, but even after agonizing over it alone for an entire week, I still had no idea how to awaken it.

“I guess I have no choice.”

I had wanted to figure it out on my own, but since I couldn’t even find a starting point, I had no choice but to seek help from others.

“Ahem.”

After clearing his throat, Burren approached Runaan, who sat in the corner of the training ground with her eyes closed.

“Runaan. There’s something I wanted to—”

Just as he stepped beside her to get to the point—

Swoooosh.

Runaan opened her eyes first and looked at him. Her crystal-clear gaze shone brightly, as if she had not been asleep at all and had merely been resting with her eyes closed.

“You weren’t sleeping?”

“No, I was.”

Runaan slowly nodded, saying she had slept very well.

“I’ve just gotten a little better at controlling sleep and sloth now…”

“You’ve learned to control them?”

Burren widened his eyes. Runaan had always struggled to control her drowsiness, but it seemed she had finally overcome it.

“Is it because you reached Transcendence?”

“No. Everyone suffered because of me…”

Runaan calmly shook her head, saying it wasn’t something that had naturally changed after reaching Transcendence. She had changed herself through effort.

“I see…”

Burren lightly bit his lip as he looked into her crystal-clear eyes and saw the determination hidden within them.

‘She must’ve suffered a lot.’

Runaan spoke as if it were nothing, but knowing how she had always been, I could tell she must have fought desperately to overcome it.

“But why…?”

Runaan tilted her head, asking why he had come to see her.

“Well… I wanted to know how you awakened <Sloth>.”

Burren smacked his lips awkwardly as he asked her how she had awakened the Demon King’s authority.

“It just happened…”

Runaan blinked and answered immediately.

“...Huh? I-It just happened?”

Burren blinked even more blankly than she did, completely unable to process what he had just heard.

“Yeah. <Sloth> was with me from the beginning.”

She nodded, saying she had been able to use <Sloth> authority ever since she first received it from Sloth.

“I see…”

Burren bit his lip.

‘As expected, she’s no help at all.’

Raon had once said that Runaan’s disposition matched Sloth’s so perfectly that the two were practically identical in nature. Because of that, <Sloth> authority naturally resonated with her and continued to grow stronger even without conscious effort on her part.

Someone like her, a genius whose authority had aligned with her from the very beginning, could never give me the kind of advice I was looking for.

“D-Dorian!”

After swallowing a groan, Burren called out to Dorian, who was passing by carrying training equipment.

“Yes? Yes!”

Dorian hurried over at once.

“Did you need something?”

He bowed politely with his usual cheerful smile.

“H-How did you awaken your demon king authority?”

After asking Runaan, Burren turned the same question toward Dorian.

“Huh? Mine just worked right away.”

Like Runaan, Dorian casually explained that his authority had already been awakened from the very beginning.

“I think Lady Gluttony let me use it right away out of consideration.”

He nodded, saying that while he could not control <Gluttony> as freely as Runaan controlled <Sloth>, he could still use it reasonably well.

“Y-You too… from the very beginning?”

Burren’s lips trembled.

Hearing that even Dorian, someone he considered far below him, could use a Demon King’s authority immediately made his chest tighten unbearably, as if something heavy were lodged inside it.

“Hm? Are you guys talking about Demon Kings?”

Martha grinned as she casually draped herself over Dorian’s shoulder.

“S-Sir Burren was asking how we awakened our Demon King authorities…”

Dorian swallowed dryly and subtly edged away, clearly overwhelmed by Martha leaning all over him.

“Huh? Awaken them? Don’t they just work automatically?”

Martha tilted her head, saying she had also been able to use the authority of <Envy> right away.

“…Wait, you can’t?”

She stared at Burren with genuine surprise, her eyes widening slightly.

“Urgh…”

Feeling the strange looks from Runaan, Dorian, and Marta focused on him, Burren pressed his lips tightly together.

‘D-Don’t tell me… I’m the only one?’

Even if I asked Evelyn, who possessed <Lust>, the answer would probably be no different.

No, there was a good chance she would just laugh at me.

“Sir Burren?”

Dorian called out to him with worried eyes.

“D-Don’t mind me.”

Burren hurriedly waved his hand before quickly distancing himself from the three of them.

“This can’t be real…”

Even Dorian can do it, but I can’t?

Runaan and Martha were one thing, but realizing that even Dorian could immediately use the Demon King’s authority while he alone could not filled him with crushing self-loathing.

‘So my talent was really this lacking….’

The thought that he alone lagged behind the others chosen by the Demon Kings dealt him a mental blow so severe it was hard to endure.

‘Am I… not worthy of receiving a Demon King’s authority?’

Burren chewed harshly on his lip and lowered his eyes.

Just as he was about to sink into despair, an image surfaced in his mind, Raon standing face-to-face against Pride, the Monarch of Pride.

‘No!’

If I break down over something like this, I’ll never be able to face Raon again!

For my sake, Raon had stood against Pride, a Demon King so terrifying that merely facing him felt enough to stop one’s heart. I could not allow myself to give up after everything Raon had done.

‘No… more importantly…’

Since when did I start accepting defeat against Marta and Runaan so easily?

It was a childish memory now, but the old me had never believed I would lose, not to Martha, not to Runaan, not even to Raon.

The gap between us was painfully obvious now, but even so, I had always trained with the determination to catch up someday.

‘I’ve been living like a loser for too long.’

Burren ground his teeth so hard his gums ached.

‘I need to go back.’

Back to the days when nothing frightened me.

Not merely to the time when I competed with Martha and Runaan—

But to the time when I burned with the determination to surpass Raon himself.

As he dragged his mentality back to that fearless version of himself, he clenched his fist tightly.

‘Even if I lose, I just have to stand back up again.’

At that very moment, when Burren abandoned his obsession with awakening <Pride> and instead vowed to change the pathetic state of his own heart—

KWA-DOOOOM!

A deafening roar erupted from within his soul, like massive boulders shattering apart, and crimson flames carrying the heat of Devildom exploded outward.

‘From now on…’

Feeling his soul being dyed red, Burren slowly placed his hand on his sword.

‘I won’t lose to anyone ever again!’

*   *   *

Hooh!

Wrath let out an impressed exclamation as he looked toward the fifth training ground.

Shitty Eyes awakened <Pride>.

He could sense the authority of his nemesis, Pride, from the direction of the fifth training ground. Since there was no way Pride himself had appeared here, it could only mean that Burren had awakened <Pride>.

He awakened <Pride> before you did!

Wrath cackled and turned his gaze to the right.

‘That’s right.’

Without even looking at Wrath, Raon continued practicing the forms of the Azure Sky Sword. His blade flowed like water, tracing vast, majestic arcs as though it were painting the sky itself.

‘I should congratulate him.’

Raon calmly nodded to himself, deciding he would congratulate Burren later.

The King of Essence seriously does not understand you!

Wrath frowned in irritation at Raon’s unbelievably calm reaction.

Up until recently, you were so desperate to awaken <Pride>, so why are you suddenly this calm now?!

‘It’s true that war isn’t far off, so I was growing impatient. But…’

As he transitioned from the Azure Sky Sword into the forms of the Heavenly Lightning Cultivation, Raon slowly shook his head.

‘Right now, this feels more important.’

He had become obsessed with the idea that awakening <Pride> would change something within him, focusing entirely on the Demon Kings’ authorities.

But once he picked up his sword again, he realized something else.

Swordsmanship itself felt far more important.

That realization had led him to spend more than a week doing nothing but swinging his sword.

‘I feel like I’m beginning to change, even without relying on the Demon King’s authorities.’

Sensing something stirring deep within both his mind and mental world, Raon continued practicing his swordsmanship.

Before he realized it, he had already forgotten about Burren entirely, immersing himself deeper and deeper into a world where only he and the sword existed.

It’s not that you feel like you’re changing. You already are. And in a way…

Wrath curled his lips into a broad grin as he watched Raon sink completely into the world of the sword.

And in a direction even the King of Essence never foresaw!

 

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