The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1302

 Chapter 1302

 

Against the backdrop of the darkening evening sky, five massive banners billowed in the wind.

An alliance of kingdoms and great houses from the south-central region, led by the Kingdom of Sarion, advanced toward the people while unleashing overwhelming waves of energy.

“Huh...?”

“W-What is that?!”

“The Kingdom of Sarion, House Belsia, even the Kingdom of Rophels. All the major powers in the area have gathered...”

“Why are they here in Winten?”

The people who had gathered to meet Sage Doraen swallowed nervously as they watched the banners drawing closer.

“W-Wait!”

“Th-That's royalty! No, the kings themselves came!”

“The person from House Belsia is the head of the house! Marex, their strongest swordsman, is here too...”

“This is insane! Are they planning to start a war?”

The people of Winten broke into cold sweats and stepped back, stunned that the rulers of all five factions had come in person.

“Make way!”

An elderly knight slammed his greatsword into the ground and let out a thunderous roar. Clad in armor bearing the kingdom's crest, he was the captain of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom of Sarion.

Woooooooom!

It wasn't just him. Renowned knights and swordsmen from across the continent advanced alongside him, openly displaying the lofty heights they had reached through a lifetime of martial pursuit.

Rumble!

Since countless people had gathered to meet Sage Doraen, the ground trembled violently, as though a gigantic serpent were writhing beneath the earth.

“Ghk...!”

“Ugh!”

“I-I can't breathe....”

Those standing near the knights staggered backward, their faces turning pale under the pressure pouring from them.

“Wow. How many times has this happened now? At least there are more of them this time.”

Krein sighed as if he were already sick of seeing this.

“I stopped counting after ten....”

Dorian waved a hand dismissively, looking equally fed up.

“It may be predictable, but prepare yourselves.”

Burren steadied his breathing and tightened his grip.

“Think they'll actually fight this time?”

Martha smacked her lips, hoping she would finally get a chance to act instead of watching Raon talk his way through everything.

“Haa....”

Runaan leisurely rolled her wrists to loosen up, seemingly indifferent either way.

“There should be some good news waiting for us afterward.”

Even though he knew the leaders of the various factions, including the Kingdom of Sarion, had arrived, Raon showed no reaction whatsoever. His attention remained solely on the people standing before him.

“Sounds like he's telling us to handle it ourselves.”

“Works for me. Let's go!”

Just as Burren and Martha were about to rush forward and block the knights and swordsmen—

“Stop!”

As though he had become Sage Doraen's attendant, he moved before anyone else.

“This is Winten, not Sarion or Belsia! No matter how high your status may be, it means nothing here!”

Stomping his foot, Count Asak demanded to know whether they intended to start a war.

Though he lagged far behind those before him in both status and strength, his spirit towered above them all.

“And since when did a mere count become bold enough to speak so arrogantly?”

The King of Sarion stepped forward. In stark contrast to the golden crown upon his head, his eyes were dull and lifeless.

Irritated by Asak's confidence, he furrowed his brow.

“No matter if you are the King of Sarion, in Winten—”

“We already have King Winten's permission.”

A pale-faced middle-aged man stepped out from behind the King of Sarion with a thin smile.

The head of House Belsia shook his head mockingly at Count Asak.

“Th-That's impossible....”

Count Asak's jaw trembled as though he could not believe King Winten would allow such a thing.

“If it sounds impossible, take it up with your king. Now move.”

The King of Rophels shoved Asak aside and strode forward.

“We're here to remove the leech your king failed to deal with.”

As if eager to begin immediately, he nodded toward the knights behind him.

“Th-The king did that?”

“What in the world is going on?”

“I don't know! But they're definitely after the Sage!”

Though shocked that King Winten had permitted the incursion of foreign powers, the people forced themselves to their feet, determined to protect Raon.

“Nngh...!”

“Th-This is different from before...”

“I really can't breathe!”

“I-If we block their path, I think they'll actually kill us...”

Most of them were ordinary people, however, and before long they could no longer withstand the pressure. One after another, they collapsed back to their knees or stumbled away, gasping for breath.

“We have to hold on....”

“M-My body won't move....”

“M-My head feels like it's splitting apart....”

“W-What's happening...?”

Even those who had gritted their teeth and tried to stand were forced back again, complaining that their bodies and heads were wracked with pain.

“Move aside!”

“Remain standing, and I'll take your head!”

The five factions under archangel Sariel's influence, the Kingdom of Sarion, House Belsia, the Kingdom of Rophels, and the others, pressed forward through the path the people had formed for Raon. Their vast formation of royals, nobles, knights, and warriors advanced like a herd of bison tearing through a field of reeds.

In contrast, the people Raon had gathered through his goodwill were helplessly driven back by their overwhelming momentum. They struggled to hold their ground, but one after another, they collapsed to their knees or lost consciousness altogether, as though all strength had drained from their bodies. “Let's go.”

Burren set aside the spear he had been carrying for show and gripped his sword instead.

“Been a while since I had a chance to stretch my muscles!”

Just as Martha smacked her lips in anticipation—

[Stay where you are. From this point on...]

Raon's aura message.

Raon's aura message. No, it was closer to a resonance of the soul.

He nodded, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

[You're about to see something far more entertaining.]

*   *   *

'Just as I thought.'

Archangel Sariel curled his lips as he watched the kings pass through the humans, who were falling like leaves before them.

'Useless.'

Unlike the rulers he had already ensnared, the humans gathered here were little different from insects, worthless creatures with no purpose.

'They're nothing but trash that happens to come in large numbers.'

Unlike the royalty and nobility who moved the world and ruled nations, those pests could gather by the millions and still fail to leave a dent on the continent. They were garbage that quite literally had no reason to exist.

'And as for the master of those insect...'

Sariel twisted his lips into a sneer as he looked at the self-proclaimed sage in the distance.

'He's trembling in fear.'

The man known as the sage appeared terrified by this unexpected turn of events.

'I thought he might be hiding something, but he's filled with nothing but fear.'

Sariel could read the thoughts of others by sending fragments of his divine power into them.

At this moment, the so-called sage was inwardly panicking over the arrival of the royals and nobles, and over the fact that the commoners he had trusted could no longer step forward to protect him.

'He's nothing more than an idiot blessed with a useful ability.'

Sariel had thought the man might be worth something. After all, he had broken the conditioning placed upon one of Sariel's slaves, read people's thoughts, and resolved their concerns.

But he had been mistaken.

The man was nothing more than a child who happened to possess a special talent.

'Honestly, I don't understand why he'd throw away his life for insects like them.'

Popping a piece of chocolate fit for royalty into his mouth, archangel Sariel stopped before the man known as Sage Doraen.

Countless human shields stood at his side now. No one could approach him.

“Rise for me, trash.”

Sariel casually tilted his chin.

The people who had been pushed aside by the nobles and royalty slowly rose to their feet once more.

However, the object of their gaze was no longer Sage Doraen.

It was Sariel.

'Too easy.'

Sariel possessed the ability to freely manipulate humans whose emotions had been stirred into turmoil.

Those insects the so-called sage had gathered to elevate his own reputation would inevitably end up worshipping Sariel instead.

“Raise your head.”

Sariel tilted his chin toward Sage Doraen, who remained seated with his head lowered.

“I want to see that foolish face of yours.”

At his signal, the knights and warriors stepped forward and hauled Sage Doraen to his feet.

“You and I possess similar abilities. The humans I gathered wield the power to rule the world, while the humans you helped are worthless insects with no value whatsoever.”

Sariel let out a mocking snort and twirled a finger.

“You failed.”

With an unmistakable sneer, he reached out and pulled back the hood of Sage Doraen's robe.

Fwoooosh!

Beneath the tattered robe emerged vivid red eyes that seemed to dispel the surrounding darkness.

It was not Sage Doraen.

It was Raon Zieghart.

Facing archangel Sariel.

“You...!”

Sariel's jaw trembled as he looked into Raon's calm eyes.

They were nothing like the fear he had sensed moments before.

“Failed?”

A faint smile curved Raon's lips as he rose to his feet on his own.

The moment he stood, the surrounding royals and nobles recoiled as though they had touched fire, hurriedly withdrawing their hands.

“What exactly has failed?”

Raon calmly inclined his chin.

At that moment, a warm yet crystal-clear breeze descended from the sky and swept gently across the land.

“A person's worth is not determined by their status.”

The moment his quiet voice rode the wind—

Fwaaaaaaa!

Those who had received Raon's kindness.

Those who had come seeking him.

Those who respected him.

Their souls surged upward as though they had become one, unleashing a majestic energy wave that relentlessly pushed back the energy waves of the royals and nobles who had dominated the area.

“W-What is this...?”

“Why are those pieces of trash...?”

“Get back, you insects!”

The royals and nobles were horrified to see the people who had briefly fallen under Sariel's influence once again rally behind the Sage, unleashing terrifying energy waves. Their faces turned deathly pale.

“H-How dare commoners...!”

“Die!”

The knights and nobles felt an instinctive revulsion toward the people standing proudly before them and swung their swords.

Craaaang!

But their blades were intercepted by the Light Wind swordsmen before they could so much as touch a single hair on the people's heads.

“How dare? You're the one who dares!”

Martha snorted and smashed a knight's skull apart.

Burren sneered and cleanly cut a noble's neck.

Ssshhh!

As always, Runaan spread cold energy through Snow Flower Sword, instantly subduing every noble who had tried to target the people.

“Y-You...!”

Archangel Sariel ground his teeth.

Archangel Sariel ground his teeth as he realized that Raon was a man who could no longer be described merely as a sage.

“What trick did you use?!”

He shouted furiously, unable to accept what was happening.

“It wasn't a trick.”

Raon drew Heavenly Drive, his sunlit eyes shining with quiet majesty.

“Your soul was simply weaker than mine.”

“Y-You insignificant human! What nonsense are you spouting?!”

Just as Sariel, unable to accept reality, tried to spread his wings—

Shraaaak!

Before a single feather could emerge, a silver blade shot forth and cleaved through archangel Sariel's neck and soul.

“This too...”

Raon nodded arrogantly as he looked into Sariel's eyes, now stretched wide with disbelief.

“...is the result of that.”

 

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