The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1310

 Chapter 1310

 

“Azazel?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the red cotton candy calling herself an archangel.

“Was there ever an archangel by that name?”

When Uriel descended, Wrath had listed the names of the archangels. Raon didn't remember hearing the name Azazel back then, which left him puzzled.

[Ha! You don't know who I am?]

Azazel stuck out her tongue as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

[To think a human could be so ignorant as not to recognize me, the greatest of all archangels!]

She snorted and looked down at Raon as if he were hopelessly ignorant.

[Well, I suppose it's only natural you wouldn't know me! If a mere human were to lay eyes on me, they'd go blind!]

Her mouth kept running like an overexcited sparrow as she rambled on about how not knowing her was practically a crime.

“My ears are starting to hurt.”

Darkan shook her by the tail.

“Should I just pop her?”

He frowned as though her voice alone irritated him.

[Pop me?]

Azazel let out a scoff.

[A lowly human thinks he can pop me? Let's see if you can still talk like that after I throw you into a lake of hellfire!]

She growled as though daring him to try.

‘Do you know this angel named Azazel?’

Raon jerked his chin toward Wrath.

Haaah!

Wrath sighed as though already exhausted.

Why is that thing here?

Judging by the look in his eyes as he examined Azazel, he clearly recognized her.

‘Who is this red cotton candy?’

Raon pointed at Azazel, who looked remarkably similar to Wrath.

That is...

Wrath smacked his lips briefly before continuing.

An angel who fell from heaven after succumbing to corruption. A fallen angel.

He shook his head and declared that Azazel was not an archangel, but a fallen angel.

“A fallen angel?”

Raon blurted the words out loud in surprise.

[F-Fallen angel?!]

Azazel shrieked as if the accusation were outrageous.

[I merely came down for a short vacation! That's all!]

She shook her head violently.

[I know nothing about being a fallen angel! Absolutely nothing!]

“Raon Zieghart.”

Darkan wrinkled his nose as he stared at Azazel.

“This thing is far too noisy. Mind if I cut it?”

He raised the sword he had been using as a cane, clearly intending to shut her up.

[Go ahead! Try it!]

Azazel lifted her chin defiantly.

[The moment you draw that sword, I'll snap your wrist clean off!]

Her eyes gleamed with absolute confidence.

“Wait.”

Raon raised a hand, stopping both Darkan and Azazel.

‘Wrath. Why did she become a fallen angel?’

He felt he needed more information before he could make sense of the situation.

Azazel was what you humans would call an intelligence agent.

Wrath clicked his tongue while staring into Azazel's red eyes.

'An agent?'

Simply put, she was an observer sent from Heaven to study humanity in the mortal world.

He explained that Azazel had been Heaven's watcher, dispatched to observe human lives and monitor humanity's corruption. In human terms, she was something akin to an agent of the Shadow Agents or the Black Market.

‘They used an archangel as a mere information gatherer? Isn't that a waste?’

Raon wasn't looking down on intelligence work, but he found it difficult to understand why someone of an archangel's standing would be assigned to gather information.

Because they can be tempted.

Wrath muttered quietly.

The temptations of this world are more dangerous than you think. Beyond <Wrath>, <Greed>, <Lust>, <Pride>, <Gluttony>, <Envy>, and <Sloth>, there are countless desires waiting to lure one astray. Naturally, those with the strongest will are the ones sent to resist them.

He shook his head, noting it is not easy for beings from another dimension to preserve their original nature while living on this continent.

Yet, despite being an archangel, that idiot succumbed to the desires of this world almost immediately. Not only did she fall herself, she even summoned Demon Kings and corrupted countless peaceful humans along with her!

Wrath snorted.

Eventually, she was captured by the other archangels, including Uriel, and imprisoned in the deepest, darkest pit. By then, the number of humans she had corrupted was beyond counting.

He laughed mockingly.

It is one of the finest examples of Heaven's own filth.

‘Then why was something that important never passed down?’

Raon couldn't understand why such a major incident, an archangel falling and spreading corruption among humanity, had never become common knowledge.

Why else? Because those self-righteous celestials covered it up, of course!

Wrath waved a hand as though the answer were obvious.

‘As expected.’

Raon chuckled.

Raon let out a faint chuckle. He had wondered if there might be another explanation, but the answer was exactly what he had expected. He found himself nodding naturally.

No matter how he looked at it, the celestials and the demons weren't all that different.

The celestials did something incredibly stupid. An idiot like that could never have resisted this world's temptations!

Wrath shook his head, saying it was doomed from the start.

Only someone with willpower on the level of the King of Essence could have endured it!

He grinned proudly.

‘...I see.’

A faint smile appeared on Raon's lips.

‘Now it all makes sense.’

Wrath was a monarch of devildom, yet he had completely gone soft and surrendered his dignity to the delicious food of this continent. Thinking of Wrath, Raon could finally understand why Heaven had sent an archangel down as an observer.

W-What?

Wrath's eyes twitched.

Why are you looking at the King of Essence like that? He’s nothing like that degenerate!

He bared his white teeth, insisting that he would never fall to temptation.

'Sure you are.'

Knowing full well that Wrath had already proven otherwise, Raon turned his attention back to the fallen angel, Azazel.

“Azazel the fallen.”

Now that he had all the information he needed, he put a little force into his voice as he addressed the red cotton candy still claiming to be an archangel.

[W-What is it?!]

Azazel frowned, slightly startled by the weight in Raon's voice.

[I told you, I'm not a fallen angel! I am an archangel of Heaven!]

She shook her head furiously.

“So, you've finally crawled out of the deepest, darkest pit.”

Raon looked down at her and tilted his chin.

[Y-You...! How does a human know about that?!]

Azazel's lips trembled as if she had just heard something impossible.

“Do you want to become an archangel again?”

At that moment, Raon's eyes became clear and serene, as if the Sage Doraen had returned.

[Gulp.]

Azazel swallowed hard, the sound audible even to the others, as she stared up at Raon.

[Don't speak of archangels so casually, human—]

“I can help you.”

Raon lowered his gaze calmly and said he could help her reclaim her place among the archangels.

[Huh...?]

Azazel's mouth fell open. Once again, she had heard something she never expected.

Y-You can't be serious!

Wrath finally realized what Raon was planning and sucked in a sharp breath.

You're trying to scam someone again!

He ground his teeth and begged Raon to stop.

[And how exactly is a mere human supposed to help me?!]

Azazel waved a hand dismissively, telling him to stop talking nonsense.

"There are seven seats for the archangels. If a few of those seats happen to become vacant, they will have no choice but to reinstate you."

Raon let out a cold smile as he subtly implied he would create those vacancies himself.

[Y-You think someone like you could do that? Don't make me laugh!]

Azazel snorted, refusing to be fooled by a human.

“Take a look at this.”

Raon raised a hand and released the lingering trace of the archangel Sariel, whom he had cut down with the Heart Sword.

[Th-This is...!]

The moment Azazel sensed Sariel's lingering presence within the Heart Sword, her eyes flew wide open in horror.

[H-How did you...?]

“I killed him.”

Raon spoke as if it had been nothing particularly difficult and gave a slight nod.

[W-What...?]

Azazel could only stare at him with trembling eyes, utterly speechless.

“Of course, only one seat is vacant at the moment, so they have no need for you yet.”

Raon clenched his fist as he erased the traces left behind by Sariel's soul.

“But if two seats were empty... especially if one of them belonged to Uriel, then they would have no choice but to choose you.”

[Y-You mean...]

Azazel's tail trembled as she finally grasped what Raon was getting at.

“Uriel hasn't arrived here yet, has he? Help me kill him, and I'll help you become an archangel again.”

Raon extended his hand toward Azazel, offering a mutually beneficial bargain.

[Hmm...]

Azazel groaned quietly as she stared at the hand he offered.

“The one who threw you into the deepest, darkest pit was Uriel, wasn't it? Don't you want a chance to get your revenge?”

Raon beckoned to her with a finger.

[Y-You clearly didn't even know who I was at first, so how you...]

Azazel narrowed her eyes, suspicious of the inconsistency in Raon's earlier reaction.

“Because that was merely the vessel of the King of Essence.”

Raon lifted his chin and sent a faint trace of Wrath's authority toward Azazel.

[Th-The King of Essence?]

Sensing the change in Raon's eyes, Azazel took a step back.

[Y-You can't be...!]

“Indeed. The King of Essence, the Monarch of Wrath.”

Imitating Wrath's gaze and bearing, Raon nodded arrogantly.

[Wrath! You bastard!]

Azazel bit her lip as realization finally dawned on her.

Aaaaargh!

Wrath grabbed his head.

Again! You're using the King of Essence again, you damned swindler!

He shouted at Raon to stop trading on his name.

“...”

Ignoring Wrath's outburst, Raon turned his gaze toward Darkan, who was still holding Azazel.

“Yaaawn.”

Darkan let out a long yawn, looking utterly uninterested in Azazel. Since she wasn't a swordsman, she held no appeal for him whatsoever. Fortunately, while he wasn't being helpful, he wasn't causing trouble either.

“This is your last chance.”

Raon bent down until he was face-to-face with Azazel.

“You can help me kill Uriel and reclaim your place among the archangels. Or you can remain branded a fallen angel and become emergency rations for the other archangels. The choice is yours.”

He lowered his hand after telling Azazel to choose for herself.

He lowered his hand, making it sound as though the choice was hers.

It sounded as though he was giving her a choice, but it was a false dilemma. The answer had already been decided.

[Grrrk...]

Azazel gnawed on her lips in deep anguish, but eventually, realizing she had no choice but to pick the obvious answer, she raised her head.

[F-Fine! But how do you plan to do it?]

She let out a heavy breath, demanding to hear his plan.

“First, tell me how the archangels are able to wield power that defies causality.”

Before anything else, Raon wanted to know how the archangels could remain on this continent for such a long time despite exerting such a tremendous influence over it.

[You're right.]

Azazel pointed at herself, irritation flashing across her face.

[Those damned bastards used me as the core of a barrier and forged a link between Heaven and this continent! Through me, they draw divine power from Heaven and run rampant across this land!]

She waved her hands angrily.

“Then why do the archangels visit this temple?”

Raon gestured for her to continue.

[They stay in this temple and absorb a portion of my soul. Once they've done that, they can wield Heaven's divine power without needing this temple anymore.]

Azazel ground her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

[Every time one of them comes, another piece of my soul is torn away!]

“I see.”

Raon clicked his tongue softly.

“Then we'll strike when Uriel comes to absorb a piece of your soul.”

He nodded, thinking it was a fairly straightforward plan.

Just then—

Look behind you!

‘What...?’

Hearing Wrath's urgent warning, Raon spun around.

Fwoooooosh!

A peerlessly handsome man stood atop a thousand pine trees, draped in sacred flames as though they were ceremonial robes.

Golden hair that seemed forged from the sun itself.

Blue eyes that looked capable of passing judgment on every sin in existence.

From above, he gazed down upon Raon and Darkan.

“I shall burn you to death so that this holy land remains untainted.”

The archangel Uriel.

The true messenger of God, the very embodiment of Heaven itself, revealed his hostility toward humanity.

“You insects.”

 

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