The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1327

 Chapter 1327

 

Everything within Raon's mental world came to a halt.

No, it only appeared to have.

The terrifying shockwave born from the clash between man and Demon King brought the entire mental world to a standstill in a single instant.

The mental world, which should never have been capable of breaking, split apart into dozens of fractures, while black, searing cracks spread across the ground like a vast spiderweb.

The swords that once roamed the sky froze like icicles hanging from the eaves, and the swords that had bloomed like flowers were crushed into the white ground like tender sprouts trampled beneath human feet, unable to rise again.

An undeniable victory for the Demon King. It was a situation where even a child who knew nothing of fighting would have no choice but to declare Wrath the winner.

Yet within the mental world consumed by frost and darkness, a single light still remained.

Wooooooooong!

Raon's sword.

Raon's sword. The martial soul that manifested every sword art Raon had built up as Raon Zieghart into a single blade was holding back the Demon King's absolute frost.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

What froze this world wasn't the frost Wrath himself had unleashed. It was the frost that had rebounded after colliding with Raon's sword that turned the entire mental world white with ice. Such was the divine might befitting the Demon King of Wrath, capable of freezing all things.

Yet Raon refused to yield, even before the absolute might of the Demon King of Wrath. Though his face had turned deathly pale, with white vapor and black blood pouring from his mouth together, he never loosened his grip on his sword.

One strike.

It was like witnessing a true swordsman wagering his life on a single swing.

“Hah.”

Even the Demon King of Wrath let out a quiet murmur, seemingly taken aback by Raon's sheer determination.

Of course, he had no intention of showing mercy. From his grasp, an even fiercer torrent of frost erupted than before.

Craaaack!

Raon's breathing grew heavier.

His legs froze together with the ground beneath him, while his hair and eyebrows had turned completely white, as though he had aged into an old man in an instant. His face, neck, legs, and waist, every part of him was crumbling before the Demon King's icy breath.

But there was one exception.

Only his right arm, the one gripping the sword, refused to freeze. It retained its original form.

No, it moved with even greater dignity and unwavering composure than before.

Chiaaaaaaaaaang!

In the end, Raon continued fighting the Demon King of Wrath's ultimate technique, Silver-White Aurora, with nothing but his right arm.

His legs froze and shattered.

His torso split apart.

His eyes lost their sight.

Yet his sword never wavered.

It was, quite literally, the True Sword.

The very incarnation of the sword, embodying what a true sword should be.

Hwoooooosh!

At last, the brilliant, dazzling frost blooming from Wrath's hand subsided first, while Raon's sword remained where it had always been, protecting its master until the very end.

“....”

Raon could no longer even breathe through his frozen mouth, nor could he lift his stiffened eyes.

Only the corners of his lips moved ever so slightly, so faintly it was almost impossible to notice, as though he was satisfied with this fight.

"An indomitable will..."

Wrath lowered his still steaming hand and frowned.

"It's a phrase the King of Essence neither believes in nor likes, but today, of all days, it naturally comes to mind."

“...”

Unable even to answer, Raon simply stared at the ground with dim eyes.

The sword in his hand remained upright and razor-sharp, as if declaring that he would continue fighting the Demon King.

"You truly are an insolent brat."

Wrath let out a sigh toward Raon, as though that sight displeased him.

“But... it was not bad.”

“...”

At the praise, so faint it was nearly impossible to hear, Raon only twitched an eyebrow.

"Seeing you go this far, you must really want to fight and win against a bastard like Uriel, right?"

Wrath gave a calm nod, as though he could read every thought in Raon's mind.

"It's impossible for you."

“……”

For the first time, Raon turned his eyes toward Wrath.

His frozen face barely moved, but anyone could tell exactly what he wanted to say.

"Don't glare like that. The King of Essence is not saying you will never defeat him."

Wrath gave a faint chuckle as he met Raon's eyes.

“The celestials will absolutely not miss the timing when you guys fight Eden. In the short time left until the war, you will never be able to reach the level of Uriel and the King of Essence.”

“...Why?”

Raon forced his frozen lips apart.

Blood streamed freely from the deep tears in them, yet he paid it no mind, keeping his eyes fixed solely on Wrath.

“Because there isn't enough time.”

Wrath shook his head as though the answer was that simple.

"With your ability, you could stand on the same level as Uriel before long. But there simply isn't enough time for that now. No matter how extraordinary a genius capable of shaking the dimensions you may be, the impossible is still impossible."

"...And if I still have to do it?"

As though refusing to back down, Raon asked through lips from which torn flesh and blood dripped onto the ground.

“Then you must die. Again and again.”

Wrath gave a cold wave of his hand, as though that was the only answer.

“Even then, you probably still won't reach that level. There simply isn't enough time in the real world.”

“...Then help me.”

As though he refused to give up, Raon raised the Divine Sword. Its flames had gone out, leaving only a faint ember like the last flicker of a candle.

"Just what exactly is driving you this far?"

Wrath narrowed his eyes until they were sharper than any blade, as though he genuinely wanted to hear the answer.

“...I already told you.”

Raon frowned, speaking now seeming to cost him every ounce of strength he had left.

“I want to protect Zieghart... and the people I care about.”

Even if they won the war against Eden and the archangels, countless people would still die. That was why he had come here with Wrath, to save even one more life.

His only wish was to save as many people as possible and send them safely back to house Zieghart.

"...You little runt."

Wrath let out a derisive snort, as though he found Raon pathetic. Even so, the corners of his lips curled upward in quiet approval.

“Very well. Whether you succeed or not, the King of Essence shall help you. But in return…”

“In return?”

“After the war is over, come with the King of Essence to devildom. You need not become its king, nor even live there. Simply stay for a while and see what kind of place it is with your own eyes.”

“...”

Raon lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before opening them again.

“Deal. I was planning to go there someday anyway.”

He nodded, accepting Wrath's proposal.

"Well, since you can't fight in that condition..."

Wrath extended a hand toward Raon.

“So die for now.”

The moment those chilling words left his lips, Raon's breath came to an abrupt halt.

*   *   *

“Haaah!”

As Raon opened his eyes, he saw the sky of his mental world. However, the appearance of the land he had created was distinctly different from before.

Whoooooo!

The swords that had been flying through the sky unleashing various sword techniques were all frozen like stone statues.

The swords that had bloomed from the ground like flowers were likewise locked in place, embedded in the snow-white ground.

A world that had once been filled with nothing but swords was now swallowed by pale blue frost.

It no longer resembled his own mental world.

It looked like Wrath's.

'It's unnaturally cold.'

Perhaps because frost blanketed the entire world, he felt cold enough for his limbs to tremble despite existing here as nothing more than a soul. A bone-deep chill seeped into him.

“You're awake.”

Raon turned at the quiet voice behind him.

Swooooosh.

Wrath was sitting with his legs crossed on a luxurious table that didn't suit his mental world. Hair imbued with moonlight and coldly sunken blue eyes. His transparently clear skin made him look mysterious and elegant. Honestly, looking solely at his appearance, he was beautiful enough to make one think he didn't belong in this world.

“Your mental world is always so damn boring.”

Wrath wrinkled his nose as he looked over the frozen white landscape.

“How is it that all you ever see here are swords?”

Shaking his head repeatedly, he muttered that he simply couldn't understand it.

“Hmm…”

Wrath wasn't exactly wrong. But the way he looked and what he was saying were so utterly mismatched that Raon couldn't keep quiet.

“What are you eating?”

Raon narrowed his eyes slightly at the pineapple pizza in Wrath's hand.

“Can you not tell just by looking?”

Wrath shrugged as he stuffed another bite into his mouth.

"It's pineapple pizza. Though that's not all there is, of course."

Despite his refined appearance, he was greedily wolfing it down, pineapple pizza sauce smeared around his mouth.

And true to his words, the luxurious table wasn't holding only pizza. It was covered with the mint chocolate ice cream he so often ate, grilled meat, and countless other dishes.

“Haa…”

Even after finishing the pizza, Wrath let out a dissatisfied sigh.

“As expected, this isn't the right taste. Even within the mental world, food cannot be recreated exactly as it is in reality.”

Because it was the mental world, he had tried creating the food from his imagination, but he sighed complaining that it lacked taste.

“I'll let you eat as much of that as you want once we leave here, so don't worry about it. But first...”

Sighing, Raon rose to his feet.

Perhaps because Wrath had killed him, his body had returned to normal.

He felt ready to fight again at any moment.

“Give me everything you've got.”

Saying they should fight again, Raon drew Heavenly Drive from his waist.

“Tch.”

Wrath clicked his tongue and rose from the luxurious chair.

“The King of Essence never should've made that troublesome promise.”

He stood in front of him, while saying he regretted making the promise.

"Very well. The King of Essence will do his absolute best to kill you until you are utterly sick of it."

Wrath lifted his chin, declaring he would handle him so harshly that Raon would be the one begging to stop the training here.

“If that's all, then by all means.”

Raon let out a faint chuckle and nodded.

“Then prepare yourself.”

Wrath crooked a finger at him, signaling him to come.

Kuuuuung!

Raon drove Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword into the frozen ground before summoning the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword.

“So you're starting with the Sword Field Creation right away. Yes, that's the right choice.”

Wrath gave a slow nod, as though Raon had made the right choice.

“I'll last a little longer this time.”

After slowly steadying his breathing, Raon thrust the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword toward the sky.

Above the twin blades, a crimson-and-blue tree sprang into existence, scattering countless petals in every direction.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Flame Spirit.

The technique of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation blossomed from the two swords, launching an innumerable shower of petals that gave rise to a storm of flames and frost.

Chiiiiiiing!

Just as Raon obscured Wrath's vision with the petals of Flame Spirit and prepared to unleash his second technique—

“The King of Essence told you before.”

Wrath tilted his chin with a mocking smile.

“That he would show you what a true flower is.”

He spread both hands, wreathed in wrath. Within his snow-white palms, fragments of frigid frost drifted into the air before taking the shape of a single blue flower, gleaming with a smooth, crystalline radiance.

Hwaaaaaaaaaa!

Amid the breathtakingly beautiful current of frost, a small yet exquisitely elegant flower bud swelled.

An ice flower, nourished by moonlight, blossomed in dazzling brilliance.

Only a single flower.

Yet that lone blossom trampled every flame flower and frost flower that had consumed the entire mental world, rising alone above them all.

“The Monarch of Wrath’s ultimate technique, Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower.”

The single blossom Wrath bloomed erased the thousands Raon had unleashed.

“The number of flowers is not what matters. What matters is the flower you make bloom.”

As though telling Raon he still had a long way to go, Wrath casually brushed away the petals of Flame Spirit that had failed to reach even his shoulders.

“...You're absolutely right.”

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, Raon nodded.

When he came to his senses, every petal of Flame Spirit had vanished, and a hole the same size as the flower Wrath had bloomed had been opened clean through his chest.

By the time he reacted, it had already been too late. There had been no choice but to let the attack pierce his chest.

“I've learned something new.”

Raon nodded, his calm, intelligent eyes showing that he had fully grasped Wrath's ultimate technique, Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower.

“Then show me something different.”

The corners of his lips curled upward in anticipation before he drove the Divine Sword straight through his own chest.

“...I'll be back shortly.”

He gave a light wave of his hand, telling Wrath to wait a moment, then slowly closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually faded until he truly seemed dead.

Swooooosh!

Yet before even a minute had passed, the wounds covering Raon's corpse disappeared one by one, and the breath that had left him gradually returned. “Wrath.”

Before he had even taken five breaths, Raon was back on his feet, drawing Heavenly Drive and Wooden Training Sword.

“Thanks to the Thousand Hands of Death Flower, I learned a great deal. Do it again.” He nodded, calling forth the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword again, ready for another round.

“W-What?! Why are you getting up already?!”

Unlike before, Wrath stared at Raon in utter disbelief as he revived almost instantly, his jaw dropping open.

“I figured out how to come back faster in here.”

Rubbing his hands together, Raon said it looked like he would be able to save quite a bit of time.

“The sooner I die, the sooner I come back.”

"Y-you crazy bastard..."

Wrath's jaw trembled as he stared into Raon's red eyes, overflowing with madness.

“N-No! This isn't right! This is completely wrong!”

Wrath screamed for Raon to send him back to the real world, to hell with the promise.

“It's already too late.”

Raon twisted his lips into a grin as though there was absolutely no escape, refusing to let Wrath go.

“The only choices you have are to kill me... or let me kill you. That's it.”

Declaring that Wrath had already fallen into a spider's web of hell, Raon charged forward.

“S-Someone save the King of Essence!”

Wrath frantically stumbled backward as Raon came at him with a crazed grin.

“I want to go back!”

For the first time, he cried out for help using "I" instead of "the King of Essence."

But his voice never reached anyone, swallowed by the madness of the human before him.

“Kill me! Hit me with your strongest technique!”

“Get lost, you damn maniac!” 

 

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