The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1368

 Chapter 1368

“Uh…?”

Greer let out a hollow laugh, as though he could hardly believe what he had just seen.

“D-Did he really cut him down? The enemy commander?”

Greer had vowed to remain calm in any situation now that he was the King of Owen, but he could not help being stunned by Raon’s recklessness in cutting off the enemy commander’s head before even hearing him out.

“Well done!”

Chamber, the Archmage of Eternal Flame, let out an exclamation toward Raon.

"Truly fitting for mister Glenn's successor!"

She gave him a thumbs-up, saying that it was exactly the kind of bold action befitting Zieghart’s young head of house.

“Wow! Woohoo. Hehe….”

Larian, the Magic Tower master, was surprised at first, flustered for a while, and finally broke into a laugh. Thanks to Raon, she seemed to have gained hope that the war could end quickly.

“Nothing beats striking first!”

Ogram, the Beast King, laughed heartily as he looked at Raon’s back.

“Though it’s a little disappointing.”

He lowered the fist he had clenched so tightly that the veins stood out and clicked his tongue briefly. It seemed he would have thrown the first punch himself had Raon not swung his sword.

“Is… is this really okay?”

Burren swallowed dryly, wondering whether the leaders were not supposed to talk among themselves before the war began.

“It’s already past noon! The war has already started!”

Martha waved her hand dismissively and snickered as though there was no need to worry.

“Cool….”

Runaan also gave the faintest of smiles, saying she liked how bold Raon was.

“Th-there won’t be any trouble later, right?”

“Our enemy is Eden! They don’t deserve any rules of war!”

“Yeah. We just have to trust the young head of house!”

Zieghart swordsmen nodded, declaring that they would trust Raon no matter what happened.

“The war hasn’t even begun yet.”

Raon waved his hand toward the swordsmen behind him.

“Focus on the enemy before you.”

He told them there was no need to be flustered or overly excited, then raised Heavenly Drive, not a single drop of blood staining its blade.

“Yes!”

The Light Wind swordsmen, or rather, all of Zieghart’s swordsmen, erased the excitement from their faces and once again exuded a chilling presence.

Gyaaaaaah!

Wrath let out an admiring cry as he watched them.

A king who unhesitatingly cuts down the enemy commander, and his subjects who revere such a king, what a perfect sight!

He nodded vigorously, saying he had never been more pleased with what he was seeing.

Once this war is over, let us go straight to devildom!

Wrath smacked his lips, saying that he would immediately make a place for Raon as the Demon King.

‘Whatever.’

Raon gave Wrath’s words a casual response as he looked past the Secluded Hermit’s corpse toward the Death Sword Spirit. She remained composed despite the death of the commander entrusted with leading the war, showing no sign of panic.

‘Hmm….’

Raon narrowed his eyes and was about to look back at the Secluded Hermit’s corpse.

Ssssssrrrrr!

Wooden-vine-like tendrils sprouted from inside the severed neck of the Secluded Hermit.

Craaaack!

The thick, writhing brown tendrils, like the long, massive roots a tree drives deep into the earth over thousands of years, seized the Secluded Hermit’s head that had rolled away and dragged it back to his body.

Thud-thud-thud.

With a grotesque sound like bones and flesh being crushed together, the Secluded Hermit’s head reattached itself to his neck. Thousands of bundles of root-like tendrils writhed inside the neck, connecting the head and body. The sight alone was enough to make one nauseous.

"Uwaaaaaah!"

Dorian finally screamed after holding back at the sight of the Secluded Hermit’s gruesome resurrection.

“I-I feel like I’m going to throw up….”

Krein covered his mouth, saying it was absolutely disgusting.

"He indeed wasn't an ordinary bastard!"

Chamber bit down on her lollipop, saying she had found it strange that he had died so easily.

“Wow! There’s a resurrection like that?”

As if the Secluded Hermit’s resurrection had only piqued her interest, Larian, the Master of the Magic Tower, flashed eyes gleaming with magical madness, her blanket half-slipped off.

“That resurrection took quite a while.”

Raon casually twitched the hand holding Heavenly Drive, as though he had expected from the beginning that the Secluded Hermit might not actually die.

“Hahaha.”

The Secluded Hermit stroked his newly reattached neck and let out a faint laugh as though nothing had happened.

“Unlike what I had heard, you certainly are an impatient man.”

He curled the corners of his mouth, saying he had not expected Raon to be such an impatient man. Like the Fallen’s, the mask itself moved, forming a smile.

“I have no interest in listening to pointless talk.”

Raon tilted his chin in an arrogant manner, as though the Monarch of Pride himself had entered his body.

“Indeed. The war has already begun, so there is no need for idle chatter.”

The Secluded Hermit looked up at the sun standing at the center of the sky, then gave a slight nod as though he understood Raon’s actions.

“…”

Raon gently relaxed the hand gripping Heavenly Drive.

‘It seems difficult to kill him with ordinary swordsmanship.’

His energy had certainly decreased from before, but not by much. That meant he hadn’t expended much energy when resurrecting.

‘Then should I use the Heart Sword?’

Eden had appeared, but the archangels who required greater caution were nowhere to be seen. It seemed better to kill that bastard before the celestials appeared.

“Are you thinking of using the Heart Sword?”

While Raon was considering whether to kill the enemy commander before him with the Heart Sword, the Secluded Hermit spoke first.

“Unfortunately, even the Heart Sword will not be enough to kill me completely.”

The Secluded Hermit gently curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Why is that?”

Raon openly asked the Secluded Hermit why he could not be killed.

“You really are quite bold. I can see why the Heavenly Demon thought so highly of you.”

The Secluded Hermit let out a faint breath, saying he truly had not expected Raon to be this kind of person.

“Still, since you asked me so directly, I shall give you a direct answer as well.”

He slowly nodded and stroked the wooden mask he was wearing.

“The mask I am wearing belongs to the tree monster known as the Secluded Hermit. The Secluded Hermit is a monster that appears when a pure spirit tree, originally destined to become a World Tree, receives malice and grows into an evil being. It is an extremely rare existence, so I doubt you have ever even heard of it.”

The Secluded Hermit waved a hand, saying there was probably no one who even knew of his existence.

“I know….”

Evelyn spoke for the first time.

“That bastard was already a monster among monsters when he was still a monster…”

Her chin trembled slightly, as though the Secluded Hermit had also been around back in her time.

“Ah, so you know me. Merlin. No, I suppose I should call you Evelyn now.”

The Secluded Hermit gave a faint chuckle, as though he and Evelyn had shared some connection in a previous life.

“In any case, because I am a spirit tree that was originally destined to become a World Tree, I can spread my soul throughout the entire world, just like a World Tree. Even the Heavenly Demon cannot do this. No matter how sharp your Heart Sword is, you will not be able to kill all of my souls.”

He thumped his chest, confident that he would not die before Raon’s Heart Sword.

Hoo?

Wrath narrowed his eyes until they were as thin as threads.

Compared to the energy clearly felt, the soul is extremely small.

He nodded, saying that the Secluded Hermit’s words seemed to be true.

“…”

Raon quietly nodded as he looked into the Secluded Hermit’s eyes.

“You are certainly not lying.”

Raon sensed a truthful breath from the Secluded Hermit’s soul. He did not know about spreading his soul throughout the entire world, but it was true that at the very least, a single strike of the Heart Sword would not kill him outright.

“However….”

Raon slowly raised his gaze as he sheathed Heavenly Drive again.

“Wouldn’t I just have to keep killing you until you die?”

His chin turned slightly to the side, and an unnervingly cold light gleamed in his eyes.

“What? That…”

The Secluded Hermit’s words, which had been flowing as smoothly as water, faltered for the first time. Sensing that Raon was serious, he swallowed dryly.

“I-it’s impossible. I can divide my soul into thousands, no, tens of thousands! While you keep targeting my souls, you will be the one to become exhausted and unable to move first.”

The Secluded Hermit thrust out his chest, confident that he could withstand the Heart Sword.

“Then we’ll just have to try.”

Raon simply said that was all there was to it and placed his hand on Heavenly Drive.

“We have the superior forces anyway. I only need to kill you.”

He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Eden’s demons, whose numbers were smaller than those of the Five Kings Alliance.

“Our forces are not all here. Besides…”

The Secluded Hermit trembled at the chin and opened his mouth again, apparently not expecting Raon to respond this way.

“No need to listen to him! Just kill him!”

Chamber waved the half-eaten lollipop as though telling them to just go for it.

"P-please give the corpse of that tree to me!"

Larian licked her red lips, saying that she absolutely wanted to study the Secluded Hermit.

“Leave the rest to us!”

Ogram slammed his fists together, saying that he would take care of everything himself.

“…….”

Raon calmly turned around.

“Do as you wish.”

Karoon nodded as though he would follow Raon regardless of what choice he made.

“I will follow you, young head of house.”

“Go wherever you wish!”

“I trust the young head of house.”

Because of that, the leaders of the other armed groups also raised their swords before their chests, signifying that they would follow Raon.

“Thank you.”

Raon nodded to everyone and then turned his gaze back to the Secluded Hermit.

“This fucking…!”

The Secluded Hermit saw Raon’s eyes and sensed what choice he was about to make, then stepped backward.

Gooooooo!

Raon bent his knees to draw Heavenly Drive and the Heart Sword simultaneously when—

Whoooooosh!

A surge of red combative energy rushed toward him. The Death Sword Spirit behind the Secluded Hermit had moved.

“You truly are one damnable human!”

Trusting in the Death Sword Spirit’s charge, the Secluded Hermit quickly retreated. As though using some sort of sorcery, he escaped to the rear of Eden in the briefest moment, before one could even blink.

“Hoo.”

Even as the Death Sword Spirit rushed toward him, Raon did not look at her. Instead, he drew Heavenly Drive and the Heart Sword toward the Secluded Hermit.

Krrrrrrng!

The Death Sword Spirit thrust her sword fiercely, apparently seeing an opportunity, but her sword strike was stopped in midair by another sword before it could reach Raon’s neck.

“How dare you….”

Karoon Zieghart had moved to protect Raon.

“Who do you think you are targeting?”

Karoon muttered that she should not even think of raising her sword against Raon and pushed the Death Sword Spirit back

Shraaaak!

Trusting Karoon to keep the Death Sword Spirit at bay, Raon unleashed a keenly honed Heart Sword at the Secluded Hermit.

Woooonn!

The lightning-fast sword strike released from Heavenly Drive and the Heart Sword simultaneously burst through the Secluded Hermit’s heart and soul.

“Ggh….”

The Secluded Hermit staggered backward with a strangled groan.

“You—you really are a madman!”

Even with the soul of his main body shattered, he did not collapse. Instead, he brought his hands together.

Wooooooong!

The Secluded Hermit coughed up blood and opened a dimensional gate once more. The dimensional gate split open along the horizon, revealing an uncountable number of monsters. It looked as though every monster on the continent had gathered here.

Rumbleeeee!

Eden had apparently gathered even the remnants of the fallen Five Demons, water bandits, White Blood Religion members, and demonized humans shrouded in wickedness poured through the dimensional gate alongside the monsters.

“For the restoration!”

“For the restoration!”

At the Secluded Hermit’s cry, Eden’s demons unleashed roars imbued with madness. As though they did not care whether their own lives were lost as long as the restoration was achieved, they unleashed their combative energy and charged toward the humans of the continent.

“For the continent!”

“For the continent!”

Raon raised Heavenly Drive that had shattered the Secluded Hermit’s body and shouted the battle cry. Following his voice, the Five Kings Alliance charged forward, burning with madness and fighting spirit no less intense than Eden’s.

The Five Kings and Eden. Two forces seeking the stability and destruction of the world clashed at the heart of the continent.

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