The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1516 Kwooooong! The Heavenly Demon's Heavenly Strike fell with the weight of a colossal meteor capable of shattering the continent. The force contained within his fist was so ferocious that its shockwave alone was crushing the surrounding space. Chiaaaaang! Derus Robert narrowed his eyes at the Heavenly Demon's fist, grown as massive as the sun. He raised the Sword of Beloved Death, its blade ablaze with death aura, and let a faint smile slip across his face. Crack-crack-crack-crack! As the fist erupting with Fighting Spirit clashed with the sword surging with death aura, pitch-black darkness returned once more to the world that had brightened. Pwoooong! Derus Robert didn't retreat a single step from the massive shock of sword and fist colliding, and raised the Sword of Beloved Death once more. He fired the death aura compressed within the sword like cannon fire, aiming it at the Heavenly Demon. Hwoooong! As though he had anticipated Derus Robert's attack, the Heavenly Demon slammed his left fist down against the surging bombardment. Ppeoooeok! Struck by the Heavenly Demon's fist, the death aura crashed down toward Derus Robert's forces with a roar like the World Tree being felled by an axe. Kwaaaaaang! The dead, the Revenants, and the remnants of the Five Demons who followed Derus Robert were swept away by his own death aura, erased from the world without even leaving a corpse behind. "Impressive, as always." Derus Robert lightly twirled the Sword of Beloved Death, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "One wouldn't think you'd lost an arm, given that Martial Prowess." He clapped his hands as if to say, "As expected of the Heavenly Demon." "However…." Derus Robert let out a sinister laugh, as if to say the real matter was only beginning now. "I didn't expect the Heavenly Demon, the pinnacle of the continent, to stand so far back and only throw punches." He curled the corner of his lips, remarking that all the strengths of a martial artist seemed to have died out. "It seems you're afraid of me." Derus Robert chuckled behind his hand, as if asking whether he himself was so frightening. "Raon Zieghart was right." The Heavenly Demon didn't answer Derus Robert's mockery, and instead brought up something else. "What?" Derus Robert narrowed his brow, as if asking what he meant. "He said you were a wretched, filthy human who only uses polite speech when it's convenient for you—and that's exactly right." The Heavenly Demon waved his hand, saying it was exactly as Raon had put it. "No, not even human. A bug would be more human than you." He scoffed, turning the mockery back on Derus Robert. "Is there some problem with using polite speech only when it's convenient?" Derus Robert curled the corner of his mouth, seemingly not the least bit provoked by the Heavenly Demon's taunt. "Humans are inherently a thoroughly wretched breed. They grovel before those above them, and are endlessly cruel to those beneath them." He shrugged, saying human nature had always been wretched from the start. "So it's only natural, in a way, that I—who must stand above the heavens and rule over all humanity—am a wretched being myself." Unlike when he faced Raon, Derus Robert showed neither excitement nor impatience, only a relaxed smile. "I look forward to it. To seeing just what kind of wretched face you'll show beneath me." He tilted his chin, as if to say he would defeat the Heavenly Demon and place him beneath himself. "Ah, though before that, I suppose I'll have to cut off one more arm and one more leg." Derus Robert raised the Sword of Beloved Death, aiming it at the Heavenly Demon's remaining left shoulder, as if to say, "Let's begin again." "I've felt it since before we became enemies…." The Heavenly Demon glared at Derus Robert, his brow creasing. "Every time I talk to you, it puts me in a foul mood." As though he'd fallen for Derus Robert's provocation, he ground his teeth and clenched his left fist. Pwooong! As if to prove it through strength, the Heavenly Demon pressed his lips shut and charged at Derus Robert, driving forward a fist blazing with Fighting Spirit. Kwoooooong! As if he'd known this would happen, Derus Robert kept a smile on his lips and thrust the Sword of Beloved Death toward the Heavenly Demon, who approached like a flash of light. Kyaaaaang! The Heavenly Demon dispersed the recoil from the clash of Derus Robert's sword and his own fist by spinning his body, then charged forward even faster than before. Hwoooong! Without missing the opening left as the Sword of Beloved Death was deflected, he closed the distance to Derus Robert in an instant and drove his fist forward. "Hmph." As though he'd predicted the Heavenly Demon's movement, Derus Robert scoffed, deflecting the fist with the blades of death that had risen above the Sword of Beloved Death, then followed up with a counterattack. Pwooeok! The blade of the Sword of Beloved Death dropped viciously and sank into the Heavenly Demon's waist. For the first time since the battle between the two Absolutes had begun, blood spilled. Strangely enough, though, Derus Robert, who had driven the blade in, looked flustered, while the Heavenly Demon, who had been struck, wore a smile. "Don't tell me…?" Derus Robert's eyes trembled as he looked at the Heavenly Demon impaled on his blade. "Let, let go!" He flailed his hand wildly, trying to pull the Sword of Beloved Death out of the Heavenly Demon's waist, but the blade wouldn't budge. "No composure left, so you're dropping the honorifics again." The Heavenly Demon smirked at the flustered Derus Robert. "From the start, I never thought I'd beat someone like you without taking a single wound." He twisted his lips and drove forward a fist flickering as if Fighting Spirit was about to burst from it. Heavenly Demon's Secret Technique. Demonic Way Flame. The Fighting Spirit dwelling in the Heavenly Demon's fist transformed into crimson-black flames and crashed down onto Derus Robert's chest. Ppudeudeudeuk! The Heavenly Demon's Heavenly Strike bored into Derus Robert's flesh and bone, summoning flames of the Devildom that would burn not only his body but his very soul. The Heavenly Demon had seemed to fall for the provocation and throw an impatient punch, but in truth, he had coolly grasped the situation and struck straight at Derus Robert's opening. Kwaaaaaaang! Struck by the Heavenly Demon's Heavenly Strike, Derus Robert's entire body was engulfed in the flames of the Demonic Way Flame. The crimson-black heat burned away even his death aura, erasing Derus Robert's life bit by bit. "Kraaaaaagh!" As if wracked with unbearable pain, Derus Robert let out a scream fit to tear his own vocal cords. "This should finish it… hm?" The Heavenly Demon, about to raise his fist once more to shatter Derus Robert's head this time, opened his eyes wide. Jjijijijik! The Sword of Beloved Death, which Derus Robert should have long since pulled out and retreated with, was still lodged in his own waist. "This is…." The Heavenly Demon lifted his gaze, feeling a spine-chilling sense of foreboding creep up his back. "Just as you were aiming for me…." Derus Robert, whose face should have been twisted in agony from the Demonic Way Flame, was smiling instead. "I was aiming for you too." As though he'd read the Heavenly Demon's mind from the very start, Derus Robert twisted the Sword of Beloved Death with a smile still on his lips. Pwoooooong! The seven blades of death that had risen above the Sword of Beloved Death converged into one and exploded within the Heavenly Demon's waist. "Kuhhk!" The Heavenly Demon let out a fierce groan and staggered backward. In his swaying waist was a hole the size of a child's head, black blood pouring from it. "As expected of the Heavenly Demon." Derus Robert let out an admiring exclamation as he looked at the Heavenly Demon. "I meant to blow your entire body apart, but I didn't expect it would end with only that much of a wound." He nodded, realizing the Heavenly Demon had condensed his Fighting Spirit to hold back the explosion of death aura. "Still, even the almighty Heavenly Demon won't find it easy to endure that wound." Derus Robert tilted his chin, healing the wound the Demonic Way Flame had inflicted on him with his death aura. "Because death will gnaw away at your vitality." He raised a finger and pointed at the Heavenly Demon's waist. "Nngh…." The Heavenly Demon let out a pained groan and clutched his waist. Just as Derus Robert had said, he bit his lip, feeling that the death aura lingering in his waist wouldn't be pushed out even by his Fighting Spirit. "I suppose I should thank Raon." Derus Robert turned his gaze toward the Dance of the Golden Flame, where Raon had hidden himself. "Because once I pretended to panic and dropped the honorifics, your hesitation disappeared." He curled the corner of his mouth, saying he had deliberately dropped his honorifics and feigned panic when the Heavenly Demon had stepped in. "Trying to provoke him and falling for the provocation instead!" Pride frowned as he knocked aside Archangel Michael's slash. "You idiot!" He clicked his tongue briefly, as if the Heavenly Demon were pathetic, then focused once more on his battle with Michael. "Hah…." The Heavenly Demon exhaled a heavy breath as he looked at Derus Robert. 'Pride's right.' It wasn't him who fell for the provocation—it was me. He had tried to stay as calm as possible while fighting Derus Robert, but the moment he faced the man, Glenn Zieghart's lingering smile and the pain in his right shoulder—which he'd thought had long since faded—came flooding back. He had thought he was the one provoking Derus Robert, but it seemed he had fallen for the man's provocation without even realizing it. 'I'm sorry.' The Heavenly Demon looked up at the sky and clenched his back teeth hard enough to break. 'I wanted to avenge you, but it's not going to be easy now.' Having sustained a serious wound, he seemed, if anything, to have regained his composure, and he calmly steadied his breath. 'However….' The Heavenly Demon glanced back with only his eyes and lowered his chin heavily. 'The one you loved most, I'll protect no matter what.' Knowing that Raon had hidden himself away to recover, he clenched his fist once more, resolved to buy as much time as he could. "Hmm?" Derus Robert narrowed his eyes thinly, as if trying to read the look in the Heavenly Demon's eyes. "Could it be…." He curled the corner of his mouth, as if he'd grasped the Heavenly Demon's intent. "Do you think Raon is going to come back?" Derus Robert burst out laughing at the sight of the flames of the Dance of the Golden Flame floating behind the Heavenly Demon, Pride, and Darkan. "I'm afraid that's not going to happen." He shook his head firmly, as if certain of it. "Raon was struck not only by death aura, but also by the Demonic Dragon's Authority of Destruction and Michael's blade. Overcoming all three of those forces and standing on the battlefield again is impossible… huh?" Derus Robert sneered, saying there was no reality in which Raon rose again to fight, then cut himself off mid-sentence. "Wait. Why is there death aura coming from over there…." His chin trembled as he stared at the Dance of the Golden Flame and sensed death faintly blooming behind it. "Don't tell me!" Derus Robert's eyes went wide as he sensed that Raon was trying to heal his wounds with death aura. "He's insane! You're truly out of your mind, Raon Zieghart!" Having read Raon's thinking, he burst into a twisted, incredulous laugh and kicked off through the air. 'Using death aura like that—he's out of his mind.' Of course he knew Raon possessed death aura. But even having death aura, healing wounds with that power should have been impossible, so he had dismissed it—yet that madman was somehow, against all odds, reaching that very realm. 'He hasn't woken yet, so I have to finish this now.' As if determined to kill Raon before he could recover, Derus Robert leapt clean over the Heavenly Demon in a single bound and flew toward the Dance of the Golden Flame, thrusting the Sword of Beloved Death forward. Jjeoooong! But before the Sword of Beloved Death Derus Robert swung could fully extend, its blade of death was violently knocked aside. "Where do you think you're going." It was the Heavenly Demon. He'd leapt in front of Derus Robert, knocked away the Sword of Beloved Death, and now stood before the Dance of the Golden Flame. "You said I failed to make use of a martial artist's advantages, didn't you." The Heavenly Demon nodded his chin calmly. "You're right. I clearly did lose my composure. But…." He curled his trembling fingers one by one, clenching them into a fist. "From here on, it's different. I'll make sure you can't even lay a fingertip on Raon." With a stomp of his foot, the Heavenly Demon aimed his fist at Derus Robert, resolved never to hand Raon over. "I'm changing the plan." Derus Robert raised the Sword of Beloved Death, his voice low and gloomy. "Not the enemy before me…." He ground his teeth, pointing the Sword of Beloved Death not at the Heavenly Demon, but at Raon within the Dance of the Golden Flame. "Kill Raon Zieghart." As Derus Robert's mutter rang out, the gazes of Archangel Michael and the Demonic Dragon of Destruction turned toward the Dance of the Golden Flame, and the eyes of Pride, Darkan, and the Heavenly Demon crossed as well. Kugugugugu! The Willpower of the Absolutes shifted abruptly, and the purpose of the battle changed. From a fight to kill the enemy before them, to a fight to protect Raon—and a fight to kill Raon.