The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1518 Ten minutes ago. -In my long, long life, I've seen countless madmen, but…. Wrath's lips trembled as he lowered his gaze. -You're the first one who's ever died this absurdly! He gritted his teeth as he watched Raon's warmth fade away. -You should've just fought to the end—why would you go and kill yourself like this! Wrath let out something like a scream at Raon's face, drained of all color. -Raon Zieghart! You crazy bastard! At first, he hadn't lost his faith. He was bewildered, but since Raon had always overcome crises and come back stronger, he'd made up his mind to trust Raon's choice and wait. But now, Raon's body was growing cold, as if he had truly died. -So in the end, even you…. Wrath dropped his head, teeth clenched. -You couldn't overcome death either. In truth, it was only natural. Death was something fair to every living being. It was an absolute force that not even himself, a demon king, nor an archangel, nor even a god could overcome. Derus Robert had already been dead once as a Revenant of the Demonic Dragon of Destruction before breaking free of that state, so he might have forged even death by his own power, but Raon couldn't do such a thing. -Since he'd never experienced death before… hm? Wrath sighed, then his eyes went round. -Wait. He'd never experienced death? Before, he would have thought it obvious, but now it was different. -This kid definitely…. Wrath blinked and shook his head. -He said he was reincarnated! While fighting through today's war, Raon had told him that he had died and been reincarnated. If anyone else had said such a thing, he would have dismissed it as nonsense, but having watched from beside him, he had no choice but to accept it as fact. -Th-then this kid too…. It was the moment Wrath swallowed hard and turned his gaze back to Raon. Thump. From Raon's chest, which had stopped, came a faint, tiny beat. It was fainter than a child's heartbeat in its mother's womb, but it was unmistakably the sound of a heart beating. Fwooooosh! The faint heartbeat grew stronger little by little, and the pitch-black death that had covered Raon's entire body was drawn back into his flesh like a receding tide. As the reeking scent of death withdrew, color began to return to his corpse-pale face. -H-he actually did it? Wrath let out a cry of amazement, his eyes filled with shock and joy. -That crazy bastard! No, this isn't even human! To bring death upon himself and then overcome that very death to return to the mortal world—he never imagined he'd witness such an impossible feat with his own eyes. It was a first even in the life of a demon king who had lived for thousands of years, so bewilderment and admiration burst out of him at once. Swooosh! As if he had truly overcome death and returned, the internal injuries and wounds that had been eating away at Raon's body healed, and even Derus Robert's death aura, the dragon's Authority of Destruction, and Michael's ashen aura, which had tormented his very soul, vanished. Gwooooooo! Raon's face shone vivid and bright, as if bathed in sunlight that didn't exist. He breathed with a body more solid and an aura more powerful than before the war had even begun. -That kid was already strong enough as it was…. Wrath's mouth twisted as he looked at Raon's radiant complexion. -Now that he's overcome even death, who knows how much further he's grown. He said there was probably nothing even he could do about it now. But the corners of his eyes were curled up, as if he was pleased. -He should wake up soon… hm? Wrath nodded as he confirmed Raon's breathing had grown more stable, then abruptly snapped his gaze up. -T-that bastard! He swallowed hard at the sight of Derus Robert, whose eyes had changed. -That damned bastard finally noticed! Wrath gritted his teeth, sensing that Derus Robert had grasped Raon's condition. -He's foul enough to make me want to smash his skull in! He shook his head, saying he'd throw up both hands at Derus Robert's cunning. -Hey! You! Wrath steadied his breath and called out to Raon. -Derus Robert noticed! There's no time for you to be sleeping like that! He shouted for Raon to get up quickly, but he didn't touch him. He couldn't help but be careful, since his own influence might shatter Raon's State of Enlightenment. -Damn it! Even the others have caught on now! The shift in mood was palpable. Derus Robert, the Demonic Dragon of Destruction, and Archangel Michael were no longer moving against the enemies before them, but to kill Raon. -Things aren't looking good on this side. The Heavenly Demon had suffered a grave wound from Derus Robert's scheme, Pride could beat Michael but it looked like it would take time, and Darkan was already running out of strength just holding back the Demonic Dragon of Destruction. -Damn it! This won't do! You need to wake up fast… huh? Wrath reached out, having no choice but to try to wake Raon by force, then stopped. -Wh-what! Raon, who had been beneath his tail, had vanished. -Where did this kid go! D-don't tell me he died again? Hah! Wrath, startled by Raon's disappearance, looked around frantically and drew in a sharp breath. Gwooooooo! Raon hadn't vanished, nor had he died again. He had disappeared, deceiving even his own senses, and was now raising the Heavenly Drive behind Derus Robert, the Demonic Dragon of Destruction, and Archangel Michael. -Th-that kid…. Wrath's spine went cold as he looked into Raon's eyes as he prepared to unleash his swordsmanship, and his fingertips trembled. -He means to end everything right here! * * * Haa. Raon breathed out with a faint smile. Both body and soul felt freer than ever before. It was the sensation of realizing within a dream that one was dreaming. Along with it came an omnipotent feeling that he could achieve anything he wanted. 'All the pain is gone.' Since he'd overcome death and awakened, the pain of body and soul that had come in waves fierce enough to sever his breath had washed away completely. His condition was far better than before the war had begun. Overcoming death had been worth it. 'Though of course, that's not all.' Raon nodded as he raised a pitch-black aura above his fingertips. 'The death aura has truly become mine.' The death aura had moved as if it followed him, yet at truly critical moments it wouldn't obey his control. Since it could even endanger him, he'd kept his distance from using death in battle, but now it had accepted him as its master, to the point he could use it whenever he wished. 'My body's recovered, I've made death my own, and I've grown even stronger, but….' Raon didn't strike Derus Robert head-on; instead, he moved behind them, silencing all sound and presence. 'No need to fight them fair and square.' He raised his sword, biting his lip. 'I'll pay you back exactly as you did to Grandfather, Darkan, and the Heavenly Demon.' Glenn, the Heavenly Demon, and Darkan had fought their Life-and-death duel feeling a happiness they'd never know again, but struck by Derus Robert's ambush, the fight had ended with none of them becoming the victor. Having seen the despair in those three men's eyes with his own eyes, he now intended to pay Derus Robert back with that very same despair. Gwooooooo! Raon drew out his aura without letting it show outwardly, preparing to strike Derus Robert. Chiaaaang! Derus Robert had even created a Clone with his death aura, drawing the Heavenly Demon, Pride, and Darkan into moving to protect him, then thrust in a death-aura blade strike capable of killing all three at once. Kugugugugugu! Archangel Michael and the Demonic Dragon of Destruction, too, seeing it as a chance to kill their bothersome opponents all at once, were about to unleash a full-powered ashen slash and breath of ruin. 'Now.' Raon didn't miss the moment Derus Robert, Michael, and the dragon all had their attention turned away, and he thrust his sword forward, exploding the aura he had prepared. An ultimate technique of the Heaven-Slaying Sword - Sky-Breaking Infinity. The swordsmanship, meaning to break the heavens and advance without end, split through space and time and reached Derus Robert, Michael, and the Demonic Dragon of Destruction. "Raon Zieghart!" Derus Robert quickly pulled back the death-aura blade strike he'd been thrusting at the Heavenly Demon, Pride, and Darkan, but it was already too late. Because Sky-Breaking Infinity had already reached his neck. Jjijijijik! The Demonic Dragon of Destruction and Archangel Michael, too, had prepared to defend, but Raon's sword had already driven into their chests faster still. Chwaaaaak! Under Raon's absolute swordsmanship that had overcome even death, spiderweb-like cracks spread across Derus Robert's neck before his head was torn off; the Demonic Dragon of Destruction's chest, along with its heart, was pierced through and burned; and Michael's upper body was split clean in half. Neither Derus Robert, nor the Demonic Dragon of Destruction, nor Archangel Michael seemed to have imagined Raon would be behind them, their eyes bulging as if about to tear, filled with shock. Uuuuuung! Yet even with his neck severed, Derus Robert, still seemingly alive, raised his death aura like a rope, trying to reconnect his fallen head to his body. Naturally, Raon didn't just stand by and watch Derus Robert recover. Peoooock! He fired off the Wooden Ring Sword with Sword Control, piercing straight through the head of Derus Robert as it tried to reattach to his neck. "Kuaaaaaak!" Derus Robert let out a tearing scream, as if he couldn't bear the pain of the Wooden Ring Sword embedded in his head, his body trembling violently. Fwoooooosh! The Wooden Ring Sword returned to Raon with Derus Robert's severed head still skewered on its blade. "Nice expression." Raon's mouth twisted upward as he looked at Derus Robert's head impaled on his sword. "Y-you…." Though his neck was severed and his head pierced through by a sword, Derus Robert, seemingly still not dead, glared at Raon with trembling eyes. "You filthy bastard!" He let out an enraged breath, as if he hadn't imagined at all that Raon would stab him from behind. "That's right. Filthy, indeed." Raon calmly admitted that it was indeed petty and cowardly. "That's why I gave it right back to you." He let out a blatant sneer, saying he'd simply returned what Derus Robert had done to Glenn. "Ah…." Derus Robert's jaw trembled, as if he'd only now realized why Raon had ambushed him. "How does it feel?" Raon summoned the flames of the Crimson Peak onto the Wooden Ring Sword where Derus Robert's head was impaled. "Kuaaaak!" Derus Robert screamed again, seemingly unable to bear the pain the Crimson Peak flames inflicted. "I'm asking how it feels to have what you wanted right in front of you, only to miss it by a hair's breadth." Raon wiped the smile from his face and glared at Derus Robert with a hardened gaze. "That's the feeling Grandfather, the Heavenly Demon, and Darkan felt because of you." He bared his white teeth, saying he'd wanted Derus Robert to feel that too. "And you too…." He raised the Heavenly Drive at a diagonal angle, breathing out a breath thick with Killing Intent. "You will never again achieve what you want." Raon brought the Heavenly Drive down, carrying the full force of his killing intent and hatred toward Derus Robert. "Disappear, Derus Robert." Along with his wrath-laden mutter, Derus Robert's head and body split into hundreds of pieces. Jjeojeojeojeojeok!