The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1538 -Heh…. Wrath let out a windy sound that could have been a gasp of admiration or a sigh of emptiness. -What was that swordsmanship just now…. His jaw trembled as he said it was swordsmanship he had never seen or felt before. 'It's ordinary swordsmanship.' Raon gave a light nod toward the startled Wrath. 'Of course, you do have to cut the enemy's body, spirit, and willpower all at once, though.' It was similar to his own swordsmanship, 'True Sword,' yet different. Holy Flame held the power to cut away not just an opponent's body and soul, but their malice as well, which was why it had been able to erase Derus Robert's very existence. -What do you mean, ordinary swordsmanship! Wrath's eyes twisted as he screamed. -Even searching every dimension, there'd hardly be anyone who could take that on! He bared his white teeth and growled, telling him to say something that made sense. 'It's not quite that much.' Raon waved his hand modestly, as though casting aside his arrogance once again. -That's exactly how much it is! Wrath pushed his face forward, frowning. -Admit what needs admitting! There's hardly anyone who could take on your sword right now! He thrashed his tail wildly, as if Raon's modesty displeased him. 'Fine. That's about right.' Raon smirked at Wrath's twisted face and nodded his chin. -Hmph! That's more like it. Wrath snorted, seeming to finally feel satisfied. -But that tiresome bastard is definitely dead, right? He smacked his lips, as if curious whether Derus Robert had truly died. '….' Raon didn't answer right away, instead looking up at the sky where the embers of the Holy Flame were settling. The death aura that had loomed over the entire world had vanished as if washed away. He could clearly feel that the flames of the Holy Flame had burned away everything that was Derus Robert. 'Yeah.' Raon nodded calmly. 'He's gone now.' He had killed Derus Robert twice already, yet every time after, he had still felt a chilling, ominous sensation crawl up his spine. 'It's probably because the ill fate that carried over from his past life was tied to their souls.' The scar carved into the back of Derus Robert's hand had likely played that role. Now he understood. Having lived two lifetimes, both of which had pitted him against Derus Robert, he had become able to faintly sense the man's soul. That was why, even the first time he had killed Derus Robert, he hadn't said the war was over. But now, even that sense of the soul no longer caught Derus Robert at all. It meant he had completely vanished from this world. 'How strange.' Raon clenched and unclenched his fist, smiling faintly. -What's so strange about it? Wrath tilted his head, curious about what he was thinking. 'It feels refreshing. I never knew revenge could feel this refreshing.' Raon curled up the corner of his mouth, placing a hand on his chest that was still pounding rapidly. 'Books and sages always said that even achieving revenge never feels refreshing. That nothing really changes even after getting revenge, and that revenge only invites more revenge in return.' He smirked, recalling the books he'd read since childhood and the things adults used to say. 'But that's not true. It went beyond refreshing — it was downright exhilarating.' After toying with Derus Robert, giving him despair, then hope, then despair again in turn, before finally cutting off his breath, a refreshing feeling he had never experienced before had washed over him like a wave. -Of course! Wrath gave a big nod. -Books and old geezers always spout nothing but boring nonsense anyway! He let out an exclamation, saying revenge was by nature a dizzyingly refreshing act. -This King was worried you'd end up moping around even after killing Derus Robert and never get to feel that refreshing satisfaction, but I'm glad that's not the case! Wrath let out a sigh of relief, glad that it hadn't turned out the way he'd feared. 'That was never going to happen.' Raon smirked and waved his hand. 'Because my relationship with Derus Robert was nothing but ill fate.' Even mourning an enemy's death or missing them required some kind of positive relationship to begin with. His relationship with Derus Robert had been nothing but a vicious ill fate through and through, so there was no way he would ever miss him or feel sorry for him. 'If anything, I'm almost disappointed I couldn't inflict more pain on him.' Raon clicked his tongue briefly. He had cut off Derus Robert's limbs and neck countless times, yet he sighed, regretting that he hadn't been able to inflict just a little more pain. -Ha…. Wrath let out a hollow laugh at the sight of the red wrath reflected in Raon's eyes. -T-that's more than enough! Even I, just watching, felt sick from it! He shook his head, saying that if Raon had inflicted any more pain than that, Derus Robert would have gone insane before he even had a chance to feel hope. 'Is that so? Then I guess it couldn't be helped.' Raon smiled faintly, accepting Wrath's words. -Anyway, the war's completely over now. Wrath let out a short sigh, watching the sun rise into the sky as the Day of Black Darkness faded away. -So what are you going to do now? It was just as he asked what Raon wanted to do from here on. "H-he won!" "Lord Raon cut down Derus Robert completely!" "To think he'd overwhelm Derus Robert like that…." "A-a god! The God of the Sword has descended!" "Sword God? T-that's right! If he weren't a Sword God, there's no way he could beat Derus Robert, who'd become a god of death!" "Following Glenn Zieghart, a new Sword God has descended!" "Sword God! Sword God! Sword God! Sword God!" "Waaaaaaaaaah!" Those who had witnessed Raon's victory burst into cheers and shouts, giving him the epithet 'Sword God.' "Kyaaaaaaaaa!" Evelyn hopped lightly and let out a cheer directed solely at Raon. "So cool! I'll remember today for the rest of my life!" She showed off an impressive feat, clapping while simultaneously running a spell to amplify her own voice and another to record Raon's appearance. "As expected!" Martha looked up at Raon and smiled faintly. "I knew you'd win!" She raised her fist, saying she had believed Raon would defeat Derus Robert and had never once bowed her head. "Sword God Raon Zieghart…." Runaan bowed her head, murmuring Raon's new epithet to herself. "Congratulations…." She drew a smile as bright as the flames of the Holy Flame, congratulating Raon on his victory. "Fantastical. No, it was a mythical sword." Burren let out a deep breath. "The distance is great, but I'll definitely catch up to you. Raon." In this moment at least, he thought of Raon not as the head of the house but as a rival, and he gripped the sword at his waist more firmly. "That's a good attitude." Karoon approached Burren's side and nodded calmly. "But the distance is far too great. Set catching up to me first as your goal." Karoon gripped his shoulder firmly, as if wanting Burren to catch up to him first. "Yes. Of course. Naturally, Father too…." "And." Just as Burren laughed and raised his eyes, Karoon shook his chin. "Don't speak informally to him." Karoon frowned, as if he couldn't accept the fact that Burren had addressed Raon so casually. "Ah, yes…." Burren blinked at Karoon, who was even more meticulous than he was, and eventually burst out laughing. "Nice to see father and son like this." Alice ran up from behind and threw her arms around Burren and Karoon's shoulders. "Stop fighting from now on and spend a lot of time together." She wore a bittersweet smile, as if the sight of Karoon and Burren had reminded her of her own son, Sif. "Sister. Don't tell me you're crying?" Balder tilted his head at the sight of Alice dabbing at her eyes with her fingers. "What's a burly mountain brute like you doing acting all pitiful!" He waved his hand vigorously, saying that if she kept acting strange, another war might break out. "Who's crying! You idiot!" Alice told him not to talk nonsense and brought her fist down on Balder's head. "You were crying! If you've got the strength to shed tears, at least wave at your nephew!" Balder scrunched up his nose, telling her not to cry on such a good day and to go greet Raon instead. "Raon Zieghart!" Krein shouted Raon's name with both arms spread wide. "That guy's really insane! It's not just some epithet! He's actually the God of the Sword!" He shouted while hugging Dorian tightly, his legs trembling not because of Derus Robert, but at the sight of Raon's divine might. "I-I believed in him…." Dorian nodded, tears dripping down. "B-because Lord Raon didn't waver even a little today…." He sniffled while supporting Krein, saying he had believed Raon would defeat Derus Robert and the Demonic Dragon of Destruction and bring home victory. "There were plenty of options, but…." Warring Steel Leader Trevin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Raon. "I'm glad I joined the Light Wind Palace." He grinned, saying that choosing Raon had been the best decision he'd ever made. "I'm the opposite." Mark Goetun lowered his eyes, running his hand over the blade Raon had given him. "The moment Lord Raon chose me was the most precious moment of my life." He smiled faintly, saying he still hadn't forgotten the moment Raon chose him, even now. "Though it seems a new moment has been added today." Mark Goetun felt a pride as if it were his own accomplishment, watching Raon receive the blessings and cheers of the world after cutting down Derus Robert. "Haa…." Raon drew a short breath, watching the people shouting his name and his new epithet. "I might not be able to keep my promise." He bit his lip slightly, clutching his chest with a trembling hand. -A promise? What promise are you talking about? Wrath frowned, asking what he was suddenly talking about. "I said we'd go back together. It might be difficult, though." Raon sighed, bringing up again the words he'd said after catching Derus Robert. -Huh? Why can't you keep it? Wrath's eyebrows scrunched together. 'There's less time than I thought.' -Time? Is there somewhere you need to go? 'Probably.' Raon let out a heavy breath and descended to the ground. "Raon!" "Lord Raon!" "Sword God!" The moment Raon's feet touched the ground, the Martial Artists of the continental alliance rushed toward him like a cloud. But the fastest of all to reach him was none other than Sylvia. She ran as if pouring every last bit of her reserved strength into her footwork, and came to a stop before Raon. "Are you hurt anywhere?" Sylvia smacked her lips as she looked over Raon's entire body, just as she always did. Even now, she still cared more about her son's condition than about the victory. "None." Raon nodded with a faint smile. Seeing that Edgar, Sia, and Rector all wore similar expressions, it seemed that no matter how much he grew or how strong he became, he would always feel like a child to his family. "Good. That's a relief." Sylvia let out a sigh of relief and hugged Raon tightly. "Let's go home now." She said they should go back home to Zieghart, gently patting Raon's back. "….." Raon closed his eyes for a moment, held in Sylvia's embrace. Feeling the same warmth she had given him as a child, staying awake through the night just to hold him, he slowly opened his eyes. "Thank you, Mother." Raon gently pushed Sylvia back and bowed at the waist to her. "Raon…?" Sylvia's eyes widened, as if she sensed something ominous in Raon's demeanor. "You don't mean…." Her jaw trembled as she watched Raon's body, which had already begun to grow faint. "I said we'd go back together, but it seems I won't be able to keep that promise." Raon let out a hoarse breath, looking at his now-transparent fingertips. "I'm sorry. I also…." He parted his trembling lips, gazing up at a sky bluer than he had ever seen it. "I think I need to go to where Grandfather is."