The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1539 "R-Raon…?" Sylvia grabbed Raon's blurring hand, her eyelids trembling. "W-what do you mean? Going to the same place as Father?" It wasn't that she didn't understand Raon's words — she simply couldn't accept them, and she bit her lip deeply. "D-don't tell me you mean you're going to Ascend, like Father-in-law did?" Edgar pushed through the crowd and swallowed hard. "No, the war just ended! There were so many things I wanted to do together, as father and son!" He clenched his teeth, asking why he had to leave at a moment like this, of all times. "No!" Sia jumped up and clung to Raon's back. "You can't go! I won't let you go! I'd rather go with you!" Declaring she'd never let Raon go alone, she channeled her aura and pulled him down toward the ground. "I had a feeling, and I guess I was right." Rector stepped closer and let out a heavy sigh. Unlike the others, he seemed to have anticipated Raon's Ascension, and he clutched his head. "D-did you know about this, Father?" Edgar turned to Rector, wrinkling his nose. "Then you should have told me beforehand!" He glared angrily, demanding why he was only saying this now. "I didn't know either." Rector shook his head, biting his lip slightly. "I only thought this moment might come because the Martial Prowess Raon showed today surpassed even his…." He squeezed his eyes shut, saying he'd felt relieved seeing Raon looking fine, but he himself was shocked that the moment of Ascension had come so suddenly. "Ah…." Sylvia let out a deep sigh upon hearing Rector's words. "So it's really… Ascension…." As if even the last shred of hope had vanished, she loosened her grip on Raon's hand. "It seems that's how it is." Raon smiled awkwardly, looking at his hand growing ever fainter. "Still, I'm glad. That the war is over." If Derus Robert or the Demonic Dragon of Destruction had still remained, even Ascending would have left a burden on his heart, but since he had dealt with both of them, he felt he could now leave with peace of mind. "You'll all be fine without me now." Raon nodded, saying that peace could be maintained without any problems now, and turned to look back. -…. Wrath said nothing, his mouth hanging open, as if he'd never even considered Raon's Ascension. The shock seemed too great, as though his mind had gone blank. "Nephew! No, Head of House! What do you mean by that!" Balder shoved through the crowd roughly and approached. "Where on earth is the head of house of Zieghart going!" He bared his teeth, visibly agitated, and breathed out a puff of white breath. "You still need to rebuild Zieghart and teach me swordsmanship! If you made such a difficult swordsmanship manual, you should take responsibility for it!" Balder shouted, his words an unclear mix of informal and formal speech. "And…." He let out a deep breath, chewing on his lips. "I want to be of help to you too, Head of House! And I still need to apologize for my past mistakes…." Balder sighed, as if he felt he had only ever received from Raon, and gripped his shoulder tightly. "You've already helped me plenty." Raon nodded, feeling the warmth conveyed through Balder's hand. "It always made me happy whenever you called me 'nephew' so vigorously. Thank you." His first impression of Balder had been the worst, but Balder had reflected on his own faults and always treated him warmly ever since. He was happy to have belatedly come to know what having an uncle felt like. "It's the same for you too, Aunt." Raon bowed his head toward Alice as well, who watched him from afar, at a loss for what to do. "I was always grateful to you." Alice, too, had always called him her nephew and looked after him with care, and he'd always been grateful for it. She had gone through many hardships, and he had wanted to stay by her side and help, so it was a little disappointing that he hadn't been able to. "Are you really leaving?" Alice approached, biting her nails. Her eyes trembled continuously, as if she didn't want to believe in Raon's Ascension. "Yes. I think I have to go." Raon smiled faintly, watching Alice's eyes blur just as much as his own hand. "Whether it's Grandfather calling me or not, I can't refuse it." He nodded, looking up at the deep blue sky. "Head of House." Karoon opened and closed his lips several times, as if choosing his words, before finally calling out to Raon after a long moment. "Master of the Central Martial Palace." Raon smiled faintly at Karoon's contorted expression. "It really has to be you. I entrust Zieghart to you from now on." He gave a slight bow first, as if entrusting the seat of head of house of Zieghart to Karoon. "No!" Karoon stepped forward, his brow furrowed. "This isn't the time to be saying something like that!" He shook his head vigorously, showing an emotional side for the first time. "What could be more important than passing on the seat of head of house of Zieghart?" Raon shook his head calmly, meeting Karoon's wavering eyes. "Because Zieghart is the most precious place to me as well." As he said that, he looked back on his life so far. At first, he had planned to grow to a certain degree and then leave to prepare his revenge against Derus Robert. But the time he spent in Zieghart, the time with the people who called his name, had been too happy for him to leave. Thanks to living in Zieghart, he had been able to become the Martial Artist Raon Zieghart, rather than a ghost of vengeance. Because it was such a precious place and precious people, he wanted to entrust the future to the person who could lead Zieghart best. And that person, right now, was Karoon standing before him. 'At first, I thought, what a cold person this is.' The Karoon of the past hadn't even regarded him as human, and had gone so far as to treat even Burren, his own son, like trash. Later, after being defeated by him, Karoon had realized he'd walked the wrong path and changed, but honestly, he hadn't believed it would last. Humans were creatures that didn't change, after all. But Karoon was different. It seemed he had truly felt a great deal through his defeat, transforming from a petty man who committed vile misdeeds into a true Martial Artist who embraced and accepted everything. Thanks to him, Raon realized for the first time that the saying "people don't change" was wrong. To a man who had stood at the very top, fallen to the bottom, reflected on himself, and climbed back up again, he could entrust the place he loved most. "I entrust it to you." Raon asked once more that he take on Zieghart, taking off the Black Dragon Coat he was wearing and holding it out. "…Haa." Karoon looked at Raon's wound-covered hand and the Black Dragon Coat held in it, biting and releasing his lip over and over for a long moment, before letting out a breath as if he'd made up his mind. "It is an honor to take the throne of Zieghart, following Sword God Raon Zieghart." He knelt on one knee and carefully received the Black Dragon Coat from Raon's hand, showing the utmost courtesy. "I will do my utmost so that the glory built by you and the previous head of house does not fade." Karoon bowed his head, vowing to stake everything he had to revive Zieghart into something even more brilliant than before. "The previous head of house once said this: that the center of a house isn't land or a home, but people." Raon drew his Heavenly Drive, recalling Glenn's words. "Since the people remain, I know you'll surely be able to do it." He held his sword reversed and performed a sword salute, as if to say he trusted Karoon. "I will live up to your expectations, Sword God." Karoon too drew his sword and returned the sword salute toward Raon. The previous era and the current one. The swords of the one leaving behind his legacy and the one newly inheriting it crossed as if shining, giving off a warm heat. "Hey! Raon!" "Raon…." "Head of House…." Martha, Burren, and Runaan ran over one after another and grabbed hold of Raon's body. "Y-you're really going to the sky?" Martha ground her teeth, saying she couldn't believe it — no, that she wouldn't believe it. "Why! Don't go! Just don't go, I said!" For the first time since the war had begun, she screamed through tears. "Raon…." Runaan grabbed Raon's sleeve with a hand drained of all strength. "Can't we… eat Bead Ice Cream together…?" She bit her lip, her ever-expressionless face now filled with sorrow. "Head of House. No, Raon." Burren ignored Karoon's advice and called Raon's name again. "How can you go now! I still haven't even…." His lips trembled, as if too many thoughts were crowding in and he didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry." Raon embraced Burren, Martha, and Runaan all at once. "I wanted to spend a little more time with you all too, but there's nothing I can do." He let out a sigh so deep it seemed to sink into the ground, saying he too felt regret. "Still, I'm glad you've all broken through your walls." Raon smiled faintly, saying he was certain that Burren, Martha, and Runaan would break through their walls and rise to Transcendence. "Really." Burren, Martha, and Runaan were children each carrying different burdens. Burren had wanted his father's recognition, Martha had needed to find her abducted mother, and Runaan had wanted to escape the grip of her deranged older brother. 'It's all over now.' Burren had earned Karoon's recognition and achieved a true father-son bond, Martha had personally ended the Leader of the White Blood Religion and gotten her mother back, and Runaan, with the help of her comrades, had cut down Syria herself and escaped the trauma she had carried her whole life. All three had overcome both the wall of martial arts and the wall in their hearts, so it seemed alright to let them stand on their own now. "R-Raon…." "Ugh…." Dorian and Krein approached, choking back tears. "Y-you're really leaving…." Dorian shed tears as big as raindrops, as if reading Raon's heart and realizing he had no choice but to let him go. "T-this…." Krein's jaw trembled as if the words wouldn't come, before he barely managed to open his lips. "You damn Palace Master! After putting me through all that hardship, where do you think you're going! Let's do more focus enhancement training!" He screamed that he'd rather do focus enhancement training together than let Raon go. "I'd like that too." Raon burst into laughter for the first time. He hadn't tormented Krein — he had always called on him first for training because he trusted his tenacity and grit, and seeing that same spirit show even now made him laugh without meaning to. "Dorian." Raon turned his gaze from Krein to look at Dorian. "Thank you, for everything until now." The one who had spent the most time with him, whom he had put through the most hardship, and who had given him the most help, was naturally Dorian. He had received great help from Dorian's kind heart and his pouch that produced anything needed, so he wanted to be sure to thank him. "Young Maaaster…." Dorian finally burst into tears, using again the title he had used when he first met Raon. "Raon." Evelyn shook her head firmly, biting her lip. "I— I can't let you go! I absolutely can't let you go!" She gritted her teeth, refusing, like the others, to accept Raon's Ascension. "I'm sorry. But…." Raon smiled bitterly, taking hold of Evelyn's rough hand. "This isn't something I can refuse." He shook his head, as if saying that even though he didn't want this either, he had no choice but to go. "Thank you for always watching over me." Raon embraced her, saying he had been happy thanks to Evelyn. "Ugh…." Evelyn bit her lip so hard it nearly drew blood. The tears falling from her eyes soaked deeply into Raon's shoulder. "I'll go. I'll Ascend too and follow you…." Evelyn shook her head while still embracing him, vowing to follow Raon wherever he went. "Alright. I'll wait for you." Raon nodded, saying he would happily wait for Evelyn's Ascension. "It seems my time is almost up now." Raon let out a hollow laugh, looking at his body, now so transparent that what lay behind him was visible through it. He turned back one last time to look at his best friend, who was still in a daze. 'Wrath.' Raon placed his hand on the head of Wrath, whose mouth still hung open blankly. 'Thank you, truly. Thanks to you, I was able to achieve my dream.' He smiled softly, saying that thanks to Wrath saving him, teaching him, and helping him, he had achieved everything he'd wanted. 'I was truly happy to be with you.' Raon nodded, wearing the purest smile he'd ever shown. 'I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to go to the Devildom together with you. Still, I hope we can meet again.' With those words as his last, he became a brilliant light and shot up into the sky. -Huh? Wrath only seemed to come to his senses after seeing Raon become a Sword of Light and ascend, letting out a gasp. -N-no, this will not do! He gritted his teeth, declaring he could never allow this. -Didn't you say we'd go to the Devildom together! Wrath shook his head resolutely, insisting that the promise Raon had made was a vow sworn upon his very soul. -You are supposed to become this King's slave and serve me now! Wrath shot upward as if his spirit body might burst, hurling himself toward Raon's light rising into the sky. -Wait, you! Raon Zieghart! ** 'Peaceful.' Raon gazed at the sky drawing ever closer, then slowly closed his eyes. It felt as if a soft, warm heat, just like when he used to fall asleep in Sylvia's arms as a child, was soaking through his entire body. The wounds and fatigue he'd gained through the war melted away, and a new vitality kept welling up endlessly. Yet that power wasn't concentrated in his body. It was a feeling of openness, as if his spirit were breaking free through his flesh. It seemed that to Ascend, he had to shed the husk of reality itself. 'Can't be helped.' Honestly, it would be a lie to say he had no lingering attachment to the world below. He had wanted to celebrate the end of the war with the people of Zieghart, to properly thank those he was grateful to, and even to get married. But since he possessed a Martial Prowess too great to remain on the Continent, he had no choice but to accept this sudden Ascension. After all, it was thanks to that very power that he had been able to cut down Derus Robert and protect everyone. 'It's a shame I couldn't properly say goodbye to Wrath. And I couldn't keep my promise either.' He had promised Wrath they would go to the Devildom together, but in the end he couldn't keep it. Honestly, he himself had wanted to visit it once, so that was a bit disappointing. 'Can't be helped. If we happen to meet again someday… huh?' Raon clicked his tongue in regret and opened his eyes, only for his mouth to fall open. 'That's….' The blue sky split apart as if pierced through, and a pitch-black sky with countless stars beyond counting rose into view. It was the space that humans called the universe. But what surprised him wasn't seeing the universe itself. In that region of the cosmos beyond human reach, a man sat. "D-don't tell me…." Raon parted his trembling lips, looking at the all-too-familiar back of the man. "Grandfather?"