The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 771 Thud! Raon planted his right foot heavily. As he raised the Heavenly Drive to finish off the first staggering Twin-Headed Demon, his body suddenly felt heavy. 'Is this the backlash...?' Despite his mind's quick assessment, his arms and legs moved agonizingly slow. The Sword Control technique he had used unconsciously seemed to have overloaded his energy center and body. 'I still have to keep going.' Raon bit his lip and forced himself to thrust the sword. Just as the tip of the Heavenly Drive was about to pierce the first Twin-Headed Demon's neck, a greatsword flew in from the right. The second Twin-Headed Demon. Its powerful fighting spirit sent Raon sliding back five steps. "Urgh!" In that moment, the first Twin-Headed Demon regained its senses and clutched its chest wound. It glared at Raon with eyes full of intense killing intent. "Hah..." Raon didn't move immediately, instead steadying his breathing. As long as the two Twin-Headed Demons were together, any half-hearted attack would be meaningless. -A wise decision. Wrath nodded approvingly at Raon's good judgment. -Your body and mind are not in their normal state right now. 'It's not too serious though.' Raon licked his lips briefly, feeling that a short rest would improve his condition. -To gain enlightenment and act in such a dangerous moment, you are an increasingly incomprehensible human. Wrath frowned, saying he was now sick of it. 'Thanks for the compliment.' -It wasn't a compliment, I said I'm sick of it! 'Okay.' Raon waved Wrath off and looked at the second Twin-Headed Demon with the greatsword resting on its shoulder. 'An old man?' Unlike the first Twin-Headed Demon who looked like a child, the second one's skin was covered in liver spots and wrinkles. It seemed to have the body of an elderly person. 'But still strong.' The second Twin-Headed Demon was also a monster that had reached the peak of Grandmaster, just like the first. While facing two peak Grandmasters at once was worrying, it was also exciting. "W-wait, there were two Twin-Headed Demons?" Rimmer's eyes widened, apparently unaware there had been two of them. "Raon! That was Sword Control, wasn't it? As expected, you're amazing!" Merlin waved her hand at Raon, seemingly uninterested in the fact there were two Twin-Headed Demons. "R-Raon, are you okay?" Sylvia showed a worried look while keeping her distance from the Severing Sword. "I'm fine." Raon smiled reassuringly at Sylvia before turning back to face the two Twin-Headed Demons. "You said you could catch him for sure! But you didn't!" The elderly Twin-Headed Demon glared at the younger one with furrowed brows. "How was I supposed to know he could use Sword Control?" The younger Twin-Headed Demon shrugged, apparently also taken aback. "He's more dangerous than I expected." He twisted his lips into a grimace while staunching the wound on his chest. "If we can't take him with us, we need to kill him here for certain." "Take who where? Kill who?" Merlin's piercing scream was accompanied by flames and lightning raining down on the two Twin-Headed Demons' heads. "You brats and old geezers! If you do that... No, I'll kill you just for breathing!" While sweating as she struggled to restrain the Green King without hurting her, Merlin displayed intense killing intent towards the Twin-Headed Demons. "Urgh!" The Green King, oblivious to Merlin's feelings, continued to unleash powerful sword strikes. "Miss! Please stay still for a moment! No, wait, what should I call my husband's sister?" Merlin muttered about not knowing the proper term of address while deflecting the Green King's sword strikes. She truly was an extraordinary woman. "I'm sorry, but..." Raon stabilized his breathing before simultaneously employing the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier techniques. "I'm tired of being kidnapped. Let's end this with your deaths here." As he spoke, he stretched out his arm, and the Blade of Requiem that was still floating in the air flew into his hand of its own accord. "Arrogant brat!" The elderly Twin-Headed Demon raised his greatsword above his shoulder with a furrowed brow. "It's a shame, but we have no choice." The younger Twin-Headed Demon sighed as he lifted his broken club. Even broken, it still looked five times the size of the Heavenly Drive. "Raon. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help..." Rimmer bit his lip as he swung his sword, crackling with lightning. He seemed to be struggling to block the Severing Sword even with Sylvia's support. 'Of course.' The Severing Sword possessed power beyond that of the young Twin-Headed Demon, and now that its identity as Edgar had been revealed, they couldn't kill it. Rimmer was fulfilling his role just by holding out. "Don't worry. I'll finish this." Raon nodded calmly. Though he had used the Divine-Demonic Harmony and suffered internal injuries, leaving him in a poor state, he could still fight sufficiently thanks to the enlightenment that had elevated him to the peak of Grandmaster. The two Twin-Headed Demons charged forward, shattering the ground beneath them. The elderly Twin-Headed Demon swung his greatsword as he rushed in from the right, while the younger one dove in from the left, bringing down his broken club. The Twin-Headed Demons, who had been suspicious of each other earlier, now displayed exquisite joint techniques as if sharing one body. Raon raised the Blade of Requiem to form a Fire Wall, blocking the attacks of both Twin-Headed Demons. Unlike when he had faced just one of them, the impact reverberated to his very bones. He could feel his internal injuries worsening, but he didn't show it. Instead, he unleashed the Mystic Soul Sword's Middle Soul Palace technique with the Heavenly Drive. A blue Astral Ring bloomed from the darkness, cutting through the crimson fighting spirit and slashing the demons' shoulders and chests. "Hmm!" "How...?" The elderly Twin-Headed Demon's eyes widened as he looked at his wound, while the younger one swallowed hard as he stared at Raon. "Is that all you've got?" Raon looked down at the two Twin-Headed Demons with his red eyes, chin raised. "Having two heads doesn't seem to mean much." He sneered, flicking his finger. "You bastard!" "We'll tear that mouth of yours first!" The two Twin-Headed Demons charged forward, their eyes filled with deadly intent. Raon felt a terrifying storm of energy envelop his entire body. "You two..." Raon bit his lip, recalling Sylvia's despairing eyes and once again stoking his anger. He unleashed the Flame Dragon Strike with all his might, surrounding himself with killing intent and energy waves no less powerful than those of the two Twin-Headed Demons. "I won't give you an easy death." * * * Rimmer narrowed his eyes as he deflected the Severing Sword's strike. 'What's going on with this one?' The being that had been relentlessly attacking him with chilling demonic energy had become strangely quiet. 'Was it when Raon used Sword Control? No, it started when Sylvia intervened.' While the Severing Sword had begun to hesitate more noticeably after seeing Raon's Sword Control, even before that it had been oddly reluctant to attack Sylvia. 'Could it be...?' Did it really retain memories from the past? If the Severing Sword still possessed Edgar's memories and soul, it would explain the current situation. "Sylvia. It looks like Raon might be right after all." Rimmer whispered quietly as he moved next to Sylvia. "Is there any swordsmanship or words your husband might remember?" "Swordsmanship he might remember..." Sylvia bit her lip as she looked at the Severing Sword, then her eyes widened. In front of her, Raon's sword, which had been filled with a hazy darkness, now fell quietly. 'The Mystic Soul Sword!' Come to think of it... Edgar had frozen like a statue for a while after seeing the Mystic Soul Sword that Raon had unleashed with Sword Control, and his movements had become even stiffer afterward. 'It's clear now.' Before this mission, when she saw Raon performing the Mystic Soul Sword by the lake, she had felt her heart sink. While she had been both happy and saddened to see father and son learning the same swordsmanship, it seemed their fates were indeed connected. "Edgar! You forced me to learn the Mystic Soul Sword!" Sylvia charged towards Edgar without Rimmer's assistance. "Don't you dare say something about your awkward posture again!" She unleashed a clumsy version of the Mystic Soul Sword, drawing upon memories over 20 years old. * * * Edgar slowly opened his eyelids. 'It's dark.' Everything he could see was pitch black, as if he had fallen into an ocean of darkness. It hadn't always been this way. Even after donning the Death Knight's helmet, he had managed to maintain some semblance of sanity, but as The Fallen's influence grew stronger, his sense of self began to fade. However, that being hadn't completely erased him, claiming it was for an experiment. Instead, it had tucked him away in a corner of his own body. Just as he was beginning to forget who he was, a child named Raon was brought into Eden's branch. Upon hearing that he was Sylvia's son, Edgar realized Raon was his own child. He wanted to immediately free him and help him escape, but all he could do was watch. All he was given was the ability to observe the world from within the darkness. Fortunately, thanks to Zieghart's attack, Raon was able to escape from Eden's branch. Unlike the rumors he had heard, it seemed Glenn genuinely cared for Raon, which was a relief. Just as Edgar thought he could die without regrets, he encountered the Green King. The moment he saw her, he instantly recognized her as Sia, the daughter he had failed to protect. For the first time, he overcame the Death Knight's soul and took control of his body. Just as he was about to escape Eden with Sia, The Fallen appeared as if it had been waiting for this moment. [Now it will finally be complete.] The Fallen smiled with apparent joy as it subdued Edgar and pushed his soul deeper into the darkness. The sensation of having his soul manipulated by another was beyond pain. He screamed in agony, wishing for death thousands of times a day. Afterward, even his vision was filled with darkness, and he could barely see anything. Despair for himself, regret for his children, and longing for Sylvia were the only pillars sustaining his soul. Just as he was desperately trying to hold on with the determination to at least protect his daughter, a small spark of light appeared. That light followed the flow of the Mystic Soul Sword he had practiced his entire life, cutting through the darkness before his eyes. As the Mystic Soul Sword's forms flashed a few more times, the darkness obscuring his vision began to fade, and he could once again see the world. "Edgar!" Sylvia, her face unchanged, called out his name as she performed the Mystic Soul Sword. 'It's clumsy.' It seemed she hadn't practiced at all since he had taught her; the sword's movements and aura flow were a mess. However, it conveyed a warmth deeper and more intense than any other swordsmanship in the world. "Wake up already, you chatterbox!" Seeing the tearful Sylvia and the battles raging all around, Edgar instantly grasped the situation. 'Sylvia.' As he gazed at Sylvia, overwhelmed with indescribable emotions, his body, as if not recognizing her, unleashed a cold sword strike. 'No! Not now... Argh!' Edgar screamed as he tried to control his body's movements. He managed to prevent Sylvia's death, but a pain like his soul being torn to shreds assailed him. Yet his body, indifferent to his soul's agony, tried to strike Sylvia again with its sword. 'I said no! Gah!' Edgar once again raised his soul to stop his body's movements. This time, he felt a pain like his flesh being chewed by a beast's teeth. Though he had experienced much pain as a swordsman of the Holy Sword Alliance, this was unlike anything he had felt before. 'I-I can't keep stopping it like this.' No matter how strong his will, it would be impossible to endure this pain indefinitely. He needed to find a way to stop the battle entirely. As Edgar took deep breaths to overcome the pain, a faint voice echoed in his mind. [Fight there for a while, then aim for Raon Zieghart.] It was the voice of the young Twin-Headed Demon who could control his body. 'Raon.' Edgar shifted his gaze. He saw Raon fighting against the two Twin-Headed Demons without giving an inch. It seemed the Twin-Headed Demons wanted to use him to kill Raon for certain. 'If I could use this in reverse... Urgh!' As soon as he thought about defying the Twin-Headed Demon's order, the most intense pain yet crushed his soul. It felt like he would disappear at this rate. 'No. Absolutely not...' This was his only chance to act as a father. Edgar endured the increasingly intense pain and pushed what little remained of his soul into the Severing Sword - no, into his own body. He felt as if his soul was being scraped away by thousands of blades. It was difficult to move even a finger. 'Ugh...' It hurt, yet it didn't hurt. Compared to being trapped in darkness and unable to do anything, this level of pain was entirely bearable. If he could save everyone, he didn't mind dying here. 'Raon...' Edgar kept his gaze fixed on his son's back even as he swung his sword at his wife. 'Just hold on a little longer.' * * * Raon gritted his teeth as he blocked the fighting spirit unleashed by the two Twin-Headed Demons. 'Damn it...' They're incredibly strong. At first, he thought he could win, but the perfect joint techniques of the two Twin-Headed Demons made the battle far from easy. It felt like facing a single Transcendent Warrior rather than two Grandmasters. "Are you starting to regret it now?" The younger Twin-Headed Demon sneered as he brought his wooden club down on Raon's shoulder. "Don't think about capturing him. Kill him without fail." The elderly Twin-Headed Demon furrowed his brow as he raised his greatsword. Raon felt a chill run down his spine as lightning-fast fighting spirit pressed in from above and below simultaneously. 'I need to block and counter.' Continuing to defend alone wouldn't lead to a solution. He had to counterattack somehow. Raon unleashed the Mystic Soul Sword's Severing technique with the Blade of Requiem and the Azure Sky Sword's Advancing Formless Transformation with the Heavenly Drive. The frost-imbued blade froze the Twin-Headed Demons' fighting spirit, while the flames from the Heavenly Drive rode the wind to slash across both demons' abdomens. "Ugh..." "Hmm..." The two Twin-Headed Demons groaned as if they had taken a significant hit, but they charged forward without regenerating their wounds. They seemed to realize they needed to end this now while Raon was exhausted. Raon focused on defense, repeatedly unleashing the Fangs of Insanity and Blizzard Sword Art techniques, but he gradually began to be pushed back by the Twin-Headed Demons' ruthless offensive. 'My internal injuries are worsening...' His hands and feet moved increasingly slower than he calculated. His body wasn't responding properly due to the internal injuries and mental exhaustion. 'I guess I have no choice now.' There didn't seem to be time to wait for an opportunity to finish them both at once. Though he had been pretending not to notice, he could sense the Severing Sword approaching from behind, apparently acting on the Twin-Headed Demons' orders to target him. 'Even if I can't kill them in one go, I'll have to use the Sword Domain.' Using Heaven's Rift after fully employing the Divine-Demonic Harmony would drain all the strength from his body, but there was no other option now. 'Hah...' Just as Raon was about to make his final move after steadying his breath, he heard a voice in his mind. [...Raon?] A deep yet somehow light voice echoed in his head. It was a voice he had never heard before. 'Who...' [My name is Edgar. I'm your f-father.] Edgar's voice trembled uncontrollably as he said the word "father.". 'Have you regained your senses?' Raon resisted the urge to turn around and only moved his eyes. He could see the Severing Sword fiercely deflecting Rimmer and Sylvia's swords. [Yes. That's me. The monster called the Severing Sword, wearing the Death Knight's helmet. Thanks to you, I've managed to regain some control over my body. I saw a shining sword in the darkness, and it was my sword. How did you learn the Mystic Soul Sword? Did your mother... I mean, did Sylvia teach you? Unlike your mother, you're using it properly. I'm truly moved...] '...' He talks a lot. It was disconcerting to have his father speak to him so casually after more than 20 years, as if they had met just yesterday. [I couldn't do anything, but I was always proud of you in my heart, Raon.] The trembling and tension in Edgar's voice seemed to strike Raon's heart. [I have so much I want to say, but I haven't fully regained my senses yet. I've only awakened for a brief moment thanks to you and Sylvia.] 'Not yet...' [It might be hard to believe the words of a fool who couldn't be a father for over 20 years, but please trust me this once as we fight. Even if my body is destroyed, I'll create an opportunity for you. It's something I should have done from the beginning, but I've only just gotten this brief chance now, so all I can do is ask you to believe me. What a foolish father I am, right? I said I wouldn't be like my own father, but I ended up being even worse...] His words continued uninterrupted. It was amusing how different he was from the silent Severing Sword up until now, which made it impossible not to trust him. [Trust me and move forward, Raon.] Edgar's final words were short but resolute. -Do you believe those words? Wrath furrowed his brow, as if asking if it was okay. 'I believe him.' Sylvia had said that Edgar talked a lot and was good with words. Right now, Raon was trusting his mother's words, not his father's. Raon unleashed the Frost Snap and Flame Strike techniques with the Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem. For the first time, it was an all-out attack that disregarded defense. The two charging Twin-Headed Demons were pushed back by sheer force. As this happened, Raon sensed a powerful demonic energy surging behind him. It was the Severing Sword. He had charged forward, taking Rimmer and Sylvia's sword strikes with his bare body. "It's over." "Don't think we're being cowardly." The two Twin-Headed Demons' smiles deepened. Their expressions showed they expected the Severing Sword to attack Raon. Raon bit his lip as he faced the monsters' sneers. 'Can I really trust this?' Could this whole situation be a lie? He felt his spine growing cold with foreboding and anxiety. He wanted to retreat right now. As he struggled with his final decision, he caught a glimpse inside the approaching Severing Sword's helmet. The eyes that had always been filled with darkness were now shimmering with a clear light. That gaze was strikingly similar to Sylvia's eyes behind him. Raon clenched his molars. 'I believe.' He looked forward again. The two Twin-Headed Demons added more force to their wooden club and greatsword, as if determined not to let him go. Just as Raon raised his full aura, calming his mind, the Severing Sword's blade brushed past his hair and extended towards the two Twin-Headed Demons' necks. "You crazy bastard!" "Severing Sword! You!" The two Twin-Headed Demons blocked the Severing Sword's strike with wide eyes, but their hasty defense was imperfect due to their surprise. "Go!" Hearing Edgar's shout, Raon once again opened the mental world. The Ten Thousand Swords, which had deepened further since reaching the peak of Grandmaster, sprouted golden buds on the silver blade. Sword Domain: Heaven's Rift. Raon's willpower, now imbued with an even more intense radiance, erased the red fighting spirit and drew a single line cutting across the horizon. The world shook.