The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 593
Unable to hold back, Raon smacked Wrath on the head.
Thud!
With a sound like a stone breaking, Wrath’s face hit the ground.
[How dare you! To a monarch like me…]
“Consider yourself lucky I’m not chewing you up!”
Raon snarled, pressing his teeth together fiercely in front of Wrath, who was trembling.
Kkugh! Wrath, startled, massaged his face and backed away.
“Sigh…”
Raon sighed and looked at the Fire Spirit King that Wrath had expelled. Unlike the first time he saw it, there was almost no fire energy left.
“To kill it right after birth, isn’t that too much?”
[The monarch did warn you repeatedly. That creature is to blame for not listening to the monarch’s words!]
Wrath shook his head, insisting it wasn’t his fault.
“Even so, you could have just beaten it moderately and sent it back. Was this really necessary?”
[The monarch only intended to give a taste of his wrath at first.]
“And then?”
[The reduced flame looked like a scoop of sherbet ice cream. It looked too delicious…]
Wrath licked his lips, unable to resist.
[In any case, it wasn’t the monarch’s fault! That brat dared to challenge a rock with an egg, so I educated him…]
“If you don’t want to eat nothing but nadin bread for the rest of your life, shut your mouth.”
Mmmpf! Wrath clasped his hands over his mouth and bowed his head. Food threats were more effective than mental pressure on him. It was hard to believe he was the Demon King of Wrath.
‘What should I do…’
If it was discovered that he had eaten the Fire Spirit King and killed it, his merit for saving the elves would be nullified, and he might be hunted for life. That had to be prevented at all costs.
‘I’ll do anything if there’s a chance to save it… huh?’
As he bit his lip and observed the Fire Spirit King, a tiny spark flickered.
‘It’s not dead yet?’
Though weak, a small flame began to ignite again within the bead.
Raon reached out to the bead that had been the Fire Spirit King. He felt a faint warmth.
‘I can save it.’
The reason the Fire Spirit King sought him out was not to form a contract but because it instinctively felt the energy of its ancestor.
Using the [Mana Heart] and the [Ring of Fire], he could surely save it.
Buzz!
Purifying the flame of the [Mana Heart] with the [Ring of Fire], he condensed the purest flame. Carefully holding the Fire Spirit King, he let the flames from his fingers flow into it.
Hwaaaaa!
A pale golden flame seeped around the Fire Spirit King. The light was like the midday sun meeting the evening glow.
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched the Fire Spirit King breathe faintly.
‘It’s coming back to life.’
The Fire Spirit King, initially the size of a candy, absorbed the flames from the [Mana Heart] and began to grow.
Even though Wrath had beaten it, the Fire Spirit King’s status as a king was unmistakable, as it quickly grew to the size of a child.
‘Its appearance is different.’
Unlike the lizard helmet the Flame Demon wore, the Fire Spirit King had a human male appearance. He was extremely handsome, with sharp eyebrows that gave him a fierce look.
“Ugh…”
The Fire Spirit King slowly opened his eyes. Unlike humans or reptiles, his eyes were split in half and turned towards Raon.
“Sigh…”
Raon sighed in relief, clutching his chest.
‘It’s alive.’
The Fire Spirit King’s energy had returned to its original state. It was a great relief not to become an enemy of the elves and spirits.
“Are you conscious now?”
“Hu…man?”
The Fire Spirit King blinked, still confused about the situation. It wasn’t surprising since he had narrowly escaped being eaten by the Demon King.
“I feel an unusually familiar energy…”
He locked eyes with Raon and slowly raised his upper body.
“Yes, I followed that energy to find you.”
The Fire Spirit King nodded, saying he was instinctively drawn to Raon. Although his informal speech was irksome, Raon let it slide since he was a spirit king and probably still disoriented.
“But within you was a monster. An evil and immense power that even I, born as a king, could not handle. All I could do was struggle.”
He hung his head, admitting he had fought to save Raon but had been defeated.
[The monarch is not a monster!]
Wrath, who had been squished, sprang up.
[The Demon King’s army… Huff!]
Raon quickly rushed over and clamped Wrath’s mouth shut.
“…”
But the Fire Spirit King’s eyes were already fixed on Wrath.
“Hhhuuuuh! That… that monster is here too!”
The Fire Spirit King trembled all over like a deer in front of a predator, stumbling backward.
“It’s that creature! Why is that monster here!”
His face turned pale with fear, uncharacteristic of a Fire Spirit King. It seemed he sensed only Wrath’s energy.
“There’s no need to worry.”
Raon bounced Wrath like a ball and shook his head.
“He can’t do anything right now.”
[Can’t do anything? Do not underestimate the monarch!]
“Nadin bread.”
Huff! At the mention of nadin bread, Wrath shut his mouth again.
“Oh…?”
The Fire Spirit King widened his eyes, watching Wrath unable to move under Raon’s control.
‘What is this…?’
How is that monster sitting still?
It was unbelievable that the creature, which had overpowered him, was now subdued by a human.
“Don’t mind him.”
Raon threw Wrath behind him and shook his head.
“Are you okay?”
“Na…din bread?”
The Fire Spirit King repeated the words Raon had said earlier.
[What?]
Wrath peeked over Raon’s shoulder, scowling.
[Hey! Flame brat! Do you really want to die? If it weren’t for that human, you’d be dead, eaten by the monarch!]
“Hhhuuuk!”
Remembering being chewed on by Wrath, the Fire Spirit King recoiled, curling up his limbs.
[I’d have even chewed your bones…]
“Nadin bread.”
Wrath, about to pounce on the Fire Spirit King again, froze mid-air as Raon called out.
The power of nadin bread ignored even inertia.
[Damn it…]
“When I told you to stay still, I meant it.”
Raon grabbed Wrath by the tail, tossed him aside, and approached the Fire Spirit King.
“As I said, don’t mind him…”
“Who are you?”
The Fire Spirit King straightened and spoke more formally.
“Pardon?”
“How can a human tame such a monster?”
[Tame? Has this creature lost its mind? There’s nothing that can tame the monarch…]
“Sss!”
Guh… As Raon clicked his tongue, Wrath closed his mouth again.
“Ha…”
The Fire Spirit King looked at Raon in shock and fear.
“I am Raon Zieghart, just a regular human.”
“A… regular?”
“Yes.”
Raon nodded calmly.
“You’ve subdued a monster with a greater chill than the Water Spirit King who was born with me, and you call yourself regular!”
The Fire Spirit King shook his head, saying he was born not long ago but had common sense.
Raon squinted his eyes at the trembling Fire Spirit King.
‘Thankfully, he doesn’t know about Wrath.’
Though he had common sense, he lacked experience and didn’t know Wrath’s true identity.
“Please tell me how you subdued that monster.”
“It was a battle of willpower.”
Raon tapped Wrath’s head.
“I endured his icy energy with mental strength and won.”
“How could you withstand such soul-crushing pain…?”
The Fire Spirit King gaped, asking how he could endure the agony.
“Tell me the secret if there is one!”
“I just endured it. What other method is there?”
Raon waved his hand dismissively.
[That human is a freak! You can’t do it even if you die and come back to life!]
Wrath snorted, saying it was futile to try.
“Ah…”
The Fire Spirit King stared at Raon for a long time, then bowed his head and placed his trembling hand on the ground.
“I will follow you!”
[What?]
Wrath yelled in disbelief.
“I read that humans call someone they respect ‘big brother’. From now on, I will call you brother!”
The Fire Spirit King bowed his head again, asking to be accepted.
“Ha…”
Raon laughed, looking at the back of the trembling Fire Spirit King’s head.
It seemed Wrath had unwittingly helped again.
Raon calmed the Fire Spirit King and patted his shoulder.
“I am not someone the king should follow.”
The Fire Spirit King insisted that he fought Wrath to save Raon and would follow him, revealing a somewhat good-natured spirit king.
“No, just saving me from that demon’s jaws is enough to warrant my allegiance!”
It seemed the spirit king had made a major mistake from the start.
“My name is Ifrit! I will follow Raon hyung for life!”
“Ifrit?”
Raon squinted at the name of the Fire Spirit King.
“The previous Fire Spirit King’s name was also Ifrit…”
“Ifrit is the name of the Fire Spirit King itself. One must inherit that name to wield the power of fire.”
Ifrit nodded, explaining that spirit kings are born that way.
“Hmm…”
Raon raised his hand, igniting the flame of the [Mana Heart].
“Does this flame remind you of anything?”
“It feels nostalgic. That’s why I followed you, feeling that emotion.”
Ifrit smiled, saying it was a strange feeling. It seemed he had sensed Raon’s flame as ancestral energy.
“It seems like we are connected from a past life.”
For someone just born to talk about nostalgia and past lives was peculiar.
“First, stop calling me brother…”
“Let me give you a small gift, brother.”
From Ifrit’s raised finger, a small flame flew and touched Raon’s chest.
Hwaaaaa!
The warm flame spread through his body and seeped into his mana circuits.
“This is…”
“It’s the Flame of Blessing used to nurture a contractor.”
“Flame of Blessing?”
“Mastering that flame will elevate your fire to a new realm.”
“What do you mean…”
“Explaining more will reduce its effect. You must realize it yourself to achieve its full potential.”
Ifrit shook his head, saying that explaining everything would diminish its effect.
“I want to stay with you, but the Spirit World keeps calling me. Many things seem to have collapsed in the time I was gone.”
“Ah…”
Stairin, Erien, and Rimmer had said the balance in the Spirit World had been disrupted by the absence of two spirit kings. It seemed the other spirit kings were constantly summoning Ifrit.
“We will meet again soon.”
Ifrit bowed respectfully and vanished as a small flame.
“Sigh…”
As Ifrit disappeared, Raon sighed and fell backward.
‘This is crazy.’
The Demon King had eaten the Fire Spirit King, and the barely revived spirit king now called him brother. It felt like a dream.
[Ahem…]
Wrath approached, squinting, and tapped Raon’s shoulder.
[You know this is all thanks to the monarch, right? When else would you become the brother of such a flame brat?]
Wrath raised his nose, telling Raon to be grateful.
“…”
Raon grabbed Wrath’s head and tail and stretched him like laundry.
Kkyyaaak!
“When will you stop causing trouble!”
[The monarch was only trying to protect his home!]
Wrath shook his head, saying he was just repelling the Fire Spirit King who had intruded.
“Hmm…”
Raon released Wrath and nodded.
‘He’s not entirely wrong.’
From Wrath’s perspective, the Fire Spirit King had suddenly appeared, so he had tried to protect himself and Raon. Though trying to eat the spirit king was insane.
And. Wrath glared at Raon.
[You’d better stop underestimating the monarch.]
‘Huh?’
[The monarch has gained new power.]
‘New power?’
[Normally, the monarch wouldn’t care, but to defeat you, I’ve accepted that flame brat’s energy!]
With those words, a crimson flame flared in Wrath’s chubby hand.
The monarch now wields not only ice but fire… ‘Sigh…’
Raon rubbed his temples, looking at the confident Wrath.
‘What use is fire that’s weaker than your ice?’
[What…?]
‘Besides, I have high resistance to fire. Wanna try?’
Raon gestured with his finger, inviting Wrath to attack.
Fizzle…
The flame in Wrath’s hand went out. He trembled and sat down.
[Damn it…]
As Raon chuckled, the ground quaked, and a baby fox covered in dirt popped out.
[Ahhh! Madwoman!]
Wrath yelped and backed away.
“Merlin!”
“You’re safe!”
Merlin wagged her paws, smiling. She seemed more lively, her voice full of energy.
“I was really worried.”
She apologized, saying she wanted to help but didn’t have the strength.
“No, I told you not to move.”
Raon had insisted she stay hidden during the fight with Eden, as someone might be watching.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I feel fine after resting.”
Merlin blushed, saying she was now full of energy.
“How’s the situation with Eden? Have they retreated?”
“The operation was for the Flame Demon. With him dead, it’s all over.”
She nodded, saying the whole affair was meant to enhance the Flame Demon.
“Then Heavenly Demon must be quite upset.”
“Probably. He’s frowning right now.”
“He’s frowning right now?”
“Yes.”
Merlin grinned and scratched the ground with her paw.
“He’s in a meeting.
The sky above the blue coast, where the red sun was always shining, darkened.
Heavenly Demon, sitting at an antique wooden desk, glanced to his right.
“…So they’re all dead? By Raon Zieghart?”
“Y-yes.”
The green-eyed demon in the mask nodded.
“…”
Heavenly Demon said nothing, tapping his fingers on the desk. The mask of a peerless young man flickered with a strange light.
“Since Eogwisa went as the supervisor, the combat force wasn’t high, so I understand why he died. But Cassandra was a Grandmaster, and the Flame Demon was even stronger.”
He continued, brushing back his disheveled hair.
“The Flame Demon, who absorbed the World Tree’s barrier, should have reached high-level Grandmaster. It’s hard to believe Raon Zieghart defeated him.”
“Raon Zieghart wasn’t alone. The high elf Siyan, who we thought was useless, summoned the Water Spirit King.”
“A newborn spirit king can’t have proper thoughts. Ultimately, it means Raon Zieghart ruined everything.”
Heavenly Demon’s soft smile carried a murderous intent.
“Well, there was something strange.”
“Strange?”
“Raon Zieghart was supposed to be a guest in Sephia, but he scouted the battlefield faster than any other guardian.”
The green-eyed demon bowed his head, saying it was unusual.
“…”
Heavenly Demon stroked his chin and looked to the right.
“Merlin.”
His gaze turned to Merlin, lying on the beach as if sunbathing.
“Do you know anything?”