The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 669
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“What… what are you saying right now?”
“You’re insulting the gods! What madness is this?”
“Why are your eyes black…?”
The high priests and the kingdom’s officials trembled as they stared at the black tint in King Bauren’s eyes.
“You don’t seem surprised.”
King Bauren smiled gently at Raon, ignoring the wide-eyed priests. Black demonic energy was slowly rising from his shoulders.
“You knew from the start, didn’t you?”
“I wasn’t certain.”
Raon shook his head as he stared at King Bauren’s grotesquely twisted eyes.
“It was just a suspicion after hearing from Sir Hoppen.”
Raon gestured toward Hoppen, who stood with tear-filled eyes, unable to believe his father’s transformation.
“What did you hear?”
King Bauren stroked his chin, feigning curiosity.
“Sir Hoppen mentioned that when Sir Byton died, you were so stricken with grief that you couldn’t do anything for a while. It doesn’t make sense for someone who loves their children that much to send their youngest son on a dangerous mission without proper investigation.”
Raon lowered his gaze calmly and then looked up.
“Moreover, instead of feeling relieved that your youngest son returned safely, you kept giving me empty thanks.”
King Bauren hadn’t even called Hoppen for a private conversation, nor had he reprimanded the intelligence department for their sloppy investigation.
That wasn’t how a father who had lost three sons would behave.
“It meant there was something more important to you than your son, or you had undergone a significant change… or both.”
Raon continued with certainty.
“Sending forces to the distant Dibarn Mountains without proper investigation was likely to prevent Zieghart from getting involved, wasn’t it?”
“Haa…”
King Bauren lightly tapped his forehead.
“You’re right. You’ve read me completely.”
He nodded toward his one remaining son with a faint smile, a mix of warmth and coldness in his gaze.
“I must have been too hasty, with the grand plan so close at hand. I regret not being able to see the shock on your face.”
Despite Raon’s accurate deduction, King Bauren remained calm, nodding as if he had no problem admitting his role as the mastermind behind it all.
“F-Father… are you really…?”
Hoppen’s hands trembled, unable to accept the truth.
“Damn it!”
Saintess Olga ground her teeth so hard it seemed they might break.
“I didn’t believe it! I refused to believe it to the very end! Why are you doing this?!”
Tears welled up in her eyes, a stark contrast to her ferocious glare.
“What is happening?”
Paladin Kinnear gripped his gauntlets, biting his lip.
“Why are you all speaking as if His Majesty is the culprit?!”
He shouted at King Bauren in disbelief.
“You two don’t understand.”
King Bauren looked at Olga and Kinnear, shaking his head calmly.
“I love this kingdom. I value it more than my own life.”
He pointed to the kingdom below, now slowly filling with darkness.
“But after becoming king, I realized something. This vast kingdom is fragile, easily wiped away by the flick of someone’s hand, regardless of my devotion.”
“What are you…?”
“My firstborn died on his second mission, devoured by a sorcerer from the Black Tower. They couldn’t even recover his bones. My second son died while serving the gods, torn apart by Eden’s Iron-Blooded Ogre. Even though my beloved sons were killed, I couldn’t seek revenge. And why?”
A sinister smile crept across King Bauren’s face.
“Because the gods didn’t want revenge. But more importantly, I couldn’t exact revenge because those monsters, the Omas, would crush this kingdom like a paper castle!”
Black blood trickled from his lips, like a flow of darkness.
“I prayed. I vowed not to seek revenge, to erase my anger. I begged endlessly for them not to take any more of my children. But….”
A twisted chuckle slipped from his blackened lips.
“The priests, the holy knights, and countless innocent citizens continued to die by the blades of evildoers. Then your third brother died in Barene, in front of your eyes. He was drained of blood by the leader of the White Religion. I can’t even imagine how much pain he must have suffered, how lonely he must have felt.”
“…….”
Raon remained silent, unable to speak, as he had witnessed Byton’s death firsthand.
“I wanted revenge. I wanted to drain the blood from their bodies, just as they had done to my son. But I couldn’t. The gods didn’t want revenge, and I lacked the power to seek it. That’s when I realized.”
King Bauren smiled as he gazed up at the darkening sky.
“There is no god in this world. What I prayed and begged to was nothing more than a worthless bastard!”
“Father…”
Hoppen trembled as he heard his father’s deranged laughter.
“Your Majesty…”
Kinnear clenched his teeth, still unable to believe it.
“So, I grabbed the hand of the darkness that approached me. Unlike the deaf gods, it answered me immediately.”
King Bauren clasped his hands together. As the light gathered between his palms, black darkness began to bloom.
“You’re the deaf one!”
Saintess Olga stepped forward, shouting at King Bauren.
“How do you think we protected you all this time? How could you….”
Her eyes, filled with fury, now glistened with sorrow as she stared at him.
“Saintess. No, Olga.”
King Bauren gazed at her with a smile that seemed to shatter the sanctity of the kingdom.
“You are the most noble person in this kingdom. But you’re far too kind.”
“Shut up!”
“I’ll kill that idiot god of yours. Soon… hmm?”
King Bauren’s words halted, his eyes narrowing.
“What is this?”
He frowned, noticing that the demonic energy rising toward the holy barrier had stopped.
“I thought we removed all the holy relics and holy water?”
He muttered, confused as to why the demonic energy had stopped.
“We were prepared.”
Raon gestured toward the ground below, where holy knights and the Light Wind Division were suppressing the demonic energy with relics and holy water.
“No matter who made a pact with the demon, we’re ready to stop them.”
“Hah, they say the true weapon of the Dragonslayer is not the sword but the tongue and the mind. I guess that’s true.”
Even as he watched the Light Wind Division block the demonic energy, King Bauren didn’t lose his composure.
“But it’s only a matter of time.”
He clasped his hands together once more, and the demonic energy between his palms rose into the air, spreading across the kingdom.
Boom!
Raon gritted his teeth, stepping forward with the **Supreme Harmony Steps**. Leaping into the sky, he drew both the **Heavenly Sword** and the **Soul Requiem Sword**.
Before he even exhaled, the two swords unleashed a torrent of freezing energy.
Swoosh!
The sharpened blades, forged through countless battles, crushed the demonic energy.
However, the demonic energy summoned by King Bauren was so vile that Raon couldn’t stop it completely. Except for the west, demonic energy rained down on the northern, eastern, and southern sides of the kingdom.
Rumble!
Monsters, wreathed in black flames, rose from the demonic energy that crashed into the ground, howling in fury.
“Ah…”
“Waaaaah!”
“M-monsters!”
“Save us… Guh!”
“Run! Get out of here… ugh!”
The citizens, who had been praying, were either crushed underfoot or devoured by the monsters before they could even flee.
“Ugh…”
“S-save us!”
“Gods….”
The monsters’ strength and ferocity far surpassed ordinary creatures, leaving the helpless citizens of Supere with no chance of escape. Their blood flowed across the searing white ground, fueling the black flames, which grew even more intense.
“Stop this!”
“Bauren!”
Raon and the saintess simultaneously charged toward King Bauren.
As Raon’s sharpened blade aimed for his neck and the saintess’s fist, glowing with divine power, hurtled toward him, the holy barrier and a blue light barrier blocked their way.
Boom!
A massive shockwave shook the spire, and black mist rose around them.
Standing in the mist were not just King Bauren, but also Priest Pirun and Royal Guard Captain Danieff. Behind them were four more high priests. It hadn’t been just the king who had fallen into darkness.
“P-Priest Pirun!”
The saintess clenched her teeth as she stared at Pirun’s cold, emotionless eyes.
“Even you?!”
She trembled, more heartbroken by this betrayal than by the king’s.
“As expected…”
Raon twisted his lips as he stared at Danieff, whose sword clashed with his.
“You two were in on it as well.”
Hoppen had mentioned that Pirun and Danieff had served King Bauren since childhood. During the Light Wind Division’s investigation, those three had always been together.
There was no way they wouldn’t have noticed the king’s transformation. Raon had suspected they had betrayed the kingdom together.
“Huh?”
King Bauren raised his eyebrows, seemingly impressed.
“I didn’t think you’d figure that out as well. But it’s all over now.”
King Bauren clasped his hands again, and darkness began to rise from beneath his feet.
“You’re finished.”
Darkness swirled around him, enveloping the spire’s floor without warning and causing it to collapse.
“The next time we meet, I will be a god.”
King Bauren slowly floated into the air, surrounded by a black sphere. Following him were Priest Pirun, whose smile had vanished, and Danieff, who remained as silent as ever.
“Ah…”
“Aaah!”
“S-save me!”
There were many people atop the spire, most of them priests wielding only holy power. If left to fall, dozens of people would be crushed or seriously injured as they collided with those below.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
Even as she cursed, the saintess was the first to move. She spread her divine power into a thick barrier to catch those falling.
“Bauren!”
Kinnear called out to the king’s name but still reached out to save the falling people.
“Huff…”
Raon extended both the **Heavenly Sword** and the **Soul Requiem Sword**, summoning the winds of the Light Wind Style and Garunua to slow the descent of the falling individuals.
Thanks to his concentration and the use of his Fire Ring, Raon was able to carefully catch everyone without making a single mistake.
However, by the time they finished saving the people, King Bauren and his followers had already disappeared into the black sphere.
Wooong!
The sphere, filled with demonic energy, swirled violently, encasing the king like a heartbeat. It covered the entire spire, and the suffocating flow of demonic energy sent shivers down Raon’s spine.
“Raon.”
Rimmer approached, his sword stained with black blood. He had already cut down several monsters and rushed over.
“Your predictions were right.”
“Damn. I hoped I’d be wrong…”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan also appeared, their swords dripping with black blood. They sighed deeply, having just fought off numerous monsters.
“Captain, the demonic energy is stronger than expected.”
Mark Gorton frowned as he flicked the blood off his sword.
“It’s as if something is holding us back. I can’t move properly.”
He shook his head, saying he couldn’t exert his full power.
“The holy relics and holy water help, but only for a short time.”
Dorian sighed as he pulled out more relics from his belly pouch.
-Of course.
Wrath nodded as he stared at the thin black flames rising from the ground.
-This is a sacrificial curse prepared from the Demon Realm. It’s meant to bind both body and mind to prevent the sacrifice from escaping.
‘You could’ve told me earlier.’
Raon furrowed his brow as he looked at Wrath.
-How would I have known they prepared this all the way from the Demon Realm! If I had known the one who made the pact was one of that bastard’s minions, I would’ve stopped it earlier!
Wrath shook his head in frustration, clearly regretting not acting sooner.
‘A sacrificial curse…’
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the demonic energy slowly envelop the holy barrier. It wasn’t trying to break through the barrier directly; instead, it was gradually building up its power.
‘This was their plan all along.’
The entire day had been spent praying, amassing holy power, so from the outside, it would still look like the Holy Festival was proceeding as usual.
King Bauren had aimed for this exact moment, intending to use the entire kingdom as a sacrifice to increase his power.
‘And…’
A demon is also on the move.
It wasn’t the demon that had made the pact with King Bauren, but rather the one Raon had sensed when he first arrived. That demon was now active.
While it wasn’t an exceptionally strong demon on its own, dealing with it inside this cursed barrier would not be easy.
“I’ll take care of the demonic energy.”
Paladin Kinnear unsheathed his pristine white sword. As the blade, designed to dispel darkness, struck the ground, a bright, pure light spread outward, starting to suppress the demonic flames.
“Kuh, this is stronger than I thought…”
Kinnear’s face paled as he struggled against the overwhelming force. Even the most powerful paladin of the holy knights was struggling to push back the dark energy covering the walls and the ground.
“Pathetic.”
Saintess Olga placed her hand on Kinnear’s sword. From her small hand bloomed an immense light, as if a radiant mountain had risen from the heart of the kingdom.
Kwaaaah!
A surge of divine power extinguished the black flames burning all around them.
“You couldn’t even handle this?”
The saintess furrowed her brow as she glanced at Kinnear.
“Don’t compare me to a monster like you.”
Kinnear gritted his teeth and shook his head.
“Can you at least hold on?”
“Do you think I can’t?”
His eyebrows furrowed as he asked her to trust him.
“Hoppen.”
“Y-Yes…”
Still in a daze, Hoppen flinched when Kinnear called out to him.
“I grant you the authority to command all the holy knights.”
Kinnear handed over the paladin’s insignia, which had been pinned to his chest.
“Wipe out the monsters.”
“I-I…”
Hoppen didn’t take the insignia immediately, swallowing dryly.
“It’s not fair for a son to bear the consequences of his father’s sins. But…”
Raon approached Hoppen, sighing softly.
“Right now, you must bear that unfair burden.”
“…Understood.”
Hoppen clenched his teeth and took the paladin’s insignia.
“A demon is on the move.”
Raon raised his finger toward the black barrier covering the spire and pointed it toward the Light Wind Division.
“Do whatever it takes to stop it.”
“If the captain is asking, we’ll handle it.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.”
“Finish this quickly so we can get ice cream.”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan all nodded, showing their confidence.
“I’ll do my best too.”
Mark Gorton nodded as well, his eyes full of determination.
“So, my opponent is up there?”
Rimmer tapped his waist, patting his sword.
“I’m counting on you.”
“I’m going too. Even if I die, I’ll make sure to beat the crap out of those bastards first.”
The saintess wiped the blood trickling from her mouth as she looked up. There was now an additional mark on her thigh, where her skin had melted from overusing her holy power. Raon knew there was no point in trying to stop her.
He nodded, then placed his hand on the black energy surrounding the entire spire.
—
“They’re coming from the right!”
At Burren’s shout, the Light Wind Division shifted their formation to the right.
Rumble!
A black-flamed beast charged across the ground, tearing it apart as it rushed forward. Its three tails, each with an eye at the end, swung like whips. It was a creature unlike any found in this world.
“Squad One, full charge!”
Martha led the swordsmen of Squad One, pushing off the ground. Wind from the Light Wind Style gathered around their swords, and their blue strikes flashed brightly.
Boom!
The beast, which had been crashing through buildings, was cut into dozens of pieces and dissolved into black mist.
Whooosh!
As the Light Wind Division lowered their swords, a massive bird-like monster swooped down from the sky, its talon-like axes ready to strike.
Sching!
Runaan and Squad Two had been waiting. A web of blue frost spread across the air, followed by the wind that engulfed the bird-like creature.
Crack!
As the monster’s wings froze and it tried to escape, Mark Gorton’s thunderous slash struck it, splitting it in two and melting its body.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for saving us.”
The surviving citizens bowed their heads, their legs trembling.
“Here, take this.”
Dorian pulled small bottles of holy water from his belly pouch and sprinkled them over the survivors.
“Move to the west. It’s safer there.”
Burren pointed them toward the west, where no monsters had yet fallen, and resumed his duties.
‘Mastering the Light Wind Style has been a huge help.’
The monsters were individually powerful, and it would have taken a lot of aura to deal with them, but thanks to the Light Wind Style, they were much more efficient in combat.
They wouldn’t be able to kill all the monsters, but they could buy a significant amount of time.
“Where is that demon hiding?”
Martha clicked her tongue in frustration.
“There’s too much interference. We won’t be able to find it.”
Burren shook his head, licking his lips.
“But I know where it’s headed.”
“You do?”
“Yes. If we go there now, we’ll find it.”
Burren nodded and turned around, channeling his aura to full power as he retraced their steps.
“This is the way we came, isn’t it?”
Krein tilted his head in confusion.
“The demon’s target is obvious.”
“Oh!”
Martha clapped her hands, realizing what Burren meant.
“Everyone, return at full speed!”
Burren shouted, telling the group to hurry as they rushed toward the spire where Raon and the king had been praying.
As they neared, they could see Kinnear, still holding off the demonic energy, but the central road split open, and black flames burst forth.
The black flames formed into a massive dog, its neck bound by a spiked collar. With a single swipe of its tail, it demolished the surrounding buildings.
Roar!
Riding atop the giant dog was a young man with black hair and black eyes, a small horn jutting from his forehead. He pointed at Kinnear, and the beast lunged forward with flames in its maw.
Just before the demonic flames could engulf Kinnear, the Light Wind Division rushed forward to block the attack.
Whoosh!
The black flames were dispersed by the winds of the Light Wind Style, sinking back into the ground.
“Hah, I thought I was dead…”
Kinnear exhaled in relief, resting his hand on his sword.
“How dare you interfere!”
The black-haired, black-eyed demon glared at the Light Wind Division, his lips twisting into a snarl.
“You think lowly humans can stop me?”
“You’re the one talking nonsense, demon.”
Martha sneered as she stared down the demon.
“We don’t fight trash like you every day. We fight demon kings.”
“We’ve got nothing to fear.”
Runaan nodded calmly.
Despite the demonic energy, the Light Wind Division showed no fear as they tightened their grips on their swords.
“These humans…”
The demon’s black eyes wavered in disbelief as he saw the division remain unfazed by his demonic energy.