The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 673
Whoooosh!
The demonic energy that had covered the sky and ground gathered around King Bauren, forming a black-and-red armor. A terrifying killing intent flowed from the sinisterly gleaming gauntlets and boots. His presence was overwhelming, demanding attention from all.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed King Bauren, whose body was now condensed with monstrous demonic energy.
‘The scale of his power is entirely different.’
– He’s absorbed all the divine power spread throughout this entire country.
Wrath nodded as if it were an obvious fact.
– The amount of demonic energy he possesses is like the ocean, and his body has far surpassed the limits of a human. However…
Wrath clicked his tongue as he looked at Bauren, who was sweeping his gauntlets.
– That’s all there is to it. You understand what I mean, don’t you?
‘Yes.’
Raon nodded calmly. Just as Wrath said, King Bauren’s power had grown exponentially, but Raon wasn’t worried. There was a clear method to defeat such a monster.
“I’ll break that mouth of yours first.”
With a fierce push, King Bauren launched himself into the sky. Before Raon could blink, Bauren’s punch was already coming from the left. The speed was terrifying—Raon could hear the sound only after the punch had already arrived.
Whoosh!
Raon subtly twisted his left wrist, gripping the Soul Requiem Sword. The frosty blade curved at an angle, deflecting the strike.
Boom!
Bauren’s destructive punch traveled along the sword’s curved blade and lashed through the air. A crushing sound reverberated as the air itself was torn apart.
Srrrng!
Without taking a single step back, Raon straightened his right hand and wrist. The blade of the Heavenly Sword thrust toward Bauren’s heart.
Slash!
A red scar appeared on Bauren’s breastplate, as though a snake had wriggled across it.
“Kugh!”
Bauren retreated hastily to avoid having his heart pierced. Spinning through the air like a leaf on the wind, he gathered demonic energy in his right leg and brought it down with a fierce stomp.
The demonic energy gathered in his heel was so powerful that black sparks flew from it. This wasn’t just improvisation—Bauren had clearly mastered a sophisticated martial art.
Rumble!
A demonic force more powerful than his initial strike surged from Bauren’s leg, carrying the weight of a boulder pressing down on Raon’s shoulders.
Boom!
Raon raised the Soul Requiem Sword and unleashed the Frost Storm Sword. A frosty slash, imbued with the blue wind of the Light Wind Division, gracefully deflected Bauren’s leg technique.
Crash!
Bauren’s stomp missed Raon and instead slammed into the tower’s column, causing the entire structure to begin collapsing. Steel beams, rocks, and wood scattered wildly.
“You can’t fly, can you?”
Bauren sneered, spreading his two pairs of wings wide.
“So what?”
“It means you can’t run anymore!”
Seizing the opportunity, Bauren unleashed a barrage of punches at Raon as he fell, aiming for every vital spot with his gauntlet-covered fists, blazing with dark energy.
“I never intended to run.”
Raon chuckled coldly as he crossed the Heavenly Sword and Soul Requiem Sword in front of him. The frost and flames surged together, tearing apart Bauren’s heavy demonic energy into four pieces.
Whooosh!
As if expecting his attack to be deflected, Bauren swiftly moved to Raon’s lower right side and threw a punch infused with demonic energy, black light spilling from between his fingers.
Boom!
Raon stepped back onto the falling steel beam, using the wind of the Light Wind Division at his feet to retreat behind Bauren.
“Tch!”
Bauren followed with a short flap of his wings, kicking upward with terrifying speed. His blackened boots crushed the air as they approached Raon.
Bang!
Raon kicked off a broken brick, moving to the opposite side.
He used the falling steel, rocks, and wood like stepping stones, dodging every one of Bauren’s relentless attacks.
He was like a leaf floating above a storm.
“You little rat!”
As Bauren, now clearly agitated, recklessly charged forward, Raon’s eyes gleamed.
‘Finally, the moment has come.’
Since the tower had started collapsing, Bauren had been attacking nonstop without considering a counterattack. This was the perfect opportunity to strike at his blind spot.
Whoosh!
Raon didn’t retreat this time. Instead, he advanced, thrusting the Heavenly Sword.
“What are you aiming at, you fool… huh?”
Bauren sneered as he saw the Heavenly Sword miss its target, but his expression twisted when a blazing red orb appeared at the tip of the sword.
Whoooosh!
A fiery sphere, like a miniature sun, surged toward Bauren’s outstretched fist, pulling him in. It was Raon Zieghart’s Second Form: Sky Cannon.
“Ugh…”
“It’s already too late.”
Though Bauren tried to pull back, the gravitational pull of the Sky Cannon caught his wrist and wouldn’t let go.
Boom!
The fiery cannonball exploded, completely obliterating Bauren’s right arm. The remnants of the tower turned to black ash, scattered by the wind.
“Those wings seem useless. Why don’t you just tear them off?”
Raon landed gracefully and motioned toward Bauren, who was clutching his right shoulder.
“Shut your mouth!”
Bauren gritted his teeth as a new arm began to grow from his shoulder. His regeneration was even more advanced than a troll’s—he was no longer human.
“Is that really King Bauren?”
“Not in form or character. He’s just a piece of trash now.”
“A real demon.”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan frowned as they watched Bauren regenerate his arm.
“Ugh, the smell of sewage!”
“Damn…”
Rimmer pinched his nose at the stench of demonic energy, while Saintess Olga ground her teeth in frustration, unable to move.
“Father…”
Hopen bowed his head, clasping his hands in thought.
“All of you, stay back.”
Raon gave the order to retreat to everyone behind him as he firmly gripped both the Heavenly Sword and the Soul Requiem Sword.
“This is just the beginning.”
—
Bauren glanced at his newly regenerated arm and bit his lip. Though he could regenerate the arm that had been obliterated thanks to his demonic energy, that wasn’t the important issue at hand.
‘Raon Zieghart…’
What is that man?
I possess far more demonic energy than him, and my physical strength isn’t lacking in comparison either.
I’m using demonic energy that should easily crush something as insignificant as his aura, but he isn’t faltering. It feels like I’m facing an impenetrable wall.
‘No. That can’t be right!’
Raon is not a god. He’s a human. A young human who hasn’t even reached transcendence yet.
There is a limit to the *Divine Swords of Heaven and Hell*, and his aura has its limits as well.
If I overwhelm him with sheer demonic energy, he will have no choice but to kneel.
“I’ll drain you dry.”
Bauren stepped forward, shattering the ground beneath him, and threw a light punch. *Divine Fist*, a supreme fist technique that praised speed like a hymn to the gods, now tainted with demonic energy, shot toward Raon’s heart.
Raon didn’t lose his calm smile as he raised his red sword. The flowing flames of the *Soul Requiem Sword* smoothly deflected the trajectory of the *Divine Fist*.
Boom!
Rather than shattering Raon’s sword, Bauren’s fist was deflected downward, slamming into the ground. A pitch-black crater formed, but Raon hadn’t moved an inch from his position.
‘Keep going! Push harder!’
Bauren summoned more demonic energy, unleashing a storm of *Divine Fists* and *Blossoming Kicks* in quick succession. His fists and legs tore through the surrounding buildings as they rushed toward Raon.
However, those fierce attacks dissipated like a gentle breeze before Raon’s two swords. His breathing remained steady, not even a single drop of sweat falling from his brow.
He didn’t look like someone in the midst of a deadly battle. His calm expression was more akin to someone reading a book or sipping tea.
“Hah…”
Bauren breathed heavily, his chin trembling.
“What is this? What’s happening?!”
According to his plan, Raon should have been exhausted by now, barely able to grip his sword, but the one losing strength was Bauren.
He couldn’t believe it. His energy, his physical strength, his martial arts—everything about him should have been superior to Raon’s.
“I’ve gained the power to become a god! How can I not take down a single man?!”
Bauren screamed in frustration as he unleashed a final surge of energy with *Divine Fist’s* ultimate technique. The red gauntlets emitted a massive demonic flash that blinded the entire battlefield.
Boom!
Raon stepped forward, driving his left foot into the ground. The *Heavenly Sword* in his right hand glowed red. His sword, faster than sound, split the core of Bauren’s demonic energy in half.
But he didn’t stop there. Raon let the energy flow across his skin, cutting through the rest of the demonic power with elegant sword strikes that seemed like a dream.
Slash!
Bauren hastily tried to form a barrier of demonic energy to defend himself, but the blurry trail of the *Soul Requiem Sword* pierced through the barrier, carving a deep scar into his chest.
“Guh!”
Bauren staggered back, clutching his chest as black blood oozed from both his mouth and the gaping wound.
‘How… how can this be…?’
He had blocked it. He had used more demonic energy than Raon had wielded, so how had he been pierced? It felt like he was trapped in a nightmare.
“I warned you.”
Raon looked down at Bauren, the corners of his lips curling.
“I told you I’d show you how worthless the power you’ve gained really is.”
—
Bauren grabbed a fistful of blood-soaked earth and gritted his teeth.
“Why… why am I losing? This doesn’t make sense!”
“It’s simple.”
Raon tilted his head as he stared down at Bauren.
“The only thing you’ve gained is ‘power.’”
“What?”
“What’s important for a warrior is the harmony between essence, energy, and mind. Your body may have transcended into something beyond human, and your demonic energy might be twice as abundant as my aura, but…”
Raon raised a finger and gently waved it.
“Your mind, your spirit—what we call ‘energy’—has not improved. In fact, by borrowing someone else’s power, your spirit has weakened. In simple terms, you’re nothing more than a child in the body of a saint.”
Although Bauren’s physical strength had indeed increased, and his demonic energy far surpassed Raon’s, the spirit that controlled that power had regressed to that of a peak-level Master or a Grandmaster at best. Right now, he was like a fool who didn’t know how to properly control his own strength.
“That… that can’t be…”
“Now let me ask you something.”
Raon stepped closer to Bauren, whose lips were trembling, and narrowed his eyes.
“Why did you go down this path? Did you really think that by gaining this power, you could destroy the White Religion or the Black Tower?”
“Because I couldn’t forgive.”
Bauren clenched his teeth and raised his head. His eyes were still ablaze with determination, fiercer than ever.
“What?”
“Do you know? There’s a passage in the holy scriptures that says, ‘True revenge is in forgiveness.’”
“I’ve heard that before.”
Raon nodded, recalling the phrase.
“At first, I believed that. I thought that erasing my desire for revenge would benefit everyone. But the more I tried, the more the urge for vengeance consumed me. That’s when I realized…”
Bauren let out a twisted smile, his eyes darkening.
“Forgiveness being the ‘true revenge’ is nothing but an excuse for the weak. Forgiveness is a pitiful excuse for those who lack the power to seek proper vengeance!”
Bauren regenerated the wound on his chest and thrust both arms back behind him.
“With this power, I will have my revenge. I will protect this kingdom!”
The black flames gathering in his hands coalesced into hundreds of demonic energy spheres.
Crackle!
As the overwhelming energy gathered, black sparks danced in the air, and the ground itself began to shake violently.
“Let’s end this.”
Even as he stared at the whirlwind of demonic energy before him, Raon didn’t flinch. He gripped the *Heavenly Sword* with his right hand and the *Soul Requiem Sword* with his left, stepping forward.
The flames and frost emanating from the blades grew into towering waves. They resembled two enormous brushes painting the air with a vibrant red and blue hue.
From the quiet tips of the swords surged a tide. Golden flames and silver frost waves crashed in from all directions, filling the sky and earth.
*Flame of Mana – Ocean of Flames.*
*Flame of Endlessness.*
The massive storm of demonic energy was trapped between the crashing waves of flame and frost, flattening under the pressure.
Slash!
Bauren’s arms and legs were torn apart as he was caught at the tail end of *Endless Flame*. He fell to the ground in pieces.
“Aaagh!”
Though his limbs began regenerating again, his mind had already collapsed, his eyes shaking uncontrollably.
Thud!
Raon drove the *Heavenly Sword* and the *Soul Requiem Sword* into Bauren’s shoulders. The Soul Requiem Sword, absorbing the demonic energy, gleamed faintly with a yellow light.
“Kuh…”
Bauren struggled, spitting black blood, but he couldn’t rise because of the *Soul Requiem Sword’s* parasitic power.
“I haven’t lost yet! I still…”
“Father!”
Hopen rushed forward, kneeling before Bauren.
“Please stop this!”
“Hopen! Pull these swords out of me! I still have work to do! I must avenge…”
“Brother never wanted revenge!”
Hopen shook his head firmly.
“What would you know?!”
“I know because I was there when he died!”
“You…”
“Even as the White Religion’s leader drained his blood, my brother pushed us away, smiling as he died. He was grateful he could die in someone else’s place. Even through the pain, he smiled and asked us to take care of you!”
Hopen’s eyes filled with tears as he recalled the death of his brother, Biten, in the town of Baren.
“Do you think he would have wanted you to seek revenge, to destroy this kingdom in the process? Never!”
Hopen screamed as he released all the emotions he’d been holding back.
“Please, come to your senses!”
Hopen clenched his teeth and struck Bauren in the face.
Thud!
Since he hadn’t infused his strike with aura, there wasn’t much physical damage.
But Bauren’s eyes quivered as if that punch had hurt more than any of Raon’s attacks.
“Ah…”
Bauren slowly turned his gaze. He saw the collapsed buildings, the citizens who had died without even leaving a body behind, and the demonic energy rising above the holy barriers.
Finally, he looked at his own body, regenerating even as his limbs were torn apart again and again, and trembled
.
“I… I…”
He abandoned his royal title and said “I” instead of “we” as he gasped for breath.
“Even if you’ve realized it, it’s too late, Father.”
Hopen bit down on his lip.
“Your sins cannot be repaid in a lifetime. No one will forgive you. But even so, you must rise again.”
“Bauren.”
Piren, the pale-faced priest, crawled toward King Bauren.
“It seems it’s over.”
No longer using honorifics, Piren spoke like a friend and shook his head.
“This is all my fault.”
Commander Danief of the Royal Guards approached, clutching his chest wound, and bowed his head.
“I should have stopped you, but I didn’t.”
“Danief…”
“But don’t worry. I’ll be by your side. We’ll spend the rest of our lives as slaves to this kingdom, atoning together.”
He placed a hand on Bauren’s shoulder.
“It’s time to end this.”
“I… I…”
Bauren bit his lip. With a resolute expression, he closed his eyes, then opened them again.
Whoooosh!
The demonic energy that had enveloped his entire body began to subside, like a flame doused with water. He was discarding the demonic energy.
“You’ve made the right decision! Now…”
Just as Hopen smiled faintly and nodded in relief—
Slash!
A pale white hand burst from Bauren’s mouth, tearing through his teeth and flesh as blood sprayed.
“Ugh! Uuugh!”
“The contract is terminated.”
A man’s voice, unknown to everyone, echoed from Bauren’s torn mouth, his teeth broken and his tongue severed.
“Wa… wait…”
Bauren tried to scream, but as he did, his mouth stretched wide, and a man emerged violently from within.
The man was dressed in a black suit, with pale skin and a fedora perched atop his head. His presence, however, was unlike anyone there. He was neither human nor monster—he was something far more sinister.
“S-Silcret…”
Bauren looked toward the man, his eyes growing cold as the finality of death set in.
“I clearly told you. The moment you abandon demonic energy, your body and soul belong to me. Ah, and as a bonus…”
The man, called Silcret, glanced at Piren and Danief beside Bauren and snapped his fingers.
“These two as well.”
Before the two could react to the sudden death of their friend, their bodies crumbled to dust like dried leaves.
Two gray fragments, the essence of their souls, were absorbed into Silcret’s body.
“Haaa…”
Silcret spread his arms and smiled as his lips curled upward.
“How long has it been since I’ve stepped out?”
“Wh-who are you?! What are you?!”
Hopen screamed at Silcret, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“As you guessed, I am Silcret, the demon who made a pact with your father. And…”
Silcret took off his fedora and bowed deeply.
“I am also this kingdom’s new ruler.”
From beneath Silcret’s feet, a dark demonic energy surged.
Whoooosh!
In an instant, the barrier of demonic energy rose, engulfing the entire kingdom. The suffocating pressure made it feel as though the entire space was being clenched in his fist.
“Ugh…”
“Wh-what’s happening…?”
“I can’t breathe…”
It wasn’t just Hopen. The entire Light Wind Division collapsed to their knees, clutching at their throats.
“Damn that bastard…”
“That guy… he’s the real deal. Fall back!”
Even Saintess Olga and Rimmer couldn’t withstand Silcret’s demonic energy, their legs and arms trembling.
“Kugh…”
“S-save…”
The priests and paladins couldn’t even summon their divine power. They collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
“Yes. This is how humans should look.”
Silcret nodded as he looked at the people kneeling and falling to the ground.
“But why are you still standing?”
He tilted his head as he looked at Raon, the only one still standing.
“My demonic energy is far too potent for a mere human to endure.”
“…”
Raon silently withdrew the *Heavenly Sword* and *Soul Requiem Sword* from Bauren’s body.
– Seeing such a weakling show off is making me sick.
Wrath frowned as he looked at Silcret.
– However, you won’t be able to beat him right now. This place is no different from the demon realm itself, and he’s absorbed too much demonic energy.
‘It’s fine. I won’t fight him.’
– What? You’re not going to fight?
‘Yes.’
Raon tilted his chin slightly and smiled.
‘I’m just going to beat him up.’
—
Silcret licked his lips as he stared at the lone young human standing before him.
‘Not bad.’
The amount and purity of the energy he possessed stood out, even among the other humans.
If I devour that human’s mana, I might be able to ascend to an even higher level.
‘But why…’
Why is he still standing?
No matter how much energy he has, he hasn’t yet reached transcendence.
There’s no way he should be able to stand so calmly on this land dominated by demonic energy.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Once he’s dead, it’ll be over.
Normally, I would have been more cautious, but now this land is practically the demon realm, and the amount of demonic energy I’ve accumulated surpasses even my original form. I can take on anyone.
“I don’t enjoy torture, so I’ll finish this quickly.”
Silcret raised his hand to sever the boy’s neck, but then…
A silver aura flared up on Raon’s shoulder. Oddly enough, it carried a clear trace of demonic energy.
The darkness that had engulfed the demon realm’s energy was driven back into the corners, trembling in fear of the radiant silver aura.
“Wh-what is that aura…?”
Silcret gulped, his body stepping back involuntarily. The more the silver aura flared, the more uncomfortable he felt, as if a giant hand was gripping his chest. His whole body felt like it was being squeezed by sharp wires.
“Ugh…”
His body moved by instinct, not logic. His shoulders, arms, and entire body twisted as he recoiled.
That’s no ordinary demonic energy. No, it’s of a completely different level—an aura that surpasses everything I know, something far beyond even the concept of demons.
“Ahhh!”
Silcret clawed at his own face as he screamed.
Raon’s eyes shimmered with the majestic power of a demon lord. An absolute ruler who cannot be gazed upon had turned his eyes upon him.
“Kneel.”