The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 674
Silcret’s legs trembled as if his joints had been dislocated.
‘This doesn’t make any sense….’
The blond boy standing before him was not a demon.
Normally, humans were less significant to him than the insects of the demon realm, but the moment he heard the boy’s voice, his soul seemed to bow down as all the strength drained from his body.
Thud.
He wanted to resist, but without realizing it, his knees hit the ground. A deeper fear than humiliation took control of his body.
“Ugh!”
Silcret trembled as he looked up. The blue fury swirled within the crimson eyes of the boy.
‘Fury….’
It was Wrath, the emotion of the king who ruled over the northern region of the demon realm. Wrath’s emotion.
It was a transcendent force, incomparable to any demonic energy, making every hair on his body stand on end.
But that wasn’t the only energy emanating from the boy.
‘Why do I sense both Sloth and Envy?’
Within the boy’s soul, the energies of Sloth and Envy were also present.
‘This doesn’t make sense….’
It was somewhat understandable for the King of Fury, Wrath, to occasionally extend a helping hand to humans on rare occasions.
But Sloth, the King of Sloth, and Envy, the King of Jealousy, were different.
Sloth cared for nothing except sleeping, and Envy despised humans so much that he rarely gave them any of his power.
No matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn’t fathom how this boy had acquired the traits of three demon kings.
“Are you Silcret?”
When the boy’s majestic voice flowed from his lips, it felt as though Silcret’s soul was gripped tightly in his hands.
“Yes, yes, I am.”
Silcret bowed his head as if he were facing a demon king himself.
‘I can’t resist….’
Even though this wasn’t the lord he served, it was impossible to defy a being who held the power of Wrath, Sloth, and Envy.
“What is your affiliation?”
“I, I am….”
“No need to say it. I can smell the stench of money on you from here.”
The boy frowned slightly and continued.
“Greed. You must be his servant.”
“Ugh….”
Silcret swallowed dryly as he lowered his head further.
‘What… what is he?’
Even among the demon kings, they maintained a certain level of respect for one another.
For this boy to not only speak informally about Greed but to refer to him as ‘that bastard,’ it was as if he were looking at Wrath himself.
“Who… who are you?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Silcret raised his eyes once again.
“Could you even handle it if I told you?”
The boy’s smile twisted wickedly, and Silcret felt his heart might burst from the pain.
“Urk….”
Unable to speak, Silcret bowed his head once again.
‘I can’t resist.’
It didn’t matter who this boy was or how he obtained the emotions of the demon kings. As long as the power of Wrath, Sloth, and Envy flowed from him, Silcret was nothing more than a mouse before a cat.
Silcret placed both hands on the ground and bent his waist in submission.
* * *
Raon smiled as he looked at Silcret, who was now kneeling with his forehead and hands touching the ground.
‘It’s working well.’
This was his first time encountering a real demon, so he had drawn not only Wrath’s Wrath but also Sloth’s laziness and Envy’s jealousy. It seemed he had gone too far, as Silcret was trembling like a dog caught in the rain.
It seemed that in the future, he could ease up a little when meeting other demons.
– W-What are you?!
Wrath leaped up from Raon’s shoulder, his eyes wide with shock.
– Since when did you start using the energy of all three kings at once?!
Wrath gaped in disbelief at Raon’s ability to freely wield not only Wrath but also Sloth and Envy.
Raon glanced at the left side of his chest, where his heart was, and shook his head lightly.
‘It’s thanks to the Ring of Fire.’
Drawing out the emotions of Wrath, Envy, and Sloth at the same time was certainly burdensome. His stamina, mental strength, and aura drained like water from a broken jar, and there was intense pain in his abdomen.
But the eight rings of fire resonated together, calming all the pain. While he couldn’t endure for long, it would be enough to handle Silcret.
Of all the martial techniques he had learned, the Ring of Fire was definitely the best.
– Ugh, how did you know that bastard was Greed’s servant?!
Wrath gritted his teeth, pointing to the completely subdued Silcret.
‘It was obvious.’
Raon casually waved his fingers.
‘You’ve always hated only two of the demon kings: Greed and Arrogance.’
Wrath despised all the other demon kings except for those two, and for some strange reason, he even feared the Lust King.
As soon as Silcret revealed his true form and began lusting after the kingdom, it was easy to deduce he was a servant of Greed.
– You’re annoyingly perceptive!
Wrath fumed, his lips trembling in frustration.
‘Thank you.’
– That’s not a compliment!
Wrath shouted, shaking his head angrily.
“Hm….”
Silcret cautiously raised his eyes, still pale and full of fear. His face was completely different from when he had killed Baurn, Piren, and Danieff.
‘Indeed….’
Raon smirked as he looked into Silcret’s wavering eyes.
‘Those three deserved to die.’
Though Hofen had intended to keep Baurn, the king, Piren, the high priest, and Danieff, the knight commander, alive to serve for life, Raon thought differently.
Killing them was the only way to soothe the souls of those massacred in this land.
Although this was not Zieghart, but the Supere Kingdom, Raon remained silent.
However, even if they were to die, he did not want them to be devoured by demons.
Raon’s anger flared as he thought about the betrayal and the suffering of the people.
With his Soul Requiem Sword held in a reverse grip, Raon struck down on Silcret’s right arm.
Thwack!
The blade, imbued with demonic energy and Wrath, pierced through Silcret’s demonic aura with ease, tearing through his shoulder.
“Arrghhh!”
Silcret screamed, staring at his severed arm in horror. His shoulder didn’t regenerate, and black blood splattered from the wound, likely due to the blade’s Wrath and demonic energy.
“Shut your mouth.”
“Urgh….”
Silcret bit his lip in terror, silencing his cries despite the immense pain.
“What was your contract with Baurn?”
Raon shook his head, flicking the black blood off his Soul Requiem Sword.
“I-I promised him overwhelming power that could protect this kingdom. I taught him a ritual that converted holy power into demonic energy, allowing him to devour all the humans’ holy power in this kingdom.”
“That’s not all, is it?”
“If Ba-Baurn died or gave up the demonic energy, I would gain control over his body and soul….”
Silcret’s chin trembled as he revealed the contract he had made with Baurn. Raon now understood why Baurn, Piren, and Danieff had died as soon as Silcret appeared.
“It was a fair contract! I gave Baurn power that exceeded transcendence….”
“Bullshit.”
Raon smiled coldly as he looked down at Silcret.
“He gained power that surpassed transcendence, but he couldn’t defeat a transcendent being. He couldn’t even protect the kingdom. It was a cheap trick.”
Raon had told Baurn the same thing—strengthening one’s body and demonic energy alone was meaningless. Without a mind capable of reaching the higher realm, there was only imbalance between spirit and body.
Baurn, who had fallen for Silcret’s trick, truly believed he could protect the kingdom and avenge his son. The thought made Raon’s chest ache.
‘Hey.’
– Hm?
Wrath blinked curiously.
‘You said they don’t deceive. You said it was a fair contract. So what’s this?’
– That bastard is a servant of Greed. They’ve always been con artists!
Wrath shook his head, saying they were the type to steal from you with your eyes wide open.
‘Looks like your proud words don’t amount to much.’
Raon sneered.
– Urgh….
Wrath lowered his head, unable to respond.
Thwack!
Filled with frustration, Raon stabbed the Soul Requiem Sword into Silcret’s chest.
“Ugh….”
Silcret fell backward, trembling in agony.
“Pl-please forgive me….”
“I told you to shut your mouth.”
Raon twisted the blade with a chilling glare.
“Arrrrgh!”
Silcret screamed as an eerie amount of blood gushed from his chest.
Buzz!
The Soul Requiem Sword, as if genuinely enraged, began to burn with intense demonic energy, draining Silcret of his own demonic power.
“What… what is this…?”
Saint Olga swallowed hard, her knees trembling.
“That’s a real demon.”
Unlike the demons who had fallen to the Light Wind Division, Silcret was the real deal.
Even in his prime, it would’ve been difficult to withstand his demonic energy. Yet, he was utterly powerless before Raon, and it was beyond comprehension.
“I told you, don’t bother trying to understand.”
Rimmer, who had collapsed to the ground, shook his head.
“That kid doesn’t follow the rules of common sense.”
“I have to agree.”
Burren nodded, agreeing with Rimmer.
“Though I didn’t expect him to subdue a demon so easily….”
“This isn’t subjugation. It’s more like he’s trained the demon into a pet.”
Martha scoffed as she looked at Silcret.
“If he asks for a hand, I bet he’d give it.”
Runaan nodded in agreement.
****
“S-spare me….”
Silcret, his eyes rolling in fear, raised a trembling hand towards Raon.
“Do you really think you deserve to say that?”
Raon smirked, preparing to drive the blade deeper into Silcret, when—
– Step back!
Wrath shouted urgently, causing Raon to instinctively retreat.
Thud!
A massive mouth appeared above Silcret’s head. Pale lips and crimson teeth lined the grotesque, gaping maw.
“N-no!”
Silcret screamed as soon as he saw the pale lips and kicked the ground in a futile attempt to escape.
Thwack!
But no matter how quickly he moved, the terrifying maw closed slowly, as if time itself bent to its will.
“Ah….”
Silcret, who had fled into the distance, was suddenly caught between those red teeth.
“P-pl…”
Before he could finish his plea, the white lips snapped shut. The sound of tearing flesh and crushing bones echoed from within.
Buzz!
As the mouth, satisfied with its gruesome meal, vanished with a smile, a tiny figure emerged from the void.
Long, disheveled white hair cascaded to the waist, and her eyes gleamed like bright red jewels.
Though she didn’t emanate any demonic energy, her presence alone seemed to distort the very world.
“Aah….”
“Ugh….”
Those who had been suffocating under Silcret’s demonic energy now found themselves breathless under the presence of this new figure. Not only the priests and paladins but even Saint Olga and the members of the Light Wind Division collapsed, unconscious, with their heads pressed to the ground.
Raon bit his lip as he watched the white-haired girl approach.
Even he, who wielded the powers of three demon kings, felt his breath faltering. Without the support of the Ring of Fire, he might have collapsed just like them.
‘To meet her again….’
There was only one type of being with such overwhelming presence.
‘A demon king.’
It was clear that she was a ruler of the demon realm, just like Wrath.
But she wasn’t Greed, the one Silcret served. With her white hair, alabaster skin, petite stature, and vivid red eyes, she reminded him of a certain demon king Wrath had once mentioned.
‘Gluttony.’
– Indeed. That is Gluttony.
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at Gluttony.
‘Why has she come here?’
– As I said before, this space has temporarily turned into an environment like the demon realm. To her, it probably feels like a buffet.
True to his words, Gluttony smacked her lips as if savoring Silcret’s flavor.
– Hand your body over to me.
Wrath gestured for Raon to hurry up.
– There is no end to her appetite. If you don’t act quickly, she’ll devour everything!
Wrath smirked as he hinted that the only way to stop her was by handing over control.
‘Stay back.’
Using the Demon King’s Descent would take a heavy toll on both his body and mind. He couldn’t use it unless it was a truly dire situation.
But just as Wrath said, Gluttony was now looking around, as if deciding on her next meal.
‘How should I deal with her… ah!’
Raon furrowed his brow before clapping his hands lightly.
It seemed a waste for Silcret to die, but no. There was an opportunity to create a debt even with the King of Gluttony.
“Stay back!”
As Raon quickly formulated a plan and prepared to move, Rimmer grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him back.
“We can’t win against that! We need to leave this place right now!”
Rimmer, his legs trembling, stood in front of the demon king, biting his lip. It seemed just standing in her presence was pushing him to his limit, as blood trickled from his mouth.
“Vice Captain?”
Raon frowned, watching Rimmer’s shaking back.
‘What’s going on?’
Rimmer, despite being a Grandmaster, was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Even so, it made no sense that he was still standing after facing a demon king unprepared.
– Hm?
Even Wrath was surprised, his eyes widening.
– How is that old man…?
“I won’t last much longer.”
Rimmer raised his sword, instructing Raon to use the wind to take the Light Wind Division and retreat. Raon had never seen such mental fortitude from him before.
“Raon, at least get the others… Ah.”
Raon, silently approaching Rimmer’s back, struck the back of his neck, causing him to collapse unconscious.
“That one looks tasty.”
Gluttony licked her lips as she looked at Rimmer. The white lips that had devoured Silcret began to reappear.
“You vermin.”
Raon threw Rimmer behind him and lowered his gaze.
“You dare to touch my prey? I should rip out that tongue of yours.”
Raon summoned all the power of Wrath and the Ring of Fire, and the enormous white lips froze mid-air.
“Wrath?”
Gluttony narrowed her eyes, placing a finger on her lips.
“…….”
Raon didn’t respond, glaring sharply at Gluttony.
‘You said she’s like a rabbit, right?’
Wrath had once described Gluttony as a simple-minded fool, a creature solely focused on eating. As Wrath had said, Gluttony did seem somewhat simple-minded.
– Wh-what kind of lunatic are you?!
Wrath shouted, bewildered.
– You’ve started impersonating me now?!
Wrath grabbed Raon by the collar, shaking him.
– Why is she falling for it? I’m not this ugly! My aura is completely different!
Wrath desperately flailed his arms, trying to get Gluttony to notice him.
“You… you’re not Wrath.”
Gluttony shook her head with certainty.
Buzz!
The white lips floating above her opened wide, revealing the crimson teeth within.
“Why do you think that?”
Raon forcibly calmed his pounding heart as he asked.
“Your hair color and eyes are different. And… you’re weaker.”
Gluttony muttered that she could tell it wasn’t Wrath because both his appearance and aura were different.
– Puhahahaha!
Wrath pointed at Raon, clutching his stomach in laughter.
– Gluttony might be simple, but she’s not as dumb as Sloth! Of course she wouldn’t fall for it!
‘Hmm….’
Raon frowned. He had tried acting based on Silcret’s condition, but it seemed it was too early to fully imitate Wrath using only his current Wrath.
– You don’t have a choice now!
Wrath grinned, raising his chin.
– If that mouth devours you, even I won’t be able to save you, so hurry up and hand over control!
‘…….’
Raon lowered his eyes slightly in response.
– Actually, if you hand over control, I might lose it and kill all the others too, so just use Demon King Descent!
Even in this situation, Wrath seemed worried about the members of the Light Wind Division, suggesting they use Demon King Descent. He truly was a unique demon king.
Though Wrath’s advice was sound, Raon didn’t want to use Demon King Descent unless absolutely necessary, given the immense cost.
‘Appearance, appearance, huh….’
If that was the problem, then maybe….
Raon opened his eyes calmly, showing no signs of panic.
Buzz!
The white lips summoned by Gluttony had drawn close.
“You look like you’d taste delicious.”
“You’re annoying.”
Just as Gluttony was about to close her mouth, Raon stabbed the Soul Requiem Sword into his own chest.
Thwack!
Blood spurted from the wound, staining his uniform red as pain shot through his body.
“Hmm?”
Gluttony paused, surprised that her prey had attempted to kill himself.
As Gluttony stared at him, Raon murmured quietly.
Demon King Descent.
– Finally!
Wrath clicked his tongue.
– You made the right choice! Leave everything to me now!
‘Ugh….’
Ignoring Wrath’s excitement, Raon drew a diagram with his flowing blood.
Wrath, who had been floating in the air, was sucked into Raon’s soul as his body rapidly transformed.
His hair turned blue, his pale skin unscathed. A noble aura emerged from Raon’s changing body, overwhelming even Gluttony.
“Ah….”
Gluttony’s jaw trembled as she gazed at the fluttering blue hair and the wings of frost that unfurled behind him.
“…Wrath?”
“Vermin.”
The blue-haired demon king who had descended upon the mortal realm scowled at Gluttony.
“To think I would have to go this far.”
“I-I…”
Gluttony trembled, retreating backward.
“Just as I said earlier, I think I’ll have to rip out that tongue of yours.”
As the noble demon king exuded a chilling presence, a voice resounded from within him—the true voice of the demon king.
– Wh-what’s going on?! Why did only my body get taken over?!
Wrath trembled, unable to move inside his own body.
– How did this happen?!
‘What do you mean how? You only get control over the body.’
Raon smirked as he spoke through the body that now looked like Wrath.
What do you mean by that?!
Wrath was in a state of disbelief, trembling inside the body as he struggled to understand what had just happened.
‘Demon King Descent is a forced possession technique where your spirit and body merge temporarily. But the key to the technique is….’
Raon smiled faintly, waving his hand as if the answer was obvious.
‘It requires me to be on the verge of death. In this case, I just allowed a small gap between my soul and body. That means I can borrow your appearance and aura, but still maintain control of my body.’
A-Ah….
Wrath finally understood, his trembling lips pale as though he’d just realized the trap he’d fallen into.
Of course, Raon couldn’t wield Wrath’s full power. All he could do was project his appearance and aura, essentially creating a facade.
But in this situation, that facade was a powerful weapon.
“You dared to try to steal my prey and even thought of eating me….”
Raon, now donning Wrath’s form, glared at Gluttony as she shook under the intense pressure.
“What punishment should I give you for that?”
“Ugh….”
Gluttony looked down, her eyes darting nervously. She seemed to be weighing her options as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
– No! Don’t fall for it, Gluttony! I’m the real one! I’m right here!