The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 733

Raon had begun his deception the moment he met Derus Robert. No, in fact, his lies had started from the very decision to convene the Six Kings.

He had insisted that they aim for the scar on Derus’s hand, fearing that one of Derus’s agents might be eavesdropping on the holographic meeting. But in reality, Raon had trained solely in the *Blade that Slices Death* to unseal Derus’s hidden aura of death, not the scar on his hand.

With relentless, tireless effort, Raon’s blade technique, which he’d only recently developed, had already reached the third level.

After arriving at the Beast Alliance, Raon continued his charade. He knew Derus’s spies would have arrived first to assess the situation, so he kept his demeanor calm, pretending he was only there to protect Glenn and hiding any intent to confront Derus.

‘It was the same when I met Derus.’

From the moment Derus arrived, Raon used subtle energy to give the impression he was studying the aura of death, not the scar on Derus’s hand. Then, by feigning inspection of the hand during a handshake, he subtly conveyed that he’d given up on finding the aura of death.

Raon’s movements were so discreet that Derus focused his attention on guarding the scar on his hand, as expected.

‘That was only the beginning.’

Knowing how cautious and suspicious Derus was, Raon didn’t immediately attempt to attack his aura of death even after seizing his wrist during their duel. Instead, he first guided Derus’s focus toward the scar on his hand.

When Derus was distracted by the sparks of the *Crimson Flower Sword Technique*, Raon seized the single chance he had and plunged the *Blade that Slices Death* into the core of Derus’s soul, piercing through to the aura of death buried deep within.

The sensation in his hand was sharp, as though he had sliced through something physical, and Derus’s entire body convulsed.

Derus’s eyes darkened to pitch black, and the aura of death that he’d hidden, even at the cost of his life, lost control and erupted wildly from his body.

But this wasn’t the only outcome Raon had achieved.

*Flash!*

Gray energy radiated from Derus’s hand, revealing a cross-shaped sword scar on the back of it.

Two undeniable pieces of evidence confirmed that Derus Robert was the swordsman in the Blue Dragon Helm.

– “W-What is this?!”

Wrath trembled in shock.

– “Why is the aura of death erupting? Weren’t you aiming for his hand?!”

‘This was my goal from the start.’

Raon’s lips curved into a smile. His elaborate deceptions had even confused Wrath, who was always with him. It was this intricate scheme that allowed him to deceive Derus Robert.

“Ha…”

“So, he was after the aura of death all along, not the scar?”

“He even fooled us…”

“He’s insane…”

“Ugh…”

Even Glenn and the leaders of the Six Kings, who were aware of the plan, looked taken aback.

“You… vile creature…”

Derus’s eyes, now blackened, glared at Raon with a look of sheer malice, resembling a demonic visage from a cursed legend.

‘Vile creature…’

A smirk formed on Raon’s face. Those words had been his own dying curse in his previous life.

“It’s not vile, it’s thorough, Derus Robert.”

Raon returned the exact words Derus had sneered at him with.

Derus’s pupils quivered as he realized Raon had mirrored his own words back to him.

Seeing the twisted look on Derus’s face brought Raon a wave of satisfaction, like a dam of 20 years’ worth of resentment finally breaking.

“Is… is that the aura of death?”

“It’s so oppressive I can barely breathe… It has to be.”

“And look! The scar on his hand—it’s the same one the Six Kings said to look for!”

“Derus Robert… He was the swordsman in the Blue Dragon Helm all along…”

“No way…”

The neutral faction warriors swallowed hard, realizing that Derus was indeed the swordsman in the Blue Dragon Helm.

“F-Father?”

Refon Robert stood frozen in shock, unable to even move his fingers.

“Raon!”

Losing his composure, Derus extended his sword toward Raon. His aura of death formed a black net, closing in from all sides.

Rumble!

But even as the deadly aura surged at him like waves, Raon remained calm. This was no longer his battle to fight.

*Slash!*

A massive strike descended from above, slicing through the aura of death surrounding them.

“Know your place.”

Glenn appeared before Raon, his aura shredding through Derus’s dark energy with his *Heavenly Tremor*. His gaze was filled with a cold, murderous intent.

“Unbelievable.”

Chamber crushed the candy in her mouth, spreading her hands. From her small fists, silver mana blossomed, slicing through Derus’s aura of death like a reaper’s scythe.

*Shing!*

A silver gleam passed by, followed by a black blade. King Lecross’s sword exuded a majestic, oppressive force as it struck.

*Boom!*

Derus tried to shield himself with his aura of death, but Lecross crushed his chest with the pressure of his sword. Blood spilled from a gaping wound.

“Kh…ah!”

Wracked with pain, Derus sharpened his aura of death again and directed it at Raon.

“A-Annihilate…”

The Tower Master stretched out her long, thin fingers, and Derus convulsed, his body locked as if bound by invisible threads. One of the Tower Master’s five signature spells: Thread Magic.

“Grr…”

As Derus tried to pull his limbs inward to escape the spell, Ogram appeared behind him.

*Boom!*

Ogram’s fist, filled with the power of martial arts, struck Derus from behind, avenging his earlier ambush.

*Bang!*

With an earth-shattering sound, Derus spat black blood and staggered.

The moment he closed his eyes from the impact, Raon lunged, piercing Derus’s abdomen with both the holy and demonic swords.

“Urgh!”

As Derus began to collapse, Raon threw a punch directly into his face.

*Crash!*

With an explosive sound, Derus slammed into the ground.

“Ha…”

Raon exhaled deeply, stepping back. His hands were trembling.

It was a strange combination of a deep sense of satisfaction and seething rage—feelings he’d never experienced before.

“Kgh…”

Derus lay bloodied on the ground, groaning in agony.

“Not bad.”

Ogram dusted his steaming fists, smiling at Raon.

“So, how does it feel to get pummeled from behind, Derus Robert?”

He twisted his lips in a mocking grin at Derus.

“C-Curse… you…”

Derus crawled along the ground, his hands trembling in pain and anger as he found himself surrounded by the Six Kings.

– *Why stop? You should keep beating him! My grudge against him runs deep!*

Wrath shook his fists in fury, as if recalling Raon’s words from the first meeting of the Six Kings.

‘He still has strength left.’

Raon shook his head, seeing that despite his severe injuries, Derus’s energy hadn’t waned much.

Knowing Derus, there was a chance he’d try to take someone hostage to escape, so stopping now was the wisest choice.

– *You knew all along.*

Wrath nodded with a rare look of understanding.

– *You really do have a strange sense for things.*

Wrath sighed, as though noting how Raon’s intuition seemed selective.

“Don’t kill him yet.”

Chamber stepped up next to Ogram, shaking her head.

“There’s a mountain of things we need to get out of him.”

She lifted her witch hat, saying there was much to learn.

“That’s a wise call.”

Raon lowered his gaze, biting his lip. Derus had surely imprisoned and experimented on countless people and raised assassins. To put an end to it, they’d need him to talk.

“We need to start by understanding his motives.”

King Lecross moved to Derus’s right, his sword ready to strike at any wrong answer.

“I’d like to just end this quickly…”

The Tower Master, still restraining Derus with her Thread Magic, shivered nervously.

“Lord!”

“What are you doing!”

“Stop at once!”

The Phantom Blade Unit and the Iron Vanguard Knights, attempting to protect Derus, ran into the sparring ground.

But they stopped dead in their tracks before they could even enter.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Roenn’s sword was poised against Phantom Blade Captain Barian’s neck, his aura murderous.

“Calling him ‘lord’ even after seeing all that? You’re in on it too, huh?”

Sheryl, her gaze cold, pressed her sword against Iron Vanguard Knight Captain Bellun’s neck.

“Ugh…”

“N-No! The lord couldn’t have done such a thing!”

Unlike Barian, who remained silent, Bellun shouted in disbelief, unable to accept the truth.

“F-Father…”

“Why did you do it? You, who lacked for nothing?”

Derus didn’t respond, instead letting out a long, weary sigh.

“Not attacking me at a time like this… Even you aren’t entirely sane.”

Regaining his composure, Derus fixed an intellectual gaze on Raon.

“It’s been a while since I’ve felt pain like this.”

Derus touched the deep wound on his chest, releasing a faint, eerie laugh.

Despite his wounds, which should have been fatal, it began to heal gradually under his touch. It was not merely a skill but felt more akin to some form of authority.

“Don’t move.”

With the Heavenly Tremor aimed directly at Derus’s neck, Glenn narrowed his eyes.

Sitting slumped on the ground, Refon gripped the earth, his hands trembling.

“Father… Are you really that monster? Tell me it’s not true… Please say it’s not…”

He shook his head wildly, unable to accept the reality, though he was aware of the scar left by the Blue Dragon Helm swordsman.

Raon looked at Refon’s reaction, then let out a brief sigh.

‘So, only the Phantom Blade Captain and the attendants knew his true nature.’

Judging by the reactions, it seemed neither the Iron Vanguard Knights nor Refon Robert had known the truth about Derus.

Though it was a bitter realization, Raon knew they couldn’t stop here—not even for Refon’s sake.

“Derus Robert.”

Standing directly in front of Derus, Glenn’s crimson gaze bore down on him.

“There’s no escaping this time.”

Chamber tilted her chin toward Derus, a mocking sneer on her face.

“All transportation magic and dimensional gates have been sealed. Whatever you try, it’s useless.”

“Exactly. Don’t even think about running away…” muttered the Tower Master, her shoulders trembling as she strengthened the threads binding Derus.

“Your son is watching. Don’t make this any more disgraceful.”

King Lecross sighed as he looked at Refon’s distraught form.

“Derus Robert… So it was you all along…”

Ogram clenched his fists so tightly that blood dripped from his hand as he ground his teeth.

“Yes, it was me.”

Derus, his face twisted in pain, curled his lips into a grin.

“I learned from you, Raon. To deceive someone suspicious, you must first deceive yourself.”

Raon met Derus’s distorted gaze, adjusting his grip on his sword.

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Derus clutched his forehead and let out a chilling laugh.

“As expected of ‘Raon’. One mistake is all I needed to see it through.”

Understanding dawned on him, and he nodded as though everything made sense.

“When did you first realize? Was it after the recent war?”

Raon tilted his chin slightly toward Derus, the question suggesting Raon was asking when he had discovered he’d reincarnated.

Slowly, Derus rose to his feet. Despite his blood-soaked body, an intense, chilling energy radiated from him, suffocating the air.

“I am the swordsman in the Blue Dragon Helm who ambushed you and attempted to kill Glenn Zieghart.”

He acknowledged his true identity with a grim, bloodstained smile.

“Why?! Why would you do such a thing?!”

Ogram grabbed Derus by the collar, his bloodshot eyes wide with rage.

“What could you possibly lack?!”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

Derus gave a dry laugh, turning his gaze to Raon rather than Glenn or Lecross.

“All of this was a trick… You prepared well. I could anticipate the actions of the other old men, but I didn’t expect you to pull this off.”

“And no, I knew it from the beginning.”, Derus added.

“What?”

“I don’t believe in coincidences.”

Derus lowered his arms weakly, his eyes scanning the room.

“For the first time in ages, this scar bled. I didn’t understand it initially, but over time, I noticed a pattern.”

Derus raised his hand, the bleeding scar on his hand visible.

“Raon. Every time you achieved something, or one of my plans fell through, this scar bled. When the two overlapped, the blood soaked the inside of my glove.”

He grinned, licking the blood from his hand.

“Suspicions grew during the Six Kings meeting, but I became certain…”

Derus held up his fingers, recalling each clue as he continued.

“…during the Necromancer Factory incident. The puppets I’d ordered to kill you died, the factory collapsed, and shortly after, word spread that you were alive. Though there was a time gap, I was certain it was you, Raon.”

Clenching his fist, Derus smirked as though he had solved a grand puzzle.

“And finally…”

Licking the blood from his scarred hand, he showed it to Raon, his bloodstained teeth gleaming.

“The only person who could have inflicted this unhealing wound is you.”

Derus’s gaze twisted as he looked at Raon.

“Anyone who couldn’t see that shouldn’t bother keeping their head on their shoulders.”

He chuckled as he shook his head.

“Ugh…”

Kubara swallowed hard as he looked at Derus, who was laughing like a madman.

‘So Raon Zieghart was really the assassin Raon…’

Though he trusted and admired Derus, he had always doubted his claim that Raon was the deceased assassin.

But now, seeing it all laid bare, Kubara could hardly believe it.

Raon silently clenched his jaw as he watched Derus, whose certainty was unwavering.

‘This man truly is dangerous.’

He had assumed Derus would only realize the truth after the scar from the recent war. However, it seemed Derus had already suspected Raon’s reincarnation long before. His abnormal thinking was beyond ordinary comprehension.

Derus Robert was truly the most deranged man in this world.

“What nonsense is he spouting?”

Ogram furrowed his brow, struggling to comprehend.

“He’s just pretending to be mad to escape this situation.”

Chamber shouted a warning, layering mana shields around herself.

“I’m scared…”

The Tower Master hid behind Chamber, reinforcing his threads binding Derus.

“Ha, you all think it’s just nonsense. But…”

Derus lifted his cold gaze.

“As long as you and I know, that’s enough.”

A chilling grin spread across his face.

“Enough stalling. Answer my question.”

With the Heavenly Tremor pressed to Derus’s forehead, Glenn narrowed his eyes.

“What is your objective?”

“My objective? That is…”

Derus was about to speak, licking the blood dripping from his forehead when—

*Boom!*

Thick veins bulged across the Iron Vanguard Knights’ bodies as they exploded simultaneously.

Though not as powerful as the puppets, the blast’s shockwave was powerful enough to shake the earth around them.

*Buzz!*

Using the commotion as a cover, Derus unleashed his aura of death and the Thousand Mountain Force, breaking through the Six Kings’ encirclement.

“Hold your positions!”

“Don’t let the perimeter break!”

“There’s no way he can escape!”

Despite the explosion, Glenn, Chamber, and Ogram did not let their guard down, sealing every escape route.

“Tch, these old fools are relentless.”

Derus hadn’t moved from his position, yet in his hand was something that hadn’t been there before.

“F-Father?”

Refon Robert—he was now clutched tightly in Derus’s grasp.

“What is this…?”

Even Glenn, who was always alert, looked on in shock.

“What’s happening…?”

Raon’s lips trembled. It wasn’t as if Derus had brought Refon along, nor had Refon come on his own.

It felt as if Refon had been under Derus’s control from the start.

“Could it be…?”

Chamber frowned, narrowing her gaze.

“You’re going to use your own son as a hostage?”

Her lips twisted in disbelief.

“You really have lost it…”

“Hostage?”

Derus pulled Refon close, wrapping his arms tightly around him, his lips curling upward.

“Are you all really still seeing this as a human?”