The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman

Whooooosh!

As if the duel between the Heavenly Demon and Glenn had ended, the crimson aura that had soared up and shattered the sky slowly subsided, like a curtain falling at the end of a play.

‘Grandfather!’

Raon swallowed hard as he looked at Glenn standing beneath the black fissure.

‘Is he… is he alright?’

Glenn stood exactly as he was, Heavenly Drive held straight.

He looked unharmed, but a subtle, mystical light wrapped around his body like heavenly silk, blurring his outline—like someone standing on the boundary between reality and illusion.

‘Then the Heavenly Demon…’

After confirming Glenn was safe, Raon turned his gaze to the Heavenly Demon.

‘Blood?’

The Heavenly Demon bent at the waist, coughing up a mouthful of red blood from behind his red dragon mask.

“This is…”

He looked genuinely shaken, one hand bracing on his knee as he lifted his head with effort.

“Heart Sword, is it? It certainly lives up to its name as a sword that cuts the soul.”

He smacked his lips, satisfied.

“Having been cut by such a sword, The Fallen One will surely accept the breaking of the covenant.”

He smiled faintly, saying it was a blade that could even cleave the curse The Fallen One would leave behind.

“Huh?”

Raon let out a breath as he watched the Heavenly Demon straighten.

‘He’s not dead, and he didn’t run?’

Unlike the other leaders of the Four Demons, the Heavenly Demon hadn’t fled. He endured the Heart Sword right there. Even if Glenn hadn’t gone all out, it was an astonishing feat.

“An amazing sword. If you’d been serious, I might have been in danger.”

The Heavenly Demon nodded, as if he’d truly felt something dizzying.

“But it seems it isn’t an unbreakable martial art.”

He raised a fist stained with blood.

“I just need to forge a soul thicker than your sword.”

He laughed boldly, saying he was glad he’d been cut now.

‘So that’s why…’

Raon bit his lip as he stared at the Heavenly Demon standing tall.

‘He obtained the Divine Authority of Pride.’

To speak like he could still win after taking a direct hit from the Heart Sword, it wasn’t hard to see why Pride had given him that Divine Authority.

“I’ll return those words to you.”

Glenn lowered Heavenly Tremor—its blade clean, without a single drop of blood—with a graceful motion.

“I, too, just need to temper my sword to the point where it can cut your soul.”

He shook his head, saying he could win no matter when they fought.

“You won’t be here then, will you?”

The Heavenly Demon shrugged, as if asking if Glenn truly could.

“……”

Glenn stared at him in silence.

“Of course, I don’t desire such a futile thing.”

The Heavenly Demon lifted his chin, amplifying his immense presence.

“I want to settle it with a definitive match before you leave. With our lives on the line.”

He spat out the blood pooled in his mouth. A deep red line gathered at the corner of his lips.

‘Before he leaves…’

Raon looked at Glenn, hearing those words.

‘Grandfather.’

The light that had blurred Glenn was gone, but he still looked like he was standing in mist.

“I doubt I’m your goal, am I?”

Glenn frowned at the Heavenly Demon.

“Of course, I have my own wishes. But…”

The Heavenly Demon met Glenn’s cold gaze.

“I cannot move forward with someone like you at my back.”

He shook his head, as if defeating Glenn came first.

“A place for you and I to fight will be made soon. Let us meet again on that day.”

He lowered his hand, saying they would meet again on a different battlefield.

“Soon?”

Glenn narrowed his eyes.

“You will naturally know when the time comes. Prepare thoroughly if you don’t want to be swept away. Especially…”

The Heavenly Demon’s gaze shifted past Glenn.

“It would be wise to raise that child well. He is a warrior whose future is more promising than his present.”

He nodded, giving his attention to Raon.

“He is certainly your grandson. His appearance, and that sword, the are the same.”

The Heavenly Demon laughed, saying Raon and Glenn were more alike than they seemed.

“Hm…”

Glenn’s furrowed brow eased slightly at those words.

“Then.”

As if offering a final farewell, the Heavenly Demon raised his hand. He—and the Eden’s Fiends behind him—vanished as if they’d never existed.

If not for the fissured sky and the shattered earth, it would have felt like an illusion.

Swish.

Glenn flicked Heavenly Tremor once and sheathed it. With the Heavenly Demon gone, the strange blur around him was no longer visible.

“Haa…”

Raon exhaled a breath tinged with blood and lowered his head.

‘Dizzy.’

As soon as he felt the battle was over, the tension drained out of him, and his vision washed white.

‘There’s so much I need to ask…’

– “Just sleep.”

Wrath snorted and placed a cool hand on Raon’s forehead.

– “You really went through a lot this time.”

Hearing Wrath’s voice—almost proud—Raon couldn’t fight his heavy eyelids.

He fell into a deep slumber under Wrath’s warm gaze.

===

“Ra, Raon!”

Evelyn reached for Raon as he collapsed, but she was too far away to catch him.

“Raon!”

Glenn halted mid-motion, Heavenly Tremor half-sheathed, and rushed to Raon with his footwork.

“He’s alright.”

Larian shook her head and injected high-purity Mana into Raon’s body.

“He just exhausted himself to the limit and fainted.”

His injuries were severe, but he wasn’t in immediate danger.

“Haa…”

Evelyn let out a sigh of relief, then collapsed and slammed her forehead into the ground.

“The Heavenly Demon is definitely gone, right?”

Larian raised her gaze to Glenn.

“Yes. His presence has disappeared.”

Glenn nodded. It seemed the Heavenly Demon had left the area.

“Then, The Fallen One?”

Larian narrowed her eyes. That was what mattered more.

“……”

Glenn turned to the fragments of The Fallen One’s mask, now reduced to dust.

“He’s dead. No—he’s dead-dead. The swordsmanship Raon used at the end…”

He looked down at the unconscious Raon and smiled faintly.

“It was Heart Sword.”

Glenn stroked Raon’s hair, pride in his eyes.

“It seemed so. However…”

Larian tilted her chin toward Raon.

“It wasn’t just Heart Sword. It looked similar to your sword.”

She smacked her lips, saying Glenn’s and Raon’s swords were alike.

“I felt that too.”

Glenn smiled warmly as he wiped blood from Raon’s hair.

“It seems he saw my Heart Sword and copied it.”

It was weak—too weak to cut even an ordinary soul—and he’d borrowed the power of the spirits, but Raon’s Heart Sword breathed the same way as his.

“‘Amazing’ doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Seeing his grandson imitate Heart Sword—his life’s work—moved him so much his heart trembled.

“It seems the Heavenly Demon felt the same way.”

Larian nodded, understanding now.

“‘Incredible’ doesn’t begin to cover it either. I’ve never seen a guy like this before.”

She wiped sweat from Raon’s forehead, smiling proudly.

“He broke through the Net of Heaven and Earth the Eden’s Fiends created, killed the Demon Slayer Spear, then caught The Fallen One here. I’m stronger than Raon, but I might not have been able to do it.”

She laughed in disbelief, saying she didn’t think she could have done it even if asked.

“Ahem…”

Glenn’s lips twitched, clearly pleased to hear Raon praised in a moment like this.

“Well, that’s true. It’s not something anyone can do.”

He nodded grandly, showing no humility at all.

“As the Heavenly Demon said, Raon’s growth may determine the outcome of the war.”

Larian tapped Raon’s nose lightly, as if she truly believed it.

“Ahem, ahem!”

Glenn’s face reddened as Larian, a leader of the Five Kings, praised Raon so sincerely. He coughed repeatedly.

“But…”

Larian raised her head at the coughing.

“Are you alright?”

She bit her lip slightly, worry directed at Glenn—who showed no outward injuries.

“I’m fine. Both he and I were in control.”

Glenn tapped the scabbard of Heavenly Tremor as if he could still fight.

“I-I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”

Evelyn pushed herself up with trembling hands.

“If I hadn’t been captured, Raon and Lord Glenn wouldn’t have ended up like this…”

She slammed her forehead into the ground again, saying she was truly sorry.

“……”

Glenn approached Evelyn in silence and met her eyes.

“Thank you for always stepping up for Raon.”

He thanked her and took her shoulders.

“And congratulations on gaining enlightenment.”

He knew she had reached transcendence and offered sincere congratulations.

“Ah…”

Evelyn’s violet eyes widened. She hadn’t imagined Glenn would thank her—much less congratulate her.

“You’ve crossed the wall as well. Congratulations.”

Glenn shook Mark Gorton’s hand as he stood protectively near Evelyn and nodded.

“It’s all thanks to the Young Lord. I simply followed the path the Young Lord opened.”

Mark Gorton shook his head, saying his awakening was thanks to Raon.

“Is that so? It seems Raon is blessed with good fortune as well.”

Glenn smiled gently, then looked back to Evelyn.

“Um…”

Evelyn couldn’t meet his eyes and looked away slightly.

“Let’s go home together, too.”

Glenn held her shoulders, saying they would return together.

“M-Me too?”

“Yes. This battle was a fight to bring you back from the beginning.”

He helped her up, saying she’d worked hard.

“G-Grandfather!”

Evelyn called the title she’d been holding back and lifted her head.

“Now that I’ve found my name, I’ll definitely call you Grandfather.”

“N-No, that’s alright…”

Glenn shook his head, flustered. He’d wanted to hear her call him that, but hearing it like this made him feel burdened.

(T/N: Is this a hint that Evelyn/Merlyn is the endgame for Raon?)

“Grandfather! What’s wrong!”

Evelyn shouted it again and again, like she’d been recognized.

“M-Magic—Magic Tower Lord. Please send us back to Zieghart!”

Glenn called out to Larian with a desperate look, trying to stop Evelyn’s rampage.

“M-Mana…”

Larian, having returned to her usual self at some point, pulled her robe over her head and lowered her gaze.

“T-The Mana in the teleportation device is all used up, so we have to wait a little.”

Her voice sank as if it belonged underground, and she ducked her head like she’d never been confident at all.

“Oh…”

Glenn’s gaze trembled, completely at a loss.

“Grandfather. While the Mana replenishes, should I tell you what happened so far?”

Evelyn smiled fiercely and leaned close, as if her body wasn’t hurting at all.

“First of all, my name isn’t Merlin, it’s Evelyn, and Raon and I…”

Her words poured out quickly, even as blood spilled from her mouth, as if she truly meant to tell him everything.

“I want to see. I want to see inside…”

Larian, hood up, spun her fingers again and again, muttering gloomily that she wanted to open Raon up and see what was inside.

“T-That is…”

Glenn looked to Mark Gorton for help, but Mark Gorton only watched Raon with a faint smile, uninterested in everything else.

“Ah, should I start from when I first met Raon? First…”

‘This is…’

Glenn squeezed his eyes shut as Evelyn’s words hammered his ears.

‘Is it loneliness?’

===

“Umm…”

When Raon opened his eyes, a painfully familiar ceiling greeted him.

‘It’s my room.’

The annex ceiling. It seemed they had moved him here while he was unconscious.

‘That’s a relief. It wasn’t a dream… Ugh!’

Raon froze, trying to sit up.

‘It hurts like hell.’

Thanks to the Divine Authority and traits of the Demon Kings, his recovery had accelerated while he slept, but even now, searing pain remained in his head and body.

“Hoo.”

Unable to move properly, he let his arms go slack and sank back into the bed.

‘That means it really was that hard a fight. Still… I did catch The Fallen One.’

He’d been confident he could beat the Demon Slayer Spear, but he’d never imagined he’d actually catch The Fallen One.

‘Of course, Evelyn did it all, not me.’

If Evelyn hadn’t blocked The Fallen One’s magic, he would have turned to dust on the spot. The biggest reason they won was Evelyn.

‘Still, it matters that I eliminated one transcendent.’

Raon smiled in quiet satisfaction—then a blue cotton candy floated into view.

– “You crazy bastard!”

Wrath frowned down at him.

– “You really are a crazy bastard!”

‘Why are you suddenly like this again?’

Raon tilted his head, looking up at Wrath.

– “I’ll admit it this time. You were amazing!”

Wrath nodded, praising him for avenging Evelyn.

‘Why are you praising me for once?’

Raon chuckled as Wrath lifted his chin arrogantly.

– “Don’t laugh! There are hardly any guys in the Demon Realm who receive this King’s recognition!”

Wrath snorted, saying Raon should know it was an honor.

‘Yes, yes. Thank you.’

Raon was about to tease him further when—

[You have defeated an opponent of extremely high status.]

[You have been recognized by Wrath .]

[You have witnessed the battle of the Absolutes.]

[You have achieved a great feat!]

[All stats….]

[New trait….]

[Trait grade….]

As if responding to Wrath’s words, messages surged up all at once.

– “Wh, wh….”

Wrath trembled as the messages rose and blocked his vision.

– “Why are there so many!”

‘Because you recognized me?’

Raon pointed at the message that said he had been recognized by .

“Ah….”

Wrath clenched his fist so hard it cracked.

– “Ignore everything else this King said—why are you only listening to that!”

He screamed that he wanted to smash it.

– “You crazy system!”

‘This is it.’

Raon nodded calmly, listening to Wrath’s shrill scream.

‘Now I feel like I’ve come home.’