The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman

"Hm…"

Raon stopped his hand from swinging down the [Heavenly Drive] once more.

'The demonic energy is regenerating.'

The purple sea, split by the strike, writhed and began to consume the flames of [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation].

'The demonic energy deeper inside is far stronger.'

The demonic energy waves directly ahead could be cut through with aura alone, but the energy surging from the center of the purple sea was so thick and tenacious that even [Aura Blast] wouldn't easily pierce it.

'Then I'll go stronger.'

With a graceful motion, Raon pulled the [Heavenly Drive] back over his shoulder, then thrust it forward toward the purple sea.

Fwoooosh!

Kuwaaaaa!

The sword strike of [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame: Flame Dragon Break] surged forth to devour the entire purple sea, scorching away half the demonic energy covering the plains.

But it didn't take long for more demonic energy to rise from the earth and refill the void.

'It's not just that new demonic energy keeps appearing.'

It's getting stronger.

Every time he burned away the demonic energy with fire, an even stronger demonic energy emerged. At this rate, there was no way to erase the purple sea completely.

'Then I'll have to remove the source.'

He could unleash full-power strikes from the [Transcendence Realm] to wipe away the sea, but that risked opening himself up to enemy attacks. For now, he decided it was better to assess the situation first.

Whooosh!

Raon created a massive wall of flame using the remaining fire on his sword, blocking the incoming demonic energy.

"What exactly happened here?"

After confirming the demonic energy couldn't breach the fire wall, he approached Trevin.

"…That kind of demonic energy wasn't here when I first arrived."

Trevin sighed deeply as he looked at the shimmering purple earth.

"And the monsters weren't rotten like they are now. They were just ordinary ones."

He shook his head at the sight of the decayed monster corpses.

"Then where did this purple demonic energy come from?"

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the purple wave trying to climb over the fire wall.

"After I killed all the monsters that came out of the plains, it suddenly erupted from underground."

Trevin wiped away the blood dripping from his mouth, admitting it might be hard to believe but it was the truth.

'He's internally injured.'

Raon frowned as he noticed the black blood dripping from Trevin's lips.

'He must have been holding off that demonic energy alone.'

Thanks to Trevin forcing his aura to protect everyone, the Iron Division swordsmen and the nomads had been able to endure the demonic energy. To radiate aura across one's entire body was an act akin to suicide, and yet he had endured to the end. It was a level of willpower worthy of respect.

"That's not enough to identify the source. We need to know how it started…"

"I-I can explain."

Just as Raon narrowed his eyes toward the purple sea, an elderly man with white hair hobbled toward them with a worn staff.

"And you are…?"

"I'm Chaepran, the village chief of Bodri."

The man introduced himself as the village chief and gave a deep bow.

"I am the Light Wind Division Leader of Zieghart."

Raon used the winds of Garunua to sweep away the demonic energy carried by the air and bowed his head in return.

"Ah! I've heard of your fame, Light Wind Division Leader. The Dragon Slayer, the Usurper…"

"Let's skip that for now. Please tell us how it all started."

Raon raised his hand, urging the village chief, whose eyes had widened, to begin explaining.

"M-My apologies."

Chaepran gripped his staff tightly and let out a long sigh.

"In truth, there were no monsters in these plains before. Just dry grass. Naturally, nothing would come here."

He raised his eyebrows, saying the land may have been barren, but it was peaceful.

"But one day, monsters began appearing from beyond the river. At first, it was just small ones like goblins and kobolds, so we managed to fend them off, but then stronger ones like orcs and gnolls started showing up, and we couldn't handle it anymore."

He explained that he had planned to request help from a mercenary group, but ended up running into the Iron Division and asked for their help instead.

"Trevin and the Iron Division eliminated all the monsters attacking the village and even went beyond the river, but there was nothing there."

Trevin furrowed his brow deeply.

"We believed we had cleared out all the nearby monsters and were preparing to return to the family when…"

"No way."

"Exactly. New monsters emerged from beyond the river. Dozens of trolls appeared all at once, though we found no trace of them earlier."

He bit his lip, saying it made no sense.

"As we fought back the endless monsters and tried to build a wall to protect the village, the river suddenly turned purple."

Trevin pointed to the river flowing at the edge of the plains, his clenched fist trembling.

"So that's when you requested support."

"Yes. I realized this wasn't a normal situation and sent a request. But right after I did, the purple waves began spewing out a stench so vile it was overwhelming."

He shook his head, saying the river had swollen in an instant.

"Just before you arrived, zombie swordsmen started appearing. I have no idea what's going on anymore."

Trevin let out a long sigh, despite having witnessed it all himself.

"Chief. Before the monsters appeared, did you notice anything strange about the village or the river?"

Raon turned his gaze to the chief.

"Ah, now that you mention it…"

The old man tapped the ground with his staff as if remembering something.

"The morning the goblins first attacked, I saw a strange boulder beneath the river."

"A boulder?"

"Yes. It looked like it had thorns sticking out of it. I could barely make it out through the water. I've seen rocks pushed around by the current before, but this one was unusually large, and I thought it was odd…"

He lowered his white eyebrows, saying he forgot about it due to the constant monster attacks.

"That must be it."

Martha crossed her arms and nodded.

"If we smash that rock, this cursed demonic energy sea might disappear too."

She grinned, saying they'd found the answer.

"Then this isn't a natural occurrence. It's someone's scheme."

Burren narrowed his eyes, surveying the surroundings.

"The Black Tower or Eden?"

He flicked his finger, saying either was suspicious.

"Then let's prepare for battle immediately!"

Krein shouted, saying there was no need to wait, and gripped his sword tightly.

"No…" Brought to you by the folks at MV|LEMPYR.

Runaan quietly shook her head.

"We can't just charge in…"

She looked at the roiling purple sea with disapproval in her eyes.

"Runaan, you're scared just like I am, aren't you? I understand completely!"

Dorian sniffled, saying he knew exactly how she felt.

"That's not it."

Raon glanced at Runaan and gave a small nod.

"She's saying we need to be careful. The more monsters we kill and the more we push back the demonic energy, the stronger the backlash becomes."

The village chief said orcs and gnolls appeared after goblins and kobolds, and Trevin said stronger monsters and the demonic energy river rose up after they were defeated.

Given those results, it was clear that the more they killed and erased the demonic energy, the greater the rebound.

'Wrath. Just to be sure—do you sense any celestial energy in that purple sea?'

Knowing Derus Robert might be capable of combining celestial and necromantic powers, Raon asked Wrath directly.

– "Angels? What Angels! If I felt them, I'd have said so already!"

Wrath shook his head.

– "All I feel from that sea is stench—pure, vile stench. Still, it's strong enough to be a threat to you, so don't let your guard down."

He snorted, warning Raon not to underestimate it.

"Then… are we just supposed to leave it like this?"

Trevin bit his lip, thinking he'd made a mistake.

"Damn it! I shouldn't have gotten involved!"

He struck the ground with his fist, blaming himself for worsening the situation with good intentions.

"No."

Raon placed a hand on Trevin's shoulder and shook his head.

"You did well."

"What? What are you talking about…?"

Trevin widened his eyes in disbelief.

"This outcome would have happened whether you stepped in or not. But thanks to your quick judgment and timely request for aid, we got here in time. You made a wise choice."

"But still…"

"Even if there's backlash, we have to deal with it eventually. We can't guard this place forever."

Raon clicked his tongue as he watched the slowly advancing waves of demonic energy that resisted even the flames of [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation].

"You mean…"

"Yes. We fight."

He raised the [Heavenly Drive] and nodded.

"We break that rock with everything we've got before the backlash hits. If that fails, we'll evaporate the entire river."

"Ah…"

Trevin blinked blankly at Raon's calm but confident declaration.

"When the sun rises, we'll begin. Rest up until then."

Raon tossed Trevin medicine for internal and external injuries, telling him to recover.

"Are you sure? Who knows what'll come out of that rock…"

Trevin trembled slightly as he held the medicine.

"Before I came here, I had a spar with the head of the house…"

Raon smiled faintly as he swung the [Heavenly Drive]. The white blade glowed red as it formed an even larger wall of flame.

"He said the only ones who could beat me now are the transcendent relics of the old world—the leaders of the Five Kings and the Five Divine Orders."

His eyes flashed with a red gleam as he lightly pushed away the demonic energy waves.

"Trust your new commander."

—

As the purple sea consumed the vast plains and hills, the sun rose over the mountain, casting golden light.

Thud.

Bathed in the radiant dawn, Raon stood before the sea of demonic energy. Holding the [Heavenly Drive] in his right hand and the [Soul Requiem Sword] in his left, he stomped his left foot into the ground.

Kuwaaaaa!

As the dual blades struck down, red and blue flashes flared. The fusion of [Flame Dragon Break] and [Midair Cannon]—one force pushed forward, the other pulled inward, creating a massive explosion.

Boooooom!

Like a miracle from the gods, the center of the purple sea was torn apart, opening a path straight to the river—the origin of this disaster.

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

At Raon's command, the Light Wind Division and Iron Division formed their formations and charged into the purple sea.

Krooooo!

Corrupted monsters and zombies hidden within the cleaved demonic energy surged out to attack the swordsmen.

"Wipe them all out!"

"This is our only chance! Focus!"

"I've got the rear—!"

With Martha, Burren, and Runaan at the front, the Light Wind Division led the charge, while the Iron Division supported from behind. Miraculously, their coordination was flawless. Their past battles together had paid off.

Rumbleeeee!

Raon didn't even need to step in. The monsters rising from the sea of demonic energy lost their heads at the hands of the two divisions.

But it wasn't an easy fight. Just being in this space filled with demonic energy rapidly drained their stamina, mental strength, and aura.

It was like fighting in a sea of poison—they had to break the rock and escape as quickly as possible.

Rumbleeeee!

Thanks to Raon initially pushing back the demonic energy and the perfect synergy between the two divisions, they quickly reached the riverside the village chief had spoken of.

"T-The water's completely black…"

Burren bit his lip in disgust.

"Are we even able to go in there?"

Martha furrowed her brow, saying it looked like touching it would rot their flesh.

"It's suffocating…"

Runaan covered her nose and mouth, saying it was hard to breathe. Just as they said, the demonic energy rising from the water was so thick that even Masters might not be able to approach it.

'There it is.'

Through the [Demonic Eye of Wrath], Raon looked beneath the river and gave a small nod.

'Is that the rock?'

Just as the chief described, a thorn-covered boulder stood tall under the river.

'But those aren't thorns.'

The protrusions on the rock weren't thorns, but [cursed markings]. As expected, this boulder was the source.

Even without seeing the markings, the demonic energy it emitted was far more poisonous than even the rest of the sea.

"Stand back."

Raon instructed everyone to retreat, then drew up [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation] to its limit. Enveloped in golden flames, he stepped into the river.

Buzzzzzz!

He descended into the demonic energy-filled river, evaporating it as he went, and stood before the boulder.

'Just standing here gives me a headache.'

The demonic energy was so potent that just facing the boulder caused mental pain.

'One strike.'

He activated [Azure Sky Sword] to completely shatter the boulder.

Gooooooo!

As the grand fire imbued with the sky descended, the cursed marking on the boulder flashed white and exploded with immense force.

Kuwaaaaang!

The sword strike of [Azure Sky Swor] clashed with the boulder's miasmic explosion, sending shockwaves across the area. The demonic energy wave was pushed back, the surface of the land flipped and shot into the sky.

Tsk.

Anticipating this outcome, Raon raised a [Flame Wall] to block the shockwave and looked toward where the boulder had been.

Fwooooosh!

As if the river had never existed, the purple ground was flattened—and atop it stood a white-haired old man. The overwhelming demonic energy rising from beneath his feet warped the very air.

"You…"

Raon trembled as he looked at the fierce-looking elder.

"The Demonblade?"

"It's been a while."

One of the leaders of the [Five Divine Order], the Demonblade Dreg, grinned coldly as he looked down at his arm pulsating with demonic energy.

"Raon Zieghart."

(T/N: Just a reminder, Five Divine Order and Five Demons are not the same. Aris' Pirate group was a member of Five Divine Order)