The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman

Kwaaaaaaah!

Through the palace of demonic energy being torn apart by a golden flash, the figure of Dreg emerged. His lips trembled pale blue, as if flustered by Raon's sword strike that erased the demonic energy.

"Grrrk!"

Dreg hastily raised his sword to defend, but it was already too late. The radiant sword that had cleaved the violet demonic energy was already right in front of his nose.

Chwaaaak!

As if announcing the end, a golden light, more brilliant than ever, shattered Dreg's sword and carved a deep wound into his chest.

"Keuuhk…."

He coughed up black blood and clutched the wound on his chest. Despite the gaping injury, his groan wasn't that loud. It seemed he had dulled his sense of pain using demonic energy.

"Khuh…."

'I guess I overdid it.'

Even with Askarai's Fighting Spirit, the moment he let his guard down, the demonic energy would flood his body and mind. The battle wasn't over yet. He had to stay focused.

"Hoo."

Catching his breath and steadying himself, he approached the kneeling Demonblade. The man, having consumed a massive amount of demonic energy at once, couldn't even control his body and trembled violently.

"Th-this makes no sense…."

Dreg mumbled in disbelief, shaking his head wildly.

"This is the power I obtained by offering hundreds of humans as living sacrifices! It surpasses even my prime! How could the likes of you…!"

He screamed in disbelief, unable to accept that his demonic energy had been broken.

"The answer is simple."

Raon looked down at him and tilted his chin.

"You're weaker now."

"You insolent brat! If it weren't for your strange tricks, I would have won!"

"That's not what I meant."

Pointing the Heavenly Drive at Dreg's neck, he dismissed the notion.

"Wh-what…."

The man's trembling eyes lowered to the blade of the Heavenly Drive, slick with his own blood.

"I meant that the current you is weaker than the one I saw at the Festival of the Five Divine Order."

"N-nonsense!"

He gritted his teeth and raised his crumpled eyes.

"My demonic energy is far greater now than it was then! How can you even say that! If you want to mock me, do it properly!"

Clenching his fist, he claimed that such provocations wouldn't work.

– "You clearly don't know. You've already been consumed by your own strength."

Wrath clicked his tongue in disappointment.

– "At least when we first met, you had the insolence to challenge me. But now, you're completely broken."

He shook his head, saying the man wasn't even worth fighting anymore.

'True.'

Raon nodded calmly.

'Though, I doubt he ended up like this on his own.'

There had to be someone who extended a hand of temptation to the despair-ridden Demonblade.

"You have more aura now, sure. But…"

Raon looked into the man's violet-glazed eyes and lowered his hand.

"Your martial arts are dead."

"What?"

Dreg furrowed his brow, not understanding.

"W-what do you mean…." This content was first released on MV_LEMPYR.

"You focused too much on your overflowing demonic energy. Your sword techniques has lost its sharpness and intricacy. You're not even at the entry-level of a transcendent anymore."

Raon spoke in a firm tone, like a master teaching a junior martial artist.

"Your final strike was certainly powerful. Shaping your sword into a palace of demonic energy to suppress your opponent—that would've been impossible to block for hundreds of Grand Masters. But to a fellow transcendent, it was nothing more than a lump of force."

The palace of demonic energy Dreg had created was sharp and solid. Even if Raon had used all his aura, he wouldn't have been able to block it due to the sheer volume. But the foundational pillar of martial arts had not been properly built.

Even if vast amounts of demonic energy were gathered, a sword strike without the martial will of a warrior was nothing but food for Raon's thousands of blades.

"When you fought the Holy Sword Alliance leader, you were twice as strong as you are now. Even if your demonic energy was weaker back then, your swordsmanship held your convictions and effort. Even that madman obsessed with the sword admired it."

Raon shook his head, stating that having strong demonic energy didn't make a sword powerful.

"The Holy Sword Alliance leader gouged out his own eyes to reach a higher realm. He's likely in an entirely different dimension now."

That lunatic had plucked out his own eyes with the sole belief of surpassing Glenn Zieghart.

He might've been the craziest person Raon had ever met, but in a way, he was also a respectable swordsman.

In contrast, Dreg, when faced with a bit of adversity, didn't try to overcome it himself. Instead, he sacrificed his subordinates as offerings to gain uncontrollable demonic energy.

Seeing a transcendent fall apart so pathetically was nothing short of pitiful.

"The demonic energy you gained by offering up your loyal subordinates isn't even enough to take down someone like me, who just stepped into transcendence. Not that you have it anymore."

Raon twisted his lips and brought the Heavenly Drive down firmly.

Chwaaak!

With a crisp slicing sound like water being split, Dreg's violet arm was severed from the shoulder.

As the arm hit the ground, thick, sticky blood oozed out like sludge.

"Ugh…."

Even with his arm severed, Dreg only clutched his shoulder and didn't scream. As expected, it seemed he had blocked his sense of pain using demonic energy.

"What do you know to talk like that?"

He bared his teeth drenched in black blood and glared fiercely.

"You're just a sheltered brat raised in Zieghart's greenhouse, never having suffered!"

– "That's not true."

Wrath shook his head, saying the man was getting more pathetic by the second.

– "Even if this brat devoured all of this king's power, he still survived through utter hell. His luck was so rotten it makes one wonder if the Angels ever blessed him."

'What's with you all of a sudden?'

– "Facts are facts."

He snorted, saying he had to acknowledge the truth.

'Hmm.'

Thinking about it, even without bringing in his past life, his current life alone had been harsh.

Maybe not the most miserable life in the world, but definitely not one most could handle.

"Enough nonsense."

Raon wiped the blood from the Heavenly Drive and pointed the tip at Dreg's throat.

"Who helped you pull this off?"

Though Dreg led the Black Blood Lotus, which used various spells and tricks, they were ultimately a group of martial artists.

Using spells at this scale meant there were others backing him.

"Grrr…."

Dreg didn't respond and only glared with eyes full of rage.

"If you won't talk…."

Raon clicked his tongue and shattered the man's collarbone with the Heavenly Drive.

With the sound of bone breaking, Dreg collapsed forward.

"Hrrrgh…."

He couldn't feel pain again, but now his face lifted as he ground his teeth.

"This is your last chance. Stay silent again, and I'll torture you until every bit of your demonic energy is gone."

Raon tilted his chin and spoke coldly.

'I want to kill him now, but I need to know who's behind him.'

Wrath had said there was no scent of the Angels on the man, but Derus Robert could still be behind this. Raon needed to pry it out of him.

"Kehehehe…."

Dreg chuckled twistedly and slowly raised his head.

"You catch on quick. You're right. Others helped with this spell. But…."

He picked up his severed violet arm with a trembling hand.

"Only I can stand behind myself!"

Dreg screamed and bit into the violet arm, swallowing it whole.

"What the hell are you doing…."

Raon's eyes widened in disbelief, but then—

The man's entire body began to sprout violet veins.

It wasn't just the veins. Like the severed arm, his entire body turned a vivid violet.

"Hm."

Raon quickly slashed down with the Heavenly Drive to stop the transformation.

Zzeeeeeng!

The silver blade struck Dreg's neck, but it bounced off as if hitting metal instead of flesh.

Zzzzzzt!

As if submerged in purple paint, Dreg stood up, his entire body coated in violet demonic energy.

The sword wound on his chest disappeared, and a new arm grew from his severed shoulder. He no longer looked human.

"Even if I become like this…."

Raising both hands, swirling with demonic energy, he bared his savage teeth.

"I'll kill you, Raon Zieghart!"

He let out a beastly roar, swearing to sacrifice everything to kill him.

Kugugugugugu!

As his overwhelming demonic energy surged, the sky howled, and the ground split, spewing out searing violet magma.

"No matter what you look like."

Even facing Dreg, who warped space with his demonic energy, Raon remained calm and nodded.

"You still can't defeat me."

"Shut up!"

Dreg roared and charged. He was fast—leaving only violet afterimages—but Raon could track his path.

Chiiiiing!

He slashed toward the charging Demonblade's chest from the right.

Zzeeeeng!

The blade bounced off the man's flaming black demonic armor.

"My enhanced body won't be pierced by a mere toothpick like that!"

Trusting his demonic-infused body, Dreg recklessly charged and swung his blade of demonic energy.

'I can't use Genesis Blade.'

Using that technique would kill Dreg for sure—but Raon would also pass out.

There was still more to do. He had to choose a different path.

"Die!"

Dreg thrust his demonic sword forward. The violet energy atop the blade exploded, erasing the very space Raon stood in.

"I already told you."

Raon stepped into the violet radiance and raised the Heavenly Drive.

"You can't build a tall tower without a proper foundation."

Shaking his head slightly, he traced [Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Heavenly Flame: Flame Dragon Break].

Goooooooh!

The sword, reaching the end of the sky, descended slowly and crushed the tsunami of demonic energy threatening to consume the world.

Kuuuuuum!

Dreg, standing behind the wave, couldn't withstand the weight of the heavens and fell to his knees.

"Th-this isn't even Sword Field Creation… how could it be so powerful…."

He trembled in disbelief.

"This is what a true sword is. A strong aura or a tough body doesn't make a sword strong."

Raon gave him the answer he could never comprehend and fired the Soul Requiem Sword.

Pooook!

Despite all the enhancements, the slender blade of the Soul Requiem Sword pierced through the violet armor and lodged in the man's chest.

Wooooooong!

The sword devoured the demonic energy within him, emitting a chilling red current.

"Gyaaaaah!"

For the first time, Dreg let out a real scream, writhing on the ground.

As his eyes rolled uncontrollably, it was clear he was finally feeling pain.

"Looks like your senses are back."

Raon nodded and slammed the Heavenly Drive into the man's thigh.

"Kyaaaaaaah!"

A terrible scream erupted from Dreg. As expected, he hadn't been enduring pain—he simply couldn't feel it.

"Th-this can't be. How is my demonic energy…."

"That sword, despite how it looks, is the best at destroying negative energy."

Though a cursed blade, the Soul Requiem Sword loathed negative energies like demonic and blood energy.

It had likely destroyed the man's spells by devouring his demonic energy.

"You're a mighty transcendent, right? Let's see how much you can endure."

Raon pushed heat and cold into the wound he made with the Heavenly Drive.

"Gyaaaaah!"

Dreg shrieked like a third-rate martial artist and thrashed violently. He tried to pull the Soul Requiem Sword out, but of course, it wouldn't budge.

"Aaaargh…."

"The people you killed suffered far worse."

Living sacrifices required exploiting even the resentment of the dead, which meant pushing them to the brink of agony before ending their lives.

For someone like him to use living sacrifices while being unable to endure even this was revolting.

"S-stop. Please, stop…."

"I'll grant your wish."

Raon raised the blood-slick Heavenly Drive.

"Just die."

Seeing Dreg's transformed state made Raon suspect he might still escape using special spells, or that someone backing him might interfere. It was better to kill him now, even if they couldn't trace the backer.

"W-wait!"

Just as Raon was about to swing down, the man raised his hand in desperation.

"I'll talk! I'll tell you who's behind me!"

"Don't need it."

"Black Tower!"

Just as Raon ignored him and swung, the man screamed as if to save himself.

"I know the location of the Black Tower!"