The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman

“You are… a kind… human, but…”

Sloth’s murky pupils twisted at a grotesque angle as he looked down at Raon.

“I cannot… forgive you… for continuing… to wake me… from my sleep…”

Black streams of air ignited beneath his feet and spread in all directions.

Sizzle!

The blanket and pillow Raon had given him previously were torn apart as if they had never existed, and an eerily pitch-black storm poured down upon them.

“Hmm…”

Raon bit his lip, feeling the intense Authority unleashed by Sloth.

‘He knows I’m Wrath’s vessel, and yet he’s acting like this?’

This was getting quite dangerous.

Even knowing that Raon could summon Wrath at any moment, Sloth emitted a vicious energy wave as if he intended to kill him. He seemed so enraged that he didn’t care about the consequences.

》”That fellow is on the verge of exploding.”

Wrath frowned, observing Sloth from this angle and that.

‘Hasn’t he already exploded?’

Raon let out a sharp breath as he felt Sloth’s energy growing stronger.

》”If Sloth had truly exploded, your head would have vanished a long time ago.”

Wrath smacked his lips, noting that Sloth was barely managing to control his reason.

‘Why is he so angry?’

Raon lowered his brows, scanning the area where Sloth had been sleeping.

‘I didn’t do it, and he’s not the type to get this angry just because he was woken up once.’

Sloth had been woken up several times before due to the war between Eden and Habun Fortress. However, except for the very last time, he hadn’t even descended from Sterrin Mountain, so Raon couldn’t understand why he was reacting this way.

》”I don’t know either.”

Wrath nodded in agreement.

》”As I’ve said before, that sleepyhead is the mildest among the Demon Kings. For him to get angry this instantly is strange…”

‘Wait.’

Raon’s brows furrowed as he watched Sloth grow larger, like a shadow at sunset.

‘He said a moment ago that I kept waking him up, right?’

》”Ah! Then…”

‘Right. The shock we felt wasn’t the first time it happened.’

The powerful shockwaves they had felt before climbing Sterrin Mountain must have occurred repeatedly, waking Sloth up. That was clearly why he was so furious.

“Why… are you… disturbing… my sleep…? As long as… you don’t do that…”

As if his patience had reached its limit, Sloth unleashed a massive Authority of Sloth, enough to wipe Sterrin Mountain off the map.

Rumble!

Just looking at Sloth’s undulating energy made Raon feel as if his knees would buckle and his back would bend.

》”You have terrible luck. It’s like getting hit by bird droppings while walking by.”

Wrath nodded, now understanding the situation.

》”I wonder which bastard did this…”

‘Unfortunately, now isn’t the time to think about that.’

Raon shook his head, operating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier. He had no room to think about anything else; a single wrong glance could cost him his life.

》”For a sly brat, your brain isn’t working today.”

Wrath snorted disdainfully.

》”Just like before, if you open my Authority and put on that damn act, it would work, wouldn’t it?”

He shook his head, noting that Sloth hadn’t completely lost his reason yet.

》”Your head has frozen over…”

‘No.’

Raon shook his head calmly. He maintained a smile while enduring Sloth’s lethargy.

‘An opportunity to test my skills has come to me on its own. I can’t just let it pass.’

As Wrath said, if he opened his rage and acted like a Demon King, he could likely calm Sloth’s anger while he still possessed some reason. However, if he did that, he would lose the only chance to evaluate the martial power he had grown over the past month.

》”You crazy bastard!”

Wrath widened his eyes in disbelief.

》”It’s still too much for you!”

He shook his head firmly, insisting that defeating Sloth would be impossible.

‘I know that.’

》”I’m telling you, you could actually die!”

‘Even if it’s a bit dangerous…’

Raon drew Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Wheel Sword, plunging them into the lake where the Authority of Sloth was writhing.

Boom!

As the world-shaking lethargy was erased, red and blue flashes soared upward.

Clang!

A golden sun and a silver moon rose into the pitch-black night sky, pushing back the darkness summoned by the Demon King.

“If you think I’m the same as before…”

Raon leveled the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, burning with solemn flames and stern frost, at Sloth.

“You’ll never be able to sleep again for the rest of your life.”

===

“Welcome back.”

Burren bowed to Karoon, who had returned to the True Martial Palace.

“Mm.”

Karoon narrowed his eyes, noticing the sweat dripping from Burren’s forehead.

“Have you been training until now?”

He tilted his chin as if questioning why Burren had trained so late.

“I had some matters to handle during the day, so I warmed up a bit late.”

Burren bowed his head, explaining that he had no choice due to his busy schedule.

“Did the matter you attended to go well?”

“Not bad.”

Karoon raised his right hand. In his grip was a Gold Badge, seemingly received just a short while ago.

“T-the Gold Badge already?”

Burren’s jaw trembled as he looked at the Gold Badge shimmering in the moonlight.

“I caught a wanted criminal. A murderer who, disgustingly, gathered people and played the role of a king.”

Karoon brushed his hand off roughly, as if repulsed.

“A-a wanted criminal? Who on earth did you catch to get a Gold Badge…?”

Burren swallowed hard and asked for the criminal’s name.

“The North Sea Demon Star.”

“T-the North Sea Demon Star? He’s a killer who disappeared decades ago! How did you catch someone like that?!”

The North Sea Demon Star was an Evil Demon who had fled after killing countless people within Zieghart’s territory. Even back then, he possessed Grand Master-level martial power and was a cold-blooded man who would use his own children and subordinates as bait, so it was believed he could no longer be found. Burren couldn’t fathom how he had been captured.

“While searching for the Four Demons before the war with the White Blood Cult, I discovered traces of the North Sea Demon Star. The informants of the True Martial Palace worked very hard.”

Karoon nodded, saying that it was the result of the entire True Martial Palace’s efforts, not just his own.

“He was a top-tier Grand Master decades ago and was said to have excellent insight, so I had some expectations, but his muscles were so clogged with grease that there was no joy in the fight.”

He clicked his tongue shortly, disappointed in the North Sea Demon Star’s skill.

“S-still, it’s amazing…”

Burren let out a hollow laugh. He knew Karoon would move quickly, but he never imagined he would bring back a Gold Badge in just a few days.

“There is no need to think it’s amazing.”

Karoon shook his head heavily.

“Because this is only the beginning.”

He clenched his fist calmly, as if he intended to build even more achievements in the future.

“What about you?”

Karoon narrowed his gaze, curious about Burren’s will.

“I also…”

Burren bit his lip, meeting Karoon’s gaze.

“I want to challenge the position of Head Of House. I know it’s nearly impossible, but still…”

“That is a good thought.”

Karoon did not dismiss Burren’s intention. Instead, he nodded.

“What?”

Burren’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“I-I naturally thought you would call it a futile effort…”

“As you said, the possibility is almost zero. No, it is likely impossible.”

Karoon smiled faintly, looking into Burren’s eyes.

“However, if you challenge it, you will certainly gain something.”

He patted Burren on the shoulder, encouraging him to try his best.

“T-thank you…”

Burren stood there dazed for a moment before bowing his head.

‘He said the same thing as Raon.’

He hadn’t expected Karoon to encourage the challenge for succession with the same words as Raon. He was so surprised he couldn’t close his mouth.

“Mm.”

Karoon stopped just as he was about to enter the mansion.

“I heard Raon left the family regardless of his mission. Is that true?”

He turned his gaze slowly, as if he were aware of Raon’s movements.

“Ah, yes. However, it’s not that he’s taking the successor test lightly. In Raon’s own way…”

“I know. Probably even now…”

Karoon looked up at the dark night sky with a soft smile.

“He is doing something special for the family and for himself.”

He smiled as if he fully understood Raon’s intentions.

“Still, I have no intention of losing.”

Karoon curled his lips into a soft smile and entered the mansion. Strangely, his footsteps felt more energized after returning from his mission.

‘Father too…’

Burren’s fingertips trembled as he looked at Karoon’s back, which seemed even broader than Raon’s.

‘Is he entering a different realm as well?’

===

Flame, frost, and darkness surged, twisting the high and deep night sky of the North Sea.

Kaboom!

Raon swung the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, batting away the violently flying black streams of air. He was using so much strength that veins popped out on his jaw and cheeks.

Whoosh!

As if he would never let Raon go, Sloth spread the black streams wide like the roots of a tree.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Raon leveled the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, shrouded in red and blue radiance, and sliced through the wave-like black streams in a figure-eight pattern.

However, Sloth’s energy itself was so tenacious and thick that he couldn’t cut through it perfectly even with the Divine and Demonic Swords.

‘I feel like my shoulders are going to pop out.’

Despite opening Sword Field Creation and unleashing the Fangs of Insanity Sword Art and Snow Flower Swordsmanship at full power, he was being pushed back by the sheer force. It seemed he wasn’t yet at a level where he could clash head-on with the Demon Kings.

‘Moreover…’

The more he fought, the more he felt the strength draining from his body.

The black streams Sloth scattered were not Aura, but the Authority of Sloth. Even though he defended with his swords and the energy didn’t touch his skin directly, his will to fight was being eroded, and the thought of wanting to die and rest began to encroach upon his mind.

Sizzle!

It was the moment he truly felt the terrifying nature of a Demon King’s Authority.

》”That is the horror of the Authority used by the Demon Kings.”

Wrath wrinkled his nose.

》”If someone with weak mental strength is hit by that Authority, they will fall into the repose of death of their own accord.”

He shook his head, warning Raon not to be exposed to the lethargy.

‘Even though I have the Authority of Sloth within my soul?’

》”Because that fellow is the master of all lethargy.”

Wrath tilted his chin, explaining that since the power came from Sloth, the influence would naturally be greater.

‘It’s certainly a dangerous power, but it doesn’t matter.’

Raon smiled, tightening his grip on the swords.

‘Because I have the Ring of Fire that overcame the Monarch of Wrath.’

As he resonated the Ring of Fire, Sloth’s lethargy, which had been weighing down his soul, blurred like mist under the sunlight.

》”Gah!”

Wrath gaped at Raon.

》”That cheating martial study! No, I don’t even know if that’s a martial study anymore!”

He gnashed his teeth, finding the power more absurd the more he saw it.

‘Now I can fight properly.’

Raon stepped back once, then used the momentum of the retreat to charge forward even faster.

Whoosh!

As if intending to erase Raon entirely rather than simply put him to sleep, Sloth fired a massive blast of the Authority of Sloth like a flash of light.

Kaboom!

Raon operated Heavenly Flame: Flame Dragon Break with the Heavely Drive. From the mouth of the fire dragon descending upon the sword energy, flames that could burn even the fires of hell poured out.

Rumble!

However, Sloth’s lethargy was not erased even by the flames of Flame Dragon Break. Instead, it pushed forward with even greater force.

Zap!

Due to the clash of such immense powers, dark red sparks exploded in all directions.

“Then try this too…”

Raon twisted his lips slightly and swung the Demonic Sword diagonally upward.

“Take this.”

A massive sphere rose from the silver-burning Demonic Sword. Heavenly Sky Cannon. It was a sword technique unique to Raon Zieghart that rivaled Flame Dragon Break in power.

Vrrrrm!

Heavenly Sky Cannon sucked in the Authority of Sloth with powerful gravity, then exploded, freezing everything in the vicinity. Sterrin Mountain, which was said to have remained unmelted for ten thousand years, froze even whiter.

“Give… my sleep… back…”

Sloth instantly shattered the frost freezing his forearm and shoulder, then scattered an even more densely condensed Authority of Sloth.

Vrrrrm!

Raon tried to block the fiercely flying Authority of Sloth by erecting two pairs of Flame Walls, but he couldn’t hold his ground and was pushed back.

Thud!

Raon eventually flew out of the lake where Sloth resided and slammed his back against a rocky wall.

Whoosh!

As if refusing to let him escape, Sloth extended a black arm. His hand was so long and massive it felt as if it could reach Raon even if he were at the end of the world.

‘It’s dangerous if I’m caught by that hand.’

He felt an ominous premonition that if he were grabbed by that grip, he wouldn’t be able to escape the lethargy even while operating the Ring of Fire.

‘I’ll cut it.’

Raon grit his teeth and straightened his knees. The Divine Sword pointed toward the sky, and the Demonic Sword sank toward the earth. The two swords curved in different directions, emitting a magnificent energy wave.

Sky-Splitting Heavenly Thunder. Glenn’s sword technique, which harmonized the Sky Piercing Sword and the Sky-Piercing Thunder Art, summoned a red sky and blue lightning through Raon’s Sword Field.

Kaboom!

The lightning of the Path of Domination, falling as if the gods were enraged, struck the back of Sloth’s hand.

“You are strong… Wrath’s vessel…”

Despite taking a great shock from the direct hit of Sky-Splitting Heavenly Thunder, Sloth summoned the Authority of Sloth even more strongly, attempting to swallow Raon.

‘Damn it.’

Raon frowned as he saw Sloth’s Authority close in on him in an instant.

‘I can’t block this.’

Since he had just used Sky-Splitting Heavenly Thunder, his Aura circulation wasn’t smooth. The only answer now was to dodge.

Whoosh!

Raon consumed a large amount of the Divine Sword’s flames and the Demonic Sword’s frost to distance himself from Sloth as much as possible.

Vrrrrm!

However, the energy of lethargy emitted by Sloth pursued Raon like a bolt of lightning, as if consuming the flames and frost wasn’t enough.

‘It’s exactly like him.’

Seeing how the main body stayed still while only the hand and the Authority of Sloth moved, Raon thought it was a perfectly fitting ability for Sloth.

》”Just give up now.”

Wrath shook his head, telling him to stop.

》”I’m telling you, it’s impossible to fight that sleepyhead head-on with your current martial power.”

He lowered his brows, suggesting that Raon stop clashing directly.

‘I’ve definitely realized that too. My power is insufficient.’

》”If you’ve realized that, then just give up and…”

‘If my current power is insufficient…’

Raon stepped with Supreme Harmony Steps and charged straight at Sloth. Baring his white teeth, he simultaneously opened his newly built Will and the Authorities of the Demon Kings.

‘I just have to use a greater power!’

》”T-this lunatic, seriously!”

‘I’m not at full power yet.’

He hadn’t used all the martial arts he had learned from Glenn and Darkhan. He could become even stronger than he was now.

“Demon King of Sloth.”

Raon curled his lips as he faced the ever-strengthening lethargy.

“Test the true me.”