The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1022:
Raon returned to the Five Divine Orders’ meeting room with the Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis.
“I suppose a proper introduction is in order.”
The Thespian Emperor began to speak as she handed Raon a cup of tea she had poured herself.
“I am Ariel, the leader of White Whale.”
She used her title as the leader of White Whale, not her moniker, the Thespian Emperor. It seemed to signify that she had truly decided to follow the Five Kings.
“Bridget.”
The Thespian Emperor glanced at the Evil Sword Marquis, as if telling her to introduce herself again.
“I know.”
The Evil Sword Marquis met the Thespian Emperor’s gaze and gave a short nod.
“I am Bridget, the master of the Swordless Pavilion.”
She introduced herself in a tone that was noticeably softer than before, as if she had also taken a liking to him.
“I am Raon Zieghart of the Light Wind Palace of the Zieghart sword family.”
Raon rose from his seat and bowed respectfully to the Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis.
-What’s gotten into you? Not speaking so informally?
‘They’re people I’ll be walking with from now on, so there’s no need to provoke them. Besides…’
He licked his lips as he raised his head.
‘I think the head of a faction deserves to be treated with respect.’
Having been promoted from the leader of Light Wind to the Lord of Light Wind Palace, he had realized just how difficult it was to run a large faction.
The Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis were leaders worthy of his respect.
“Could you tell us what the Five Kings’ plans are and how you will proceed?”
The Thespian Emperor asked as she set the teapot down on the round table. Her eyes sparkled with intelligence, like moonlight pushing away the night.
It seemed that by freeing herself from her inner demon, she had regained her original personality and judgment.
“Right. We should know that first. We need to decide what we have to do as well.”
The Evil Sword Marquis also leaned forward over the round table, her hands clasped as if asking him to speak.
“Before that, I’d like to ask one thing.”
Raon turned his gaze to the Evil Sword Marquis.
“Is Briana listening in as well?”
“No, Unni went straight into her Mental World.”
The Evil Sword Marquis shook her head, saying that Briana had departed for her Mental World.
“She said she wanted to internalize the insights she gained from her duel with you.”
She chuckled, adding that it seemed Briana wouldn’t be coming out for a while.
“I see. But…”
Raon’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the Evil Sword Marquis’s upturned lips.
“Now that Briana isn’t here, you call her ‘Unni.’”
The Evil Sword Marquis had seemed as if she didn’t acknowledge Briana as her older sister, yet as soon as Briana was gone, she called her Unni.
“Th-that’s. N-no…”
The Evil Sword Marquis stammered, her cheeks flushing as if he had hit a nerve.
“I get it now.”
Raon said he understood now, a faint smile on his face.
“You were complaining on the outside, but you acknowledged her on the inside.”
“I-it just slipped out! That’s not it!”
The Evil Sword Marquis shook her head, insisting it wasn’t true, but her trembling eyes told him his guess was correct.
“It’s about time you admitted it.”
The Thespian Emperor nodded calmly, as if she had known all along that Bridget had acknowledged Briana.
“I told you, it’s not….”
The Evil Sword Marquis bit her lip in embarrassment, her voice growing quieter and quieter.
“We’ll just leave it at that, then.”
Raon smiled and nodded.
“First, I’ll tell you how we brought down the Black Tower and killed The Fallen One. To begin with…”
He explained the events in detail, figuring that even the Thespian Emperor wouldn’t know all the specifics.
“H-Heart Sword? You really were a madman!”
The Evil Sword Marquis let out a hollow laugh, as if she now understood why Briana had lost.
“I thought the conclusion of the battle with The Fallen One was strange, but you had the Heart Sword. Now I understand.”
The Thespian Emperor also stroked her chin blankly, saying she hadn’t known he had gone so far as to use the Heart Sword to kill The Fallen One.
“After we brought down the Black Tower, at the Five Kings Conference that followed, we accepted a large number of neutral factions that had been unable to find their footing. We plan to use their information networks, which are spread across the continent, to find the whereabouts of the Four Demons.”
Raon placed his hand on the round table as he explained the plan from the Five Kings Conference.
“And once you find them, will you attack immediately?”
The Evil Sword Marquis twirled a finger still stained with dirt from the training ground, as if asking if they would start a war right away.
“The remaining Four Demons are Eden, the White Blood Cult, the Holy Sword Alliance, and Derus Robert. On the other hand…”
Raon pointed to the map of the continent spread out on the round table.
“We have Zieghart, Owen, Balkan, the Beast Union, and the Magic Tower with us. With three of the Five Divine Orders joining our five major factions, we now have a clear advantage not only in the number of masters but in the strength of our factions as a whole.”
He explained that the addition of the Five Divine Orders had created a definite crack in the Five Kings and Four Demons, and that they could attack immediately.
“On top of that, I recently wiped out a large number of Eden’s executives and ghouls, so it wouldn’t be strange to assume that Eden’s current strength is less than half of what it was.”
Raon nodded, saying that was also why the Four Demons had completely hidden their tracks.
“We certainly have the advantage now.”
The Evil Sword Marquis clapped her hands as if in agreement.
“But what do you mean, three of the Five Divine Orders? Didn’t your Pirate King retire?”
She lowered her eyebrows, as if to ask if Aris hadn’t already left this world.
“She almost retired, but…”
Raon shook his head, recalling Aris’s refreshing laughter.
“She came back. And she’s even stronger than before.”
“Then that’s a relief. That woman will definitely be a help.”
The Evil Sword Marquis gave a light smile, as if this was good news.
“……”
The Thespian Emperor, who seemed to know about Aris’s situation, calmly closed and opened her eyes.
“But how do you plan to find the Four Demons with the information network of the neutral factions?”
The Evil Sword Marquis tilted her chin, as if curious about what he had said earlier.
“The Four Demons are factions as massive as their name suggests. They are perfectly hidden for now, but as they have many people, they also require a lot of resources, so they will eventually reveal a gap.”
Raon’s finger swept across the map of the continent.
“As I said, we plan to gather information using the neutral factions spread across the continent, and the black market will analyze that information to narrow down the suspicious locations one by one.”
With the Five Kings, the Five Divine Orders, and countless neutral factions working together, the Four Demons would eventually have to show their tail.
“Furthermore, White Whale has information-gathering capabilities on par with the black market, so if we cooperate, we can shorten that time even further.”
Raon looked at the Thespian Emperor, as if asking for her cooperation.
“Finding the Four Demons is important, but there’s something else we need to consider.”
The Thespian Emperor placed her hand on the map, as if to split the continent in two.
“Things to consider?”
The Evil Sword Marquis blinked, as if telling her to elaborate.
“First is the balance of the Five Kings and Four Demons.”
As the Thespian Emperor raised a finger, the flags of the Five Kings and Four Demons that had been stuck in the map of the continent floated into the air.
“The Northern Extermination King is in good health, but the Black Sword Lord, the Archmage of Illusion, and the Beast King have not yet recovered from their injuries.”
“Hmm…”
The Evil Sword Marquis let out a low groan, as if she had also remembered that fact.
“I heard the Black Sword Lord’s injuries have almost fully recovered, but the injuries of the Archmage of Illusion and the Beast King are related to their souls, so they cannot be easily healed. In particular, it would be best to assume that Ogram might not recover at all.”
The Thespian Emperor lowered her eyebrows, as if Ogram’s martial power could not be restored until the White Blood Lord was dead.
“On the other hand, while the number of the Four Demons’ leaders has decreased, each one still possesses their extreme martial power. The Heavenly Demon has martial power on par with Glenn, the White Blood Lord grew rapidly after drinking the Beast King’s blood, and Derus is strong enough to overwhelm the Black Sword Lord.”
She let out a heavy breath, saying they had to consider that difference carefully.
“Of course, a major crack has formed in the Holy Sword Alliance, but the current leader is no weakling either. It would take someone of the Black Sword Lord’s level to be his opponent.”
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip thinly, saying they also had to keep Rektor in mind.
“You are right.”
Raon nodded as he listened to the Thespian Emperor.
“The Five Kings may have more Transcenders, but the Four Demons might be superior in terms of strength. So, we must defeat them one by one, just as we did with the Black Tower Lord and The Fallen One. They can’t unite like we can.”
He clenched his fist, saying they had to exploit the cracks in the Four Demons, who could not perfectly unite.
“There’s one more thing we need to keep in mind.”
The Thespian Emperor let out a thin breath, as if slightly exhausted.
“The Four Demons. No, by Derus Robert’s side, there is an Archangel on the level of a leader of the Five Kings and Four Demons. If we assume the Celestial race is included with the Archangel, we must consider the Five Kings to be at a disadvantage even now.”
She shook her head, saying the situation wasn’t entirely in the Five Kings’ favor.
“An Archangel…”
The Evil Sword Marquis frowned, as if she hadn’t considered the Archangel.
“Are there two Archangels that have appeared so far? If more show up, it could be really dangerous.”
She clicked her tongue, saying she didn’t know why an Archangel would stick with a guy like Derus.
“Part of it was because I was trapped by my inner demon and couldn’t make a proper judgment, but I also didn’t think the current situation of the Five Kings was as good as it seemed.”
The Thespian Emperor let out a heavy sigh, saying that was why she couldn’t help but hesitate.
“Regarding the Archangel…”
Raon glanced at the yawning Wrath and gave a small nod.
“I have an idea. It would be difficult to use against the other leaders of the Four Demons, but I should be able to stop the Archangel.”
“Really? What is this method?”
The Thespian Emperor’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I can’t tell you right now. But the possibility is high enough.”
Raon gave a faint smile, saying they could trust him on that.
“Hmm…”
The Thespian Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘So it’s not working?’
The Thespian Emperor was a cool-headed strategist who followed reason over emotion. There was a high chance she would formulate a plan without taking into account a method he couldn’t properly explain.
“I understand. Then I’ll have to trust you and plan for a battle that excludes the Archangel.”
Contrary to his expectations, she nodded, saying she would believe his words.
“Pardon?”
Raon let out a breath of disbelief as he looked at the Thespian Emperor.
“You’ll believe me, even though I haven’t told you all the details?”
“The old me probably wouldn’t have. However, thanks to you, I fell into a state of enlightenment and was able to feel, if only a little, the soul of the man named Raon Zieghart. You didn’t seem like a man who would make empty promises.”
The Thespian Emperor herself seemed surprised by her own judgment as she smiled awkwardly and said she would trust him.
“Then I’ll trust you too.”
The Evil Sword Marquis also raised her hand, saying she would trust him. It seemed that after falling into a state of trance, both of their dispositions had changed slightly.
-It’s not their dispositions. It’s only towards you.
Wrath shook his head, saying it wasn’t that the two of them had changed, but that they were giving him special treatment.
‘That might be true.’
Raon licked his lips and bowed his head to the Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis.
“Thank you for believing in me.”
He raised his head, his eyes filled with conviction.
“I will make sure you don’t regret joining us.”
He smiled, saying he would let them see victory at the end of this fight.
-But are you not going to talk about your other old man?
Wrath tilted his head, as if to say things would be easier if he brought up Rektor.
‘No.’
Raon shook his head firmly.
‘I can’t let Grandfather and the Holy Sword Alliance get involved in this war.’
The fact that the Holy Sword Alliance was not participating in the war on the side of the Four Demons was already an unprecedented advantage.
He didn’t want to drag these pure individuals, who revered the sword and dedicated their lives to training, into the bloody waters of war.
‘I will protect that land.’
Raon looked at the location of the Holy Sword Alliance’s sacred ground on the map of the continent and clenched his fist.
‘So that no evil can ever reach it.’
===
Gwoooooh!
Rektor narrowed his eyes as he looked at the path overflowing with sacred light.
‘What is this place?’
When he arrived at the location Derus Robert had specified, a passage of white light had opened.
As soon as he stepped inside, a sacred energy, as if greeting a god, spread out in all directions along with the white light.
‘Amazing.’
This land emanated a more sacred energy than the great cathedrals he sometimes visited during his travels. However, deep within that light, an unknown, damp stench seemed to be rising.
‘This is neither magic nor sorcery.’
What he felt from this passage was not the Mana of this world. It was a sacred energy. It seemed to be operated by Divine Power, the kind possessed by the Celestial race.
“Hmm.”
Rektor narrowed his eyes as he placed his foot on the path of light that undulated like the sea.
‘This is ominous.’
Just standing on this path made his heart tighten and the hair on his entire body stand on end. An unknown sense of anxiety swept through him.
‘I want to go back, but…’
I can’t stop here.
Only by walking this path can I protect Raon. And the things that child holds dear. Even if I die at the end of this meeting, I must press forward now.
‘Hoo.’
Rektor took a deep breath inwardly and walked down the path of sacred light.
He continued forward on the white ground that felt like a swamp, stickily pulling at his legs, and soon he saw a door that emanated a faint Divine Power.
‘Is that the entrance to the meeting room?’
After mentally preparing himself, he grabbed the doorknob. Unlike the path, which had been warm and full of sanctity, a chill that sent shivers down his spine emanated from the handle.
Creeeak.
Biting his tongue slightly, he turned the doorknob without hesitation.
From within the wide-open door, darkness oozed out, spreading like the tentacles of an octopus as if to consume the path of light.
Step.
Rektor pushed back the darkness with the weight of his soul and stepped inside the door.
As soon as he felt the warmly shimmering air turn sharply cool, he saw a black round table before him with four candles floating above it.
“You’ve arrived.”
Derus Robert, who was sitting on the right side of the round table, bowed his head politely.
“Why is the brat so late? How rude.”
The White Blood Lord, who had half of her face covered with a white veil, wrinkled her nose in displeasure.
The seat of honor at the round table was empty, as if the Heavenly Demon had not yet arrived.
‘Hoo…’
Rektor felt the darkness and chill pervading the meeting room, as well as the immense pressure from the White Blood Lord and Derus, and curled his lips into a smile.
‘Yes. This suits me.’
Knowing that he was not a man to be proud of, he was more comfortable in this darkness and coldness than in sacred light.
“We’ve met before, so there’s no need for introductions.”
Rektor lifted his chin, a steady smile on his face.
“I am the leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.”
