The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 144

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Chapter 144

I fought the urge to collapse right then and there, straightening my spine instead. For the sake of those behind me, I had to endure to the very end.

Sloth’s movements—those that had been grinding against the Castle Wall—came to a halt for the first time. He stopped in his tracks and fixed me with a narrow, piercing gaze.

“This land belongs to the Lord of Wrath, Wrath himself! You have no right to set foot here!”
“Wrath….”

Sloth’s half-lidded eyes snapped open like the crescent moon rising at dusk. Yet doubt still lingered. Suspicion flickered in those eyes, drowning in apathy.

-Why would this cesspool be my domain?!
‘It’s not over yet. Keep quiet.’
-You insolent—!

While I spoke to Sloth with the utmost deference, I suppressed Wrath’s fury within my mind.

‘Exhale….’

Just as Wrath had sensed Sloth’s presence from afar, so too would Sloth feel Wrath’s existence once my anger was kindled.

“You are… Wrath’s… vessel…?”
“Indeed. Right now, Lord Wrath is furious at you for trespassing in his domain. He says you’re a sluggard who doesn’t know your place.”
“….”

The moment Sloth heard the word “sluggard,” his shoulders flinched. I was grateful I’d learned about Sloth from Wrath.

But the doubt hadn’t completely vanished. Now was the time to crush those seeds of suspicion.

-Don’t listen, Sloth! This is not my domain, and this one is not my servant! He is my enemy!
‘You can’t hear him. There’s no point in speaking.’

What Sloth sensed was not Wrath’s voice, but the aura of wrath embedded deep within this body.

I exhaled slowly.

I breathed out the stale, battle-worn air and filled my lungs with cold, fresh oxygen. My vision cleared, sharpened by the crisp air and the metallic taste of blood lingering on my tongue.

‘I made this deal with Wrath for this very moment.’

Wrath didn’t know it, but the reason I’d traded with him wasn’t merely to stand.

The ten units of rage I originally possessed, combined with the fifteen I’d just received, were meant to persuade Sloth.

‘I need to ignite this rage.’

Then there was only one thing to think about.

I clenched my fists so hard at the thought of Derus Robert that my knuckles cracked audibly. The pain of my nails digging into my palms felt almost welcome.

Goooooo!

The twenty-five units of rage I’d received from my deal with Wrath pierced through the walls of reason and began to flood my mind. Feeling the inferno of fury consuming my thoughts, I smiled with lethal intent.

“This aura of rage… you truly are… Wrath’s….”

Sloth’s lifeless eyes flickered with unmistakable irritation. Now he understood. The Lord of Wrath truly dwelled within me.

“I shall convey Wrath’s words exactly as spoken: ‘You dare trespass upon my domain? So you wish to die. Take one more step forward, and I shall ensure you never sleep again, you pathetic wretch.'”
-W-what?! When did I ever say such a thing! This madman!

Of course, Wrath had never said such words. I’d merely mimicked the information and speech patterns he’d provided thus far.

“Tch… you… you will never sleep again….”

But it worked perfectly. At the mention of never being able to sleep again, Sloth’s eyes visibly trembled.

“W-Wrath, please restrain yourself!”

I bowed my head toward the frost flower bracelet.

-W-what are you planning now! Stop this!
“That bracelet….”

Sloth’s eyes widened even further as he gazed at the flower bracelet adorning my wrist.

‘Just as expected.’

Wrath had initially said he preferred the flower bracelet when he transformed into it. My assumption that he’d worn similar accessories in the Demon Realm proved correct.

“You mustn’t descend now! This isn’t power we’ve gathered to fight Sloth! We should place this Continent beneath your feet, Wrath!”

I watched Wrath standing there in a daze and adopted a serious expression.

-The Continent? What are you talking about now!
“Pardon? You mean instead of just fighting, you’ll follow him around and keep him from sleeping? Wrath. That’s a bit….”

I stared down at the flower bracelet with wide eyes.

-You crazy bastard! When did I ever say something like that! I’m about to lose my mind!

Wrath screamed in frustration and grabbed his head.

“Follow… him around… and keep him from sleeping…? Wrath?”

The shock of those words made Sloth’s body sway.

“Wrath! You must endure! You should look toward greater things!”
-Shut up for a moment!
“We can torment Sloth, but conquest will take much longer!”

I was calling him Wrath, but in truth, I regarded him as worthless.

“Y-you mean we must fight because he touched your subordinates? Wrath….”

I bit my lip while gazing at the flower bracelet with a moved expression.

“Ugh… was he serious….”

Sloth’s mouth drooped. He seemed to understand that Wrath valued his subordinates.

-Nonsense! Utter nonsense! You monster! What in the world is inside that belly of yours!
“Wrath. Please trust me for now!”
-You damn fool!

I bowed my head to Wrath’s flower bracelet as he screamed in rage, then stood before Sloth.

‘I’m dying. My heart is barely holding together.’

Standing between Wrath, who screamed and raged beside me, and Sloth, who radiated overwhelming power before me, was enough to make my consciousness slip away.

I had no idea how I’d ended up sandwiched between two Demon Lords, but I couldn’t collapse here. No matter what, I had to end this.

-You! Raon Zigheart!

Wrath, as expected, couldn’t contain his fury and let his emotions explode. A terrifying wave of cold and rage flowed through my entire body.

‘I need to show him this.’

I didn’t block Wrath’s attack as I normally would. I accepted his overflowing rage directly.

Kwaaaaa!

Wrath’s cold and wrathful aura began to seep through my entire body.

“Wrath’s… aura….”

Sloth furrowed his brow and lowered his chin.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am the vessel of wrath destined to become the body of Lord Wrath upon his descent.”
“Hmm….”
“I know why you’ve come here. The sounds of war and dark magic awakened you from your slumber.”
“That’s… true.”

Sloth nodded very slowly.

“But you’ve chosen the wrong opponent. The ones who’ve been making noise all along are a group called Eden, wearing Monster helmets. We merely defended against their attacks.”

I explained the situation calmly, suppressing the stabbing pain that coursed through me.

“E…den…. Where… are they…?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then… you’re not involved…?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then there’s… no need to fight Wrath….”

Sloth took a step back, relief washing over his expression.

“Sloth. Where are you going?”
“It has… nothing to do… with you all… I’m leaving….”
“Leaving? But that’s… Wait! Wrath, sir!”

I leaped up and grabbed the bracelet desperately.

“P-please restrain yourself! You cannot emerge yet!”
-Huh? What?
“Ah, yes! I’ll relay everything exactly as it is! Please wait!”

I bowed repeatedly while watching Wrath float there with a dazed, vacant expression.

“Sloth. You dare lay hands on this king’s servants and think to simply leave?”
“Wrath…. I didn’t… know you were… here….”
“That makes it worse. Had this king not been present, you would have slain my possessions, would you not?”

I pretended to listen to Wrath’s words while deliberately drawing out the conversation, leaving no opening for suspicion on his end.

-This king never said such things! My insides are bursting. Absolutely bursting! Now I finally understand why humans develop rage sickness!

Wrath’s pupils spun like spinning tops.

“You’re a demon too, so you know the law. A life for a life.”

I pointed to the soldiers who had fallen during the battle with the Monster.

“I haven’t… killed… anyone yet….”
“Don’t argue with this king. The Monsters you drew here when you arrived killed my servants.”
“That’s….”
“You yourself awakened and held innocent people accountable without hesitation, did you not?”
“Hmm….”

Sloth closed his mouth, having nothing to say. Or rather, looking at his eyes, he seemed to find the entire matter tedious. He appeared eager to return and sleep.

‘Perfect.’

I had laid all the groundwork. Now was the time to broach the main subject.

“I’m well aware that taking your life wouldn’t be justified, even so.”
“Wrath….”
“I, the noble Lord of the Demon Realm, shall grant you a choice. Decide: will you abandon sleep, that which you hold most dear, or will you surrender your abilities to this creature? This creature shall henceforth serve me as… eh?”

I stared at the flower bracelet with my mouth agape. Of course, Wrath wasn’t there—he was floating in mid-air.

“W-Wrath, sir!”
-So this was your objective all along. You cunning fiend!

Wrath, despite being the Demon King himself, erupted with fury as he hurled insults like “demon” and “malevolent spirit” at himself.

“There’s no need to offer me such a choice. I have everything I need with just Wrath!”

I bowed so deeply my forehead nearly touched the ground. I overcame Wrath’s interference through the pain of biting my tongue.

-Sloth! Kill this wretch! He brings nothing but calamity to the world! Just lift your hand!
“Sleep and… the transfer of abilities…? That’s simple enough….”

Sloth nodded slowly, his expression suggesting the question itself was trivial.

-No, stop! Don’t! You foolish idiot! You’re being deceived by someone far worse than any demon! Stop!

Wrath flailed his hands and screamed, but Sloth simply raised a finger, pointing to himself.

Whooooom!

A dark aura bloomed from his fingertip, piercing through my heart—no, not my heart. An immense force began etching itself into one axis of my soul.

[A portion of 【Sloth】’s power seeps into your soul and body.]
[The ability will activate after the adaptation period ends.]

The pain was like being branded by a hot iron across my back. Yet thanks to this agony, my mind grew sharper.

-I… I’m dying here. Dying of rage itself. Ahhhhh….

Wrath collapsed onto the ground, his entire body trembling violently.

“Then… I’ll… return…. So sleepy…. Just need sleep….”
“Wait.”

I raised my hand to stop Sloth, who was turning to leave.

“We’re not finished yet.”
“…What?”

Murder flickered in Sloth’s eyes. If I disturbed his sleep any further, he looked ready to fight—Wrath or no Wrath.

“I have something for you.”

I unwrapped the black cloth I carried with me and retrieved the Goblin King’s mana stone. The warmth radiating from the stone thawed my fingers, which had stiffened from the cold and tension.

“That is….”

Sloth felt the heat from the mana stone and his eyes widened.

“Take this mana stone.”

I tossed the mana stone to Sloth without hesitation.

“Warm… If I… have this… I can… continue… to sleep….”

The murderous intent and irritation that had filled Sloth vanished in an instant. He gazed at the mana stone with enchanted eyes.

“But… why… are you… giving this… to me….”
“From now on, no matter what sounds you hear from above, don’t come down. And if a large number of monsters move, control them appropriately and stop them.”

I had no intention of letting others suffer through such horrors while I alone reaped the benefits. I would use Sloth to ensure that no more waves occurred in the future.

“Troublesome… But it’s… not difficult….”

Sloth gazed at the Goblin King’s mana stone with rapturous eyes before turning his gaze to me.

“Is this… also… Wrath’s… request…?”
“No. This is a deal between you and me, separate from Wrath. Don’t ever show yourself here again.”
“A deal…? Compared to this object… it’s trivial. So then….”

He examined the mana stone once more, then raised his finger again.

A black vine sprouted from his finger, coiling around my wrist just beside the flower bracelet.

“What?!”
“Don’t worry… It’s the final payment… after the deal.”

True to his words, no malice emanated from the black light.

Ching!

The sound of metal interlocking rang out, and a black flower bracelet—slightly different in form from the ice flower—appeared on my wrist.

“What is this?”
“It will… help you… in the future.”
“But why a flower bracelet…?”
“I matched it… to your master’s… taste. Before you… bother me again.”

Sloth left those words behind and turned back toward the Mountain.

As he withdrew, the darkness began to recede. The endless night faded, and the sleeping sun awakened.

“Phew…”

I exhaled in ragged, fragmented breaths.

‘I really might die at this rate.’

I wanted to collapse immediately. But not now. I had to endure until Sloth completely disappeared. The fortunate part was that he seemed pleased with the goblin mana stone—his pace was far faster than before.

‘Of all things, another flower, Wrath. This bracelet…’
-Grrrrgh! Ra, you bastard…!

Wrath had apparently fallen into such a rage that he’d lost consciousness. Blue foam bubbled from his mouth.

“Ha.”

I let out a hollow laugh and brushed back my sweat-drenched hair.

‘Still, somehow it’s over.’

Everything came down to the finest of margins. If I’d lacked information about Sloth, if Wrath hadn’t agreed to the deal, if everyone in the Castle hadn’t fallen unconscious—then this method would have been impossible.

As Sloth’s silhouette began to fade, messages flooded my vision.

[You have absorbed the power of a transcendent being….]
[Your soul’s rank has risen significantly….]
[The rank of Thousand Flower Spear has….]
[The glacial chill of the frozen wasteland merges with Glacial….]
[The trait 【Sloth】 has been created….]
[When you take rest….]

There were many more messages, but my vision was too blurred to read them properly.

I closed the messages and poured every last ounce of strength into my trembling legs. I stood alone upon the Castle Wall until the Lord of Sloth vanished into the Mountain and the golden sun erased the darkness.

And so the nightmare of one night came to an end.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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