Raon had been lying from the moment he met Derus Robert. No, from the moment he convened the Six Kings Conference. He shouted that they should target the wound on the back of the hand, not the death aura, as Derus's subordinates might be hiding in the video conference.
In reality, he had been training only the Blade of Death to draw out the death aura that Derus had sealed, not the wound on the back of the hand. Thanks to tireless day-and-night practice, the Blade of Death had already reached the 3-star level, despite being a recently acquired trait.
Even after arriving at the Beast Union, deception continued. Knowing that Derus's minions would have already arrived to gauge the atmosphere, Raon hid his intentions and maintained a calm demeanor, acting as if he had come solely to protect Glenn.
It was the same when I met Derus.
As soon as Derus arrived, he used a gentle wind to examine the Death Aura, not the back of his hand. During the handshake, Raon subtly hinted at giving up on the death aura by examining the back of the hand. He moved so carefully that Derus would barely notice, making it natural for Derus to focus on the back of his hand.
That's where the real game began.
Because Derus was obsessively suspicious and cautious, Raon didn't immediately target the death aura during their duel. First, he drew Derus's attention to the wound on the back of his hand. The moment Derus's attention was drawn to the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's fire, Raon pulled out the Blade of Death hidden in his heart.
With only one chance, he plunged the Blade of Death deep into Derus's soul path, targeting the darkness lurking within. A tingling sensation in his hand, as if he had swung a real sword, convulsed Derus's body.
Derus's eyes turned pitch black, and dark flames erupted from his fingertips. The death aura, which should have been hidden even at the cost of his life, had lost control and burst out on its own.
But the result was more than that. A gray, mud-like substance flowed from Derus's hand, revealing diagonal, overlapping sword marks. Two pieces of irrefutable evidence proving that Derus Robert was the swordsman wearing the blue dragon helmet were now visible.
—W-What is this! Wrath's jaw dropped in disbelief.
—Why did the death aura burst out! Weren't you supposed to target the back of the hand?
—This was my goal from the beginning. Raon twisted his lips into a smile. He had deceived Derus Robert so completely that even Wrath, who always accompanied him, was confused.
—Huh…
—So you were targeting the death aura from the start, not the back of the hand?
—You deceived even us…
—You're truly out of your mind.
Even Glenn and the Six Kings leaders, who knew about the plan, trembled in shock.
—Y-You vicious bastard… Derus pushed forward his dark, sunken eyes, revealing a demonic expression. It felt as if he were looking at the enemy of the first patriarch of the Zieghart family, Anima.
Vicious bastard, huh… Raon couldn't help but laugh. Those were the words he had spoken just before dying in his past life.
—Not vicious, but thorough, Derus Robert. Raon returned the words Derus had sneered, without changing a single syllable.
Derus must have realized through the indelible wound on the back of his hand that Raon was the assassin Raon. His eyes distorted as if recognizing the same words being returned. Seeing Derus's contorted face, Raon felt a sense of refreshment, as if twenty years of resentment had instantly dissipated.
—I-Isn't that the death aura?
—Judging by how intense it is, making it difficult to breathe, it must be the death aura…
—T-The wound on the back of the hand is there too! The sword mark the Six Kings told us to look for!
—To think that the swordsman wearing the blue dragon helmet was D-Derus…
—Impossible…
The neutral martial artists swallowed hard, convinced that Derus was indeed the swordsman with the blue dragon helmet.
—F-Father? Lephon Robert stood frozen, jaw trembling.
Derus lost his composure and extended his sword, face turning bright red. The death aura he unleashed became a black net, tightening from all directions. Raon didn't react as the aura surged like a wave. This wasn't a fight he could handle yet.
A massive slash poured down from the sky, tearing apart all the death aura rushing in from all directions.
—How dare you! Glenn descended in front of Raon, tearing apart Derus's aura with the Azure Sky Sword. His eyes blazed with dry killing intent.
—You're really getting on my nerves.
Chamber bit down on her candy and spread her hands. Silver mana bloomed, slicing through Derus's death aura.
A black blade advanced behind the silver flash. Silent Sword Master Lecross struck, the majestic aura of his sword overwhelming Derus.
Derus tried to defend by drawing in the death aura, but the Silent Sword Master crushed his chest with sword pressure. Blood gushed from a wound that looked as if it had been dug out with a shovel.
—Kuh-huk! Despite the pain, Derus honed the death aura sharply and shot it at Raon.
—Ah, no… Larian spread her long, thin fingers, string magic immobilizing Derus like a puppet.
Just as Derus tried to gather his limbs, Beast King Ogram surged from behind, delivering a series of punches imbued with Fierce Wave Arts. A thunderous sound erupted, and Derus staggered, coughing black blood.
The moment Derus closed his eyes from the impact, Raon kicked off the ground. Trusting Glenn's protection, he advanced and stabbed Derus's abdomen with his divine and demonic swords.
—Kuk!
As Derus collapsed coughing blood, Raon struck his face with his fist. With an explosive sound that seemed to twist the earth, Derus slammed to the ground.
—Haah… Raon exhaled deeply and stepped back. His hands trembled. For the first time in his life, he felt relief mixed with deeper anger.
—Kugh… Derus groaned, bloodied.
—You really do hit well. Ogram shook off his steaming fist and smiled at Raon.
—How does it feel to be hit from behind, Derus Robert! He mocked.
—D-Damn it… Derus crawled on the ground, surrounded by the Six Kings' transcendent warriors. His hands trembled, perhaps from pain and anger.
—Why stop now? Keep hitting him. The grudge is deep, isn't it! Wrath waved his hand, recalling the first Six Kings Conference.
Raon shook his head calmly. Despite Derus's injuries, his energy remained. There was a risk he might take Raon hostage to escape, so stopping was the best option.
—You knew. Wrath nodded.
—You're quite perceptive in strange areas.
—We can't kill him yet. Chamber shook her head, standing next to Ogram.
—We have a mountain of questions to ask this bastard.
—You're right. Raon bit his lip. Derus was likely still conducting human experiments and raising assassins. They needed answers.
—First, we need to know why he did this. King Lecross approached Derus's right side, sword ready.
—I-I just want to finish this quickly… The Mage Tower Master trembled, restraining Derus with string magic.
—H-Head of House!
—What are you doing!
—Stop this immediately!
The Young Sword Division and the Elite Warriors of House Robert rushed in to protect Derus. But their feet stopped.
—You can't go. Roenn pointed his sword at Varian, Young Sword Division Leader, emanating chilling killing intent.
—Seeing that you still call him Head of House after this, you must be in cahoots with him. Sheryl held Bellun, Elite Warrior Division Leader, at sword point.
—Hmm…
—That's not it! The Head of House wouldn't do such a thing! Bellun shouted.
—D-Dad…
—Why did you do this when you lacked nothing? Ogram demanded.
—You wouldn't understand. Derus shook his head with a smirk. He smiled at Raon, not Glenn or Lecross.
—To think everything was a deception. You prepared thoroughly. I predicted all the old men's actions, though I didn't expect you to act like this. But to answer your question… No. From the very beginning.
—What?
—I fundamentally don't believe in coincidences. Derus rolled his eyes. Blood had flowed from this wound for the first time in a long while.
—Raon. Every time you achieved a feat or ruined something I prepared, blood would flow from the back of my hand. When both overlapped, so much blood would pour that my glove was soaked.
He licked the blood from his hand and smiled.
—My suspicions grew at the Six Kings Conference, and I became certain…
Derus continued, raising his fingers.
—At the Water Demon Guest factory, after all the Guests I sent died and the factory collapsed… news came that you returned alive. Despite the time difference, I was certain. You were Raon.
—Once I reached that conclusion, everything fell into place—the Shadow factory, the underwater dungeon, and the Water Demon Guest factory.
Derus revealed a confident smile.
—Finally… He showed the wound cleaned by licking, revealing reddened teeth.
—Only you can inflict this indelible wound.
Derus laughed, twisting his eyes grotesquely.
—If I hadn't noticed, I'd be a fool not worthy of carrying what's above my neck.
Kubara swallowed dryly, watching Derus laugh like a madman.
—To think Raon Zieghart was the real Raon.
Even though she trusted and respected Derus, she couldn't accept that Raon Zieghart was the already dead assassin Raon.
Raon bit his tongue, watching Derus with certainty.
—As expected, that bastard is dangerous.
He had assumed Derus would recognize him through the wound during this war, but to realize and confirm his reincarnation beforehand—this wasn't normal thinking. Derus Robert was truly the craziest person in this world.
—What the hell is he talking about? Ogram frowned.
—He's pretending to be crazy, to escape. Chamber layered mana shields.
—I-I'm scared… The Mage Tower Master strengthened string magic behind Chamber.
—Yes. Everyone will think it's nonsense. But… Derus raised his dry gaze.
—It's enough if you and I know.
He chuckled, amused.
—Stop wasting time with useless talk and answer my question. Glenn pressed the Heavenly Tremor against Derus's forehead.
—What is your objective?
—Objective? That's…
Just as Derus moved his lips to lick the blood on his forehead, the Elite Warriors' bodies were suddenly covered in thick blood vessels and exploded. Though weaker than the Water Demon Guests, the shockwave shook the ground.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Derus unleashed his death aura and innate Astral Energy against the Six Kings' encirclement.
—Hold your positions!
—Don't break the encirclement!
—He can't escape anyway!
Glenn, Chamber, and Ogram maintained focus, blocking every escape route.
—Ah, you old folks are really annoying. Derus stayed put, but something new appeared in his hand.
—F-Father? Lephon Robert. The boy had been next to the Young Sword Division, now in Derus's grasp.
—What is this… Glenn widened his eyes.
—What's going on… Raon's lips trembled. It wasn't that Lephon had been brought or had come; it felt as if he had been there from the beginning.
—You… don't tell me… Chamber frowned.
—Are you trying to use your son as a hostage?
—You've really lost your mind…
—Hostage? Derus curled his lips upward, holding Lephon close.
—Do you still see this as human?