The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

What happens when the most powerful race, endowed with both strength and intellect, loses its reason and goes berserk?

Why bother asking? That very scene becomes a living disaster.

Two years ago, in the Lemea Valley, I saw a demon dragon that pales in comparison to the massive adult dragon before me now.

As it soared across the sky, roaring, it eventually settled in the heart of a city adjacent to the slums and began its destruction in earnest.

For something that had been buried underground for hundreds of years, its mystical energy was as alive as that of a living dragon.

A demon beast summoned in the ancient times?

Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to bury this damned corpse underground without disposing of it properly?

And how did Boris find out about it…?

Whoosh –

Fiery orbs cascaded down like a torrential downpour.

“Mist Sword: Severing Wind!”

Swinging my sword diagonally through the air multiple times, the illusionary space sharply split open, erasing the incoming fireballs without a trace.

[This isn’t the time to worry with a disgusted face, Master.]

She’s right.

Even though it’s decayed and twisted beyond any value, leaving it as it is isn’t an option either.

I steeled my resolve and drew upon the dormant power of the fog within me.

“…!”

I felt a chilly gaze and glanced back slightly.

The slum residents who had turned me away were looking at me with faces as white as ghosts.

“Why are you here?”

They must be quite disappointed that their hoped-for savior didn’t appear.

Not my concern.

I hadn’t appeared to save the likes of them anyway.

Ignoring them, I focused again on gathering strength.

“Shadowless Movement 9th Form: Manifestation of the Dark Sword!”

The moment I was ready, I launched myself towards the target.

[You know this one’s on a different level from the ones we’ve faced before, right? If you rush in with just any force, you won’t even scratch it.]

I’m aware.

It’s nonsensical to expect a being that has lost its reason to control its power.

The first thing to do was to penetrate that thick barrier surrounded by a massive amount of mystical energy and magic.

I channeled the mana manifested in my hand directly into Kaeram.

Then, I charged towards it, but,

Bang!

A dull sound, like stone colliding with stone, echoed, and the recoil pushed me back.

“Shadowless Movement 3rd Form: Mist Gliding!”

With the spell, mist erupted from my body, enveloping me and quickly stabilizing my falling body.

What’s this? It’s much sturdier than I thought.

Still, it wasn’t entirely ineffective.

Although I managed to create a spiderweb-like crack in the barrier where Kaeram made contact, creating a small opening,

“……!”

The gap was closed almost immediately, returning to its original form, making it laughable to call it a success.

[Did you even listen to me? Why hold back when we’ve got the power to do something about it?!]

Kaeram’s scolding was just an added bonus.

It felt as if the barrier was doubly reinforced, incredibly tough.

Still, it seemed I had succeeded in drawing its attention,

The lifeless black eyes of the Demon Dragon turned towards me.

“Kwaaak!”

Excited upon seeing me, it thrashed around, moving its legs in all directions.

Then, opening its mouth towards the sky, it once again spewed multiple fireballs in every direction.

It was like watching lava erupt from the fiery crater of an active volcano.

Now, as it recklessly expended its power without regard for direction, was my chance.

I needed to gather my strength and charge in as quickly as possible, but,

For some reason, my gaze was drawn not to the Demon Dragon, but to the fireballs soaring into the sky.

This is why I despise dragons.

Even though it didn’t aim anywhere specifically, it’s infuriating how the fireballs seem to find their way to populated areas, such as villages or towns.

Is it their instinct to belittle humans that persists even in death?

It wasn’t just my gaze that had shifted; somehow, the power of the mist had begun to gather in my hand.

“Shadowless Movement 5th Form: Mist Clone!”

It was too late for my body to get there directly.

With my left hand, not holding Kaeram, I quickly formed a sphere of mist and threw it powerfully towards the fireballs.

The thrown sphere moved faster than the fireballs, and upon reaching its target, it transformed.

Swoosh –

Then, just like I had done, it wielded a sword, eradicating all the falling fireballs.

[Are you insane? We should be focusing on that rotten creature, and here you are getting distracted?]

“Right. We can’t afford to be distracted by trivial matters when focusing entirely on it is barely enough.”

I created additional spheres of mist and threw them in different directions.

Then, like the first sphere, they transformed into clones resembling me, positioning themselves around the area.

That should be enough to buy some time.

[Do you really want to do this even now?]

“It’s not the first time we’ve been through something like this. Why make a big deal out of it now?”

[After all that talk about being an executioner!]

Kaeram shook its head in disgust and sighed.

Ignoring the sigh, I charged at the demon dragon once again.

Bang!

Do you know the best way to overpower an adversary?

It’s quite simple.

Just exert a force more formidable than the one trying to oppose you.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With Kaeram, now imbued with several times more power, I relentlessly struck down on the barrier. Each strike caused the mystical energy concentrated in the barrier to explode outward.

This time, it did not end with just a small gap.

A large space big enough for at least five people to enter was created, and the Demon Dragon, seemingly a bit flustered, extended its hand towards me, manifesting mana.

-Crackling!

With a flashing brilliance, blue lightning enveloped my entire body.

However, having anticipated the counterattack, I faced no great difficulty in blocking it.

I did not stop and sent several sword energies into the broken barrier repeatedly.

-Squeak

Though numerous noticeable wounds were inflicted, they seemed meaningless.

Unless its body was completely dismembered, to it, these were merely insignificant scratches.

“Kwoooar!”

The Demon Dragon roared again, swinging its gigantic arm.

The moment I slightly twisted my body and successfully dodged, I immediately corrected my grip on Kaeram and executed a secret technique.

“Shadowless Sword: The Scattering Eight Petals!”

The moment the eight sword strikes, created with smooth hand movements, sliced through the space,

-Crack

The Demon Dragon’s right arm shattered into pieces with a crisp sound.

Yet, without even a scream, as if it was no problem at all, it immediately swung its sharp, trident-like tail.

I quickly leaped into the air, and as if it had been waiting, it opened its mouth wide, emitting intense heat.

Smirking, I sent another sword energy into its mouth.

“Kagagak!”

As the fireball it was about to spew was sliced by the sword energy, it exploded inside its mouth.

Not missing this opportunity, I quickly adjusted my stance and charged towards it.

Let’s see.

Suddenly, the content of a novel I had inadvertently read in the past comes to mind.

A peaceful village suddenly faces a demon that appears and destroys everything around it, and a hero emerges to save the village.

As the hero swings his sword to defeat the brutal demon, someone watching from a distance commented that it seemed like watching a beautiful and splendid dance.

If someone were watching me from afar right now, I wonder if they might think the same.

Isn’t there a famous saying that life, when viewed from a distance, is a comedy, but up close, it’s a tragedy?

To an onlooker, the hero’s swordplay might seem like a beautiful dance,

But from the perspective of the demon facing it head-on,

It would appear nothing more than a bloody execution ceremony conducted by the Angel of Death.

Despite its splendor, it’s a scene too horrific and dreadful to be considered beautiful.

“Shadowless Sword: Dance of the Black Blood!”

* * *

In the midst of Axillium, a mysterious giant beast appeared.

It turned the peaceful city into a scene from hell in an instant, and after a sudden burst of rampage, it abruptly let out a scream of frustration.

While people were still busy running away, some sensed a change in the atmosphere and started to regather their senses to look around.

Not only was the vicinity destroyed by the beast, but the eyes of the people couldn’t help but be drawn to the mysterious figure standing boldly in the center of the street.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear he was not alone.

In the center of the street, atop buildings, and even in the air where feet could not reach,

He calmly blocked the beast’s sporadic attacks and even quelled the spreading flames tirelessly.

Anyone could tell that he was a being protecting the city and its people from the beast,

Yet, the people couldn’t relax their furrowed brows.

It was as if they were looking at the Angel of Death, not a savior.

The figure didn’t look like a bringer of salvation; rather, it made onlookers feel repulsion and unease.

“Kwooeeek!”

Suddenly, a terrible roar echoed throughout the city.

The direction was from the slums.

Even from a distance, a giant beast was seen screaming and thrashing around, and around it, enchanting curves as if drawing something in the air were being traced.

It looked as though a dancer with a sword was performing, and some of the people who faced this scene were so entranced that they lost themselves in admiration.

It was a situation where laughter could not possibly arise,

Yet, the smile scarcely left the lips of the one who could be considered the protagonist of this situation.

“We should call him the Angel of Death reaping undead souls, It’s indeed a rare sight to behold.”

With each magnificent sword stroke, the Demon Dragon’s body was torn to shreds, and instead of red blood, something black surged forth.

The dark magic circle that had been shining in one of his hands was gradually losing its light, but Boris remained calm until the end.

“I acknowledge you. You are an existence perhaps closer to the truth than we have realized. Sadly, we are currently unable to handle your power.”

-Thud!

With the final sword strike drawn straight ahead, the Demon Dragon’s body completely collapsed.

“However, do not be relieved. This world does not move solely by power. If it did, the history of this world would not be written centered around the light.”

Boris gently stroked the white holy book he held in his hand.

“Then, I shall see you again. Cyan Vert. Next time, I hope to face you in a form closer to the truth, so please stay well…”

With these last words, likely unheard by the one they were meant for,

Boris’s body emitted light and disappeared.

(To be continued)