The Reaper Who Accepts the Will of Heaven

"Hey, what exactly is blinding me?"

Chapter 244 The Grim Reaper Who Follows Fate

"Aaaaa."

The soft touch and gentle, pleasant words were like a warm breeze that unexpectedly began to blow in my ear.

"Ah?"

The sudden warm touch and the all-too-familiar voice in his ear made Rovey pause for a moment.

Then my vision was blocked, and it became pitch black again.

What exactly is blinding me?

This was the biggest question in his mind at that moment, and besides that, there was also—

"Aaa...?"

Tiamat's soft call interrupted Rovey's increasingly distant thoughts, causing him to stop his tedious contemplation.

"No, although I did say that might makes right, this isn't the time to consider whether I like it or not. Tell me first, how did you suddenly appear here?"

Seeing Tiamat suddenly appear in front of him, pressing her face against his chest and rubbing against him from time to time, Rovey was almost suffocated, but he was still surprised.

Just moments ago, he was overjoyed to see her again in his dream and resolved to save her and fulfill his responsibility as someone who could understand her, but...

This is the first time I've made up my mind to accomplish something extremely difficult.

The next second, just as everyone was about to leave, the person in question suddenly appeared, which was quite surprising.

However, Tiamat, having returned to reality from the Imaginary Numbers World, paid no attention to these trivial matters. She hugged Rovey, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and sniffed his scent like a human cuddling a cat.

"Okay, okay, stop rubbing against me, I'm thinking."

Patting Tiamat on the head, Rovey spoke while seriously considering the situation.

First and foremost, the biggest question remains: wasn't Tiamat supposed to have completely sealed herself away in the Imaginary Number Space to seal the Beast Face? Why did she suddenly emerge? And her appearance and demeanor seem somewhat... off...

At least this aura is far weaker than my own in the Imaginary Numbers World.

She doesn't smell of beasts, nor does she smell of Star Goddess. What happened?

"Aa?"

Tiamat tilted her head curiously when she noticed that Rovey was looking at her intently, while Rovey smiled.

"I'm sorry, I was just a little engrossed and overjoyed."

—Who cares? At least for now, everything seems to be moving in a positive direction, and that's enough.

Tiamat wouldn't lie to herself; even if she had doubts, she could simply ask her later.

Now that she has fulfilled the wish they shared in their Imaginary Numbers World and returned to Earth, she can finally revisit everything on this gentle land. And as long as he is always by her side, nothing can hurt her again, and no one can separate them once more, except—

Die.

As Rovey reached out to brush Tiamat's long hair behind her ear, just as he was about to ask her a question, a sudden shiver ran through his body, as if an electric current had passed through him.

"Who goes there?!"

He widened his eyes, turned around abruptly, and reached out to shield Tiamat behind him.

"Come out."

Rovey spoke in a low voice towards the deserted cliff.

"..."

The air was initially silent, then came a whistling wind, but he received no response. There was still no one in front of him, and the emptiness gave him a cold and deathly feeling.

If it were anyone else, upon seeing this scene, they would surely have dismissed their feelings as their own illusion. Even Tiamat tilted her head, uttering a somewhat puzzled sound, and asked Rovey if he had discovered something.

"Aaa...?"

"Believe me, someone is already here."

He lowered his head and said in a deep voice.

"Aaa".

To reassure her, Rovey took Tiamat's hand, his mind completely focused. His eyes were fixed on the front, while the crimson hand behind him unceremoniously chose the entire cliff as its target, and then, without hesitation, grabbed it.

Boom—!!

With a sudden flash of blinding red light, the cliff face appeared as if cleaved by an invisible giant blade, its azure rock shattering into spiderweb-like patterns. A roar surged up from the depths of the earth, instantly causing the thousand-foot cliff to collapse, sending waves of shattered rock carrying the smell of rust crashing down.

Soon, the rising smoke and dust swept across the field of vision like a tide, completely engulfing and burying the surrounding environment.

"——"

However, even so, despite seeing that the cliffs and land in front of him had been completely cut off, Rovey, who had unleashed that attack, did not let his guard down, but continued to stare at the dust-filled front ahead.

That guy's still here!

Although he still couldn't see it, he could sense that something was about to emerge...

"Listen carefully—"

The next moment, just as they had confirmed that the surroundings were empty, a pair of pale white skulls burning with eerie blue flames suddenly appeared. Then, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere, passing through the billowing dust, and suddenly appeared in front of them.

"It's you."

Upon seeing the tall figure before him, clad in a heavy black robe and wearing a pale skull mask, he immediately recognized the other's identity.

The original Hassan, Grand Assassin, beheaded Rameses II in the Sixth Singularity. He was also the strongest assassin who gave Tiamat the concept of death in the original story. He suddenly appeared before Rovey, and without anyone else noticing.

Although Rovey is currently very confident in his own strength and power, it is not difficult to understand why this person could approach him so silently.

However, being approached does not necessarily mean he died immediately.

Rovey looked up at King Hassan's eyes, which were burning with a dark blue flame, and their pupils reflected each other's silhouettes.

At this moment, King Hassan, who appeared before them, raised one hand high, holding up the nameless greatsword that was the color of obsidian, to clash with the crimson hand that was falling from mid-air.

This was Rovey's subconscious reaction when he sensed someone approaching. The moment King Hassan got close, the Sacred Right Strike automatically struck down at King Hassan, thus directly eliminating the possibility of him being assassinated and beheaded like Rameses II.

"Holy Son who has received the Mandate of Heaven, who are you protecting?"

Raising his jet-black greatsword to confront the crimson hand, King Hassan uttered a deep, Evening Bell- like voice. Though it was a calm sentence, Rovey understood that he was asking for clarification, or perhaps issuing a warning. His destiny was to kill Tiamat, and now that Tiamat was walking in the mortal realm, the appearance of this Grand Assassin wasn't difficult to comprehend.

But...

It has nothing to do with what his destiny is. No one's destiny allows them to arbitrarily take another's life. Even when facing King Hassan, he had no reason to back down.

"The important people I protect, the people I love, the people I cherish."

Faced with King Hassan's questioning, Rovey responded just as defiantly.

"Even if it defies the will of Heaven, and is a ferocious beast, would you still wish to protect it?"

Upon receiving Rovey's reply, King Hassan did not stop, but instead increased the force of his sword and continued to question him.

"I'm sorry, perhaps in your eyes Tiamat is an enemy that must be eliminated, but in my eyes she is not some monster, she is me—"

Rovey did not back down in the face of King Hassan's questioning, and at that moment he increased his magic output, controlling the crimson hand to grip King Hassan's sword tightly.

With a loud "Bang!!", Rovey's fist, adorned with a gold ring, collided violently with a massive hand clad in jet-black gauntlets. The sound of the two forces colliding was deafening.

"An important person!"

At this point, Rovey also gave his answer.

"Though you are a holy son favored by Heaven, you have secretly communicated with the monstrous beast Lingxi, which is truly an anomaly. However, the mission I bear will not be abandoned because of a few words. Now show me your full faith and strength, and I will make the decision! Or perhaps I will personally sever your pathetic head!"

A dark blue light flashed across King Hassan's pale eyes, and a layer of blue flames immediately appeared on his originally black greatsword. Then, King Hassan raised the greatsword high above his head and slashed it down heavily towards Rovey below.

This attack was completely different from his previous encounter with Rameses II in the pyramids; it was no longer a lesson, but a real battle.

Just like the declaration made by King Hassan when he gave Tiamat the concept of death in the original world, in the face of destiny, he will no longer respect his identity at this moment, and he will become the true Azrael.

"So you're serious after all? Then bring it on! Although I'm very reluctant to fight you, this time, I won't back down in any way."

With a determined look in his eyes, Rovey raised his fist to block King Hassan's greatsword attack, his tone incredibly resolute.

He can now control everything, so he will never let important people slip away, after all, that's why he chooses to keep getting stronger.

He would never lose as long as he fought for it, even against King Hassan.

Bang--!!

The nameless black longsword swung down repeatedly, but each time it was steadily parried by Rovey.

Sparks of metal and teeth-grinding vibrations filled the space, and every clash between fist and sword caused the air to vibrate.

He is no longer the weakling who would give up at the mere mention of King Hassan's name; now, he can handle even Grand Servant with ease.

The Ten Commandments, Solomon's records, and all that he had learned so far, all materialized at this moment, revealing his unwavering will to the god of death who, based on destiny, was taking away his life.

The Grand Servant, who was originally difficult to fight, was forced to move his feet under the pressure of the clash with him, and the dark blue flames continued to surge, and his powerful strength had to be fully displayed.

This was a display he had never shown even when dealing with Rameses II. It was also a recognition of himself and proof of what he could do at this moment. King Hassan had come to regard him as an enemy that he had to fight with all his might to defeat.

To be acknowledged or recognized by such a being is a truly wonderful feeling, and I feel inexplicably honored.

"Then let's try this!"

A golden ring flashed by, and Rovey, wielding Jacob's Limbs, stepped forward, spreading King Hassan's longsword open with both hands once more. Then, two fingers swiftly extended, and a dark red Rune rose from King Hassan's chest, instantly erupting into a blinding burst of intense red sparks.

Boom—!!

The flickering runes raged wildly, the dazzling flames accompanied by black smoke. The power of this attack was comparable to a B+ rank Noble Phantasm. However, King Hassan's body was like a mountain. Even though he took the blast head-on, his black armor remained undamaged, or rather, it didn't budge in the slightest. It seems that even the runes of the Age of Gods were nothing more than an immature trick to this Azrael who walked among mortals.

—Clang!

After the first move, King Hassan's ghostly figure swung his sword again.

"If this is all you have, then your beliefs are nothing but empty talk!!"

After several exchanges, although King Hassan suffered multiple attacks, ordinary grand Magecraft could not cause him any significant damage. Even Jacob's Limbs could be blocked by his greatsword, whose style was unpredictable, preventing Rovey from having the opportunity to inflict effective damage.

Finally, King Hassan launched an even more ferocious and continuous attack. Unlike Rovey's fist attacks, as the strongest assassin among assassins, each of his attacks was delivered from an extremely tricky angle, practically impossible to counter. Every sword strike was aimed at decapitating the enemy.

Clang!!

A heavy pressure came from his arm; the force of the blow was greater than expected. The eerie blue flames clinging to the sword, like maggots that gnawed at his flesh, actually killed the magic power attached to his hand and directly damaged his body.

'This guy...'

Rovey intended to retreat and create distance, using the Magus's advantage to wear him down throughout the game, but King Hassan had no intention of giving him that chance. Rather, his immediate appearance at close range was precisely to prevent Lo Wei from doing such a thing, and he wanted to completely drag himself into Lo Wei's rhythm.

"So—wheat flour on top, human body on the bottom."

White powder formed beneath his body, accompanied by the utterance of an incantation. This time, a white scimitar capable of effectively suppressing defense condensed and appeared. At that moment, however, King Hassan's sword suddenly changed.

The heavy black longsword was as light as seven heads; one moment the greatswords were crossed, and the next it swung towards its own head in an unpredictable trajectory.

"—High- High-Speed Divine Words."

However, because of the increased chanting speed of Rovey, coupled with the driving force of the auxiliary Magecraft, the white blade he conjured reached the opponent's neck even earlier than King Hassan's greatsword. With just one more breath, King Hassan would be beheaded by the Light Execution.

Just before the blade fell towards his brain, Rovey did not dodge. Instead, a crimson figure appeared directly in front of him. Michael's phantom transformed into a shield, blocking King Hassan's fatal sword. Since his own Light Execution was faster, King Hassan should have been hit.

The Light Execution has the special property of ignoring defense and physical strength. Anyone below will be easily cut off by the one above. This is a miracle Magecraft that is cast instantly by the blood of the God Child and the Ten Commandments. If it hits, even King Hassan will be injured by it.

However--

"Valley of Shadows".

The deep voice ruthlessly shattered the victory that was within reach. Just before the white guillotine was about to cleave King Hassan's neck, the figure vanished from the spot, or rather, disappeared into the Valley of Shadows, causing the guillotine to lose its target and be completely burned away by the surrounding eerie blue flames.

Then, King Hassan's enormous figure reappeared behind Rovey, and immediately the black greatsword slammed down on him again.

Clang!!

The crimson hand that emerged from behind him once again blocked the fatal sword strike, and the two figures and their power were locked in a stalemate once more, just like in the initial battle.

"Your power, though great, is still insufficient!"

"Of course I know... but isn't it too early to be putting on this condescending, lecturing tone? The outcome isn't decided yet, old man."

Looking at the stalemate between King Hassan and the old man, Rovey had a certain estimate of the old man's strength.

His swordsmanship is unparalleled, even surpassing that of Jacob's Limbs wielding Solomon; his physical strength is insane, allowing him to withstand runes and other powerful Magecraft with minimal impact; he also possesses a teleportation skill like the Valley of Shadows, which is comparable to etherealization, to evade fatal attacks; coupled with his ghostly blue flames and his ability to kill, although his skill set is limited, it is truly terrifying. Everything he possesses is designed to kill his enemies more efficiently.