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The second and third lives weren’t significantly different. It makes sense, as all my lives so far have shifted depending on how Selian acted.

For her, there might be a huge difference between the second and third lives. The difference between having her heart pierced unknowingly and willingly giving it to me while knowing everything.

She probably did extensive research on the Assassin Guild in her third life. That’s why she could immediately hunt down the Assassin Guild in her fourth life.

However, all of this was just Selian acting in solitude, without affecting those around her in any significant way.

Sometimes it’s said that small actions can lead to significant future changes, but at least in the actions she took during her third life, no change occurred that could alter the flow.

Thus, for me, and in the grand scheme of things, there was nothing different between the second and third lives.

Both of these lives were instances where I successfully assassinated her and failed to resist the scroll.

“Selian probably didn’t know. How regression works…”

The power granted to a hero by the goddess is varied, but the essence of it is undoubtedly regression and memory.

When the hero dies, the goddess rolls back the events that have occurred, rewinds the world, and connects the hero’s life through the Holy Sword, allowing them to move forward.

After dying, memories are carried over to the next life, or in my case, they can trigger memories of the previous life.

Whenever Mariel would counsel me, she mentioned that even the goddess cannot foresee the future, learning from the past instead. Of course, for Mariel, who lacks the Holy Sword, the thought of regression would be impossible.

In any case, the hero remains the subject of regression, and at the moment the hero dies, the world begins to slowly rewind.

But wouldn’t it be better if regression occurred immediately?

Since Selian the hero died, the time in the world continued to flow. I have no idea whether the goddess had some intent behind it or if even she needed time to rewind the world.

Even though I’m a hero now, can I understand the goddess’s intentions and abilities as just a mere human?

Ultimately, what matters is that the world continued to flow after her death.

This is a fact of the past Selian, who became the subject of regression, would have been unaware of, something she wouldn’t be able to know originally.

“Do you remember when you were first chosen as a hero? When we headed to the capital with the Saint?”

Back then, I managed to temporarily elevate some of the skills from my previous life with the aid of the Holy Sword. Certainly, I couldn’t bring forth all my power, only what I could handle at that time.

At that moment, I was able to deal with the demonic races and demonic beings we encountered using the powers of an assassin. Even that was just a portion of my accomplishments as an assassin.

If the power of the Holy Sword was not forcibly awakening my talents but rather conjuring skills from my previous life, then where exactly did the power of my assassination come from back then?

In my first life, which ended prematurely at a time just like today, I was barely an effective assassin or swordsman at the age of 18… No, even at 16, I was only exceptional relative to age but not strong enough to handle mid-tier demonic beings.

The fourth life, when I set out on an adventure with friends to hunt the Demon King, was the same. While it was the peak of my strength in terms of sheer power, it was merely a platform I reached earlier as a Sword Master, not a power honed as an assassin.

In the fourth life, where I could completely sever ties with being an assassin, what chances did I have to refine any assassination skills?

Yes. All of my strength stemmed from my second and third lives.

I assassinated Selian and continued living as an assassin until the world rewound.

The Guild Master seemed displeased with my hesitation, using even stronger binding magic on me upon my return.

Naturally, for someone who had already surrendered the moment I pierced Selian’s heart, a stronger Master-Servant Mark held no meaning.

Moreover, the Guild Master, perhaps deeming that my being in a female form was beneficial for an assassin, continued to use me without changing me back to a male.

In a way, could I consider myself the master of an assassin guild?

His insight was surprisingly accurate. I would reach Sword Master and additionally refine my assassination skills to become the ultimate assassin. And he planned to use me to create the best assassin guild.

His plan progressed quite smoothly.

By assassinating Selian, the Guild Master received a hefty reward from the client and began to expand the guild significantly, using me, the assassin catching other assassins, to devour surrounding guilds and grow our influence.

Although my swordsmanship skills were stagnated just before reaching Sword Master, that alone allowed me to impose overwhelming power among other assassins.

In just a few years, Black Moon became a well-known and recognized assassin guild across the continent that no one could ignore.

No one knew the true identity of Black Moon, yet everyone had heard of and feared it… such was the guild.

The Guild Master was not satisfied with simply becoming the worst assassin guild among humans; the guild gradually began to disregard even the bare minimum of decency.

In fact, from the moment I assassinated Selian, Black Moon had forfeited even the semblance of humanity.

I did not know who the client was.

Having surrendered to my fate concerning orders, the Master-Servant Mark, and my destiny since that day, I had no way to discover the client’s identity, nor did I wish to.

Yet now, I can only speculate that it may have been a demonic being or a demonic race that issued the request.

It makes sense, for the new assassination target had no means of acquiring enmity from anyone nearby, and no one could benefit from their death.

Saint Mariel.

Though her personality was a bit unique, she never harmed those around her. Even if she inadvertently caused inconvenience, she didn’t create enough enmity to warrant an assassination request.

Moreover, with the hero dead and her being the last remaining agent of the goddess and the hope of humanity, her death would throw humanity into a truly hopeless situation.

In such circumstances, who other than a madman would request the assassination of the saint if not for a demonic being or an entity of the demonic race?

Given her status as the hope of humanity, the protection surrounding the saint was exceedingly tight. However, those defenses were meaningless before my swordsmanship, which was already close to that of a Sword Master and fully honed as an assassin.

I ultimately pierced through Mariel’s heart, following Selian.

Witnessing the collapse of the saint, who had once been the hope of humanity, reminded me of the image of the hero falling before me.

Even after the saint fell, humanity’s resistance continued.

There were still considerable powers remaining among humanity who could threaten the demonic races.

Already a formidable Great Wizard, there was a girl among them who had the potential to become the greatest Great Wizard on the continent someday.

In war, wizards are targeted as much as commanders.

Thus, another assassination request came in.

Again, the Guild Master, unfazed by humanity’s potential doom, accepted it, and naturally, I, the strongest in the guild, stepped forward once more.

Not long before, a girl who should have blossomed, or rather had to blossom in the near future, perished as my sword pierced her heart before she could ever bloom.

Not just her.

There even came an assassination request aimed at the Sword Master.

By that point in time, I had also reached the Sword Master level, but unlike me, who was just at the starting phase, he had already become a full-fledged Sword Master, and I stood no chance of defeating him.

Yet ultimately, my goal was not to overpower him with skill but to kill him.

Thus, I employed another method.

I took the Sword Master’s family hostage. Not having inherited his talents, I captured his helpless daughter and lured him alone to a remote place.

In front of the Sword Master, who appeared readily out of concern for his daughter, I mercilessly stabbed and killed my hostage’s heart. It’s questionable whether I had any will or emotions left at that point.

Ignoring the crumpling girl who slumped down, I looked at the Sword Master rushing towards me. No, he was rushing towards his daughter.

In that fleeting moment, where sadness and rage intertwined, my sword had already pierced through his daughter and then him.

Both the Great Wizard and the Sword Master fell, completely shattering the balance between humanity and the demonic races.

The capital of the Empire had already fallen, and most of the continent had been contaminated by demonic magic.

In essence, there was no longer any hope left for humanity.

Yet among those who managed to survive, a last stand was made at the Last City.

Although the lord of the family protecting the Last City may not have been a Sword Master, the bloodline’s power to burn all demonic magic surpassed even that of an average Sword Master against the demonic races.

Naturally, another assassination request came in. It was virtually the last assassination request remaining.

The Guild Master, who had long shifted allegiance to the demonic races, openly received assistance for an assassination request from the demonic races.

If I killed her, humanity’s final defense line would collapse, and there would be no more targets to assassinate left in the continent.

This time, it was simpler than the previous requests.

The bloodline power the assassination target possessed only affected the demonic beings, and to me, another human, it was entirely useless.

In the end, the girl, who had been burning with flames, met her demise as my sword pierced her heart.

Just as Selian said, I might find a way to excuse my actions by attributing it to the Master-Servant Mark’s coercive compulsion.

But how could I be so brazen in front of them?

With all the memories resurfacing, I could still vividly feel their hearts being pierced by my hand.

I had broken the sword intended to slay the Demon King, forsaken the hope humanity held, used an ordinary girl merely as a means, shattered the potential bloom of the greatest wizard on the continent, and extinguished the flame that served as humanity’s final defense.

This is a sin that cannot be forgiven, a consequence of my own making, and I have no intention of receiving forgiveness, nor can I forgive myself…