The Heavenly Demon Can’t Live A Normal Life [EN]: Chapter 206

The Ecorche Assassination Guild was feared across the land. Their power came from one assassin: the Sword of Ecorche. He had killed nine important people. Each time, he left a gruesome mark – the skin of his victims peeled away. This would be his tenth kill.

Ten kills. Cort felt a thrill. *Ten is a good number,* he thought. *And Roman Dimitri? Everyone is talking about him. Perfect for number ten.* He wondered, *Will he scream? They say he’s heartless, but everyone breaks when they die.* He slipped into the shadows.

Cort knew Dimitri’s guards well. But he was careful. He sent other assassins to make noise in different places. This would distract the guards while Cort went straight for Roman Dimitri. He knew exactly where Dimitri was. He had sent a magic mouse into Dimitri’s room. Through the mouse’s eyes, Cort saw Dimitri go to bed and fall asleep.

The room was silent. Dimitri’s breath was slow and deep. He was really asleep. The mouse could feel it. A sleeping person is different. Cort had used this trick nine times before. Even strong fighters are just people when they sleep. They die without knowing what’s happening.

*Whoosh*. Magic flowed through Cort. He wasn’t a wizard, but magic was part of him. He used it to see through the mouse’s eyes again. *Fool*, he thought, looking at sleeping Dimitri. *Sleeping like a baby in Dimitri.* Dimitri had been asleep for an hour, deep in sleep. Cort moved quietly. He wore a cloak that made him invisible, like Cliff. Magic helped him move without a sound. He was like a cat, light and quick. He climbed the castle wall, slipped inside, using the shadows. Guards walked past, but they didn’t see him.

He knew the building inside and out. For fifteen days, his mouse had explored every corner. Cort had planned the fastest way to Dimitri’s room. He knew how long it would take, when the guards walked by, and where to run if things went wrong. He had thought of everything. So, Cort moved with confidence. He was at Dimitri’s door in seconds. He used a magic tool to stop any sound. *Silence,* he thought. *Perfect.* *Click.* He opened the door.

Small sounds mattered. Even a tiny click of a door could wake someone with sharp ears. Cort left nothing to chance. That was Ecorche’s way. Others in the guild, like Cliff, did the normal jobs. But Cort was for the big targets. He planned perfectly, used his magic animals, and always finished the job. People woke up to skinned bodies and whispered the name “Ecorche” in fear. Cort stepped into the room. Dagger in hand.

He moved towards Dimitri, ready to end his life with one quick cut. But then, Dimitri’s eyes snapped open. He sat up.

“A little rat?” Dimitri said, his voice cold. He looked right at Cort, even though Cort was invisible.

The night before, Lucas had warned him, “They’re planning something big. Soon. Maybe even tonight. We’re making the castle safer, setting traps.” They knew Ecorche was coming. And Dimitri knew it might be tonight. But he went to sleep anyway.

Cort was right about one thing: Dimitri *was* asleep. The mouse felt it. He slept until Cort opened the door. But even in sleep, Dimitri was ready. His dreams were of his old life, as Baek Jung-hyuk. He had fought his way to the top. He could never relax. Enemies were always there, even his own brothers. He lived in danger, even afraid of poison in his drink. At first, he never slept properly. He stayed awake all night, eyes wide open, waiting for killers. He was always tense, always ready. But after a year, he knew he couldn’t live like that. He needed rest to survive. So, he learned to sleep, but still be alert.

He closed his eyes and slept, even knowing a killer was coming. He trained himself to wake up at the smallest hint of danger. It was risky at first. He almost died many times. Once, a blade cut his neck before he woke up, blood pouring out. But he kept trying. He had to find a way to rest and still be safe. Slowly, his senses became sharper. Even asleep, his mind was watching, listening. He woke up instantly when anything changed.

*Tap*. Quiet footsteps. Cort was careful, silent. But even before Cort reached the door, Dimitri knew he was there. Cort was good, but Dimitri had faced *real* killers before. In his past life, in a dangerous world, assassins had come for him all the time – when he slept, when he ate, even when he walked in the street. That’s why he could sleep now, even with danger near. Cort didn’t know. He thought he was so clever with his ten kills. But Dimitri had faced more attacks than Ecorche had even *tried*. This was something Cort could never have guessed.

Cold fear shot through Cort. Dimitri saw him. Invisible or not, Dimitri saw him. Something was terribly wrong. But Cort pushed the fear down. *I don’t fail,* he thought fiercely.

The attack had started. Assassins were coming from everywhere. Cort needed to buy time.

But there was a problem. His enemy was a 5-star swordsman.

Cort knew Commander Gustavo had died fighting this man. But Cort did not hesitate. He had made his choice.

“Hold.”

Whoosh.

A magic item appeared.

At the same time, he said, “Haste, Strength.” He used magic to make himself stronger and faster.

Cort was the best assassin of Ecorche. He had many weapons. Very quickly, he ran to his enemy. He wanted to trap him.

The magic made him faster and stronger. Also, his dagger glowed with power. This showed he was more than just an assassin.

Rumble! He had a 4-star aura. He was stronger than the rankings showed. No one knew exactly how strong he was. But his surprise attacks, using his 4-star aura, had worked nine times before.

So, attacking Roman Dmitry was not arrogant. Cort knew his own skills well. He thought he had a good chance to win if he surprised Dmitry.

Whoosh! He attacked. The dagger cut through the air. Roman Dmitry moved his head to dodge. When their eyes met, Cort quickly stepped back.

Tap tap tap! Dmitry did nothing. Roman Dmitry just put his hand on his sword. He didn’t even draw it. But Cort felt like Dmitry’s sword had already cut off his head.

It felt like his feet were sinking in mud. They hadn’t even really fought, but Cort was already covered in cold sweat.

Drip. Cort swallowed hard and lowered his body as much as he could.

‘If I relax even a little, I’ll die,’ he thought. He felt it in his gut. This enemy was dangerous. Cort had defeated nine strong enemies before. But this was different.

The silence was heavy and hard to bear. Cort pushed off the ground again and used all his aura. Snap! He was fast. The Haste magic made him move like a wild animal. He threw daggers, trying to find a weak spot.

Roman Dmitry mostly dodged, using his sword to knock away the last daggers. Cort saw a chance. He moved close to Dmitry. He made Dmitry defend his lower body. Then, Cort quickly changed direction and tried to stab him under the chin.

The attack surprised him. When Dmitry moved his head back, Cort used his aura to attack. He aimed for Dmitry’s weak spots at the same time. A quick moment. Six attacks. Cort’s attacks were dangerous. But as soon as they stopped, red blood flew everywhere.

Pat.

“……!”

His arm was gone. He hadn’t even seen it happen. Cort thought he was winning because of the magic item. But before he knew it, his arm was cut off and in the air.

His face turned white. Roman Dmitry’s reputation was real. Roman Dmitry had defeated Commander Gustavo easily. Cort now knew that fighting him directly was stupid.

Was it because this was his tenth assassination attempt? Cort had been reckless.

‘It’s over,’ he thought. He knew he was defeated. The assassination failed. Now, he just needed to survive.

“Flash.”

Flash! He quickly used a magic bomb. He used the magic bomb at full power. A bright white light exploded, and he couldn’t see. And then. He quickly ran away. When the light faded, Cort was gone. Blood drops showed the way he ran. Roman Dmitry followed the blood. He didn’t need to hurry. As he stepped into the inner castle, he knew Cort was trapped.

Pain shot through him. Cort held his bleeding arm tightly. He ran fast to the escape route he had planned. ‘Damn it,’ Cort thought. ‘The mission failed. Roman Dmitry is too strong. Even if the other assassins come, it won’t matter. Dmitry’s soldiers will come. We can’t escape.’ The most important thing now: survival. He ran to the escape path his group had made. But he saw something strange there.

Flash!

“Kraaah!”

An Ecorche assassin. One of them screamed and fell down. A fight was happening on the escape path. Cort saw who was leading Dmitry’s soldiers. He knew him. It was Chris. Ecorche was afraid of Chris. Ecorche had decided to avoid fighting Chris if possible. He was very dangerous, even in Dmitry’s army. Chris was doing this. Assassins were dying. Cort had failed to kill Roman Dmitry. And now, things outside were also bad.

‘Could it be? Did they know our plan?’ Everything that happened. Roman Dmitry reacted to his attack. And there was a fight outside. This made Cort think Dmitry knew their plan. Of course, only half of this was true. Dmitry did know Ecorche’s plan. But Cort failed because Roman Dmitry was too strong. Normally, Cort wouldn’t have guessed that. Cort turned around and ran the other way.

But.

“……Oh dear.” It was the same there. No. They were all dead already. Among the dead bodies, Cort saw a man. He knew him too. It was Kevin. Kevin’s face was colder than usual. He was waiting for Cort to run here. He really wanted to get revenge himself.