The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 835

 Chapter 835

 

"What's your name?"

Raon walked to the right. Standing in front of the warrior from the Steelmasters Alliance restrained by Rimmer, he tilted his chin slightly.

Why aren't you getting straight to the point? Why bother asking something trivial like a name?

Wrath tilted his head, seemingly unable to understand.

'A name is the most basic and important piece of information about a person. Once you make them say their name, they feel psychological pressure and are more likely to spill the real information.'

Speaking anonymously and speaking while giving one's name carry different weights. Asking the name of a subdued opponent is one of the most basic elements of interrogation.

You sure know a lot of useless things.

Wrath shrugged, saying it was peculiar.

'It's nothing special.'

To someone like Raon, who had lived as an assassin, it was as natural as breathing. However, to Wrath, a Demon King, it seemed like a strange concept. Their ways of life were simply too different.

"Gapen…."

The warrior from the Steelmasters Alliance revealed his name with trembling lips.

"Gapen. What was the Steelmasters Alliance doing in this dungeon?"

"Tr-training warriors and re-researching sorcery."

Since Rimmer was still tickling the soles of his feet, Gapen revealed what the Steelmasters Alliance had been doing with a pained expression.

"So they were really trying to revive the Steelmasters Alliance."

Rimmer shook his head as if the idea was ridiculous.

"Hey."

Aris grabbed Gapen by the collar with a cold glare.

"You also kidnapped people, didn’t you?"

"……."

Gapen didn’t respond, but his silence answered for him.

"Among the people you kidnapped, is there anyone named Sif?"

"I-I don’t know. My role is as an external sentry, so I don’t know who the hostages are."

He shook his head, saying he didn’t know who was captured.

"Think carefully! A swordsman with red hair and red eyes! Incredibly strong, there’s no way you wouldn’t know!"

Aris gripped Gapen’s throat, urging him to speak quickly.

“I-I haven’t been in this branch for very long. It’s not an area I’m allowed into…”

With a pale face, Gapen muttered that he truly didn’t know.

"This idiot!"

Unable to hold back, Aris punched Gapen in the face. Though she likely controlled her strength, but to Raon, it seemed excessive.

"Aunt. Calm down for now."

Raon grabbed Aris’ arm and laid Gapen back on the ground.

“Are you people moving to revive the Steelmasters Alliance?”

“It-It’s not revival. We’ve been alive all along. We’re just preparing for revenge!”

Gapen raised his voice, seemingly unable to suppress his resentment. Deep anger could be felt from his soul.

"After attacking us first, what are they saying now! Anyone who hears this would think they were ambushed."

Rimmer muttered that it was ridiculous and struck Gapen’s forehead.

"Ugh…."

Even so, Gapen gnashed his teeth as if still resentful.

"It seems the remnants of the Steelmasters Alliance are not only in this dungeon."

The fact that Gapen mentioned coming to this branch suggested there was a separate main headquarters.

Moreover, for a faction destroyed over a hundred years ago to speak of revenge, this dungeon was far too small in scale.

We don’t know where their headquarters is, but they must be maintaining a much larger force than here.

However, what was more important now than the Steelmasters Alliance’s headquarters was what lay beneath this dungeon and who was being held hostage.

"Why were you hiding here?"

Raon let out a short breath and lowered his gaze to Gapen.

“…We-we found traces of someone entering this underground branch.”

Gapen hesitated but spoke again due to Rimmer’s relentless tickling torture.

"Ugh!"

Paras held his temples as if blaming himself.

“While moving the branch, we had to send a signal and buy time… Kugh!”

In the middle of his explanation, Gapen grabbed his throat. His eyes began to turn blood-red as if drowning in a pool of blood.

"What’s this!"

Raon placed his hand on Gapen’s chest.

Wooong!

The sorcerous energy swirling around Gapen’s entire body twisted suddenly, and before anything could be done, it burst his heart.

"Kuugh…."

With a cracking groan, Gapen collapsed lifelessly.

"This is…."

"Sorcery."

Raon shook his head as he removed his hand from Gapen’s chest.

“They used the remaining sorcery flow in Gapen’s body to burst his heart.”

It seemed they had placed a spell to remotely destroy Gapen’s heart to prevent any information from being leaked if he were captured.

"That’s just like the Steelmasters Alliance. Ruthless."

Aris bit her lip in frustration, her eyes filled with irritation.

"That’s not the issue right now."

Rimmer furrowed his brow, looking at Gapen’s corpse.

"Those Steelmasters people. They’re trying to abandon this dungeon."

"That’s correct."

Raon nodded, meeting Rimmer’s gaze.

"From the moment they discover traces of outsiders, their immediate decision to abandon the branch shows they’re far more dangerous than expected."

The fact that they instantly deployed sentries and abandoned the branch just because they noticed an unfamiliar presence was remarkable. Their decisiveness was likely a key reason the remnants of the Steelmasters Alliance had survived until now.

'We need to act as quickly as possible.'

When shady forces abandoned their bases, they often killed all hostages. To rescue the kidnapped people, they needed to clear the dungeon at the fastest possible speed.

"Aunt. Let’s go down right awa—huh?"

As Raon was about to urge Aris to move, the entire dungeon trembled violently.

Kugugugugu!

The entire dungeon trembled, collapsing all paths to go down below and the exits to the outside.

Wooowoooong!

Not only soil and rocks but also steel of unknown origin surged and tightly sealed both entrances and exits. It was clearly the result of sorcery.

“What the hell is this!”

Martha bit her lip, bending her knees.

"The cave—no, the entire dungeon is shaking."

Burren also lowered his head tensely.

"Hmm."

Runaan created ice pillars in preparation for a potential collapse, supporting the ceiling of the cave.

"Aaaah! We’re going to get buried! If we stay here, we’re all going to die!"

Dorian flailed his arms, urging them to escape quickly.

"It’s already too late."

Raon shook his head as he stared at the buried exit.

"They intend to trap us in this dungeon until they can move their branch."

Not just this cave, but the entire dungeon was shifting rapidly.

The Steelmasters were willing to endure the massive consumption of sorcery just to block their path.

"How insolent."

Aris clenched her fists and stood before the door leading to the next floor.

"Do they think their sorcery tricks can stop me?"

Instead of her sword, she struck the wall of sorcery with her fist.

Kuwaaaang!

A tremendous shockwave erupted, shattering all the rocks and steel that had been gathered and compacted through sorcery.

Fwoooosh.

Aris’ overwhelming strength blew the path wide open—so much so that even a giant could now pass through what was originally a narrow passage meant for two people at most.

“Just follow me.”

Aris declared she would lead and descended into the pitch-black path.

"As expected of our aunt!"

Martha exclaimed, feeling exhilarated as she followed Aris.

"I don’t usually like brute force, but that was satisfying."

Burren nodded and entered the widened path.

"Aunt…."

Runaan also followed, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Hmm…."

Raon didn’t follow immediately but instead placed his hand on the ground.

Using the Ring of Fire, he focused on sensing the sorcerous energy moving through the entire dungeon.

What are you doing, not going down?

Wrath gestured for him to hurry.

‘I’m analyzing the flow of the sorcery.’

Even if Aris was a Transcender, she couldn’t keep up her displayed strength indefinitely.

By understanding the flow of the sorcery in this place, he believed it could provide an advantage in the upcoming battles, so he captured it with his eyes and senses.

You think that will work right away?

Wrath snorted, telling him not to waste his time.

‘Even if it doesn’t work right away, I can still gain something.’

Raon lightly dusted the dirt off his hands and descended to the next floor.

"What is he trying to do this time?"

Rimmer smirked thinly and was the last to leave the cave.

*   *   *

Chwaaaak!

Aris’ space slash spread out in a half-moon shape, splitting the entire gray corridor in half.

Rumble!

Rocks fell from the previously empty air, arrows and spears snapped in half, and the traps hidden under the fake floor were entirely ripped apart.

Rumble!

Aris destroyed the entire trap room with a single strike.

"Let’s move straight to the next!"

Aris pointed to the open exit on the right with a wide grin.

Hmm….

Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at Aris’ back.

She’s overdoing it quite a bit, isn’t she?

'Yes, she’s using her full strength every time to save time.'

Raon let out a heavy breath and nodded.

No matter how Transcender she is, she won’t last long like that.

'That’s true.'

Throughout the 20 floors they had passed, Aris had handled everything on her own without relying on anyone else’s strength.

She was exerting herself excessively to reach the end of the dungeon before the Steelmasters Alliance remnants could finish clearing out their branch while also keeping the Light Wind swordsmen safe.

Although the pace was fast, at this rate, it seemed likely that Aris would collapse before they reached the end of the dungeon.

"Aunt."

Raon approached Aris and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"I understand how you feel, but let’s rest a bit. You’ve used too much of your aura and stamina."

He shook his head, indicating that he would take the lead from now on.

“Yes, I’m overdoing it. But do you know why I can afford to overdo it?”

Aris smiled softly as she looked at him.

"It’s because you’re here."

"…What?"

Raon widened his eyes at her unexpected words.

"Because you’re behind me, I can afford to overexert myself."

She spoke in a low voice, expressing her trust in him.

"Am I wrong? If I were in danger, or if that hopeless son of mine were in trouble, wouldn’t you save us?"

Aris tilted her chin as if daring him to deny it.

"…I would. No, I must."

"See?"

Aris grinned and grabbed his shoulder.

"I’ll keep clearing the way, so if anything happens, I’ll count on you."

She chuckled brightly, saying it was rare for her to entrust someone with her back.

"Let’s go, everyone!"

Aris shouted for them to follow and descended to the next floor.

"She’s trusting you with her back—it seems she really likes you."

Rimmer, standing next to Raon, chuckled.

“She’s been like that to me from the start, so I’m not sure.”

"She’s much softer now. I doubt even Rabawin ever heard words like that."

He shrugged, saying Raon must have completely earned Aris’ trust.

“It’s a bit burdensome.”

Raon clenched his fist lightly as he watched Aris lead the Light Wind swordsmen down.

'Yes, I’ll trust my aunt and focus on what I need to do.'

The traps in the dungeon were also moving under the influence of sorcery.

I haven’t fully grasped it yet, but with a bit more observation, it seems I could interpret the principles of the sorcery itself.

Raon rotated the Ring of Fire and continued downward through the dungeon.

*   *  *

The dungeon seemed endless.

It felt as if all the traps and monsters that had been scattered randomly were gathered here. Even after going down another ten floors, the end of the dungeon was nowhere in sight.

However, as the power of sorcery was being strongly spread throughout the entire dungeon, Raon could clearly grasp how the Steelmasters Alliance’s sorcery worked.

Raon narrowed his eyes as he brushed the soil imbued with the sorcerous energy.

‘They weren’t just using blood.’

The sorcery of the Steelmasters Alliance was utilizing fear and terror inherent in the concepts of steel and blood, weaving them into their sorcery.

It wasn’t just ordinary blood but the blood of the dead.

Not ordinary steel but steel used to kill.

They were strengthening their sorcery by leveraging these negative concepts.

“When the hell will this end!”

As Aris arrived at another new floor and shouted, steel golems engraved with bizarre patterns rose up from the ground.

Even with a quick count, there were over thirty of them, and their numbers were steadily increasing.

"Get lost, all of you!"

Clicking her tongue, Aris slashed with her sword.

Chwaaaak!

Every golem—both the ones fully formed and those still forming—was split in half with a single slash.

Rumble!

Aris didn’t just destroy the golems, she seemed to have severed the sorcery of the space that created them as well, causing the sorcerous energy that had filled the area to abruptly dissipate.

“Huff…”

Aris planted her sword in the ground, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. Her trembling hands showed how exhausted she was.

After breaking through over 30 floors of traps, monsters, and steel gates, her fatigue was inevitable.

Praaang!

Even now, Aris shattered the steel gate blocking the path and gestured toward them.

"Huff, let’s go!"

She exhaled heavily and once again descended first into the next floor.

"Huh?"

Aris stopped mid-descent into the dark passage, her eyes widening.

"This is…."

"It-it’s the end! This is the end of the dungeon!"

Paras, who had been here twice before, confidently descended ahead of Aris.

“You’re right. This is the final area.”

Aris nodded, saying they had finally arrived.

"So this is the end of the dungeon."

Raon clicked his tongue as he surveyed the empty space that resembled the first floor.

"This is it."

Paras pointed to the center of the floor.

"They opened a secret passageway from here!"

He confidently pinpointed the exact location, saying he remembered it clearly.

"Good. Step aside."

Aris motioned for Paras to move and raised her sword.

"I’ll smash it open in one go!"

Gritting her teeth, she struck the ground with another space slash.

Kuoaaaaang!

A tremendous explosion shook the entire space—no, the entire dungeon.

However, the passage Paras had seen didn’t open. Only a deep hole was left in the ground.

"It’s sealed with sorcery!"

Aris bit her lip as she stared at the deep hole created by her attack.

“It seems they have concentrated the sorcerous energy that was spread throughout the entire dungeon here.”

Raon furrowed his brows as he sensed the immense sorcerous energy emanating from the ground.

'Persistent bastards.'

Unlike the previous floors, there were no monsters or traps here.

Instead, the passageway was sealed as if they intended to block access entirely by concentrating the sorcery.

It was no different from compressing sorcerous chains into a spherical mass and embedding them, making it impossible for even Aris to cut through the sorcery itself.

‘They must’ve sacrificed hundreds of lives.’

No matter how thickly the sorcery had been woven, creating a density that could withstand her spatial slash meant the dungeon had likely claimed countless lives.

“This damned thing! I’ll just destroy it!”

Aris unleashed two more space slash, but she was already exhausted, and the sorcery-made ground was too thick. It didn’t deepen much at all this time.

“Damn it! How many people did these bastards kill!”

Aris roared in frustration, pounding the ground with her fists. Her face, usually composed, was now dark and grim.

“W-We’ll help too!”

The Light Wind swordsmen joined her, striking the ground with their swords. Even with their combined efforts and formations, the ground barely budged.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

Aris cursed and slammed the ground with her fists instead of her sword. Even as her hands bled, she didn’t stop.

'Sif.'

Wait for me! I’ll save you soon!

Though she didn’t voice it, her instincts as a parent told her that Sif was down there.

She had pushed herself to the limit to descend this far, only to be stopped by a single wall—it was maddening.

‘There’s no choice.’

I had no choice but to use my sword field.

If she used her sword field, she would become completely drained, and this floor itself might collapse, but there was no other way now.

Believing in Raon and using the sword field was the only option left.

"Raon."

Aris turned around, breathing heavily.

"I’m going to use my sword field. After that, I’ll leave the rest to you."

She reached out to her beloved nephew, saying this was the only way.

"There’s another way."

Raon shook his head, saying the sword field wasn’t necessary.

"We could dig around it and take the long route. But we don’t have time! We don’t know when those bastards will leave!"

“It won’t take that long. No, actually it will be even faster than breaking it with your sword field.”

His nephew said this as he stepped closer to her side.

"Faster? What do you mean…?"

"I’ve finished interpreting it."

Raon made a small cut on his finger with the Blade of Requiem and let his blood drip onto the ground.

The moment his blood, imbued with bright red flames, dripped onto the ground, the sorcerous energy that had filled the underground began to burn away entirely.

Fwooooosh!

Aris swallowed dryly as she watched Raon’s flames burn away even the sorcery.

“You… just what are you…”

 

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