The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 899

 Chapter 899

 

“Huff… Huff…!”

Trevin wiped the cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he dashed toward the peak of North Grave mountain.

‘W-What the hell was that just now…?’

Just moments ago, Raon had suddenly leaped out of the darkness and ruthlessly pummeled the swordsmen of the Warring Steel Division along with Dorian.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a beating. Raon had outright smashed the back of Dorian’s head with his sword’s scabbard, so there was no better way to describe it.

‘He’s insane.’

Just because he had cursed Raon as a filthy demon bastard in a place he thought was safe, did he really have to go and crack the back of his subordinate’s head? The only conclusion Trevin could reach was that Raon was completely out of his mind.

‘I was in danger too.’

If not for Dorian getting hit first, he might not have been able to react in time. He had barely managed to block and escape, but the sheer force contained in Raon’s scabbard had been overwhelming, his hand still numb from the impact.

‘But why did he attack in the first place?’

Raon had said they only needed to stay on the North Grave Mountain and eat Nadine bread to make it through the night. But now, he was ambushing them? Trevin couldn’t wrap his head around it.

‘Wait a second….’

Now that he thought about it, when they first climbed the mountain, the Light Wind swordsmen had looked as if their souls had left their bodies, and just earlier, he had seen Dorian drooling with a blank look in his eyes.

Piecing the situation together, it seemed Raon hadn’t lost his mind. This was the real training all along.

‘Yeah, that must be it.’

There was no way someone like Raon would design a training where they just sat around on a mountain.

This was always meant to be an ambush training exercise.

“Kuaaaagh!”

“Hey, the Warring Steel swordsmen are right over there! Leave us alo—Guh!”

"You psycho! Don't unsheath your sword!"

From below, shocking waves of energy and the agonized screams of swordsmen echoed through the mountain. It sounded like Raon was attacking both the Warring Steel and Light Wind Divisions indiscriminately.

‘There’s no escape.’

Even though he was sprinting at full speed, the screams behind him were getting closer. Running away from Raon seemed impossible.

‘Wait a minute….’

This was field training, right?

And in field combat, the most important factors were concealment and cover. It seemed Raon wanted them to hide and suppress their presence, or to fight back.

‘I have to hide.’

As soon as Trevin made a decision, he quickly erased his tracks and crouched down under a tree with thick bushes.

‘Hm?’

However, someone had already claimed that spot.

“…Krein?”

The most mischievous member of the Light Wind Division, Krein, was already crouched down, huddling his knees to his chest.

His hands trembled uncontrollably.

“You’re hiding too?”

“…Hiding?”

Krein twisted his eyes as if to say, what are you talking about?

"Hiding is meaningless. I'm just waiting for... ihihihi...."

He nodded his head back and forth and let out a bizarre laugh.

"I'm just waiting to be hit later."

"L, later?"

“You’ll find out soon enough, division leader. This isn’t training.”

Krein shut his eyes as if there was no point in either hiding or running.

“Wait, what do you mean…?”

Just as Trevin was about to question him further—

“Kyaaaaagh!”

“Come on! At least leave the team leaders alone, you lunatic!”

“D-Division Leader! I have to make a saber tomorrow, I—Guh!”

Screams burst out from just below them.

“Huuuuh….”

Krein grabbed his head with both hands as if it were all over.

“….”

Trevin clenched the hilt of his sword and steadied his breath.

If Raon was coming for him, then he needed to be ready to counter.

“It’s pointless.”

Krein chuckled as he looked at him.

“That guy… He’s not training us. He just wants to beat the crap out of us….”

Just as he shook his head, Raon's scabbard popped out from between the bushes.

Thud!

Krein took a direct hit to the stomach and rolled down the mountain without even managing to scream.

‘I expected this.’

Since Krein had made noise, he had assumed Raon would take him down first, so he had already raised his sword in preparation to block the next attack.

“Come at me as much as you wa—Huh?”

He had been planning to block Raon’s attack like before and flee, but this time, Raon unsheathed his sword.

Whoooosh!

The silver blade gleamed as red astral sphere surged up, blazing atop its edge.

“A-Astral sphere?”

Unlike himself, who had only just become a Grandmaster, Raon’s astral sphere was already perfected, and the sword path that unleashed his aura was far beyond Trevin’s level.

“W-Wait! Raon! I can’t block that yet!”

Trevin frantically shook his head, shouting that he had no way to defend against it.

“That’s exactly why we’re doing this.”

Raon grinned as he swung his sword down.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Trevin poured every last bit of his energy into his defense. But his swordsmanship and aura were both utterly outmatched, and his blade was instantly overpowered.

[That filthy demon bastard….]
[That guy… He’s not training us. He just wants to beat the crap out of us….]

As Raon’s blazing flames surged through his sword, the words of Dorian and Krein echoed in his mind.

‘They were right. This guy….’

Seeing Raon’s blade coming down as if to kill him, Trevin swallowed dryly.

‘…is just a madman!’

In the end, Trevin’s sword was knocked clean out of his hands, and Raon’s blade slammed down onto his head.

Thwack!

Trevin took a direct hit to the head with the flat of the sword and collapsed backward. His vision blurred as if fog had risen all around him. Through that haziness, he could see Raon grinning.

“God…damn it…”

We never should have come here….

*   *   *

‘That should be enough of a greeting.’

Raon dusted off his hands after putting the Light Wind and Warring Steel Divisions through the focus enhancement training until dawn.

Since every single one of them had collapsed unconscious, it seemed like it was finally time to head down the mountain.

Greeting?

Wrath let out a disbelieving chuckle.

You beat them all into the ground, and you call that a greeting?!

He furrowed his brow, exasperated by the idea of calling that a greeting.

‘I feel bad too, but there was no other choice.’

Raon clicked his tongue as he looked over the unconscious swordsmen, their bodies sprawled across the ground.

‘The battles ahead will be even harsher than this.’

A full-scale war against the Black Tower could break out at any moment. Before that happened, he had to strengthen both divisions as much as possible.

They would struggle now, but this training would be invaluable preparation for the war to come.

Hmph. Well… you’re not wrong.

Even Wrath, for once, had nothing to argue about. He simply lowered his gaze.

‘Alright, time to head down. I’ve had my fill of fun.’

Raon dusted off his clothes and turned toward the base of the mountain.

That’s a good id— wait, hold on. Fun? You just said fun, didn’t you?! You enjoyed this, didn’t you?!

Wrath slammed his hand down, saying that he knew it.

‘It’s just your imagination.’

Imagination, my ass! You just beat them all up to relieve stress! You wicked little—

‘What do you want for breakfast?’

Huh? Oh!

The moment Raon mentioned breakfast, Wrath's eyes rolled around excitedly. Apparently, the mere mention of breakfast made him forget all about the Light Wind swordsmen getting beaten to a pulp.

Since it’s breakfast, he’s craving something light…like lobster dishes.

‘…Lobster?’

Muttering about how unusual Wrath’s tastes were, Raon made his way down the mountain. He was about to head straight back to the annex building when a familiar face approached from the right.

“It’s been a while.”

Denier smiled and waved his right hand.

“Wise Martial Palace master.”

Raon turned to him and bowed.

“What brings you here?”

The fifth training ground and the Wise Martial Palace were far apart, so he was curious about Denier’s presence here.

“I was on my way back when I heard the rumors that you defeated the DemonBlade. I wanted to congratulate you.”

Denier nodded, smiling broadly, as if he truly found it a remarkable achievement. There was nothing but genuine goodwill in his gentle smile.

“I was just lucky.”

Raon shook his head, saying it wasn’t that great of an achievement.

"I heard that he lost the balance of his essence, qi, and spirit, but still, DemonBlade is DemonBlade. It was a great feat that left its mark on history and changed an era."

Denier lowered his chin slightly, just like Balder, as if telling Raon not to downplay his achievements.

“….”

Raon silently looked into Denier’s eyes.

“In three days, you’ll be a palace master as well. You’re even younger than Martha, it's hard to believe.”

Denier joked that he wouldn’t be able to use informal speech with Raon anymore.

“I still have a long way to go.”

“That humility is what made you who you are now. I hope you continue with that attitude. And take good care of Martha.”

Denier took one last glance at the North Grave mountain before waving his hand and leaving.

‘Denier Zieghart.’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Denier’s back.

‘What is he thinking?’

Raon replayed Denier’s words, expressions, and actions in his mind.

No matter how he looked at it, Denier seemed to be just an uncle encouraging his nephew. There was no hidden intention in his words.

He had already made his own preparations to keep an eye on the inscrutable man, but those calm, unwavering eyes only made him feel more uneasy.

That guy….

Wrath wrinkled his nose as he watched Denier’s steady steps.

Every time the King of Essence sees him, he seems like a different person. He can’t figure out his true nature.

Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that even in his long life as a Demon King, he had never encountered someone with such an unfathomable disposition.

‘He’s a difficult one.’

Raon sighed briefly and headed toward the annex building.

As soon as he opened the front door and stepped inside, Sia rushed toward him, throwing herself into his arms as if she had been waiting for him.

“Raon! A kid shouldn't be sleeping outside!”

Sia pouted, scolding him for not coming home to sleep.

"Since you didn’t come back yesterday, she insisted on setting up a sleeping bag here."

Sylvia sighed, saying she couldn’t stop her.

"Thanks to that, I got to sleep with Sia again after a long time. We should do this more often!"

Edgar chuckled as he rolled up both his and Sia’s sleeping bags.

“Breakfast is ready young master. Please go wash up.”

Helen waved, saying she had prepared a hearty meal.

Ahh! The entire place is filled with mouthwatering aromas!

Wrath wagged his tail as he licked his lips.

"Got it."

Raon clenched his fist slightly as he took in the sight of his smiling family and the annex building’s maids.

‘Denier. No matter what you're thinking or planning….’

I will protect these people.

*   *   *

The river that once flowed through the plains was now parched beneath a violet haze of energy.

A black shadow rose over the cracked riverbed, its web-like fractures stretching outward.

The shadow rippled, ignoring the brilliant moonlight, before spitting out a robed woman with azure hair. (blue)

Step.

The woman narrowed her gaze as she spotted shards of ice embedded in the fractured earth.

“So this is where he died.”

She brushed her fingers over the ice shards, as if recognizing the remnants of the DemonBlade’s existence, and nodded slightly.

Woooong.

With a flick of her fingers, a warm white light flashed, drawing the remnants of the DemonBlade’s energy from within the silver ice and forming a purple orb in her palm.

“Less than expected.”

The azure-haired woman furrowed her brows as she gazed at the purple orb, which shimmered ominously under the dim light.

“You, too, have used the grudges of others, so you have no right to complain.”

She spoke as if addressing the DemonBlade, her voice devoid of emotion, before tucking the purple orb into her robes.

“How high can he rise…?”

Murmuring Raon’s name, she looked up at the moonlight before vanishing into the wind.

All that remained in her wake was a hollow fragment of ice.

*   *   *

Rumble!

The head of house's training ground, the largest in Zieghart, opened its gates magnificently.

Normally, even swordsmen were prohibited from entering, but today, the towering gates stood open, allowing even ordinary residents to step inside.

"They were just promoted from squad to division not long ago, and now they’re already being promoted to palace?"

“They say it hasn’t even been ten years from squad to palace!”

"Really? Doesn’t that make them the fastest in history?"

“What’s even more surprising is that no one objects to it. Their strength, skill and achievements speak for themselves.”

"Well, their leader defeated that DemonBlade."

As they climbed the spectator stands surrounding the training ground, the people chattered about the Light Wind division’s promotion.

“What do you think?”

Balder, seated in the executive section, nudged Karoon with his elbow.

“Your nephew has caught up to you. How do you feel about that?”

He smirked, teasing Karoon.

“The Light Wind Division has successfully completed multiple missions. Rather, the promotion is a bit late.”

Karoon responded calmly, without a hint of jealousy.

“And whatever happens to them, it has nothing to do with me.”

He waved his hand dismissively, telling Balder not to bring up pointless topics.

“Oh? For someone who supposedly doesn’t care, you sure rushed back the moment your mission was over. You even left some of your men behind.”

Balder snorted, saying he knew everything.

“Is that so? No wonder you returned so quickly.”

Denier chuckled softly, amused.

“Ahem. Nonsense.”

Karoon waved off their remarks, pretending not to care.

“Haaah….”

Sylvia clasped her hands together on her lap, letting out a deep sigh.

“I’m so nervous my heart feels like it’s about to drop!”

She trembled slightly, unsure what to do with herself.

“Dear, what should I do…?”

Just as she turned to Edgar, asking for help—

“Grrrrkkk….”

But Edgar was already foaming at the mouth, his nervousness having reached the sky.

“You idiot!”

Sylvia’s gaze turned ice-cold. Unable to hold back, she smacked the back of Edgar’s head.

“Raon! When is Raon coming out?”

Sia leaned over the railing, calling his name.

“He’s the star of the ceremony, so he’ll come out a little later.”

Aris, who had just taken a seat beside Sylvia, nodded.

“Ah… Sister?”

Sylvia blinked in surprise.

“Did you already finish your training?”

“Not yet.”

Aris calmly shook her head.

“I need to further refine my body before I can fully absorb the mana of the Dragon Heart. I still have a long way to go. But…”

She smiled faintly as she gazed down at the training ground.

“I couldn’t miss the day my adorable nephew becomes a palace master.”

She leaned back in her chair as if attending was only natural.

“Thank you….”

Sylvia let out a soft smile, as if her nerves had eased thanks to Aris returning to her usual self.

“I still can’t believe it. Our young master is becoming a palace master….”

“Right? All we ever wished for was for him to grow up healthy.”

“Maybe our prayers were too strong. He grew up too well.”

Helen and the maids reminisced about Raon’s childhood, their eyes brimming with emotion.

“He was different from the others from the very start.”

Judiel recalled her first meeting with Raon, an awkward smile forming on her lips.

“How was he back then? Huh? Tell me!”

Sia hopped over to the maids, about to pepper them with questions about Raon, when—Rumble!

The left gate of the training ground swung open, sending powerful tremors rippling through the surroundings.

Through the thick smoke billowing across the entrance, Zieghart’s armed organizations began to file in, taking their designated positions within the training ground.

From the newly established Wise Holy Squad to the Heavenly Blade Division directly under the head of house, nearly all of Zieghart’s armed organizations were present, except those currently on missions or assigned to guard the family estate. Their overwhelming presence, arranged in a commanding formation, sent waves of energy reverberating through the air.

Kuuuuung!

As the last of the armed organizations took their places, the gatekeepers of the training ground stomped their feet loudly, drawing everyone’s attention.

“The Sky of Zieghart is entering!”

The moment that announcement rang out, every swordsman standing in the training ground and every spectator in the stands turned their backs and simultaneously knelt.

“We greet the head of house!”

"Rise. Today’s main figure is not me."

Glenn walked onto the platform with calm, measured steps, waving a hand dismissively.

Unlike usual, he had not arrived last. Instead, he had come before the Light Wind division and taken his seat on the throne.

Kugugugugu.

Once Glenn was seated, the swordsmen rose from their knees and returned to their original formation, while the spectators exhaled softly and took their seats again.

"Let’s begin."

With a simple flick of his finger, Glenn signaled the start of the ceremony.

Chad, the Shadow Agents master, bowed and stepped forward from below the platform.

“The promotion ceremony will now commence. Light Wind Division, enter.”

As soon as Chad finished speaking, the right gate of the training ground, which had been left slightly ajar, fully opened with a thunderous roar.

Kuuuuuuung!

The gatekeepers stomped their feet even louder than when Glenn had entered, raising their chins high.

“Entering now is the Light Wind Division—and their leader, who slew the wicked dragons and vanquished the DemonBlade!”

After the gatekeepers’ thunderous shouts, the sound of measured, unified footsteps echoed through the arena.

Though over thirty swordsmen were marching together, their steps moved as one—blending into a solemn, harmonious rhythm.

Finally, the Light Wind Division emerged from the deep shadows cast by the entrance, revealing their commanding presence.

Draped in midnight-black ceremonial uniforms, each swordsman bore a pristine white sword at their side, their dignified aura reminiscent of heroes marching to war.

"Respect to the swordsmen who protected the honor of Zieghart!"

The swordsmen who heard Chad’s shout split to the left and right and drew their swords.

With their swords held in reverse grip, pointing toward the ground, they performed the ceremonial salute of Zieghart, bathed in the radiance of the sun.

Through the path they created, Raon and the Light Wind swordsmen stepped forward into the training ground.

 

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