The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 918

 Chapter 918

 

“Hm?”

As soon as Raon ascended to the next floor, he tilted his head in confusion.

‘A town?’

What lay before his eyes was a massive coastal city, filled with the scent of the sea.

A large crowd had gathered on the beach, and the city itself pulsed with a refreshing vitality.

However, there was a problem. Time in the city appeared to have stopped. The people were frozen like statues, the waves crashing onto the shore had ceased moving, and even the clouds in the sky remained motionless.

‘What kind of trick is it this time… huh?’

As Raon walked through the city, his eyes widened. As he looked around, he began noticing something oddly familiar—buildings and people that he had seen before.

‘Wait… This is Montiro!’

From the start, he had felt a strange sense of familiarity, and it turned out that his intuition was correct.

The city before him was Montiro, the very place where he had lived for nearly two months.

“Mo… Montiro?”

“What the hell! Why is Montiro here?”

“Agh….”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan also gawked in astonishment at the sudden appearance of Montiro.

“It’s Montiro, no doubt. I lived in that inn right over there.”

Trevin let out a breath as he pointed to the inn on the right.

“It might not be the real Montiro, but it’s definitely an exact replica.”

Jaina, who had studied Montiro on a map, nodded, confirming that it was identical.

“But why is time stopped…?”

Mark Goetten reached out toward a seagull perched on an empty chair. However, it was as if the flow of time had changed, his fingers passed straight through the seagull without touching it.

“This is so damn frustrating! Why do these dirty little riddles keep popping up?!”

Martha ground her teeth in frustration.

“They’re deliberately trying to stall for time.”

Burren bit his lip in frustration.

“W-what kind of spell could they be preparing?”

Dorian swallowed dryly as he looked up at the sky.

“Let’s go inside first.”

With a short sigh, Raon stepped into Montiro.

As they walked through the frozen city, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings, they soon arrived near the fountain.

“Wait.”

Raon halted the swordsmen heading toward the fountain and turned his gaze toward an ice cream shop on the right.

“What is it?”

“Did you find something?”

Burren and Martha immediately turned to him, eager for an answer.

“That man….”

Raon raised his hand and pointed at a man inside the ice cream shop.

“I’ve seen him before.”

“You have?”

“Yes. And not just before, today.”

Raon had been keeping an eye on his surroundings while watching over Rensia, which was why he recognized him.

The man inside the ice cream shop was someone he had seen during the Lantern That Awakens Darkness operation, right around the time it was halfway through.

“Then could it be…?”

Raon dashed away from the ice cream shop, running toward the fountain.

As expected, Rensia was frozen in place right in front of the fountain.

“Rensia….”

Her eyes were closed, as if she were enduring pain. Seeing her like this confirmed that this frozen world was set in the moments right after the operation had been executed.

"That family by the fountain, they were there earlier today too!"

Martha pointed toward a group of people near the fountain, her jaw slightly trembling.

"The kid I saved…."

Runaan nodded slightly as she recognized a child playing by the fountain.

“This is….”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the frozen sky.

“This moment is right after we activated the Lantern That Awakens the Darkness operation, just before the demonized humans moved to destroy the artifact.”

It seemed this frozen world was a recreation of the exact time when the demonized humans, sensing something was wrong with the barrier, were moving toward the pentagram artifacts.

However, while everyone else remained frozen in place, Raon and his allies were completely absent from this recreation.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Taking a deep breath, Raon kicked off the ground. Moving toward the upper left section of the city, he headed toward the Five Heroes’ Statue, where Dorian and Krein had been stood guard.

Dorian and Krein were nowhere to be found, but he could sense the presence of the artifact beneath the statue and the approaching spirit magician, Foresen.

Swoosh!

Raon swung Heavenly Drive at Foresen’s neck, but the attack passed through him as if they existed in different dimensions.

Since stopping you physically is difficult, they're trying to stall for time like this instead.

Wrath clicked his tongue, seeming annoyed.

‘That might not be the case.’

Raon licked his lips and dashed toward the upper right section.

‘Morell Kazan is here.’

Unlike Dorian and Krein, Morell Kazan and his subordinates, who had left with Karoon, were present in this frozen world.

‘That confirms it.’

Raon gazed at the frozen Morell Kazan with calm, focused eyes.

You already figured it out? Did you solve the riddle?

‘Yeah.’

Nodding, he returned to the fountain.

“Did you find anything?”

Burren approached and bowed slightly.

“As I said before….”

Raon reached out toward the frozen water of the fountain and licked his lips.

“This moment is thirty minutes after we activated the Lantern That Awakens the Darkness—the exact time when the demonized humans started moving to destroy the artifact.”

“Ah, then….”

Jaina widened her eyes in realization.

"That’s right. We just have to recreate that moment exactly."

Raon nodded, signaling Runaan and Martha to take their positions near the fountain.

"Everyone else, same for you. Return to where you originally were during the operation."

He gestured for everyone to take the positions they had occupied during the operation.

“But Morell Kazan isn’t here.”

Trevin furrowed his brow in concern.

"He's already here. All we have to do is take our places."

Since he had already confirmed Morell Kazan’s presence, this was the logical solution. If the Light Wind Palace swordsmen returned to their original positions, this frozen world would start moving again.

“Move at full speed.”

Raon shouted, waving his hand, urging the Light Wind Palace swordsmen to move as quickly as possible.

“W-what about us…?”

Jaina and the mages hesitated, their eyes darting around in confusion, unsure of what to do.

"You were stationed at the headquarters back then, so stay here and wait."

After telling them to stay back, Raon sat down beside Rensia.

Crackle!

A few minutes later, black cracks appeared in the air, and the frozen world began to move once more.

It seemed the riddle of this floor had been solved as the Light Wind Palace swordsmen returned to their places.

So that really was the answer.

Wrath clapped his hands in amazement.

"It worked…."

Runaan clenched her fist tightly.

“I swear, our palace master brain works ridiculously fast!”

Martha raised her hand, pointing at Raon in acknowledgment.

Yeah, really. If nothing else, that sneaky little brain of yours is second to none.

Wrath nodded in agreement.

“…It’s not over yet.”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings.

The riddle had been solved, but the floor overseer of this floor had yet to be killed. Only by eliminating them could he proceed upward.

‘Where are they?’

Just as he was about to expand his aura perception to search for the overseer, a door leading to the next floor suddenly rose from beneath the fountain.

"An exit?"

"So we don’t have to fight the floor overseer?"

Runaan and Martha approached curiously, but the moment they neared the fountain, they were repelled backward.

It was as if they existed in a different dimension, just like when time had stopped earlier.

“What’s going on?”

Raon reached out to Runaan and Martha, but he couldn't grab them. In contrast, he could touch Jaina, who stood beside him, without any interference.

As Raon furrowed his brows in confusion, two familiar figures suddenly burst out from below, Kalop and Felix.

Two enemies who had already died.

They charged straight toward Runaan and Martha.

“Why the hell are the dead coming back!?”

"It’s the same as before…."

Martha and Runaan frowned, raising their weapons as they blocked the attacks.

Judging by their strength, these enemies possessed the exact same power they had before they died.

It’s not just here.

Wrath shook his head as he glanced to the left and right.

The others who split up are being attacked by the same enemies as before.

Lowering his chin, he added that the demonized humans were attacking just as they had during the original operation.

‘I need to find the floor overseer….’

Raon spread his aura perception, but he couldn’t sense the floor overseer’s presence at all. It seemed they were hiding somewhere out of sight.

“Go!”

As Raon was about to widen his perception further, Runaan raised her voice.

“We’ll handle things here.”

She nodded firmly, signaling him to go ahead.

"Wow, for once, you actually said something right!"

Martha grinned as she deflected Felix’s spear.

“There’s no time to waste! Just go! We’ll dig out whatever rat is hiding here and rip its throat out!”

Like Runaan, she raised a finger, telling him to proceed to the next floor.

“…….”

Unlike when they fought outside, this was deep inside the Black Tower.

With the floor overseer still hidden, Raon hesitated, feeling uneasy about what tricks the floor overseer might have prepared.

"Palace master, go!"

“We went through all that insane training for a moment like this, didn’t we?!”

“Trust us!”

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen pounded their chests, as if sensing his hesitation.

Kuwaaaaaa!

At the same time, massive sword energies shot into the sky from the direction of the artifact.

It seemed the others shared the same resolve.

"Understood. Then…"

Raon’s eyes shone with trust as he looked at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.

"Don’t take too long catching up."

Leaving those words behind, he ascended to the next floor.

“W-Wait, w-we’re really leaving them behind?”

Jaina, following behind him, swallowed nervously.

“The floor overseer on the upper floors, empowered by even stronger demonic energy, could kill all of them!”

She kept glancing back, uneasy about leaving everyone behind.

"That’s exactly what the enemy wants, to waste my time by keeping me here."

“I understand that, but the people left behind….”

“They don’t know, just like you don’t.”

Raon let out a soft chuckle without turning back.

“They have no idea about the convictions and will of the swordsmen I trained.”

His voice held unwavering confidence.

“They will never betray my trust. And neither will I.”

With unwavering confidence in his subordinates, Raon climbed the stairs without hesitation.

*   *   *

Chamber narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the pitch-black Black Tower.

‘They should be fine, right?’

Both Raon and Karoon had surpassed the early stages of Transcendence.  Even inside the tower, which is thick with demonic energy, reaching the top floor shouldn’t be too difficult for them.

‘Though… it will take some time.’

The Black Tower isn’t just strong, they’re full of dirty tricks. Even for Transcenders, a significant amount of time would inevitably be consumed.

'Karoon aside, I never expected Raon to grow this much...'

The first time Chamber had seen Raon was at the Conference of the Six Kings. Back then, she had dismissed him as just a pretty-faced kid.

And yet, somehow, that same kid had climbed to Transcendence and was now leading the charge in the Black Tower extermination operation.

‘But what’s even more impressive….’

Not his present, but his future.

Even someone like Chamber, who stood at a higher level of Transcendence, couldn’t begin to predict how strong Raon would become.

‘If he survives this, he might actually be able to face the Thespian Emperor or the head of the Demon Spear Guild.’ (The Demon Slaying Spear)

Imagining Raon’s growth after the war, Chamber let out a faint smile.

‘But surviving, huh….’

As she thought about the future, the Black Tower’s master came to mind, making her stomach churn.

‘I have no idea what that bastard is planning.’

Even as she tried to suppress it, the demonic energy in this dimension was flooding into the top floor like a river breaking through a dam. The stronger it condensed, the heavier the weight pressing against her chest.

“Hoo….”

Chamber clenched her lips as she severed a large amount of demonic energy, sending it into another dimension.

"I’m counting on you. Get to him as fast as you can."

*   *   *

After separating from the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, Raon had already fought his way through five more floors.

He had fought a winged overseer in the open sky, had engaged in a silent war against an assassin in absolute darkness, and had encountered numerous other foes.

Even as a Transcender, fighting in the enemy’s stronghold wasn’t easy. However, thanks to his strength being amplified by demonic energy, he was able to cut down the upper floors overseers and advance without much difficulty.

"I knew Transcenders were strong, but I didn’t expect this level of dominance…."

Jaina shook her head in disbelief as she watched Raon slaughter one powerful overseer after another.

“It’s not just my power.”

Raon calmly lowered his hand.

Raon calmly lowered his hand. As he climbed higher, his energy continued to amplify.

Allowing him to cut down the demonized humans without wasting time.

‘But more important than cutting down demonized humans is what I’ve learned so far.’

To ascend to the next floor, one had to either kill the floor overseer or obtain their permission.

Even if a floor appeared empty, an overseer was always hidden somewhere, watching.

The situation was still unfavorable, but by utilizing his amplified power and the knowledge he had gathered along the way, he had been able to continue upward without any major obstacles.

‘It should be over soon….’

By his calculations, only a few floors remained until he reached the top.

Hoping to reach the end soon, he ascended the final staircase, only to find himself in a confined space resembling a training ground.

‘What is this place?’

On the left side of the entrance he had arrived through, there was another entrance.

On the opposite wall, he could see an exit leading to the next floor, but it was tightly sealed.

‘The overseer….’

Just as he suspected, he couldn’t sense them.

Like the others before, this floor’s overseer was hiding, concealed by the Black Tower’s techniques.

If previous encounters were anything to go by, they would likely only reveal themselves at the moment they intended to kill him.

“Hmm.”

Raon narrowed his eyes and swung Heavenly Drive at the exit.

Claaang!

Even as he unleashed his full, amplified strength, the door remained unscathed.

Just to be sure, he struck the walls as well—

But it was the same. Unlike the maze earlier, this place was built from compressed demonic energy, making it impossible to break through.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?"

As Raon stood with his arms crossed, narrowing his eyes in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps coming from near the entrance he had just used.

‘No way….’

At the sound of that all-too-familiar stride, Raon turned his head—

And saw Karoon emerging from the left entrance.

His expression was as composed as ever, and not even a speck of dust clung to his clothes.

With his usual calm demeanor, Karoon gave him a slight nod.

“…Light Wind Palace master?”

Even Karoon seemed mildly surprised to find himself here, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, would you look at that? Who else but a demonized human could come up with something like this...?"

Raon let out a deep sigh as he looked at the sealed exit and the enclosed, training ground-like room.

"What a nasty personality."

 

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