The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 913

 Chapter 913

 

Kwoooaaah!

Runaan and Martha's combined attack shattered the astral sphere of demonic energy, cutting through both Felix and Kalop's bodies.

"Graaaah!"

“I-Impossible….”

Kalop screamed as though his throat would tear apart from the pain of losing both arms, while Felix, whose spear had snapped in half and whose legs were frozen, couldn't move at all.

“This is our only chance!”

“Yeah.”

Martha and Runaan knew this was their only opportunity to kill Kalop and Felix, so they forced their bodies forward, coughing up blood while activating their footwork techniques.

“Guhhh!”

“W-wait! Wait just a second!”

Kalop quickly backed away, using demonic energy to regenerate his arms, while Felix desperately swung his broken spear shaft, pleading for them to wait.

“You never listened to Rensia’s pleas, so why should I listen to yours?”

Martha twisted her lips mockingly as she plunged her sword directly into Felix’s chest.

She crushed Felix's flesh and bones with her blade, determined to make him suffer just as Rensia had.

“Guaaaaaaaaah….”

Felix’s scream faded as if each breath was painfully cut off. His eyes rolled back, and his head dropped lifelessly.

“You’ll suffer pain that can never be erased….”

Runaan, fulfilling the promise she made to Rensia, dodged Kalop’s rising kick and stabbed her sword, the Snow Flower Sword, deeply into his stomach.

Chiiiiiii!

A chilling energy burst forth from Snow Flower Sword’s blade, rapidly freezing Kalop’s entire body.

“Hnghh!”

Kalop frantically tried to block the cold energy with demonic energy, but he couldn't withstand Runaan's awakened frost.

Before he could even take another breath, his entire body was encased in silvery ice.

“Damn…it….”

Terror flickered in Kalop’s eyes as he felt his body lose all sensation. His pupils trembled, and then he died.

“Haaaaaah!”

“Ugh….”

Only then did Martha and Runaan finally relax, bending deeply at the waist as they struggled to catch their breath.

“….Sisters, thank you.”

Rensia smiled weakly, bowing her head toward Martha and Runaan.

“Ugh….”

Yet even that small movement caused her intense pain, making her immediately hunch over and groan.

“Hey! Stay still!”

“Don’t move….”

Despite their own severe injuries, Martha and Runaan quickly moved closer to Rensia, supporting her trembling body.

"They're good sisters. Just… really weird ones."

Raon, watching Martha and Runaan take care of Rensia, let out a soft chuckle.

"You could’ve left out the 'weird' part!"

Martha scowled, telling him to watch his words.

“Raon….”

Runaan turned to Raon, lowering her chin slightly.

“Did you know we’d break through the wall?”

She blinked curiously, genuinely wondering about it.

“Yeah, seriously, how did you know?”

Martha also tilted her head in curiosity.

“Even I didn’t imagine I’d break through like this.”

She narrowed her eyes, pressing him for an explanation.

“I didn’t know.”

Raon shook his head slightly.

“What? But you said you believed in us….”

“I didn’t know you’d reach Grandmaster here. I just believed you’d win.”

It wasn’t only Martha and Runaan, every member of the Light Wind Palace had experienced countless battles and intense training. Raon had repeatedly exposed them to training that simulated near-death situations, believing that experience alone would grant them victory, but he hadn’t expected them to reach Grandmaster here.

‘Did you know this would happen?’

Raon asked Wrath silently.

Didn’t you say it yourself? They underwent experiences ordinary humans couldn’t even imagine.

Wrath casually shook his head, as though the outcome was obvious.

Especially that insane training of yours, dragging them to that mountain and beating them to death. Brutal, but highly effective. Humans who brush against death elevate their souls level.

Wrath gestured dismissively, explaining why the Light Wind had grown so exceptionally strong, due entirely to Raon's intense training.

Considering you personally trained them and guided them through countless experiences, if anything, their breakthrough was rather late.

Wrath scoffed lightly, adding that with slightly better luck, they would’ve broken the wall even earlier.

‘Well, they did keep up pretty well.’

Raon looked at Martha and Runaan with a satisfied expression.

"You should've won without breaking into the Grandmaster realm, but even after doing so, you barely managed to pull through. Looks like I'll have to push your training even harder when we get back."

Since even Wrath acknowledged their growth, Raon thought it wouldn't hurt to increase the intensity of their focus enhancement training.

“Should I just kill him now?”

Martha gripped her sword again, seriously considering it.

“I thought he was handsome today, but he's actually ugly….”

Runaan, too, drooped her head in disappointment.

“Come on, I was just jokin—hmm?”

Just as Raon was about to ease Martha and Runaan’s irritation—

Kugugugugu!

From the ground shattered by demonic energy, a black-haired middle-aged man covered in sharp black thorns rose like a hedgehog.

“So, they lost in the end.”

The middle-aged man's eyes flickered with demonic energy as he observed the lifeless Kalop and frozen Felix. His low voice resonated with heavy killing intent and potent demonic energy, clearly stronger than either Kalop or Felix.

“So you both reached Grandmaster… but you’re out of strength.”

Intending to finish them quickly, the man sharpened the thorns covering his entire body. The spikes started writhing as if alive.

“Damn it….”

Martha clenched her teeth, struggling to lift her sword with trembling hands.

“Haa….”

Runaan took a deep breath, hiding her exhaustion as she moved protectively in front of Rensia.

“…Batorutan.”

Raon looked at the middle-aged man and smiled thinly.

“It was thanks to you that we were able to find this place. You have my gratitude.”

Batorutan, the floor overseer of the Black Tower, was the one who had taught the DemonBlade the sacrificial sorcery, indirectly leading them here. Mocking him with a smirk, Raon sarcastically expressed his gratitude.

“What nonsense! I never told the DemonBlade about this place!”

Batorutan shouted, visibly shaken by the suspicious glances of the demonized humans around him.

“You underestimated what a Transcender can do.”

Raon shook his head without explaining further.

“It seems killing you outright would be wasteful. I’ll need to pull out your brain and see your memories.”

Muttering sinisterly, Batorutan raised his thorn-covered arm.

"Not so fast!"

“That’s not happening.”

Martha and Runaan unleashed their sword strikes, but their weakened strength and depleted stamina failed to break through Batorutan’s thorns.

“Hmph. I'm not interested in weaklings.”

Ignoring Martha and Runaan’s attacks, Batorutan charged straight at Raon.

“If you take another step, you’ll die.”

Raon tilted his chin as he watched Batorutan’s rapid approach.

“Ha. Bluffing now?”

Batorutan snorted, looking down at Raon.

“I already know you can’t move.”

He shook his head, saying that he had already grasped the entire situation here through Kalop and Felix.

“A Transcender who can't even move poses no threat.”

Batorutan laughed mockingly as he crossed the line Raon had warned him about.

“This is the end.”

Raon quietly closed his eyes.

“It’s not over yet!”

“That’s right. We'll fight until the very end—”

Martha and Runaan blocked his path, determined to defend Raon even at the cost of their own lives.

“Foolish brats! The likes of you can’t—”

Just as Batorutan sneered and extended his thorn-covered hand—

Swoooosh.

A thin red line appeared across his neck, and then his head abruptly fell off.

“That’s why I told you not to come closer.”

Raon opened his eyes calmly, having anticipated exactly what would happen.

“Wh-what just…?”

Batorutan couldn’t even scream, confusion filled his eyes as he died, still unaware of what had killed him.

Thud!

As Batorutan’s corpse fell forward, Roenn appeared behind him in a pitch-black uniform.

"You both fought splendidly."

Roenn lowered his sword, which bore not a single drop of blood, and smiled kindly, as he always did.

"The rest of you have done well too."

His warm gaze was not only directed at Martha and Runaan but at all the swordsmen of Light Wind.

“Sir Roenn?”

Runaan blinked in surprise, staring at him.

"W-wait, you were here the whole time?"

Martha widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Then why didn’t you help earlier…?”

“My first mission was to secure an escape route for the residents and tourists.”

Roenn let out a gentle chuckle, explaining that he had been busy ensuring their safety.

"Of course, I arrived while you two were fighting Montiro’s so-called heroes, but since the Light Wind Palace master said he believed in you, I chose to believe as well."

He smiled contentedly, satisfied by the outcome of that trust.

“I see….”

“Haaah….”

Martha and Runaan sighed deeply, finally relaxing and collapsing to the ground.

“Oh, and one more thing…”

Roenn smiled gently, stepping between Martha and Runaan. He thrust his slender blade directly into Felix’s right chest.

“Guhk!”

Felix, who they'd thought already dead, suddenly spat out blood.

“Every now and then, there are demonized humans whose energy and vitality seem completely gone… but they’re still alive. It’s safer to confirm their deaths.”

Roenn shook off the blood from his sword, laughing as though nothing had happened.

Seeing him smile so naturally while taking a life sent a small chill down their spines.

“Sir Roenn, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Raon, as if he had known all along, paid no attention to Felix and simply nodded toward Roenn.

“Of course.”

Roenn cast a brief glance at Raon and Rensia before vanishing like the wind.

"I knew Sir  Roenn was strong, but…."

Martha sighed incredulously, staring at the headless corpse of Batorutan, a high-ranking floor overseer who had died in a single surprise attack.

“But I didn’t expect him to be this strong.”

“That probably wasn’t even his full strength.”

Raon shook his head with a smile.

“The nickname Assassin King is far bigger than any of us realize.”

*   *   *

After leaving Raon, Roenn immediately moved south toward the coast.

The battle there had already begun, the Warring Steel was fiercely engaged with numerous demonized humans.

‘So, Trevin’s opponent is a Grandmaster….’

Trevin, the division leader of Warring Steel, was locked in a brutal duel against a high-ranking floor overseer wielding a halberd. The battle was so fierce it was impossible to predict the victor.

‘Rather than stepping in directly…’

It would be better to lend only a slight helping hand.

Having witnessed Martha and Runaan earlier, Roenn decided it was better to provide a stepping stone for their progress rather than eliminate all enemies outright.

Roenn discreetly positioned himself in an unseen spot, only stepping in to save Warring Steel swordsmen when they were in life-threatening situations. He selectively eliminated the strongest demonized humans before retreating back to his original position.

Trevin, leader of the Warring Steel Division, had only received minimal assistance from Roenn, but that slight shift was already turning the tide decisively in his favor.

It wouldn't be long before Trevin secured victory.

‘Now, onto the next one.’

After giving Trevin a brief nod, Roenn shifted his focus and moved to the right.

Whoooosh.

A chilling wind whispered through the forest, where Mark Goetten and a black-haired swordsman stood locked in a tense standoff.

‘That's the hero Barins.’

The man before Mark Goetten was none other than Thunder Sword Barins, the last of the Five Heroes.

The two warriors, seemingly about to engage in a quick-draw contest, each rested their hands on their sword and saber hilts, locking gazes.

‘They’ve been at it for quite a while.’

It was evident from the sweat dripping down their foreheads and the subtle trembling of their fingertips that both had nearly exhausted their mental strength from this prolonged standoff.

‘I’m not sure how things came to this, but….’

This would be difficult to intervene in.

He could kill the opponent, but unlike the previous cases, ensuring Mark Goetten’s victory without direct interference was nearly impossible.

‘All I can do is trust him.’

Mark Goetten was a man who had already clawed his way out from the pit of absolute despair. Roenn decided to trust him and stayed hidden.

Fwoooosh.

Even as violent winds whipped around from the clash of aura and demonic energy, Mark Goetten’s eyes didn’t waver at all.

However, Barins seemed to have reached his limit. Unable to withstand the tension any longer, he drew his sword first with a trembling hand.

Shaaaaah!

The moment Barins’s sword sliced through the air, Mark Goetten’s hand moved like a bolt of lightning.

Chwaaaaak!

Late strike comes first. Mark Goetten’s saber, wrapped in wind, turned into a true lightning bolt and sliced Barins' throat.

“Haa….”

Mark Goetten let out a deep breath, stripping off his sweat-drenched coat.

“In a quick-draw duel, victory belongs not to the fastest, but to the one with the greatest patience.”

Mark Goetten nodded, seemingly satisfied with the outcome of the duel.

‘Congratulations.’

Roenn silently applauded Mark Goetten for his victory and the valuable experience he had gained, before moving further to the right.

Roooaaaar!

Morell Kazan was burning down all the approaching demonized humans and demonic creatures along with his squad.

‘As expected from Balkar’s high-ranking mage. He doesn’t need my assistance.’

‘Keep up the good work.’

Roenn sent a respectful nod to Morell Kazan, who briefly met his gaze, before moving toward Dorian and Krein’s location.

“Ahh! Here they come!”

“S-shield up!”

“Damn it! Why are there so many?!”

“I’m going to dieeeee….”

Dorian, Krein, and the Light Wind Palace swordsmen shouted desperately while fending off the endless wave of demonic creatures.

However, despite their desperate cries, their teamwork, honed over more than ten years, remained seamless, allowing not even the smallest gap in their formation.

‘They can hold their own here as well.’

Roenn watched the Light Wind swordsmen with warmth in his eyes before making his way to the final location.

Kyaaaaaah!

Burren stood firm despite heavy injuries and clear exhaustion, continuously slashing down the demonized humans rushing toward him without retreating even a single step.

‘Has young master Burren also reached Grandmaster?’

Roen let out a breathless chuckle of disbelief. Even after reaching Grandmaster, Burren had continued fighting alone, making his control over energy appear far more refined than Martha or Runaan's.

‘You finally did it.’

To catch up to Runan and Martha, Burren had spent countless nights honing his swordsmanship, tirelessly wielding his sword. Even here, he had sought guidance from Karoon and Raon, constantly refining himself.

His efforts had finally borne fruit—he had caught up to the backs of those who had once been ahead of him.

‘Head of House.’

Feeling the sharp wind emanating from Burren’s sword, Roenn smiled in quiet satisfaction.

‘Zieghart is only going to grow stronger from here.’

*   *   *

Raon gazed at the jewel embedded in the necklace around Rensia’s neck.

The flames that had flickered faintly at the bottom were now completely filling it.

Click.

He cut off the aura sustaining the magic circle and gently grasped the necklace hanging from Rensia’s neck.

‘It’s complete.’

The heat radiating from the flame-infused jewel felt as though it could burn straight through his skin.

A lantern that awakens the darkness.

Reciting the incantation that Chamber had taught him, Raon released the aura of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation one last time.

Fwoooosh!

The jewel embedded in the necklace shook violently as if about to shatter, and crimson flames burst out, splitting into five streams that surged toward the pentagram-shaped artifact.

“Ah….”

Rensia slowly opened her eyes, as if her pain had finally subsided. She let out a faint gasp as she watched the five streams of fire erupting from the necklace.

“You did well.”

“H-have we succeeded?”

She swallowed dryly, her voice trembling as she asked whether the magic circle was now complete.

"It wasn’t me who did it—it was you, and now..."

Raon gently patted Rensia’s head as he looked at the pentagram barrier completed by the flames.

“It’s my turn to repay you.”

 

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