The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 948

 Chapter 948

 

Kyaaaaang!

Raon clashed swords with Karoon, lowering his knees slightly. He narrowed his eyes as he shifted into a stance that allowed him to move at any moment, in any direction.

‘As expected, his swordsmanship is a pain to deal with.’

Karoon’s swordsmanship carried an elegance and grandeur that made it feel like watching an orchestra.

At first glance, it resembled a ceremonial sword dance learned by nobles for etiquette, lacking in real combat effectiveness. But after reaching Transcendence, Karoon had turned that very flaw into a strength.

Chiiing!

From the graceful sword path, like unraveling an antique silk cloth, a sharp sword strike erupted, as if to strangle the heart. It was so sharp, it felt as though Heavenly Drive itself might be sliced apart.

Kyaaaaang!

Raon clenched his lips as he deflected Karoon’s falling sword, wrapped in a chilling wave of energy.

‘Looks like I wasn’t the only one who grew from the last war.’

Karoon, too, had grown, facing endless battles must have forged a new realm to his swordsmanship, vastly different from before.

Raon had believed he had already grasped the full extent of Karoon’s martial strength. That had clearly been a huge misjudgment.

Though Karn’s physical strength and aura hadn’t visibly increased like his own had, he had grown mentally and in martial comprehension by a great margin.

‘This is going to be fun.’

Raon licked his lips briefly and raised Heavenly Drive like dragon scales. Above the red-hot blade, a massive tree, resembling the World Tree, rose up.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation – Thousand Flames.

Flame Spirit.

Thousands of red petals imbued with fire bloomed from the tree, creating a storm of fire that swirled around Karoon.

‘I need to push further from here.’

If it was Karoon, the flame storm from the Flame Spirit wouldn’t be difficult for him to cut through. To take the upper hand in this spar, he had to unleash a powerful sword technique right now.

Kooong!

Raon advanced with a sharp step and channeling the Glacier to its utmost. Above the cooling sword strike, a silver sphere began to bloom.

Raon Zieghart Style Sworplay.

Second Form – Heavenly Heavy Cannon.

Just as the sphere, condensed with frost, was about to erupt in a mighty explosion, Karoon stepped forward, pressing down the storm caused by the Flame Spirit as if it were nothing.

‘He shattered a fully unleashed Flame Spirit that easily?’

Raon had expected Karoon to break through the Flame Spirit. That much was a given.
But to destroy it this quickly, to shred the flame itself, was beyond what he could have imagined. That sword strike was so sharp, it bordered on the absurd.

‘Still, I have to keep going.’

By now, Heavenly Drive was already brimming with condensed aura. Even if Karoon could block it, he had to detonate the Heavenly Heavy Cannon.

Chwaaaak!

Just as Raon was about to release the explosion, Karoon’s sword traced a deep blue line. The moment it touched the energy of Heavenly Heavy Cannon, the sphere split on a diagonal path.

Kuwaaaaang!

Instead of exploding in front of Karoon, the Heavenly Heavy Cannon burst in midair, causing a massive tremor across the training ground.

‘He cut through the Heavenly Heavy Cannon that easily?’

The silver sphere that formed the Heavenly Heavy Cannon held enough cold energy to freeze an entire village.
And Karoon had cleaved through it in an instant. Raon let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh.

“I asked you for this spar for two reasons.”

Karoon stopped walking and held up two fingers.

“First, to get to know you. Second, to show you my true skill.”

He waved his hand as if to say it would be a mistake to take him lightly.

“Just as you've grown, so have I.”

Karoon flicked his wrist, as if daring Raon to come at him with full power.

“Well, there’s no need to waste time between people who already know everything about each other.”

Raon curled his lips upward and drove both Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem into the cracked ground.

Sword Field Creation – Divine and Demonic Harmony.

Above the sun that lit the training ground, a second golden sun layered over it, and beside it, a silver moon rose in solemn silence.

Wooooong!

Raon grabbed the divine sword and the demonic sword, each forged from the sun and moon, and lifted his chin.

“Then I’ll go all out, just as you asked.”

*   *   *

Jjeoooong!

Karoon blocked the divine sword, blazing with fire, and furrowed his brows.

‘He’s different. No, it’s not just that—he feels like a different person entirely.’

Raon’s sword strike, which Karoon had thought he could easily deflect, pierced through his guard and pressed in without hesitation.

It no longer felt like Raon was in front of him.
It felt like he was facing a Transcender a level above himself.

‘Let’s admit it. In terms of strength, speed, perception, and aura, Raon is ahead.’

Raon’s body had become so strong and agile that even Karoon, who had undergone his own transformation, could no longer keep up.

If the fight were based purely on physical ability and aura, there was no way Karoon could win.

‘But the problem is—that’s not all there is.’

If it were just strength and speed, I could overcome it. But his sword now contained a higher level of principle.

It seemed that what I was now facing was the true sword of Raon Zieghart.

‘Good. That’s how it should be.’

Karoon had asked for this spar because he wanted to test himself against Raon’s true might. If Raon hadn’t been at least this strong, he would’ve been disappointed instead.

Jjeoooong!

Karoon used his aura to the limit and blocked the divine and demonic swords falling like a raging torrent.

Kuwaaaaaaah!

The flames that could burn everything and the strikes that could cut through anything collided, unleashing a fearsome shockwave. The training ground cracked like a spiderweb, black fissures spreading outward.

Jijijijik!

Even as the training ground began to collapse beneath them, Raon and Karoon didn’t back down, they thrust their swords toward each other’s throats.

Chiaaaaang!

A blue sword strike pressed down the raging flames, and silver frost in turn pushed back the blue strike.
A battle of blades devouring one another continued endlessly. It wouldn’t be strange to call it a dead-even match.

‘He’s certainly a difficult opponent.’

Karoon narrowed his eyes as he watched Raon’s sword paths change rapidly.

‘The versatile sword…’

Raon’s swordsmanship was like an unfathomable sea, its form changing endlessly, its color never staying the same.

At times fast, at times slow, sometimes light, sometimes heavy. Sometimes, he even combined all those principles into a single sword, making it feel like Karoon was facing dozens of swordsmen at once.

‘But…’

Not all of his principles are perfected.

The versatile sword was a path to learn all the swordsmanship principles in existence. Naturally, Raon hadn’t mastered every swordsmanship principle yet.

‘I’ll have to aim for that.’

Karoon dispersed the pressure from the divine and demonic swords with footwork and strengthening his grip on his sword.

Pajijijik!

As Raon’s sword descended, filled with extreme swiftness, red lightning bloomed. It was a lightning-infused sword, meant to momentarily paralyze the opponent’s body.

‘Now!’

Raon’s lightning sword was certainly powerful, but it wasn't as perfected as his other swordsmanship principles. There was enough of a gap to exploit.

Boom!

Karoon stomped forward, crushing the ground beneath. He lunged at Raon and thrust his sharply raised sword into him.

Chwaaaak!

Using the ultimate technique of the Azure Elegance said to cut through all things, Karoon cleaved through Raon’s lightning sword and thrust his sword toward Raon’s chest.

“So you came for it after all.”

Raon curled his lips faintly and gave a small nod.

“Straight into my opening.”

Despite his elegant swordsmanship, Karoon possessed the sensitive instincts of a wild beast.

To lure in someone like him, a half-hearted trap wouldn’t suffice. Raon had no choice but to reveal a genuinely incomplete sword path.

‘So it was a trap…?’

Even as Karoon furrowed his brow, he continued forward. He realized Raon had laid a trap, but his body had already committed.
At this point, pressing in was the only choice.

Wooooong!

From Raon’s divine sword, flung out to his left, a towering wave of energy and crackling lightning erupted upward. The White Shadow, the ultimate technique of the Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky. The technique Glenn had created and gifted to him, now unfurled its wings anew.

Kuwaaaaaang!

Karoon’s Azure Elegance collided with Raon’s Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky, unleashing a brilliant blue radiance and red lightning that surged in every direction.

Chiiiiiik!

Unable to withstand the overwhelming power of the Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky, Karoon was pushed back. He raised his face, furrowing his brow.

“So you were aiming for this all along?”

“No. I simply believed… that if it were you, palace master, you’d come in.”

Raon smiled, saying he trusted Karoon would.

“Well, if that’s how you play it, then I’ve got no choice.”

Karoon responded with a similar smile and gave a small nod.

“But if you fail to enter the Chamber of Self, don’t hold it against me.”

Declaring that he’d crush him for sure, he charged straight at Raon.

Kuwaaaaaang!

Blue flashes and red flame clashed again and again, shaking the entire training ground.

No—it wasn’t just the training ground. The entire Zieghart estate was trembling.

*   *   *

“I can’t even see what’s going on anymore…”

Balder let out a dry laugh as he watched the training ground, now engulfed in blazing light, flame, and cold energy.

“He only just recently reached Transcendence. Is this even normal?”

He furrowed his brow, stunned at how drastically the gap had closed.

“It’s not normal.”

Aris shook her hand, agreeing that this wasn’t ordinary at all.

“Karoon became this strong because the experience he accumulated after reaching peak Grandmaster level erupted all at once. And Raon—well, you already know he’s on a completely different level of talent.”

She smiled, saying those two were just special.

“I knew those coming up behind could catch up fast… but not this fast.”

Aris clicked her tongue, realizing just how far she’d fallen behind while she was lying in bed.

“What about you, father? Who do you think will win?”

She approached Glenn, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the training ground.

“Hard to say…”

Glenn wiped the sweat from his palm and narrowed his eyes.

“Before the war with the Black Tower, Karoon was clearly ahead. But now, you could say they’re evenly matched.”

He smacked his lips, saying that Raon’s and Karoon’s levels had become similar.

“Besides, both of them are growing through this spar. With things like this, it wouldn’t be strange for either of them to win.”

Karoon and Raon were reading each other’s breath, sharpening their techniques and pushing the limits of their martial mastery with every exchange.

When Raon took a step forward, Karoon followed. When Karoon’s sword grew sharper, Raon’s sword stood firm to block it. It was, quite literally, an even fight.

“But brother hasn’t even used his sword field yet. If he does, I think he’ll win.”

Balder clicked his tongue, predicting Karoon’s victory, he hadn’t even used his sword field yet.

“Raon hasn’t used the Dancing Sword either. And that sword field of his—it’s not the kind of technique that ends with a single use.”

Aris shook her head, saying that Raon still had important weapons left.

‘And that’s not all.’

As Glenn listened to Balder and Aris, he lowered his chin slightly.

‘Raon hasn’t used all of his power yet.’

Deep within Raon’s soul slept a special power that only he could use.

If he drew that energy forth, he could surely overpower Karoon. But it seemed he wanted to win this spar using only his own strength.

‘It’s a beautiful sight.’

Glenn looked at Raon and Karoon, swinging their swords fiercely, and smiled faintly.

‘I never thought I’d get to witness something like this.’

To think his son and grandson would engage in a spar that brought growth to them both.
As someone who had failed as a father, it was a scene he believed he’d never live to see, yet here it was, unfolding before his eyes.

‘It’s all thanks to you.’

Glenn gazed at Raon with eyes warm like sunlight.

‘Thank you, Raon.’

*   *   *

Chiaaaang!

Raon pressed Karoon back with the divine sword, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

‘Now I see it.’

After a long spar, Raon had learned Karoon’s swordsmanship through both eyes and body. Now, he could shape the flow of the versatile sword to stand against even those razor-sharp strikes.

“Huuuh…”

Karoon was pushed back roughly and let out a heavy breath.

“I really can’t keep up with that growth rate. And as if that weren’t enough, I’m also losing in strength and speed.”
He grit his teeth, painfully aware of just how badly the situation was turning against him.

“You still have plenty left in the tank, don’t you?”

Raon let out a faint chuckle and waved his hand lightly.

“You haven’t even used your Dancing Sword yet.”

Karoon tilted his chin, saying he knew full well what Raon was holding back.

“If we’re going by that, then you’re worse. You haven’t even used your sword field yet.”

Raon pointed his divine sword at Karoon, telling him to stop playing the underdog.

“Huuu…”

Karoon slowly raised his sword, closed his eyes, then opened them again.

“It’s been an enjoyable time, but it’s time we brought this to an end.”

His gaze turned sharp and cold, declaring he would now settle things.

“Agreed.”

Raon pulled his divine sword behind his shoulder and tilted his demonic sword behind his waist. At the same time, he floated the Wooden Ring Sword, fully preparing himself.

“Don’t die.”

Karoon gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down. Though it appeared to be a simple vertical slash, his sword carried an immense wave of energy that could easily shatter this entire continent.

“Sword Field Creation – the King.”

Karoon’s calm voice became the axis that shifted the world, and the sword he brought down unleashed a majestic wave as if it had split the horizon itself.

‘The sword… looks like it’s getting bigger?’

No—was it really growing?

The once thin blade swelled until it seemed to fill the entire arena. Raon felt as if his body, no, his very soul, was being crushed beneath Karoon’s sword.

‘He called it the King…’

It was as though every part of him, his body, soul, and even swordsmanship, was being forced to bow. The power suited its grand name.

‘It feels like my heart’s going to burst, but…’

I can't back down here.

Raon pressed his lips tightly together and charged at Karoon. Toward the enormous the King’s Sword that loomed over the sky, he unleashed all the remaining energy within his divine and demonic swords.

Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay.

Sixth Form – Harmony of Heaven and Demon, Combined Technique - Red and Blue Invincible Sword.

The divine and demonic swords blazed with overwhelming light, as if they were about to explode, forming twin streaks of radiance that stood against the gigantic sword.

‘One more here!’

Raon infused the Wooden Ring Sword with the lightning of Heavenly Lightning Cultivation and the wind of Garunua. Like watercolor blending on wet paper, the two energies merged into a red lightning bolt. It was the ultimate technique of the Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky—War Sovereign Art.

Wooooooo!

Above the twin pillars raised by the divine and demonic swords, the sword infused with lightning and wind shot forward. Containing the power of four attributes, his sword clashed with Karoon’s the King, which carried the might to destroy the heavens and earth.

Kuwaaaaaaaaaang!

As their overwhelming forces collided, the earth crumbled, and the entire training ground began to collapse. The once-clear sky turned pitch-black, as if horrified by the clash.

Crackle—!

Even after unleashing both rhe Red-Blue Invincible Sword and the War Sovereign Art, Raon’s expression tightened as he saw that Karoon’s the King still hadn’t been pushed back.

‘No… I’m not pushing him back. I’m being pushed instead.’

True to the name, the King, Karoon’s sword field was immovable, its power immense and unwavering.

‘Now I understand why he’s so strong.’

Karoon had only one goal, to become the head of house Zieghart. The ideal of king, the dream he’d pursued since childhood, had now taken form in the world through his sword field.

Because the time Karoon had spent building up his will and the desperation behind it were on a different level, his sword field felt stronger than the Red and Blue Invincible Sword.

‘But still…’

I can’t let it end here.

There’s no such thing as a flawless swordsmanship in this world. Raon clenched his trembling grip as he observed Karoon’s sword field, which was growing heavier and more oppressive by the second.

‘If he's going to press from that side, then I’ll be the one to cut through.’

Just as Karoon had done to him earlier, Raon infused the Red and Blue Invincible Sword and the War Sovereign Art with the principle of sharp sword, unleashing it toward Karoon’s the King.

Jijijijik!

Karoon’s the King, which was endlessly building in power, clashed with Raon’s sword strikes imbued with a sharpness enough to cleave through even space itself, and the color of the world began to change.

The once-radiant training ground, glowing in all shades of color, began to drain into black and white as a colossal force gathered, one that seemed capable of erasing everything.

Kugugugugugu!

As Raon and Karoon continued to slash their swords through that eerie space, a crack split the sky, and a red bolt of lightning came crashing down.

Kuwaaaaaaaaaaang!

The enormous lightning bolt, like a divine dragon descending, swallowed the storm of energy that Raon and Karoon had created.

Pazizizik!

When the lightning passed, all that remained was the faint red lightning energy lingering in the air like an afterimage.

“That’s enough.”

Glenn stepped forward with Heavenly Tremor raised, standing between Karoon and Raon.

“If you’d kept fighting like that, neither of you would’ve walked away unscathed. This training ground would’ve been completely destroyed as well.”

He sheathed the Heavenly Tremor Sword and spoke calmly, saying they had each gained what they needed, and that this was a good time to stop.

“…Understood.”

Karoon clicked his tongue in disappointment but lowered his sword and gave a firm nod.

“Yes…”

Raon let out a soft sigh and returned Heavenly Drive, the Blade of Requiem, and Wooden Ring Sword to their sheaths.

‘As expected… that wasn’t easy.’

If you had used the King of Essence’s <Wrath> you could’ve won, you know?

Wrath furrowed his eyes as if asking whether Raon had forgotten about <Wrath>.

‘I just wanted to fight with my own strength.’

If he had used the authority of the Demon Kings as Wrath suggested, he could have overpowered Karoon from the start.

But since this was a duel between Zieghart swordsmen, he wanted to win using his own power alone.

‘Still, it’s a bit of a shame.’

If he had used the Genesis instead of the Red and Blue Invincible Sword at the end, he might have been able to cut through Karoon’s the King.

It was a little frustrating not to have tested that.

‘Either way, I can reach him now.’

Before the war, Karoon had seemed far out of reach. But now, it felt like he could win even without using the Demon Kings’ authorities.

He was curious to see just how much he would change after entering the Chamber of Self.

“Thank you for the spar.”

Raon bowed his head to Karoon first.

“We’ll have to settle this again once you return from the Chamber of Self.”

Leaving just those words, Karoon turned and walked away from the training ground without hesitation.

“Trying to act all calm! when he was totally shocked in the end!”

Balder gave Raon a thumbs-up in praise.

“You really have changed a lot… I mean, wow...”

Aris gave a disbelieving laugh, still stunned by how far Raon had grown.

“I was just lucky.”

Raon shook his head, saying he simply had many fortunate opportunities.

“Raon.”

Glenn approached, brushing off his hands.

“I’ve opened the Chamber of Self, just as you requested.”

He nodded, as if to say all preparations were complete.

“Take some time to rest, then come on the day we agreed upon.”

“Yes.”

Raon nodded, eyes filled with anticipation.

‘So, it’s finally time.’

So the day’s finally come…

Wrath clutched his head, eyes welling up.

Curse that damn Nadine bread!

*   *   *

“Well, I’m off now.”

Raon waved to Sylvia, Edgar, Sia, Olga, and the maids who were gathered in the garden.

“Be careful. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

Sylvia nodded, telling him not to be too greedy.

“A true warrior needs a bit of greed!”

Edgar clenched his fist, saying he should come back with as much as possible.

“See you later!”

Sia, perhaps content after playing together for the past few days, waved goodbye without complaint. She was clearly maturing day by day.

“Hey. Don’t take too long. It’s weird being here alone.”

Olga averted her gaze, saying it felt awkward being at the annex building by herself.

“It probably won’t take that long. They say time flows differently in there.”

He patted her shoulder and reassured her not to worry.

“Well then!”

Raon gave one last wave to everyone and left the annex building. Perhaps because it was the day he’d finally enter the long-awaited Chamber of Self, his body felt unbelievably light.

Damn it…

On the other hand, Wrath had been grinding his teeth all morning at the thought of having to eat Nadine bread again for a while.

Raon dragged the sniffling Wrath behind him like a dog that didn’t want to go for a walk and made his way to the lord’s manor.

“I greet the head of house.”

Raon stood in the center of the audience chamber and bowed to Glenn.

“You’re here early. Couldn’t wait, huh?”

Glenn gave a faint smile, as if he already understood how Raon was feeling.

“Yes. I’ve wanted to go in ever since before I reached Transcendence. I could hardly sleep.”

Raon scratched the back of his head, saying his heart was still pounding even now.

“Then it’s best to enter right away.”

Glenn said there was no reason to delay and rose from his throne.

“Yes. Then, I’ll…”

Raon began turning to leave the audience chamber, but Glenn raised a hand.

“There’s no need to go anywhere.”

Shaking his head, Glenn pointed to the floor of the audience chamber.

“The Chamber of Self is right here.”

 

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