The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 953

 Chapter 953

 

Pshhhk.

Raon flicked away the blood dripping from Heavenly Drive and observed Parel, who had collapsed onto the floor.

‘It’s over.’

Perhaps because he was only a half-Anima with just one reverse eye, Parel couldn't move at all after his heart burst. He was merely lying there, waiting for death as his breathing slowly faded.

‘Then is it time for the next stage?’

Just as Raon began sliding Heavenly Drive back into its scabbard, expecting the third trial from the first head of house—

Woooong!

As though time itself was rewinding, the royal palace’s shattered floor and walls, devastated by their sword fight, began to rise back up. Even the wound etched deeply into Parel’s chest vanished without a trace, leaving him perfectly restored as if nothing had ever happened.

“What…is this?”

Parel himself seemed utterly bewildered at his own revival. He stared at his restored chest with a trembling jaw.

“I don’t know how or what just happened, but I won’t fall for it again! I’ll kill you for good this time!”

As if determined not to waste this chance, he clenched his teeth and rushed forward.

Claang!

Raon’s eyebrows narrowed as he blocked Parel’s violently descending saw-blade sword.

'Given that even Parel himself doesn’t know why he’s come back to life…'

Could this be another arrangement by the first head of house?

Raon had thought that killing Parel would conclude the second trial, but apparently, he had not yet fully satisfied the first head’s expectations.

“You won’t get another chance!”

Vowing not to let his guard down again, Parel unleashed the Flame Dragon Art.

Fwaaaaah!

A massive fire dragon surged up along the path of his saw blade sword, roaring as if it would devour everything.

Craaaaang!

Raon smoothly deflected Parel’s Flame Dragon Art using a flowing combination of the Golden Void Infusion and the Firewall, then calmly returned Heavenly Drive to a middle stance.

“No matter what you try, you’ll never surpass my sword.”

Parel flashed an eerie, cold glare, as though ready to counter whatever Raon might throw at him.

“You sure talk a lot for someone who already died once.”

Raon openly mocked him, immediately unleashing the Thirty-Six Crimson Slash toward Parel.

“I’ll kill you with the same technique.”

Parel shouted that he wouldn’t lose this time, unleashing a stronger, more powerful Thirty-Six Crimson Slash.

Wooooong!

Raon narrowed his eyes sharply as he saw Parel’s Thirty-Six Crimson Slash surging toward him faster than his own.

'It’s exactly the same as before.'

He needed to infuse the Thirty-Six Crimson Slash with the appropriate principle.

The Thirty-Six Crimson Slash was a refined form of the Crimson Slash, a sword technique capable of simultaneously striking thirty-six vital points. It required a different principle from the sharp sword he had originally incorporated into the Crimson Slash.

'Should I add the flexible sword?'

To simultaneously strike all thirty-six directions without a single error, Raon infused the principle of flexible sword, seamlessly connecting each individual strike.

Whooooosh!

His own Thirty-Six Crimson Slash, infused with the flexible sword, collided fiercely against Parel’s version, which carried the devastating power of shattering the sky.

Clang-Clang-Clang-Claaaang!

The sword strikes aimed simultaneously at all thirty-six directions collided precisely midair, erupting into a thunderous roar as though thousands of steel bars were being crushed apart.

“I told you—it’s useless!”

Parel curled his lips into a sneer, watching his Thirty-Six Crimson Slash begin to push Raon’s Thirty-Six Crimson Slash.

“This time, it’s your chest that’ll be pierced… huh?”

However, Parel’s laughter didn't last long.

Craaaack!

Though it lost in the initial clash, Raon’s Thirty-Six Crimson Slash, which had maintained their form and precision across all thirty-six trajectories until the very end, pierced through Parel’s Thirty-Six Crimson Slash instead.

“Wh-what the hell!”

Parel staggered backward in shock. Raon immediately closed the distance, unleashing the flames of the still-active Thirty-Six Crimson Slash upon him.

Kwoooooooom!

The graceful flame blades lingering around Heavenly Drive sword swept downward, engulfing Parel’s entire body.

“Graaagh…”

Parel collapsed, all his vital points scorched and torn. It was an even more gruesome death than his first.

“It should be over now.”

As Raon rested Heavenly Drive, still radiating heat, lightly against his shoulder, the cracked floor suddenly repaired itself, and Parel’s torn, rag-like body began rapidly regenerating once again.

“You damned bastard!”

Parel, clearly still haunted by the memory of dying just moments ago, ground his teeth so fiercely they audibly scraped together, his hand gripping the saw-bladed sword shaking uncontrollably.

“What the hell did you do to me!”

Despite his panic and not wanting to die again, Parel dashed in from Raon’s left with a mysterious and elusive footwork technique.

Chiiiiiiing!

Parel’s saw-bladed sword scattered unpredictably, dissolving into dreamlike illusions and making its trajectory impossible to foresee. This was the Sword’s Silvery Dream, the third form of Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay that embodied the pinnacle of illusions and shifting patterns.

Shhhhh—

Raon executed the same Sword’s Silvery Dream as Parel, but infused it with the principle of swift sword, which had reached the pinnacle of proficiency, able to instantly sever an opponent’s life

Slashhhhh!

The moment Parel's hazy, mist-like sword strike descended toward Raon's neck, Heavenly Drive, previously held low, shot upward like lightning, slicing cleanly through Parel's throat. This was a newly evolved Sword’s Silvery Dream, infused with the extreme swiftness of the principle of swift sword honed to its absolute pinnacle through patient anticipation.

“Urgh...”

Parel fell, letting out only a brief groan, as though unaware he’d even been cut.

Woooooong!

Yet, as if he had never died, Parel immediately revived, gripping his saw-bladed sword tightly and charging once again.

Craaaang!

Raon looked up through the ruined palace ceiling at the darkened dawn sky. The moon, peeking through clouds and smoke, had lowered just a little.

'Could it be...?'

Would this dawn continue until he had evolved all the sword techniques he’d ever learned, and even those he had yet to master, into the versatile sword?

Judging by the situation so far, it seemed likely this battle wouldn’t end until he had transformed every sword technique he possessed into the versatile sword.

‘If that’s the case…’

Then this is great.

Repeatedly battling to the death against a warrior as powerful as Parel was a priceless opportunity. Realizing that such a scenario might continue indefinitely, Raon found himself unintentionally smiling.

“Why—why are you smiling!”

Parel twisted his lips angrily.

“Because I feel sorry for you.”

“What? What do you mean....”

Parel frowned, clearly not understanding.

“I started counting how many times you’re going to have to die. Honestly, it made me feel a bit bad.”

Raon arrogantly tilted his chin, pointing Heavenly Drive at Parel.

“Let’s stop after exactly one thousand deaths.”

*   *   *

“Haa.”

Wrath stepped onto the gray, ash-like land and let out a rough breath.

‘That took a while.’

He had moved swiftly, yet as expected of an ocean, the journey had felt endlessly far. By his own sense of time, it felt as though he'd walked for well over a month before finally reaching this land.

'Truly a tedious journey.'

Turning back, he saw that the ink-black ocean he'd crossed had somehow become purified, now shimmering with a gentle blue glow reminiscent of his own hair.

'To think the King of Essence actually crossed that…'

For a human, crossing that ocean would have felt like endlessly walking across burning-hot stone plates. It was undoubtedly a harsh trial, yet strangely, the idea of giving up hadn't once crossed his mind.

‘Well, he supposes that's only natural.’

The King of Essence had closely watched Raon’s entire life, after all.

Raon was a madman who smiled and swung his sword even with torn flesh and shattered bones. Having witnessed all of his battles, this level of pain meant nothing now.

‘But what is this place?’

In front of him stretched lands and mountains that appeared to be composed entirely of gray ash, similar to the sandy mountain he’d seen when he first awoke.

'It seems he must head toward that mountain.'

Following the faded gray path, Wrath made his way toward the gray mountain. It wasn't far, and before long, he reached his destination.

'This is different from the sandy mountain.'

Wrath clicked his tongue as he looked at the black cave halfway up the mountain. It wasn’t the mountain itself, something inside that cave was drawing his soul toward it.

‘The scent of the devildom. And not just any, it’s from the deepest part.’

He narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the cave. Strangely enough, an ugly, repulsive smell drifted from within, forcefully evoking memories of his past.

Tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue again briefly, then entered deeper into the cave. Although the path inside was flat and even, the darkness within was so thick that even his vision couldn’t penetrate it. The only things he could see were his fingertips and toes.

‘Even if he can’t see, there’s no choice but to keep moving forward.’

He was certain that what he sought lay within this cave. No matter what he might encounter or collide with along the way, he had to follow this path to the end.

Clearing all unnecessary thoughts, Wrath simply continued walking onward.

*   *   *

“This is getting irritating.”

Wrath raised his fingers to press against his forehead, frustrated.

“When the hell does this damned path end!”

He had spent what felt like even more time here than when walking across the ocean, yet he still couldn’t reach the end of the cave. It was like an abyss, nothing but endless darkness.

‘He’s sure it wasn’t that far at first…’

When he first entered the cave, he’d clearly sensed his destiny not far from the entrance. But after what felt like months of walking, the end was nowhere in sight.

“Haah…”

Wrath looked back at the path he had come. Though the darkness was too thick to see clearly, he could tell at a glance just how far he’d walked.

‘There’s no going back. He can only move forward.’

It was far too late to turn around now. Even if he were to grow old and die in this cave, he had no other option but to keep walking forward.

Step.

As he continued through the darkness, a certain face floated to mind.

‘That damn brat… He wonders how he’s doing.’

Raon Zieghart. Their time together hadn’t been long, yet Wrath had grown more attached to him than to any other subordinate. He couldn’t help but wonder what situation that boy had ended up in.

‘That golden sand mountain… it must’ve been prepared for him.’

If the ocean and this cave had been trials set for him, then that golden sand mountain was undoubtedly designed for Raon to grow.

They were too far apart for him to sense Raon’s presence, but he wanted to see what situation he was in.

‘Then again, it’s obvious, even without seeing it.’

That brat’s probably doing disgustingly well.

Raon was like a cockroach, his survival skills unmatched by anyone Wrath had ever met. Even if thrown into the devildom alone, he’d probably end up devouring a demon king and come out alive. That thought alone oddly reassured him about his own situation.

‘He needs to find power here… if he doesn’t want that damn weasel mocking him again.’

Raon might be treating all this like a joke, but his strength has dropped significantly.

‘That brat sucked my traits and stats dry, and he even descended. Of course he’s short on power now.’

Just creating traits and stats for Raon consumed a significant portion of his authority. But descending to save the children of the Light Wind, and using power that defied causality, had taken a far heavier toll.

No matter how overwhelming his might had once been, he’d done nothing but spend it without recovering. At this point, he was genuinely approaching danger.

‘If this keeps up, he might get pushed back not only by Pride or Greed… but even by those below them.

Rather than be overtaken by those other demon kings, he’d rather die.

‘Which is why… he was a little grateful.’

During the war with the Black Tower, even when Raon was on the verge of death, he didn’t pull the advent card. He fought to the very end with his own strength, for Wrath’s sake. It wasn’t much, but it stirred a faint feeling of gratitude in him.

‘That’s why he has to gain something from this place.’

The Chamber of Self hadn’t just opened to Raon, it had opened for him as well. That meant there was at least a chance for him to recover some of his strength. Even if it meant grabbing onto the first head’s coattails and refusing to let go, he had to claw his way back with renewed power.

Clack.

As he renewed his resolve and continued walking through the endless darkness of the cave, something brushed against the tip of his foot.

‘Hm?’

He quickly looked down, and saw the full-length mirror that had brought both him and Raon to this place.

But the reflection wasn’t his current self.

Fssss—

A child with blue hair and eyes slowly rose within the mirror. It was hard to tell whether it was a boy or girl, but the child gave him a chilling smile.

“You’re late.”

The blue-haired child narrowed their eyes as if they’d been waiting a long time, then stepped out from the mirror.

“The King of Essence did wish for recovery, but….”

Wrath glared at the child and furrowed his brow deeply.

“You’re doing it in the filthiest way possible.”

*   *   *

Crack-crack-crack!

Lightning filled the sky, transforming into the shape of a sword as it rained down. It was the Heavenly Wolf Star Sword, one of the ultimate techniques of the Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky.

Ruuuuuumble!

Parel poured all his strength into executing the sword technique of the Azure Sky, but Raon’s lightning sword shattered the sky and pierced straight through his torso.

“Ggghh!”

He gasped, looking down at the charred hole in his chest.

“D-dammit…”

Despair flooded his eyes as he collapsed backward. His heart had completely melted, staying alive was no longer possible.

“The power was good, but the activation time was way too long.”

Raon clicked his tongue as he looked down at the scorched ground where the lightning had struck.

‘Maybe next time I’ll try mixing in the principle of swift sword.’

Just as he’d said, he really had fought nearly a thousand battles to the death against Parel. From the sword techniques of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the recently-learned Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky, every martial art he’d mastered was refined and advanced through the principles of the versatile sword.

And even then, he never grew tired. The thrill of watching his swordsmanship evolve left no room for exhaustion. Rather than feeling worn down, he kept thinking, how could he push his sword further?

‘Maybe it’s time to go back to Crimson Slash.’

Now that he had even refined the techniques of the Heavenly Lightning of the Azure Sky, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to return to the basics and refine the Crimson Slash once more. As he considered how to improve it—

He noticed something.

Unlike before, Parel’s wounds weren’t regenerating.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he stared at Parel, who wasn’t moving at all, as if he truly were dead.

‘Is it… finally over?’

Since Parel wasn’t reviving anymore, it seemed his current mastery had finally met the first head of house’s expectations.

“One strike… That’s truly incredible.”

The woman in the purple robe nodded in admiration.

"This is on a completely different level…"

Even the dying king let out a hollow laugh, as if at a loss for words.

‘Wait a second…’

Raon narrowed his eyes, looking once more at Parel’s corpse.

‘Did the first head of house kill this guy with a single strike the moment he saw him?’

The scene around him was a recreation of the past. Based on what the woman in the purple robe had said, it seemed the first head of house had cut Parel down in a single sword strike as soon as they met.

“The sun will rise soon. The monsters will weaken, let’s move now.”

The woman in the purple robe shouted to stop the massacre and soared out of the audience chamber.

“Th-thank you…”

The king let out a drained smile and lowered his hand.

“I’ll repay this debt even in death. And as for him…”

Just as he lowered his voice to say something important, the sun rose, casting away the darkness.

Wuuuuuuung!

Beams of light poured down from the sun like pillars, erasing everything that existed around Raon.

‘What now?’

As everything in front of him vanished, it became clear that the second trial from the first head of house had come to an end.

‘It felt long… and yet also short.’

He couldn’t tell how much time had passed, maybe it had been a single day, or maybe an entire year.

‘But one thing is certain.’

I’ve become stronger.

His aura and physical power hadn’t increased, but the flaws in his swordsmanship had been filled in, and the unnecessary parts trimmed away. His mastery of swordsmanship itself had risen to an entirely new realm.

He was eager to see how much he had changed. He couldn’t wait to return to reality and swing his sword.

Screeeeech!

As Raon practiced sword techniques in midair, the sun that had risen earlier reached the center of the sky.

From the golden, dazzling sunlight poured down a scorching heat so intense it felt as if it could melt both body and soul.

Fwoooosh—

The scorching intensity was so overwhelming that he grew dizzy and could barely stay on his feet.

Sweat poured from his entire body like a waterfall, and the strength drained from his arms and legs. A few more minutes in this state, and it felt like he might pass out from suffocation.

‘Wh-what is this now…?’

Just as he had begun to grasp the new concept of the versatile sword, the heat of the sun was now bearing down on him. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or how to respond.

‘Surely it’s not telling me to cut down the sun… Then what—ah!’

As he squinted up at the golden sun, a memory from the past suddenly surfaced.

‘Vulcan’s charcoal kiln!’

He remembered gathering heat from Vulcan’s kiln when he first began learning the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. It seemed the first head of house intended to use this unbearably intense sun to raise his proficiency of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

‘I don't know why this arrangement was made, but….’

Forcing a smirk onto his lips, Raon sat down beneath the blazing sun. Enduring the heat that felt like it was melting his skin, he slowly closed his eyes.

‘I’ll gratefully accept it.’

For the sake of my revenge.

With that resolve, Raon began circulating the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation at its peak intensity. As he exhaled a heated breath, a hellfire-like heat, no, something even fiercer, began to rise around him.

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