The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 952

 Chapter 952

 

Fwooooosh.

Raon let out a slow breath and lowered the hand gripping Heavenly Drive as he examined the black mist spreading around him.

‘I don’t sense anything evil.’

The pitch-black mist obscured his vision, but he didn't feel any malice. This also seemed to be part of the first head's arrangement.

‘Then that means I passed the first trial.’

During their spar, the first head hadn’t said a word and had simply repeated the swordsmanship of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation with a blank expression.

But in the end, the man who had moved like a machine gave him a slight nod and a faint smile, as if to say, well done. That alone made it clear Raon had passed the first trial.

‘Yeah. I think I've been too obsessed with versatile sword all this time.’

The versatile sword was undoubtedly the highest realm of swordsmanship, a level where all other swordsmen could be placed beneath one's feet. But mastering the versatile sword didn’t make him invincible.

‘I should’ve treated the versatile sword as just one ingredient in the dish that is swordsmanship. Instead, I made the entire dish out of it.’

Every sword technique has a recipe determined by its creator. Adding a small amount of a new ingredient can create a special flavor, but if you overload it with other elements, the entire dish changes into something else entirely.

‘Maybe grandfather could’ve pulled it off, but I’m not there yet.’

Blinded by the pride of having trained in the true versatile sword, he had stuffed overwhelming amounts of principles into already complete techniques, tainting their original color. It was a foolish move that erased both the strength and the natural flow of the martial arts he had learned.

It seemed the first head had prepared the first trial specifically to make him realize how foolish that mindset had been.

‘If it weren’t for the first head, I wouldn’t have realized this so quickly.’

In the entire world, Raon was the only person alive who had learned the swordsmanship of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. And because the first head had mastered the same swordsmanship, he had been able to do something even Glenn couldn’t. Without him, it would’ve taken Raon months to correct this bad habit.

‘But now…’

Raon narrowed his eyes into thin slits as he watched the black mist slowly settle around him.

‘What’s the next trial?’

From what he could sense, the first head’s trial wasn’t going to end with just one. There was clearly something else waiting for him.

‘I hope the next one’s a little more straightforward.’

Just as he raised his gaze, wondering what the second trial might be, a scorched smell of burning and a damp, blood-soaked stench drifted into his nose.

Huuuuuuh!

The moment he frowned at the thick, bloody scent, the black mist vanished like a stage curtain being pulled aside.

‘What is this…?’

An enormous city, likely a kingdom, was engulfed in blazing crimson fire. Countless people, drained of life, were swallowed by the flames, and the blood flowing from their corpses had formed a river that ran down the main streets.

‘A battlefield? No… this is…’

A massacre.

The citizens of the kingdom had died without even putting up proper resistance. Their lifeless eyes still held a lingering, dark fear. It was clear they’d been slaughtered before they had any chance to escape.

‘How could an entire kingdom be destroyed so one-sidedly?’

Among the dead were even Grandmaster warriors and mages. The overwhelming difference in power made his spine crawl with unease.

‘A time from a thousand years ago…’

As far as Raon knew, no such kingdom had existed, and he had never heard of a war like this. It had to be a memory from the first head, a battle from a thousand years ago.

‘Are those the ones who attacked?’

He could see monsters tearing down the royal capital’s buildings and ripping apart humans. While there were orcs, trolls, and ogres, monsters he recognized, something felt different about them.

‘Combative energy? They’re using combative energy?’

It was a special power that only monsters born as kings, gifted with exceptional talent, or who had lived a very long time could possess. And yet, every monster before him was using combative energy to carry out the massacre.

‘Does this even make sense?’

Because the history from a thousand years ago was never recorded, historians had theorized that humanity back then was simply too weak—that they were inevitably overwhelmed by monsters and the demonic dragon.

But seeing it firsthand, Raon realized that wasn’t the case. It wasn’t that humans were weak, it was that the monsters were overwhelmingly strong.

Even skilled soldiers struggled against the lowest-ranking monsters like goblins and kobolds. And knights who wielded aura were torn clean in half through their armor by the orcs’ combative energy.

‘So this was the era of the demonic dragon…’

It happened so long ago that almost nothing remains on record, there were even people in this era who dismissed the demonic dragon as an exaggeration. He wished he could show them this scene.

‘I can see now why Eden wants to bring back this era.’

Eden was already a monstrous organization, stronger than most could handle. He had always questioned why they were so obsessed with reviving a past era, but now he saw the reason. The monsters of this time weren’t just powerful. They were on an entirely different level.

‘Wait…’

It wasn’t just monsters.

Looking more closely, Raon noticed humans in black martial uniforms mixed among the blood-drenched monsters. They seemed to be leading the monsters, directing them as they strategically tore down the kingdom’s defenses.

'This is chaotic...'

He had suddenly been thrown into a battlefield from a thousand years ago. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do here.

‘There’s nothing I can do…’

Right now, he was like Wrath, only a spiritual form. He couldn’t interact with this world. And even if he had a physical body, it wouldn’t have made a difference. This war had already happened. It was history. He had no idea why the first head of house had shown him this.

‘Is he telling me to just watch this battle unfold?’

As Raon clicked his tongue and began walking deeper into the ruined kingdom, a man came running toward him from the right, his entire body covered in burns. His hands and the backs of his palms were covered in blisters, as if he had kept touching something scorching hot.

“Sir swordsman! Please save us!”

The man cried out desperately as he ran toward Raon, begging him for help.

‘Who’s he talking to… huh? Can he see me?’

Raon turned around just in case, but there was no one behind him. It seemed the man really was looking at him.

“Please!”

The moment the man collapsed to his knees, Raon’s spirit body transformed into flesh, he was now physically present in this hellish battlefield. The floating sensation vanished, and he felt the solid weight of his feet on the ground.

“My wife and children are in there! Please save them!”

The man pointed to a small house engulfed in flames. The neighboring buildings had collapsed, blocking all the doors and windows. It seemed the family inside was trapped.

‘So that’s how he got those burns.’

The man, holding up his blistered hands, wept. It was clear he had sustained those injuries trying to save his family from the fire.

“…Wait here.”

Raon gave a firm nod and dashed toward the collapsing house. He tore through the burning walls, and inside, found two children and a middle-aged woman, all unconscious, likely from the heat and smoke.

‘Good. I’m not too late.’

Thankfully, they were still breathing. Raon expelled the toxic heat within using his aura, then carried them back to the burned man.

“Thank you! Thank you so much…!”

The man shouted in gratitude and bowed until his forehead hit the ground. Then, as if he had finally run out of strength, he collapsed onto his side.

“Get as far away from here as you can.”

 

Raon gave a small hand gesture and spoke in a low, heavy voice, telling him to run.

‘Though it probably won’t matter…’

This world was already a part of the past. Though he saved them here, in the actual timeline, the building likely collapsed and they all died.

‘This feels awful.’

Raon bit down on his tongue in frustration. Just then, a woman in a purple robe descended from the sky.

“There you are. Honestly, you’re always the same.”

She looked at the people Raon had just saved and gave a faint, knowing smile, one that suggested she was quite familiar with him.

‘This woman…’

He had seen her before. She was the same mage who had appeared in the underwater cave (dungeon) and in the Holy Sword Alliance. She was undoubtedly the first head’s companion. Just as he expected, this memory belonged to the first head of house.

“I found him. Let’s go.”

The woman in the purple robe turned and flew off toward the half-destroyed royal palace.

‘Hmm…’

Raon furrowed his brow as he followed her.

‘Does she think I’m the first head of house?’

Judging by her reaction, Raon had manifested into this world using the first head of house’s body.

‘Which means…’

He glanced back. The man who had collapsed earlier was now waking his wife and children, helping them escape.

Raon smiled faintly.

‘So the first head of house saved them too.’

It seemed he and the first head shared more similarities than he thought.

Tuuung.

With a small sense of relief, Raon stepped into the palace, which trembled as if on the verge of collapse.

Gooooooooh!

The interior of the royal palace was also engulfed in flames. Knights and soldiers were fighting back against the monsters. The knights here were highly skilled, but there were simply too many monsters wielding combative energy, they couldn’t hold their ground for long.

“We can’t! This isn’t the time to deal with small fry!”

The woman in the purple robe shouted that they didn’t have the luxury to help others and waved her hand, urging him to hurry.

‘Looks like the one I’m meant to fight is in the audience chamber.’

Raon gave a calm nod and followed the mage deeper into the palace.

Ruuuumble!

The ceiling of the audience chamber, built high to praise the king, had shattered as if a meteor had crashed into it, and the golden pillars symbolizing the knights’ loyalty had crumbled like dry leaves.

Gooooooooh!

In a pool of blood darker than the crimson carpet lay the corpse of a Transcender, likely the captain of the royal guards. Not far from him, a middle-aged man, who appeared to be the king, was dragging himself along the floor, impaled by a jagged, saw-like sword.

“Why… why have you come so quickly…”

The king looked at Raon and let out a faint smile.

“I’m fine… Save the others instead…”

He weakly waved a hand soaked in blood, asking Raon not to worry about him and to help others.

‘That man…’

He’s not a warrior.

The king, clearly, didn’t possess even a drop of aura. For someone without any resistance to pain to be smiling with wounds like that… it was astonishing.

Raon didn’t know who that king was, nor did he have any emotional connection to this kingdom. But the ones who had created this hellish scene—he felt disgust rising in his chest just thinking about them.

“Was this your doing?”

Raon turned his gaze to the right, toward the blood-soaked throne. A man seated arrogantly atop the shattered seat slowly lifted his head.

‘His eyes…’

His right eye was an ordinary black pupil. But his left eye, the whites and blacks were inverted.

‘Anima…’

The Sword and Saber Sovereign had warned him to be cautious of them. This was the strange being from the first head’s memories, the one with reversed eyes. An Anima. Raon could sense a deeply dangerous presence emanating from him.

"That's Parel, one of his subordinates. We have to kill him here, before he's further corrupted!"

The woman in the purple robe bit her lip, insisting they had to kill this Anima now.

"His subordinate? Who— Huh?"

Raon tried to question the mage, but she had frozen like a statue.

No, it wasn’t just her. The blood that had been flowing from the king’s wounds also stopped, and the screams and shockwaves that had echoed from outside faded into silence.

Step.

Only Parel, the Anima with the reversed eye, was unaffected. He moved naturally, walking down from the throne as if nothing was holding him back.

‘I see now.’

Raon clicked his tongue softly as he looked at Parel.

‘Defeating him… that’s the second trial.’

The way time had stopped confirmed it, the earlier scenes had only been a replay of the past, and now, defeating Parel was the true trial.

"So, it was you lot."

Parel smiled faintly as he pulled his sword from the king’s body.

“I’ll make sure you die here, so you never interfere again.”

With a chilling grin, he kicked off the ground.

Huuuuuuuung!

Before the gust of wind even reached him, Parel’s saw-like blade was already coming down toward Raon’s neck.

‘He’s fast.’

The attack had come in a split second, faster even than the peak speed of the Supreme Harmony Steps.

Claaaang!

Raon swung the Crimson Slash and managed to deflect the descending blade.

'I'm being pushed back?'

Even though his full physical abilities had returned, he was losing in strength. That Parel guy… he didn’t seem human.

‘No… maybe the Anima themselves aren’t human to begin with.’

Even just looking into that eerie, inverted eye made it clear—Anima were clearly not of the same race as humans.

“That knight’s sword was far too light.”

Parel sneered as he glanced at the corpse of the royal guard captain, then swung his saw-bladed sword. The edge curved in a vicious arc and slashed across Raon’s shoulder as it passed.

‘Crimson Slash?’

Did he just use the Crimson Slash?

Raon hadn’t seen wrong. Parel had just imitated his Crimson Slash. No, he didn’t just copy it, but launched it even more powerfully.

“Still, your sword’s not bad. It feels decent.”

"Shut up."

Raon used the Revolving Sky, a technique long familiar in his hands, and aimed it at Parel’s neck

Vwoooooong!

Parel curled his lips into a smirk and drew the same Revolving Sky, faster and stronger.

Claaaang!

The two Revolving Skies collided, scattering crimson sparks up toward the shattered ceiling of the audience chamber.

‘Tch…’

Raon frowned, watching Parel’s more powerful Revolving Sky press forward.

‘Is it even possible to replicate my martial arts even more powerfully?’

Just to be sure, he decided not to use a basic technique and unleashed the Flawless Sea of Fire, one of the ultimate techniques of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Fwaaaaaaah!

A crimson wave of flame surged out, engulfing Parel entirely.

“This one’s pretty good.”

Parel chuckled, clearly entertained, and pointed his saw-blade sword toward the ground. Flames poured from his blade, rising into an even larger version of the Flawless Sea of Fire.

Ruuuumble!

As fire clashed against fire, a massive explosion shattered the remaining walls of the audience chamber.

‘Even the Flawless Sea of Fire…?’

Raon was pushed back and bit his lip.

‘How is this even possible?’

Unlike the Crimson Slash or the Revolving Sky, the Flawless Sea of Fire was an ultimate technique of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, a complex and intricate sword art. For Parel to see it once and immediately reproduce it stronger… it was beyond belief.

“Come on, give me more. Show me more of your sword!”

With a flick of his chin and a tongue that swept over his lips, Parel looked as if he was genuinely thrilled.

“Fine.”

Raon twisted his lips and pointed Heavenly Drive at Parel.

“I’ll cut you until I push you past your limit.”

Determined to break through this mirror-like opponent, he kicked off the ground.

*   *   *

Claaaang!

Raon deflected Parel’s sword and bit down on his lip.

‘He blocked everything…?’

Was this even possible?

Parel had copied everything, from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the Raon Zieghart Style Swordplay he had created himself. Every technique Raon used, Parel used right back, stronger and faster.

‘What kind of ability is that?’

Parel wasn’t just copying them, he returned each technique faster and stronger. No human could do this. It had to be some sort of authority or special power.

‘Did the first head of house defeat someone like this?’

Seeing that he was still perfectly fine in a future far beyond this moment, he must’ve taken Parel down without even needing to push himself that hard. As expected, he was truly extraordinary.

“Every one of your techniques is to my liking.”

Parel unleashed multiple strikes of the Frost Pond, slashing at Raon's chest. His version was faster and sharper than Raon's, making it difficult to block.

"Show me more! Something flashier, more dazzling!"

Parel, now visibly exhilarated, unleashed a storm of copied sword techniques, pressuring Raon relentlessly. His physical strength, aura quantity and quality, and swordsmanship were all superior. It was not easy to withstand.

‘What should I do…?’

His opponent was a monster who could copy his sword techniques even more powerfully. In a way, this felt like a continuation of the first trial.

‘I learned from the first trial that trying to cram too much into a sword technique can weaken it instead.’

Through his spar with the first head, Raon had learned that cramming in too many sword principles its limits would only weaken it. And this trial seemed no different.

“More! Bring me more!”

Parel unleashed form after form of the Azure Sky Sword, generating pressure that constricted Raon's movements. The sheer weight generated by the sword strikes made it difficult to even move his fingertips.

'He's definitely stronger than me. But...'

There’s no way the first head would create a trial that’s impossible to overcome.

‘Think.’

Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to the extreme, and focused solely on defense, closely analyzing Parel’s swordsmanship.

Zzzzzzzing!

Even as his body was covered in wounds, he kept watching, and something started to feel… natural.

‘He’s using my sword techniques even more powerfully, but it still feels natural?’

Could that even be possible?

He sharpened his focus again and watched closely as Parel unleashed the Crimson Slash. It was fast, powerful, and precise, yet within it, Raon could sense sword principles that were uniquely his.

‘He’s filled it.’

Parel had infused his own sword principle into the Crimson Slash, which combined the powerful sword, swift sword, and precise sword. And he did so with just the right amount, perfectly matching the technique’s natural capacity. That level of control felt like both an authority and an innate instinct.

‘Right. If you’ve emptied it, then the next step is to fill it.’

Through the first trial, Raon had realized that overloading a technique with too many sword principles only damaged the original strength it was meant to have.

But on the other hand, continuing to rely only on the base principles of a technique would be a waste for someone who had mastered the versatile sword.

It wasn’t about stuffing in more. The key was to infused only the sword principle that best suited the technique, and in doing so, bring it one step beyond completion.

‘Crimson Slash.’

The Crimson Slash was a sword technique that was fast, strong, and precise. Within those three principles, he infused the sword principle of sharp sword that suited the moment best.

And he made sure it blended in seamlessly, without disrupting the balance of the others.

“That won’t be enough. Bring out something new!”

Parel let out a scornful scoff and brought his sword down with the Crimson Slash.

Claaang!

The two Crimson Slashes collided, and a powerful shockwave erupted in every direction.

The royal pillars were shattered to pieces, and black cracks split across the floor. "See? Your technique is already mine..."

Parel, confident in his victory, widened his eyes as he saw Raon’s Crimson Slash pierce through his Crimson Slash.

Slaaaash!

Raon’s Crimson Slash shattered Parel’s sword and carved a deep wound across his chest.

“So that’s how it is.”

Raon smirked faintly, glancing at Heavenly Drive now blazing with vivid flame.

‘This is how the versatile sword was meant to be used.’

Mastering the versatile sword doesn’t mean stuffing every technique with all the principles you know.
Like the final dot that brings a painted dragon to life—what mattered was adding a single, precise detail to perfect what was already complete.

“How dare you!”

Parel, his pride clearly wounded, unleashed the Flawless Sea of Fire, the ultimate technique of the Tenth Thousand Flames Cultivation.
Two torrents of fire surged forth as if they would devour Raon whole.

“Impressive.”

The fact that he could not only copy, but even amplify the power of the technique, this went beyond simple mimicry.
If judged solely by that ability, it already surpassed even the Ring of Fire.
It had to be a power, an authority of some kind, likely one innate to him.

‘But it doesn’t matter anymore.’

Through this trial, Raon had learned how to truly wield the versatile sword.
No matter how powerful the technique Parel tried to throw back at him, he could now respond to them all.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Thousand Flames, Flawless Sea of Fire.

Raon unleashed the exact same technique Parel had just unleashed.

Whoooosh!

The waves of flame he unleashed were far smaller than Parel’s towering surge of red. But within that controlled fire, he hid the principle of severing sword, one that cleanly cut through the flow of his opponent’s swordsmanship.

Fwwwaaah!

Parel’s massive wave of flame was sliced apart into fragments, and his eyes widened in disbelief.

Sssshhhhk!

Just like the first head had done to him, Raon charged in without hesitation and drove Heavenly Drive deep into Parel’s chest.

“Ghhhk!”

Blood streamed from Parel’s lips as he trembled in pain and shock, still unable to fully process what had happened.

“Disappear.”

Raon twisted the blade piercing Parel’s heart before pulling it out, then gave a slight nod.

"I'm far too busy to waste any more time on the likes of you."

 

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