The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 968

 Chapter 968

 

The village of Mirtan, where Zieghart’s blacksmiths resided.

The sun had already set, but the craftsmen were more energetic than ever, kindling even fiercer flames and hammering away with all their might.

Clang!

Hearing the thunderous sound of hammers, Vulcan let out a long sigh, like smoke rising from a cigarette.

"Seriously, what a damn sword."

He ground his teeth, glaring at the black sword tinged with a dark red light like clotted blood

"What am I supposed to do if it withstands the heat of three golden charcoals!"

Vulcan’s massive fists, thick as cauldron lids, trembled with frustration.

"There’s just no answer to this! None at all!"

Golden charcoal was not something that could be mass-produced. Even if you poured all your effort into making a hundred pieces of charcoal, you might, if lucky, get one golden charcoal,  and yet, even after using three, they couldn't even melt the surface of the sword.

"Might as well just smash it to pieces right here and now!"

Vulcan, as if meaning it for real, reached for the gigantic hammer resting against the wall.

"S-Stop! Please, stop!"

Pasiron, the sorcerer dispatched from the Beast Union to break the sword’s curse, jumped to his feet.

"It’s not like there’s been no change at all!"

Pasiron waved his hands slowly, urging him to calm down.

"Thanks to the heat you generated with the golden coals, we were able to erase a small part of the curse dwelling in the black sword. We’ve managed to carve a sizable crack into what was once a thick wall of blood curse!"

He clenched his fists, saying that now they had found a method, they could eventually break the curse altogether if they repeated the process.

"I’m telling you, it's not that easy!"

Vulcan furrowed his brows as he glared at the black sword.

"You can’t just create golden coals whenever you want. And the sorcerers performing the ritual all collapsed too!"

The sorcerers from the Beast Union, including Pasiron, had used ritual magic atop the black sword, which had been heated with the golden coals. At first, it had seemed to be going well. But the overwhelming bloody energy emanating from the sword had backfired, causing the sorcerers to cough up blood and collapse.

"We may have suffered internal injuries, but no one is critically wounded. Once we recover a little, we’ll be able to perform the ritual again."

Pasiron shook his head calmly, reassuring him not to worry.

"Huu…"

Seeing Pasiron’s composed demeanor, Vulcan managed to calm his breathing.

"How much of the curse is left now?"

He rotated his wrist up and down, nodding lightly.

"About ninety percent... We’ve only managed to remove around ten percent."

Pasiron averted his gaze awkwardly, as if embarrassed by his own words.

"But this is only the beginning! We've managed to create a crack in the curse, even if it’s small, next time, we might be able to shatter the entire wall!"

He pressed his hands together in front of him, asking Vulcan to trust him.

"Wouldn’t it be faster to just smash it?"

Vulcan bit his lip and reached again for his hammer.

"D-Don’t! Please don’t!"

Pasiron frantically spread his arms.

"Right now, that sword is in a dormant state. If we provoke it and wake it up, a storm of blood will surely break loose!"

He shook his head desperately, warning that the sword must not be touched carelessly.

"This is so frustrating! So damn frustrating!"

Vulcan threw the hammer he was holding behind him and clutched his head.

"How long will it take to make more golden charcoal, and how long will it take for them to recover..."

He clicked his tongue in helpless frustration.

"I-I'm sorry."

Pasiron bowed his head apologetically.

"I'm not angry at you. I'm just frustrated that there’s nothing I can do for Aris."

Vulcan waved his hand, saying there was no reason for Pasiron to apologize.

"I heard Aris couldn't wait for the black sword's curse to be lifted and has already finished preparing to recover her strength on her own."

He turned his gaze toward the direction of Zieghart and brushed down his beard.

"Seeing that she acted without saying a word to us, she probably didn’t want to burden anyone. Knowing what that reckless woman must’ve been thinking just makes it even more frustrating."

Vulcan frowned, recalling Aris' sorrowful eyes.

"I understand."

Pasiron nodded heavily, knowing exactly how Vulcan felt.

"Our union leader still hasn’t fully recovered his original strength either. He keeps smiling and saying he’s fine, but from where we’re standing, it’s heartbreaking to watch."

Recalling Ogram, who, despite surely feeling an even greater sense of loss than anyone else, still smiled for everyone’s sake, he bit down lightly on his lip.

"Hmm…"

Vulcan slowly closed and then opened his eyes, as if sympathizing with Pasiron's words.

"There's no helping it. I'll try making golden charcoal again. It'll take some time, though…"

He smacked his lips, seeming to conclude that this was likely the only way.

"Thank you."

Pasiron bowed his waist, thanking Vulcan for trusting him.

"Don’t thank me. It's us who should be grateful to you folks for coming all this way to help."

Vulcan chuckled and waved his hand.

"Instead, why don’t we share a drink tonight?"

"Sounds good. This time, I’ll be the one to win."

Just as the two men exchanged faint smiles—

Wooooooong!

The black sword lying on the worktable suddenly began to emit a cold, eerie hum.

"W-What the hell!"

"What’s happening all of a sudden...?"

Vulcan and Pasiron widened their eyes as they stared at the black sword, which was now vibrating violently. Even when they had exposed it to the heat of the golden charcoals and wrapped it with spells, it had never shown this kind of reaction before.

"Step back!"

Pasiron brought his hands together. A gray mist billowed from between his fingers, wrapping around the black sword, a curse-suppressing spell that constricted hostile energies.

Paaang!

However, even while under the spell of Pasiron, the black sword raged like a wild horse that had broken free, spewing dark red bloody energy in all directions.

"T-The sword has awakened! Get out of here, now!"

Pasiron stomped his foot, shouting for Vulcan to flee the workshop.

"Pasiron!"

"I’m fine! You have to leave first so I can follow!"

Pasiron yelled that he would be alright and urged Vulcan to head for the door first.

"Damn it!"

Vulcan gritted his teeth and ran toward the workshop’s doors. But the blood-red energy radiating from the sword made it impossible to even approach the walls, let alone the door.

"That damned sword!"

Vulcan hurled his massive hammer toward the wall engulfed in bloody energy.

Crack-crack-crack!

The bloody energy shattered the hammer completely, as if to declare it would allow no one to approach.

"I can’t get out!"

He swallowed dryly as he looked around. The dark red bloody energy had filled the entire workshop, erasing any space for him and Pasiron to even stand.

"I-if we just wait a little longer, the other sorcerers will..."

Pasiron’s hands trembled, just like his voice. It was obvious he was pushing himself past his limits.

"Haa…"

Vulcan let out a sigh as he looked up at the workshop’s ceiling and walls, shaking as if about to collapse.

'Is this how I die?'

A flood of memories rushed through his mind.

Countless memories flashed through his mind.

The love he never fulfilled as a boy.
The time he wept alone after forging his first sword.
The regret of crafting a sword for a murderer.
The bitter farewell he had with Heavenly Tremor.

But in his heart now, only one sword surfaced.

Heavenly Drive.

He had wanted to forge Raon’s sword until the boy stood at the peak of the continent, and now, to die here felt unbearably regretful.

'No... You’ll do just fine, even without me.'

Vulcan thought back to the young Raon he had first met at the charcoal kiln and laughed boldly.

'Raon. Never let yourself break, just like back then.'

Just as he closed his eyes, bracing himself for death—

Kwaaaang!

The workshop's doors and walls shattered as a tall woman with sunset-colored hair flowing like waves stormed inside.

"Uh…"

Vulcan widened his eyes as he saw the cool, striking figure approaching with powerful strides.

"Aris? Why are you here…?"

The one who had broken through the doors of the workshop was Aris, the very same Aris who was supposed to be focusing on her recovery at Zieghart. He had no idea why she was here now.

"It’s been a while."

Aris smiled brightly and waved her hand at Vulcan.

"So this is where you were."

She looked at the black sword rampaging despite being under Pasiron’s spell and gave a wry twist of her lips.

"What?"

"This thing was calling me."

Aris let out a dry laugh.

"Called you...?"

Pasiron glanced back and forth between Aris and the black sword, then shook his head.

"G-get back! Right now, that sword is trying to fully consume your soul and be reborn as a true demonic sword!"

Pasiron shouted desperately, saying that if such a thing happened, no one would be able to stop it.

"It’s because it senses your presence that it’s thrashing around like this!"

Pasiron gritted his teeth as he tightened the spell around the sword. Red blood trickled out from between his clenched white teeth.

"Both of you, move back. This place is going to collapse soon."

Aris motioned for Vulcan and Pasiron to get out of the workshop.

"A-Aris?"

"Don’t worry. I’m not the same as when this thing first started calling out to me."

Aris hadn't told anyone, but ever since she had woken up, she had been able to sense the black sword’s presence.

Like their souls were connected, the sword had kept calling to her whether her eyes were open or closed.

That voice had been both a temptation and a threat, and it stirred up memories of the past,  curses that reminded her of Sif.

She had resisted its temptations and threats through relentless physical training, to the point of nearly breaking herself, but now, there was no longer any need to endure it.

"Let’s see who wins, you damn sword."

Aris bared her teeth in a fierce grin and grabbed hold of the black sword.

Kuwaaaaang!

The instant her hand touched the black sword, a terrifying bloody energy flared up over the blade.

The energy was massive and dense enough to instantly swallow her body and drown her soul.

Whoooosh!

Aris did not resist the bloody energy surging into her through her hand. Instead, she accepted it head-on. Her skin began to flush deep red, as if it might burst open.

"Aris!"

"No!"

Vulcan and Pasiron shouted in shock as they saw the veins bulging all over Aris’ body.

"I’m fine."

Aris waved reassuringly at the two, smiling calmly.

"This is what I’ve been waiting for."

The moment the black sword’s bloody energy completely filled her mana circuit, she unleashed the aura stored in her energy center.

The blue aura, obtained by refining the mana of the Dragon Heart, shot out like a blade, tearing apart the flood of blood energy surging through her mana circuit.

'Now it’s my turn.'

After erasing every trace of the bloody energy that had invaded her body, Aris counterattacked toward the black sword.

Wooooong!

The wave-like surging blue aura forced its way inside the black sword.

Whoosh!

The moment their souls resonated, it felt as if she had been pulled into the sword’s mental world, her vision went black.

She could feel a vast wall of bloody energy so thick it seemed endless. But off to the right corner, there was a deep crack.

'There.'

Realizing that the crack was the sword’s weak point, Aris gathered her aura to its limit and launched it forward.

Rumble!

The bloody energy wall protecting the curse slowly began to fracture.

But the black sword, unwilling to go down so easily, roared and unleashed a mighty blaze of bloody energy.

Kwoooosh!

The blood-red flames devoured her blue aura, pressing down heavily on her soul.

'You think I'll die here!'

Aris gritted her teeth and poured out every last bit of aura she possessed.

Rumble!

Aris’ aura and the black sword’s bloody energy collided and devoured each other like beasts, growing larger and larger.

However, since the battlefield itself was within the black sword’s domain, Aris began to be pushed back little by little.

Goooooh!

The black sword summoned a sticky wave of bloody energy to completely overtake the space where Aris was standing, as if intent on devouring her soul entirely.

'Haa…'

Aris bit down on her tongue as she felt the raging pulse of bloody energy crashing against her.

'This is dangerous.'

The black sword was also under restrictions and couldn't wield its original power, but its current level felt like it could still crush her soul. If that crack hadn't been made by the ritual earlier, this would have been truly perilous.

'However...'

I haven’t shown everything I have yet.

She hadn’t just trained her body while climbing the North Grave Mountain.

She had endlessly honed her mind, nurturing her resentment toward herself, the sadness of having failed to raise her son, and the desire for vengeance against those responsible.

'And on top of that…'

She still had the pure, high-purity aura she had obtained thanks to Raon.
She drew out that deep, grateful energy.

Paaaaaah!

Her soul, having grown stronger than before, bloomed together with the blue aura, unleashing a brilliant radiance.

Whoosh!

The bloody energy, which had been rushing in as if to devour Aris’ soul, began to sink before the brilliant blue light she had unleashed.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

Even as it was being pushed back, the black sword resisted stubbornly to the very end, pouring out waves of dark red bloody energy from both the sky and the ground.

"You damned sword!"

Aris ground her teeth and stomped the ground. With her ocean-like blue aura, she pushed back the bloody energy, forcing her way forward.

"The power you’re wielding belongs to me! Either give it back or shut up and follow me!"

She grabbed the black sword with both hands, as if warning that if it refused to obey, she would break it right then and there.

Kuwaaaaa!

As bloody energy and aura clashed endlessly, the walls of the workshop collapsed, and the ground caved in. From the tremendous shockwaves, dark red sparks scattered in all directions.

Kuwaaaaaaaang!

The crimson light and blue radiance collided and intertwined, creating a massive explosion that wiped out not only the workshop but even its surroundings.

"Ugh!"

"Huff…"

Pasiron, who had been shielding Vulcan, hastily reached out and cleared away the rising smoke that soared toward the sky.

Whoosh…

Aris was kneeling atop the scorched ground, holding a sword in her hand. The black sword, half-melted and exuding faint bloody energy, was gripped firmly in her grasp.

"This damned thing, stubborn to the end… just like a certain someone."

Aris gave a dry laugh, wrinkling her nose. The black sword in her hand no longer resisted, it was now just an ordinary sword.

"W-what on earth just happened…?"

Pasiron widened his eyes, unable to comprehend the situation.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

Vulcan grinned broadly and nodded.

"That damned sword has finally found its master!"

*   *   *

A night when the sharp moon hung high in the sky.

Karoon walked down the corridor of the lord’s manor with heavy, dull steps. He stopped before the audience chamber and lifted his quietly sunken gaze.

"We’ve been expecting you."

Roenn, standing by the pillar, bowed his head and opened the doors to the audience chamber.

"……."

Karoon offered Roenn a slight nod in return and stepped inside.

"So you’ve come

Glenn nodded, his shoulders bathed in the pale blue light of the moon.
At that moment, he looked as mysterious as a god of swords, or as serene as a monk who had attained enlightenment.

"Very well. What brings you here?"

Glenn lowered his gaze slowly, as if signaling that he would listen to whatever Karoon had to say.

"Do you remember… when I said I would come find you again after sparring with Raon?"

Karoon stepped onto the red carpet and stood before the platform.

"Of course."

Glenn nodded, as if it was only natural that he remembered.

"...Please make me stronger."

Karoon's shoulders trembled slightly before he slowly dropped to one knee.

"I know the position of the head of house isn't determined by strength alone. But I don’t intend to give up on strength either. I want to catch up to him, stand on the same level as him — no, I want to surpass him."

He lowered his head until it touched the floor, asking Glenn to help him become stronger than he was now.
In the past, he would have been too ashamed and embarrassed to say such things, but the growth he gained through his defeat had changed him.

"I’ll follow you, father, no matter what methods you use."

Karoon pledged that he would do whatever it took, calling Glenn not as the head of house, but as his father.

"Hmm…"

Glenn stroked his chin thoughtfully and nodded.

"Considering the achievements you've built up so far, helping you with your training is more than possible. However..."

He narrowed his eyes slightly as he gazed up at the soft moonlight streaming down.

"Even if I help you, you won’t be able to catch up to Raon on your own."

Glenn clicked his tongue lightly, adding that Raon was still growing stronger even now.

"…I see."

Karoon bit his lip so hard that blood began to seep out.

'So, in the end, it's impossible after all.'

He had worried that Glenn might refuse, but hearing that it would be impossible even with Glenn's help made the despair hit him even harder.

"...Understood. Thank you."

Karoon forced strength into his legs and stood up.
His head was spinning, and his entire body felt like it was about to collapse, but he couldn’t allow himself to show such weakness in front of the head of house.

"Then, I'll take my leave…"

"Wait."

Just as Karoon bowed and turned to leave, Glenn raised his hand.

"Wait a little longer. Someone’s about to arrive."

He pointed casually toward the door, telling Karoon to wait.

"...I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm in any state to meet anyone right now—"

Karoon let out a short, shaky breath and shook his head.

It was then—

Kuwaaaaaang!

With a thunderous roar as if the doors might be ripped off their hinges, the entrance to the audience chamber burst open, and Aris strode in.

"Aris?"

 

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