The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 982

 Chapter 982

Hm, you’re not wrong.

Wrath narrowed his eyes as he watched the sand mountain shaking violently.

If they had kept going like that, they wouldn’t have been able to save the dwarves and humans.

‘Yeah. The Light Wind swordsmen would’ve been in danger too, but some of the hostages would’ve ended up dead.’

Raon nodded while brushing the sand off his hands.

‘Desiuros’ nest is protected by a boundary spell.’

Desiuros had set up a defense spell on his sand-covered nest, one capable of burning down everything both inside and out.

It wasn’t just designed to incinerate intruders. It was a cruel trap that would also reduce any hostages trying to help from within to ashes.

‘If we had just dug straight into the sand like that, Sir Latir and the other dwarves waiting for us would’ve all died.’

Just as Latir had said, the Red Dragon Desiuros wasn’t merely strong, he was a devious lizard with a cunning mind.

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

Martha burst out of the sand like she was swimming through it, yelling furiously.

“What the hell is wrong with you!”

Burren also gritted his teeth as if his patience had finally snapped.

“Haa…”

Runaan calmly dusted off the sand from her clothes, as if she had assumed there was a reason behind all this.

“At this point, he’s the enemy! The enemy!”

"He gave us the mission, so why is he interfering!"

“What the hell is he trying to do now? That damn demon bastard!”

Other Light Wind swordsmen also came crawling out of the sand, screaming in frustration.

There’s not even a bastard like him among demons!

Wrath furrowed his brow, clearly offended that someone was comparing a madman like Raon to the demon race.

“If you had kept digging like that, not only you, but the hostages inside would’ve ended up roasted too.”

Raon tilted his chin toward the Light Wind swordsmen, who were still scowling.

“What…? Seriously?”

Martha’s eyes flew wide open, she’d had no idea their method would’ve gotten everyone killed.

“I kept spreading my aura perception just in case, but… I didn’t feel anything.”

Burren’s fingers trembled as he said he hadn’t felt any flow of magic.

"I think there might be a very faint one…."

Runaan lowered her eyes, as if she had just now sensed a subtle flow of magic.

“Th-then…”

“You did that… for us?”

“Palace master…”

The Light Wind swordsmen lightly bit their lips, seemingly realizing Raon’s true intention.

“The opponent is an ancient dragon. Setting up magics that deceive your perception is well within his capabilities.”

Raon shook his head at them.

“Sir Latir warned us that Desiuros isn’t just powerful, he’s a sly lizard. You should’ve scouted the area around the nest more thoroughly. That’s a deduction.”

He clicked his tongue, saying the plan itself wasn’t bad, but the preliminary reconnaissance had been lacking.

'If they had really scouted the surroundings meticulously, they would have been able to find the flow of magic.'

Even Desiuros, the Red Dragon, seemed to have looked down on the hostages, he hadn’t completely hidden the boundary spell.

There were areas where the flow of magic was slightly distorted. If the executives had remained fully focused, they definitely could have spotted it.

Honestly… it’s not an easy thing to do.

Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked at the flustered Light Wind swordsmen.

For kids at their level to read the flow of magic while evading an ancient dragon’s perception is like threading a needle in a hurricane.

He nodded, as if to say it was understandable they hadn’t found it.

“Pa-Palace master, then you… you did all that to save us…?”

Dorian clasped his hands together, his voice thick with emotion.

“Nope.”

Raon firmly shook his head.

“Whether you guys burned or not wasn’t really my concern. But I made a promise to Sir Latir, and I intend to keep it.”

While crushing the Light Wind swordsmen’s confidence to teach them a lesson was good, even without that promise, he couldn’t just let the hostages burn alive.

“So that’s how it is. I’m going to rescue the hostages. You all deal with that lizard.”

With a light wave of his hand, Raon disappeared back into the sand.

Rumbleeeee!

The moment Raon vanished, the earth trembled as if it were about to collapse. The mountain of sand sank, and an eerie, Transcender clad in blood-red scales emerged.

A neck so long it seemed endless shot up into the sky, and wings vast enough to blanket the land unfurled, stirring up a gray sandstorm.

Gwooooooooh!

From high above, red eyes blazed with killing intent, brighter than the sun itself. The sheer pressure unique to dragons, Dragon Fear, swept over the Light Wind swordsmen.

Whooooooooh!

The swordsmen of the Light Wind Division trembled as they gripped their swords, cold sweat pouring down their faces under the overwhelming murderous intent unleashed by the ancient dragon.

Feeling the immense malice radiating from Desiuros, they all had the same thought.

‘Raon Zieghart, you insane bastard!’

How the hell are we supposed to beat that thing!

*   *   *

Rumble!

Desiuros, the Red Dragon, furrowed his brow as he looked down at the humans who had shriveled under the pressure of his energy wave.

‘These insects dare…’

Just moments ago, he had been enjoying the latest tribute offered by his slaves. Then, those humans, who were no better than bugs, had the audacity to call him a lizard.

In all the thousands of years he had lived, no one had ever mocked him like that. Enraged, he smashed through his own nest and revealed his true body, intending to crush them one by one.

But as he observed the humans more closely, he realized… they weren’t complete vermin.

‘There’s more than one Grandmaster among them.’

The humans before him weren’t strong enough to reach him, but they could easily take down an adult dragon.

‘Of course, they’re still no real threat.’

The human swordsmen were shaking from head to toe at the pressure of his energy wave. If he swung the tail he’d kept hidden behind him, he could kill them all in a single blow.

‘I’ll kill half, then torture the rest for information.’

No one except his own kind knew this lair existed.

No one but his own kind should have known he’d built a nest here. That meant information had leaked from somewhere. He decided to get it out of them, one way or another.

Rumble rumble rumble.

As Desiuros raised his tail—

"You little punks! Don't be scared!"

A black-haired human woman roared as she drew her sword.

“We survived that madman’s training! A damn lizard like this? We can tear it apart!”

She stomped hard, telling them not to think about losing before the fight had even begun.

“Mm. Let’s win.”

The silver-haired woman raised her blade, her blank stare belying the cold killing intent that now clung to her.

“We can do this…”

She readied her stance calmly, as if the dragon’s pressure didn’t faze her at all.

“That’s right. That bastard Raon—no, our palace master, wouldn’t entrust us with something impossible. Let’s save the hostages and take that lizard down!”

The blue-haired man stepped forward.

“Formation!”

At his shout, the humans,who had been crouched down in fear, gathered in unison as a powerful wave of energy surged around them.

Fwaaaaaaah!

When the human swordsmen raised their swords, an energy wave of a different level than before surged up from them.

A chill crawled down Desiuros’ spine as he sensed the eerie sword, one that could very well reach him.

‘This could be… dangerous.’

He was certain he wouldn’t die, but he had a feeling that fighting them head-on could leave him with serious injuries.

His lord had told him to conserve his strength for the upcoming war, so engaging them directly didn’t seem wise.

‘Maybe I’ll use the hostages.’

Judging by their words and actions, it was clear these humans prioritized saving the hostages over killing him.

If he used magic with the hostages in front of him, he could easily kill those pests.

[Come out.]

He gestured toward the nest, calling out to the slaves. The fear they held toward him ran so deep that just his voice worked like a binding oath, they shouldn’t have been able to resist.

But even after he called for them, not a single slave appeared.

[What is this…?]

Desiuros frowned and sent his mana flowing down into the nest.

‘Not a single one?’

Impossible.

It hadn’t even been that long since he revealed himself, yet now there wasn’t a soul left in the nest.

The dwarves and human slaves had all vanished, and every guardian stationed to watch them had been killed. It felt like a nightmare.

‘This is impossible….’

The nest was sealed with both boundary and protection magic. If someone had forced a path through, they would’ve been roasted alive by a 9th-circle spell, so how could they have disappeared?

[What did you bastards do!]

Desiuros bared his fangs and glared viciously at the human swordsmen, but before they could respond, the sand behind him exploded violently.

“Oh good, I made it just in time.”

A blond-haired, red-eyed human emerged from the burst sand dune, smacking his lips in relief.

Behind him, the dwarves and humans he had been using as slaves stood with dazed expressions, seemingly unable to understand the current situation themselves.

[So this was your doing!]

Desiuros ground his teeth as he glared at the blond-haired, red-eyed human.

[I don’t know what trick you pulled, but it’s all meaningless. None of you will leave this place alive—]

Normally, he would have unleashed his spells while roaring that he’d kill them all. But strangely, his hand wouldn’t move.

‘What is this?’

The human in front of him looked weak, someone who should die instantly from a single 9th-circle spell. And yet an inexplicable unease crept over him.

‘That one… something about him is different.’

He could sense something alien in the man’s presence, but that didn’t mean he could just stand still.

Just as he began channeling magic to test the golden-eyed human’s power—

“You sure it’s okay to keep staring just at me?”

The blond, red-eyed human shrugged with feigned concern, like he was asking, “You really think that’s a good idea?”

[Shut your—]

As Desiuros opened his mouth to curse, a sharp pain stabbed up from his foot.

Puuuck!

Before he realized it, the human swordsmen had already closed the distance and drove their blades deep into his leg, piercing through both his layered mana shields and hardened scales.

[What the—!]

Desiuros’ eyes widened in shock. He had sensed the threatening momentum of their strike and had fortified himself with three layers of mana shields. He never imagined they’d break through.

“It works!”

“If we amplify the power of the astral sphere through the Light Wind Sword Formation, it works!”

“Let’s keep going!”

The human swordsmen, feeling the success of their attacks, pressed forward even greater momentum.

[You filthy insects!]

Desiuros narrowed his eyes and summoned a rain of fire. The area of effect wasn’t large, but its power was enough to completely incinerate every one of those humans.

“Scatter!”

The blue-haired swordsman raised his head and gave the order without a hint of hesitation.

Fwaaaang!

Without a moment’s hesitation, the human swordsmen abandoned their formation and scattered in all directions.

Shhhhhaaaa!

They dodged the massive columns of flame pouring down at the center, and the flickering fire trails chasing them were slashed out of the air by their swords.

“Regroup!”

As soon as the rain of fire ended, the swordsmen gathered again and launched sharp strikes toward Desiuros.

[These little bastards—!]

Grinding his teeth, Desiuros twisted his lips and summoned an enormous spear of fire that warped the surrounding air with sheer heat.

Kuwaaaaah!

The divine-looking spear, exploded the moment it struck the ground, engulfing the Light Wind swordsmen.

[Filthy bugs…]

Expecting their annihilation, Desiuros turned his gaze elsewhere.

Paaaaaaah!

But the humans broke through the flame storm once again and landed another strike on his body.

[Defense!]

Desiuros quickly chanted a dragon word, creating a barrier that the humans' swords could no longer penetrate.

‘These insects…’

Fortunately, the dragon word barrier had stopped their swords from digging any deeper. If he’d been even a second slower, they might’ve sliced off one of his legs.

[Get lost!]

He roared in dragon tongue and conjured a windstorm that blasted the swordsmen back in every direction.

“…So it actually works?”

The black-haired woman clicked her tongue in disbelief, like even she hadn’t expected it to succeed.

“All that training on the sand paid off. As long as we coat ourselves in aura, we can withstand even a dragon’s heat.”

The blue-haired human also nodded, looking satisfied.

“Still… it’s exhausting.”

The silver-haired woman let out a long sigh, tongue out, clearly struggling with the scorching heat.

[You damned pests!]

Desiuros clenched his jaw, glaring at the humans who were still calm
enough to talk like this was just a sparring match.

‘Those insects are a problem, but the real threat is him.’

The blond-haired, red-eyed human standing calmly in the back, he was the one restricting Desiuros’ movements.

‘The slaves can be replaced. I need to kill that one first.’

No matter how special he seemed, he was still just a human. Desiuros made up his mind to erase him completely. He fully unleashed the mana within his Dragon Heart.

Uuuuuuuung!

Desiuros cast his Transcendence spell, Crimson Lotus Radiance, dropping it over the head of the blond-haired human.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

The Crimson Lotus Radiance was a spell that contained the attribute of light within heat that melted everything, causing chain explosions.

No matter how strong that human was, he couldn’t possibly block all those explosions.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

As the Crimson Lotus Radiance exploded in front of the blond-haired human, the gray sand melted like molten metal, and vivid red magma erupted around him.

Fwoooooooosh!

But even within that massive explosion, the blond human, and the slaves standing behind him, hadn’t suffered a scratch. Not even a single hair was harmed.

[Wh–What…?]

Desiuros eyes widened as he stared at the blond, red-eyed human.

[What in the world did you—]

That human had merely raised his sword, yet his spell had been cleanly cut apart. Desiuros had no idea how it had happened.

[What did you do just now!]

He roared at the human, but before he could get an answer, the swordsmen struck again, piercing through his barrier and landing fresh blows.

[Graaaagh!]

The wounds themselves weren't deep, but feeling pain repeatedly for the first time in hundreds of years, a deep irritation surged within him.

“Don’t mind me. Focus on them instead. Fight someone your own level.”

The blond-haired human arrogantly gestured with his chin.

[An insect bastard who doesn't know his place!]

The Red Dragon Desiuros spread his massive wings. As his wings moved, the Light Wind swordsmen who were charging were pushed back by the immense wind pressure.

Fwoooooooosh!

They fired their astral spheres and astral energy, but Desiuros had already soared into the sky, sweeping aside all attacks with ease.

[I was going to let some of you live. but it seems I have no choice! I’ll erase you all]

Desiuros gathered the mana in the air, his eyes burning with killing intent.

[Blame him! It’s because of that human you're all going to die!]

With a cry full of malice, Desiuros opened his massive jaws, wide enough to swallow the sun whole.

From the pitch-black maw of the dragon, a heat surged forth that felt capable of incinerating the entire world.

Kugugugugugu!

It was the Red Dragon’s most powerful weapon, fire breath.

*   *   *

“As expected…”

Raon smacked his lips softly as he watched Desiuros gather an immense concentration of mana.

“So that’s how he’s responding.”

Born as the strongest race, dragons simply couldn’t bear the thought of humans standing on equal footing with them.

Even now, rather than trying to fight wisely and buy time, he wasn't even considering it, he only thought about erasing everything with brute force.

"R-Raon! Shouldn't you be stopping it now?"

Martha stomped her foot, asking what he was waiting for.

"Y-yeah. It looks like it's coming..."

Burren swallowed dryly as he looked up at Desiuros.

"Wow, two suns..."

Runaan blinked slowly, watching the sun, and next to it, Desiuros’ fire breath being compressed into a blinding sphere.

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

"Kkuaaaaaaah!"

Dorian and Krein screamed, clutching each other in panic.

“Look at that bastard just standing there!”

Trevin also bit his lip, as if he had given up.

"F-fire breath..."

"Wh-what are we going to do now!"

“We’re all going to die!”

“This is why we shouldn’t have come out! We should’ve stayed underground!”

The humans who had been slaves under Desiuros screamed, asking why anyone had come to rescue them.

“Actually… this might be better.”

“At least it ends our suffering under that damned dragon.”

“We are also a proud tribe of the land. We will not beg, at least not here.”

Among the dwarves, some quivered in fear of death, but most clenched their scorched fists. To them, death was preferable to continuing a life of slavery.

“Don’t give up.”

Latir, the chief of the Brownbeard tribe, stepped forward and shook his head.

“These people were sent by Borgos. There’s no way he would have mentioned us without careful thought.”

He showed more faith in Borgos than in Raon or the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.

"To mention Sir Borgos' name..."

Raon turned to Latir and gave a brief smile.

“Then I can’t afford to act carelessly. I’ll make sure to keep the promise.”

With those words, he drove Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem into the scorched gray earth.

[This is the end!]

Desiuros opened his mouth wider and unleashed the fire breath he had gathered.

Fwoooooosh!

Even before the fire breath reached them, the scorching gust of heat made it impossible to breathe, pressing down even harder on the humans’ will to resist.

[Be erased, all of you… Hm?]

As Desiuros continued to pour out his breath of fire, golden sun and silver moon rose to either side of him.

[Whatever trick you’re trying, it’s already too late!]

Believing fully in the might of his flames, he released the breath to its utmost limit.

The arrogant human, the swordsmen who had wounded him, the pathetic slaves he’d once treated as tools, he was certain all of them would vanish in that inferno.

Just as he slowly began to close his mouth—

Fwaaaaaaaaaah!

A crisp, piercing breeze of frost brushed past his nose, and in that instant, time seemed to stop.

The breath, meant to engulf everything, halted in midair, unable to even reach the ground.

[What is this…?]

Desiuros blinked, stunned by the bizarre phenomenon, something he had never experienced in all his life, the fire breath that had been spreading as if to swallow the entire desert, frozen solid blue and shattered into thousands of pieces.

Kyaaaaaaaang!

In the shower of ice shards tinged with red fire, the golden-haired, red-eyed human twisted the corner of his lips upward.

“Told you. Just focus on them.”

Raon flicked his chin toward the Light Wind swordsmen, his cold eyes flashing sharply.

“You and I aren’t in the same league.”

 

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