The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 983

 Chapter 983

 

“Slicing through dragon breath has quite the satisfying feel to it.”

Raon nodded with satisfaction as he watched fragments of frost scatter across the sky

[Krrrghhh….]

Desiuros trembled in disbelief, his pupils shaking violently. He clearly hadn't imagined that his breath could be frozen and shattered.

‘Just as I thought….’

Raon formed a faint smile as he looked into Desiuros’ stunned eyes.

‘Desiuros is weaker than Kaibar.’

Though Desiuros’ breath of fire had enough power to erase this entire region, it wasn’t strong enough to break through Raon’s sword.

Just as there are levels even among Transcenders, it seemed the power of ancient dragons also differed depending on how long they had lived.

You arrogant brat! Acting all cocky after activating the sword field and going all out!

Wrath scowled, annoyed by Raon’s boastfulness.

‘Of course, I had to use my full power.’

Raon tilted the divine sword slightly, glancing back at the hostages standing behind him.

‘I couldn’t risk blocking it carelessly and hurting the people behind me.’

Although Raon probably could have cut through Desiuros’ breath without going all out, he chose to use his maximum strength from the start to protect the hostages from the heat.

By harmonizing frost and wrath into his sword strike, he’d frozen the breath completely and shattered it.

Well, fire is best when it’s frozen!

Wrath tilted his chin with smug satisfaction, pleased that it was his own cold energy that had frozen the dragon’s breath.

That lizard’s expression is priceless! His liver looks just about right.

He licked his lips, saying Desiuros looked delicious now that he was panicking. He was completely out of his mind.

“A-am I really still alive…?”

“He cut through a breath attack…”

“Is that even possible…?”

“No way. A human just cut fire?”

The people standing behind Raon couldn’t believe they were still alive. They stared blankly at the sky, where frost still lingered like a veil.

“That wasn’t just an ordinary sword energy…”

“He’s a Transcender. And from the feel of it, one who’s properly refined his swordsmanship.”

“How could someone so young wield such Transcendence sword energy…”

Even the dwarves, despite the danger of the situation, had their eyes sparkling, utterly captivated by the way Raon had split the dragon’s breath in two. They truly lived up to their name as a race of steel and fire.

“Didn’t I tell you!”

Latir waved his burn-covered hand, looking excited.

“I told you Borgos wouldn’t have sent them here without reason!”

He nodded firmly, saying he had believed in them without the slightest doubt.

"That's really insane...."

Martha let out a scoffing laugh, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just witnessed.

“He didn't just cut the breath. He froze it, and then shattered it. How is that even possible?”

She had known Raon for a long time, but even she hadn’t imagined he could freeze and break apart a breath attack.

“He must’ve done it to make sure the hostages didn’t get hurt by the heat.”

Burren nodded, as if he understood exactly why Raon had frozen the breath.

“Of course… the kind of power it takes to do that is just beyond reason.”

He let out a faint sigh, as though even now he still couldn’t fully wrap his head around the overwhelming might Raon had displayed.

“I like frost…”

Runaan raised both arms into the air, her cheeks tinged red, as if the blue cold that filled the air had put her in a good mood.

“Seeing our palace master’s sword… it gives me some courage.”

“Yeah. As long as he can block the dragon’s breath, I think we can handle the rest.”

“Let’s take this to the end.”

“This is our shot at becoming dragon slayers.”

The Light Wind swordsmen, encouraged by Raon’s sword, resolved to fight Desiuros with renewed determination.

Gooooooooh!

Their rising spirit pierced the sky, and a wind swirling with green light rose from within the Light Wind Sword Formation.

*   *   *

[Th-this… this can’t be happening…]

Desiuros, the Sky Dragon, swallowed hard as he stared at the shattered remnants of his breath, now nothing more than ice fragments drifting through the air. His massive body trembled, and the fire‑attribute mana that had been gathering around him scattered like mist.

[It’s impossible!]

He had sensed something strange from that blond-haired, red-eyed human—something so off that he'd considered the possibility his breath might be blocked.

But to not just block it, to cut it, freeze it, and shatter it, sealing heat greater than molten lava within ice, that was something he had never imagined.

In all his thousands of years, he had never experienced such humiliation. His mind went blank, and his heart raced so fast it felt like it would burst.

‘He’s dangerous. That human is dangerous.’

The blond, red-eyed human had shattered his breath using only his martial strength, without resorting to any special abilities. This implied he possessed the capability to sever his head at any moment.

‘Wait a second…’

Blond hair and red eyes?

He remembered that a while ago, when the Lord had visited and instructed him to prepare for war against humans, he had mentioned being wary of a blond, red-eyed swordsman.

'He definitely said it was an old man....'

The Lord had described him as an elderly human, someone who could drop dead any day. Because of that, Desiuros hadn’t paid it much mind. But he never expected things to turn out like this. It seemed any blond-haired, red-eyed human was a threat.

'It would be best to retreat from here.'

The Lord’s warning was still ringing in his ears, and he couldn’t begin to gauge this human’s strength. The first priority now was to escape this place.

[Don’t get cocky just because you blocked a single breath!]

Desiuros forcibly gathered the mana that had been dispersing around him.

[I still have magic far beyond breath!]

He chanted a dragon word, and a bolt of dark crimson lightning crashed down toward the ground. It was a Transcendence magic, Fury of the Sky.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

As violent bolts of lightning poured down, Desiuros turned his body.

‘It’s not perfect, but it should buy me some time.’

Magic normally couldn’t reach its full power when the caster’s mind was shaken, but he wasn’t trying to kill them, just to stall. For that, even in this condition, it was enough.

‘First, I just need to get far enough away and then teleport…’

As Desiuros spread his wings and began to fly higher—

Slaaaaaaash!

A sword shot upward in total silence, flashed red as it surged towards his neck.

[Block it!]

Desiuros hastily chanted a dragon word, but the blade, infused with golden flame, pierced through the thick dragon word shield and severed both of his wings.

Slaaaaash!

A chilling slicing sound echoed as the massive red wings that once stretched across the sky were cut down, and bright red blood sprayed in their place.

Kwooooom!

Writhing in agony, Desiuros lost control. He couldn’t even cast flight magic, crashing into the frozen desert. The sheer weight of his massive body sent waves of sand billowing in all directions.

[Ghhh…]

Desiuros groaned in pain as he opened his eyes.

[You… human…]

The blond-haired, red-eyed human stood before him in perfect stillness. Desiuros hadn’t even sensed when the sword was thrown, yet it had pierced through his defenses and sliced off both his wings. That level of strength was beyond comprehension. Honestly, it was enough to make him feel fear.

“Yeah. Trying to run away, that’s exactly what a lizard would do.”

Raon tilted his chin, looking down on Desiuros.

“But I’ve seen too many of your kind’s tricks to let you escape.”

Despite their claim of being the strongest race on the continent and the mediators of the world, dragons were no better than lizards that cut off their tails to flee when threatened.

“There are only two ways you’re getting out of here.”

Raon raised a finger and pointed at the Light Wind swordsmen.

“You either kill them… or get killed by them.”

He gave Desiuros that warning, then turned his gaze to the Light Wind swordsmen.

“The same goes for all of you. Fight—and win.”

With that, Raon stepped back, signaling that he would no longer intervene.

[That means...]

Desiuros slowly lifted his body.

[If I kill those humans… you’ll let me go?]

“You catch on quick.”

Raon smiled as he met Desiuros’ blazing red eyes.

“But don’t even think about using your breath again, or trying to flee mid-battle.”

He nodded, saying he’d only keep his promise under those conditions.

[Very well…]

Desiuros clenched his bleeding teeth and pushed his massive body upright. With a chilling murderous intent, he glared down at the Light Wind swordsmen.

[You’ll regret this…]

*   *   *

“That crazy bastard’s really feeding us to the dragon.”

Martha let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“He’s saying he believes in us. Let’s take it that way.”

Burren nodded, saying this was probably Raon’s way of testing them.

“We can do it…”

Runaan blinked slowly, repeating the same words she’d said at the start of this mission.

"You're unusually confident today, huh? Did you eat something weird?"

Martha lowered her eyebrows as if finding it strange.

“Because we can do it.”

Runaan didn't just seem to be steeling her resolve, she sounded certain. It was as if she was seeing something no one else could.

"Al-alright! Let's give it a shot!"

Krein shouted, "Let's go all out!" and raised his sword.

“A-aughh…”

Dorian, his face wet with tears, gripped his sword with both trembling hands.

“I’m glad I joined the Light Wind. Who would’ve thought I’d one day fight a dragon, an ancient one, at that.”

Trevin licked his lips, saying this was the kind of battle that offered a chance for massive growth.

“That’s the good thing about the Light Wind.”

Mark Goetten gave a slight nod, as if once again affirming he’d made the right choice in joining them.

[You worms have no more chances left!]

Desiuros furrowed his brow and lowered his blood-soaked hand. Flames rose from his palm like strands of silk, then rained down upon the Light Wind’s formation.

“It’s too late to dodge! Focus on defense!”

At Burren’s shout, the Light Wind swordsmen moved toward the center of the formation and concentrated their aura. The aura rising from their swords formed a blue-hued shield that clashed against the descending flames.

Kuwaaaaaang!

Flames and aura collided, scattering purple sparks and sending out shockwaves in rapid succession.

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the violent clash between the flame and aura.

‘They’re not losing in power.’

Desiuros’ 9th-circle spell and the swordsmen’s aura strengthened through their formation were evenly matched. As long as Desiuros didn’t use the Transcendence-level spell or his fire breath, they wouldn’t be overpowered.

‘Assuming he can’t use his breath again, all they need to do is to block his Transcendence spells.’

To do that…

Raon turned his gaze toward the Light Wind swordsmen, a plan already forming in his mind.

“Don’t give him time!”

Burren ground his teeth and stomped forward.

“Go in now!”

He surged to the front of the formation, insisting they leave no room for the enemy to breathe.

“I’m already moving!”

Martha, the charge leader of the Light Wind, shot forward before Burren had even finished speaking.

Chiaaaaaaah!

As if prepared to die, she disregarded defense and thrust her sword towards Desiuros' torso.

Puuuuuck!

Martha’s sword, carrying solid weight behind it, pierced through Desiuros’ scales and carved out a thick slice of flesh.

[Y-You wretch!]

Desiuros narrowed his eyes and unleashed a sharp blade of flame toward Martha.

Chiaaaaaaah!

Just as Martha was about to be skewered, a wall of frost shot up in front of her and blocked the blade of flame.

“Saved you…”

It was Runaan. She tilted her chin calmly, as if she knew this would happen.

“Don’t expect a thank you!”

Martha, clearly expecting Runaan to cover her, surged forward again and sliced through more of Desiuros’ scales.

"I didn't expect you to...."

Runaan followed right behind her, erasing every falling flame that came near. The two, who often fought like enemies, now moved in perfect harmony, like sisters, matching attack and defense with seamless unity.

[Kuaaaaaaaah!]

Desiuros screamed in pain and unleashed fiercely burning blue flames.

"Retreat...."

Realizing she couldn’t stop this spell alone, Runaan grabbed Martha by the collar and retreated with her.

“Form of Breaking Waves!”

As soon as the two returned, Burren condensed the energy of the sword formation and split the waterfall-like blue flame with a sword slash.

[You insects!]

Truly enraged, Desiuros unleashed spell after spell, dragon word and 9th-circle spells in rapid succession. It seemed he was trying to force them to retreat, just to buy himself some time.

“We can block it! Keep pushing forward!”

Realizing that, the Light Wind swordsmen pressed in without pause, cutting through the magic as they advanced.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

Sword against magic. Dragon against swordsmen. The intense clash continued without pause. Desiuros roared as his scales were sliced by astral energy, while the swordsmen gritted their teeth, enduring scorched skin and pushing forward with their swords.

The fierce clash between Desiuros and the Light Wind Palace raged on. With no chance to even breathe, the first to lose patience wasn’t the humans, but the so-called strongest race on the continent.

[I-I’LL KILL YOU ALL!]

With a furious scream, Desiuros summoned a black crimson flame to his chest. The heat radiating from the black fire was so intense it made the space around it shimmer and distort.
“Black flames…”

“Is… is that a Transcendence-level spell?”

“Don’t tell me… Hellfire?”

The Light Wind swordsmen swallowed dryly, feeling the scorching heat radiating from the black flames.

"It's just bluff!"

Burren shouted with a roar that rivaled Desiuros’, throwing his head back.

“Even an ancient dragon needs time to cast a Transcendence-level spell!”

He raised his sword, shouting that they had to keep pressing forward.

“He’s right! No way a wrecked mind like his can pull off a Transcendence spell right away! Follow me!”

Martha, showing not a hint of fear even in front of the black flames, charged in faster and stabbed her sword into Desiuros.

"We have the advantage...."

Runaan, too, realizing this was their chance, cut Desiuros’ ankle with her sword from which a frost flower bloomed.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

The moment Martha and Runaan broke through Desiuros’ defense, the swordsmen standing behind them surged forward with synchronized steps.

“Let’s go!”

“Stab him!”

“D-damn it!”

Following Mark Goetten’s orders, Krein and Dorian charged ahead, driving their astral energy-infused blades forward.

Pupupupupupuk!

Dozens of blasts of astral energy fired by the Light Wind swordsmen tore into Desiuros’ body. Like a broken dam, blood gushed out of his wounds in torrents.

[You worthless gnats!]

Unable to endure it any longer, Desiuros unleashed his incomplete Transcendence spell.

“Not on my watch!”

Trevin, as if he had been waiting for that moment, drew all the power of the sword formation together and redirected the black flames Desiuros had fired off into the desert behind them.

Kuwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

Even if it was incomplete, it was still a Transcendence-level spell, the black flames spread across the desert behind them, melting the very sand itself.

‘Not bad.’

Raon clicked his tongue slightly as he observed the Light Wind swordsmen pressing Desiuros back.

‘Their strategy of giving him no time is working, and they’re patient too.’

The only way for the Light Wind swordsmen to win was to keep Desiuros from buying time, and the swordsmen clung to him like leeches, carrying out that plan to perfection.

‘They’ve all grown.’

Burren had become calm and composed, worthy of his title as vice palace master. Martha’s courage and charging strength were unmatched across the continent, and Runaan used her broadened vision to coordinate the sword formation so no one got severely injured.

Dorian, despite the tears streaming down his face, stood at the front lines and blocked Desiuros’s spells. Krein trusted Dorian to hold the line and charged forward to strike.

Mark Goetten, Trevin, and the rest of the swordsmen had also shown clear growth in this battle, each of them fulfilling their roles flawlessly.

They’ve all grown up well….

Wrath sniffled, sounding genuinely proud as he watched the swordsmen.

‘Yeah. They’re finally worth watching.’

Raon nodded in agreement.

[Kraaaaaaagh!]

Desiuros let out a furious scream and shook his body violently. With countless wounds carved into him by their swords, blood poured from his body like rain.

[Enough of this! I’ll kill you all!]

It was as if he had forgotten the promise he made. His eyes rolled back as he opened his massive jaws wide.

Kugugugugugu!

Inside Desiuros’ throat, flames like molten lava began swirling into a condensed sphere.

‘Fire breath.’

Unable to concentrate enough to cast a Transcendence spell, Desiuros now seemed ready to unleash his breath attack instead.

What are you doing!

Wrath frantically waved his hands.

Hurry up and stop him! The kids will die!

‘Wait.’

Raon stopped the panicking Wrath and looked toward the Light Wind swordsmen.

‘They’re planning to take it on themselves.’

The Light Wind swordsmen didn’t look to him. Instead, they raised their swords and strengthened their formation, as if determined to confront it head-on. In their eyes, he saw a fierce resolve, the desire to fight through to the end.

‘Fine. Go ahead—try it.’

If it were the same breath as the one Desiuros used at the beginning, the entire Light Wind Palace would be annihilated. But now, in his current condition, even using breath properly seemed difficult.

If the Light Wind swordsmen steeled their will and focused everything into their formation, they just might be able to withstand it.

Kuwaaaaaaaaah!

Driven by pain and desperation, Desiuros failed to fully condense his flame breath. Barely managing to gather half of it, he fired it toward the Light Wind swordsmen.

“Light Wise Wind Slash!”

At Burren’s cry, the Light Wind Palace swordsmen swung their swords together. Streams of astral energy, each with its own color and nature, gathered into one and erupted in a vivid deep-blue light.

Kuwaaaaaaaang!

The dragon’s breath and the ultimate technique of the Light Wind Sword Formation collided, sending a tremendous shockwave exploding in all directions. The sand crumbled to dust, and even the black flames still burning in the rear were snuffed out.

Kugugugugu!

But the power of the breath of fire was overwhelming. The Light Wind swordsmen’s faces turned grim, and sweat began dripping from their brows.

[This is the end!]

Desiuros screamed madly, as if he no longer cared about anything, and poured out his breath even more fiercely.

“Hold on!”

“Believe in the path we've walked through under Raon!”

“We can cut him too…!”

At the cries of Burren, Martha, and Runaan, the Light Wind swordsmen pushed forward, dragging out every last bit of strength they had as they stepped ahead.

Fwaaaaaaaaaaah!

The moment their spirits and minds merged into one sword, a familiar green wind swept through them, refining all their energy into a single blade.

The true ultimate form of the Light Wind Sword Formation.

Light Wise Wind Slash.

The true ultimate technique of the Light Wind Sword Formation, created by Rimmer and Raon, was unleashed with the green wind, splitting Desiuros’ fire breath and slicing deep into his neck.

[Khhhghhh…]

Desiuros couldn’t even scream this time. His entire body trembled violently. His reverse scale had been struck. Normally, he would’ve thrashed about like a beast clinging to life, but there was barely any strength left in him.

“Now!”

“Charge!”

Even with their skin burned bright red by the breath, the Light Wind swordsmen didn’t back down. Instead, they thrust their cold, blue blades into Desiuros’ body.

Pwaaaaaaaaaah!

Astral spheres and astral energy rained down like a storm, splitting apart the dragon’s unbelievably thick scales and tearing through flesh and bone.

Wuuuuuuung—

Realizing he had no chance of winning, Desiuros began gathering the last of his strength to chant a dragon word.

[T-Telepo…!]

Just as he tried to use dragon word to teleport, a heavy, icy blade pierced into his mouth.

[Kghk—!]

His dragon word was cut off, and a scream like tearing flesh erupted from deep within his throat.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“We saw it coming.”

Martha and Runaan twisted the sword lodged in Desiuros’ mouth, saying they had guessed it, just from looking at Raon.

“Finish him!”

Just as Burren shouted for the final blow—

“Stop.”

Raon stepped forward and raised his hand.

Ssshhhkk!

The moment Raon stepped in front of them, the Light Wind swordsmen erased all killing intent, straightened their posture, and stood tall. They trusted him completely.

“That wasn’t a bad fight.”

Raon said it was a decent fight and nodded to the Light Wind swordsmen.

"Haaaah...."
“It’s over.”

The moment Raon spoke, Martha and Burren lowered their swords and collapsed to the ground on the spot.

“Told you we’d win…”

Runaan quietly dipped her head, as if this result had always been obvious to her.

“I-I only fought because our palace master’s scarier than the dragon…”

Dorian trembled, saying Raon had terrified him more than the dragon.

"That's true, though."

Krein nodded, completely understanding how Dorian felt.

“Can’t believe we actually brought down a dragon.”

"Not just any dragon, but an ancient dragon!"

"I never thought I'd stand before a breath attack and live."

“This is what Light Wind Palace is all about!”

“If even our palace master praised us… then yeah, we fought damn well!”

Excited by their victory, the swordsmen raised their swords and let out cheers of triumph.

"However!"

Raon shook his head as he watched the celebrating swordsmen.

“There were too many sloppy movements. If you’d used your strength properly, you could’ve taken this lizard down without even seeing the breath.”

He clicked his tongue, saying there were many disappointing aspects.

“And there were mistakes at the beginning too. We’ll go through all of it once we return to Zieghart.”

He gestured that they’d hold a review session once they returned to Zieghart.

“Ugh…”

“Couldn’t you wait till later to say that…”

“Come on! Can’t we enjoy the victory a little first?!”

“Yeah! We didn’t even get a moment to savor it and now he’s scolding us!”

“I’m already getting anxious…”

The Light Wind swordsmen shook their heads, saying Raon had no human emotions.

You cold-blooded monster…

Even Wrath muttered in disbelief, letting out a sigh.

“Desiuros.”

Ignoring the grumbling behind him, Raon stepped forward and placed his foot on Desiuros’ blood-soaked head.

“You broke your promise not to use your breath. And you broke your promise not to run, too.”

Raon curled his lips into a cold smile as he stared into the red eyes of the massive dragon, eyes larger than his entire body.

“In that case… I’m free to do things my way too, aren’t I?”

[Urrrrgh…]

“Look forward to it.”

The enormous body of the dragon reflected in Raon’s red eyes trembled faintly, like the wings of a mosquito.

“Because I’m going to make you spill everything you know, and even what you don’t.”

 

 

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