The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 992

 Chapter 992

 

Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the dark red bell.

‘It doesn’t make a sound.’

Even though he had shaken the bell forcefully, not a single sound came out.

‘That’s strange. There’s definitely a bead inside.’

Normally, bells are tools used by sorcerers, made with hollow metal or wood and a small bead inside to produce a clear sound.

But the dark red bell he was holding now, despite clearly having a bead inside, made no sound at all.

Sseuuu.

The only sound that came from shaking the bell was the faint friction noise of the silk decorations brushing against each other.

‘The silence is one thing, but this bell…’

It’s incredibly ominous.

The dark red bell didn’t contain any energy of its own, yet it gave off a strange pull that made him want to keep looking at it, mixed with a foreboding feeling. The sensation was so unpleasant, he felt like smashing it on the spot.

‘Merlin…’

Just in case, he looked toward Merlin, but as expected, she still hadn’t regained consciousness and was only letting out faint breaths.

‘I’d like to leave it here, but I should take it with me.’

The Demon Spear Guild and Eden had chased Merlin all the way here just to retrieve this bell. To deal a blow to them, it was best to take it with him, no matter how ominous it felt.

Ugh…

Wrath furrowed his brow as he examined the bead back and forth.

‘What’s wrong? Do you know what it is?’

Raon held out the dark red bead to Wrath, who looked troubled.

No, he has no idea.

Wrath shook his head firmly, saying it was something he’d never seen before.

‘Then why did you groan like that?’

It’s strange…

Wrath smacked his lips as he looked at the bead.

It reeks just like someone the King of Essence absolutely hates.

Wrath frowned, saying the ominousness of the bead was mixed with a foul stench.

‘Someone you absolutely hate? Don’t tell me… Lust?’

Well, he does hate her too, but there’s another one who irritates him on a deeper, instinctual level.

He shook his head, saying this one was of a different nature than Lust.

‘Then who is it?’

Not sure yet…

Just as Wrath furrowed his brow, unsure whether it was just similar or the real thing—

Kwaaarrrrng!

A massive thunderclap boomed from the field where Mark Goetten was.

‘I need to move quickly.’

That lightning strike just now… Mark Goetten’s condition must have worsened drastically.

This wasn’t the time to be having a conversation with Wrath.

‘Mark Goetten’s condition is bad, but…’

The death of the Demon Slaying Spear would’ve been sensed by the Fallen.

Someone of the Fallen’s level would certainly be aware of the death of someone he’d brainwashed. They needed to get as far away from here as possible before he arrived.

“Blood Horn.”

After putting the bead into the breast pocket of his uniform, Raon called to Blood Horn, who was still sticking close to the Demon Slaying Spear’s side.

“Your master asked me to take you, but I’ll respect your decision.”

Thinking that Blood Horn might understand human language, he continued speaking.

“If you want to stay by your master’s side, I’ll leave without you. What will you do?”

Since he was the one who had killed Blood Horn’s master, the Demon Slaying Spear, Raon looked at it without holding much expectation.

Prrrrr.

Blood Horn, as if it had understood his words, looked toward him for a moment, then slowly lowered its body and touched foreheads with the dead Demon Slaying Spear.

As if that was its final farewell to its former master, Blood Horn gently closed its eyes, then opened them again and stepped forward.

Raon was tall, even among warriors, but Blood Horn’s height was so great that he had to look up.

Prrrrr!

Standing in front of him, Blood Horn lowered its head and pushed its forehead forward.

‘Is it asking to be touched?’

Narrowing his eyes, Raon brushed the back of his hand over Blood Horn’s forehead.

Fwaaaaaaah!

In that moment, a sun-like red circle appeared on the back of his hand, and a strange ecstasy swept over him, as though Blood Horn’s soul had connected with his own.

Prrrrrrrr.

Blood Horn slowly lowered its head. Contrary to what Raon had thought, the creature was grateful that he had given its master a warrior’s death.

“So you’re saying you’ll come with me?”

Raon looked at Blood Horn and gave a small nod.

Prrrrr.

Blood Horn, as if in affirmation, slowly lowered its large eyes, then opened them again.

“Then I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Raon gave a nod and mounted Blood Horn’s saddle with Merlin.

“Let’s go. At full speed.”

As Raon gripped the reins, Blood Horn surged forward, its flame-like mane rising as it tore through the ground and charged through the forest as if it had never grown weary.

Fwoooosh!

Unlike the sorrowful snort of the warhorse now carrying a new master, a faint smile appeared on the lips of the warrior who had finished a satisfying battle and departed.

*   *   *

Puhhhhk!

As Mark Goetten’s saber crashed down in a blue flash, the wall of monsters blocking his path collapsed in an instant.

But Eden’s demons and monsters surged forth again as if resurrected, charging at him once more. Facing the endless horde felt like trying to bail out the sea with a bucket.

Chwaaaaaak!

Mark Goetten struck down the monsters and Eden’s demons flooding in like waves, stepping back.

‘Damn it! There’s no end to them!’

No matter how many monsters and Eden’s demons he killed, they kept rushing toward him, trying to enter the forest. Even with mountains of corpses piling up, they showed no fear, it was like fighting moving puppets.

‘I’m reaching my limit…’

Because he had surged past the entry stage of Grandmaster in a single leap, neither his internal nor external injuries were healing. He was holding on for now with heightened willpower, but he would soon reach his limit.

‘Before that…’

Mark Goetten bit his lip as he glanced around.

‘I have to find the commander.’

Before his flame died out, he had to kill the commander who created the Sky and Earth Net, so that Raon could escape.

‘Where the hell is he?’

Given that the formation changed quickly and lightning was being cast, the commander was definitely inside the formation, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t pinpoint his location.

‘Damn it…’

Just as Mark Goetten was biting his lip while cutting down a monster charging like a wild bull—

Kuwaaaaaang!

A tremor and explosion boomed from within the forest, followed by a pillar of flame shooting up as if piercing the sky.

‘The battle’s getting fierce.’

Feeling Raon’s energy wave reaching even here, he knew the fight within the forest was also reaching its peak.

‘Even for Sir Raon, taking down a Transcender won’t be easy.’

Since Raon could come out seriously injured, he had to break through this encirclement no matter what it took.

Chwaaaaaaaaa!

Cutting down Eden’s demons once more, he spread his aura perception again, but there wasn’t a single trace of a human with a distinct energy.

‘Is he using invisibility magic? Or disguising himself as a monster?’

He chuckled at the absurd thought, mocking himself, then stopped cold.

‘Disguised? Don’t tell me…’

As soon as the idea of disguise came to mind, he recalled how the commander’s voice had sounded awkward when giving orders during his fights with the Red Twin Demon, the Black Soul Demon, and the White Mantis Demon. A chill crept up his spine.

‘That must be it.’

That’s why I couldn’t find him!

Mark Goetten smacked his lips and quickly shifted his gaze. But instead of looking at executives wearing masks or helmets like before, he focused solely on the monsters.

Gooooooo!

While brushing aside the assault of Eden’s demons as they charged at him with drooling mouths, he swiftly spread his aura perception. He was a Grandmaster, and because he had surpassed the entry stage in a single leap, his senses were already spread across the entire battlefield.

‘I’ve found a clue, but I still don’t know for sure.’

He had figured out the method of hiding, but the bastard was so insidious that he couldn’t be located even with aura perception.

‘In that case…’

I’ll have to show an opening.

Letting out a slow breath, he drew the little remaining aura up into the Dragon Cleaving Saber.

“You annoying bastards! Get lost!”

Mark Goetten roared and brought his saber down toward the wave of monsters rushing in. The energy coiled around the blade burst forth like a divine dragon, spreading in all directions.

Kwaaaaaaaaaang!

The ultimate technique of the Azure Lightning Saber, Lightning Charging Strike, swept forward, erasing not only the monsters charging directly at him but also the Eden’s demons behind them.

“Huff…”

But because he had used the saber strike at full power, his body locked up as if frozen and he couldn’t move.

Pajijijijik!

As if waiting for that very moment, a red bolt of lightning fell from the sky, and an icy blue spear shot up from the ground.

Kuwaaaaang!

Mark Goetten couldn’t lift the Dragon Cleaving Saber, so he raised a wall of aura to block the red lightning and the ice spear.

But he couldn’t fully absorb the shock, and dark crimson blood spurted from his mouth, and the wounds he had barely managed to stop reopened, soaking his uniform.

‘The damage is severe.’

Since he had swung his saber at full power, the consumption of aura was extreme, and the reopened wounds brought on pain sharp enough to make his head throb.

‘But…’

Mark Goetten bit his bloodied lips and straightened his bent knees.

‘I’ve found you!’

As if this would be his last battle, he drew in a deep breath and charged toward the group of monsters on the side opposite the forest.

Paaaaah!

After dashing past countless monsters, he slammed the Dragon Cleaving Saber down at a kobold shaman, who was staring blankly into the air.

Kuwaaaaang!

A kobold shaman that should have been torn like paper before his saber strike instead raised a thick wall of mana and blocked the attack.

[H-How…?]

The kobold shaman widened his eyes in disbelief, as if unable to accept that his identity had been discovered.

“There were plenty of clues.”

Mark Goetten twisted his lips as he pressed down on the kobold shaman with the Dragon Cleaving Saber.

“The voice giving orders to the White Mantis Demon didn’t sound like a human’s, it was oddly clumsy.”

The tone used by the commander of the Sky and Earth Net when ordering the White Mantis Demon to enter the forest had been more awkward than that of a child. At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now, thinking back, it made sense, it wasn’t a human, and that’s why the voice had sounded that way.

“Besides, none of the executives here were giving orders.”

He had looked over all of Eden’s executives on this battlefield, but none of them had the skill to command or had issued any actual instructions. That’s why he believed the commander must be hiding not among the humans, but among the monsters.

[Th-Then…]

Realizing he had been caught, the kobold shaman trembled as its green lips quivered.

“That’s right. That’s why I deliberately showed an opening.”

Mark Goetten nodded, saying that he was able to find the location thanks to the lightning strike that had been brought down.

[D-Damn it!]

The kobold shaman clenched his sharp teeth in frustration, as if blaming himself for a fatal mistake.

[Even if you've figured me out, it’s already too late! You’ll die here!]

While blocking Mark’s path, he called forth the monsters and Eden’s executives behind him, causing them to attack from the rear.

“As expected of Eden. To give a monster this level of ability… but still—”

Mark Goetten looked down at the kobold shaman and shook his head.

“You end here too.”

He unleashed the Ghost Saber Manifestation, an ultra-close-range saber strike aimed at the kobold shaman, who was thickening his mana shield.

Kuwaaaaang!

The Dragon Cleaving Saber, imbued with blue light, shattered the kobold shaman’s shield and tore his body in half.

[I—I can’t believe I was killed by a mere human like you…]

The kobold shaman’s eyes shook in disbelief at his own death. He coughed up blood and sank into the cracked earth.

Kiaaaaaaah!

Kroooooooo!

As the kobold shaman who had been commanding the Sky and Earth Net died, the monsters scattered like lost children or began fighting among themselves.

The Eden’s demon that had been charging at Mark couldn’t approach due to the rampaging monsters and ended up backing off. It seemed he no longer needed to worry about them.

“Haa…”

Mark Goetten wiped the black blood from his lips and let out a faint smile.

‘It’s over.’

Thankfully, he had managed to dismantle the Sky and Earth Net before Raon emerged. A small sense of relief came over him, feeling he had kept the vow he made to Raon.

‘Now…’

I need to go to the palace master.

Mark Goetten lifted his legs, heavy as if soaked in water, and began walking toward the forest.

‘Even as I am now, I might still be of use.’

In truth, considering his condition, it would make sense to retreat, but if he used the strength he had left in a surprise attack, he might be able to create an opening for Raon. Going was the only right choice.

Gooooooo!

As Mark Goetten was about to enter the forest, a cold wind blew from above his head.

When he slowly raised his head, a man wearing a green snake helmet was floating in midair as if standing on solid ground.

‘Green Wolf Snake!’

An executive of Eden, known for always coming back to life no matter how many times he died, wearing the helmet of a snake.

“This is really fucked up.”

Green Wolf Snake scoffed and released an ominous energy wave.

“Khk…”

The hand holding the Dragon Cleaving Saber trembled in Mark Goetten's grasp. Even if he were in peak condition, that man was not someone he could handle.

“Before that guy shows up, I’ll have to kill you first.”

Green Wolf Snake slowly extended his hand. His fingertip shot toward Mark’s neck as if it had become a blade.

‘Ah…’

Even though he could see Green Wolf Snake’s attack coming, he couldn’t stop it. Just as the word death etched itself into his mind, a sensation like a needle stabbing his back rose up, and it brought back memories of past training.

Fwoooosh!

During Raon’s focus enhancement training, he had unleashed sword strikes that Mark couldn’t possibly evade. The moment in that training where he ultimately failed to dodge and exposed his neck now overlapped with what was happening in reality.

‘It’s definitely strong and fast. But…’

It’s still not on the level of the palace master’s sword!

Mark twisted his saber and threw his body to the right. A split-second judgment that overcame death. Thanks to the Transcendence state he had experienced through Raon, he was able to evade a Transcender’s sword.

“Huh? You dodged that?”

Green Snake Wolf let out an incredulous breath.

“So you’re really that guy’s subordinate. I’ll give you the proper treatment.”

Clicking his tongue in displeasure, he drew his sword.

Chiaaaaaang!

The blade, cold and blue like sharpened steel, came in, and this time, no matter where he tried to run, there was no escaping it. Certain death was rushing straight toward his chest.

‘This is the end.’

Even as Green Wolf Snake’s sword closed in, ready to pierce through his chest, Mark Goetten didn’t lower the corners of his mouth.

‘But I have no regrets.’

He had blocked the path just as he’d sworn to Raon, and even shattered the Sky and Earth Net, there was nothing more he could ask for.

He simply stared at the blade that surged toward him like a declaration of death, wishing only that Raon would return safely.

Dududududu!

Just as the blue blade was about to pierce his chest and strike his heart, the thunderous sound of hooves roared from behind him.

Before the sound could even fully reach his ears, a red light flashed before his eyes.

Jjeoooong!

A slash burning with golden flames violently knocked aside Green Snake Wolf’s sword, which had been aiming to stab his chest.

“This is…”

Even before he could turn around, a massive horse and the blond swordsman riding atop it came into view.

“You’ve done well.”

Raon nodded toward him as if to acknowledge all the hardship he had endured. Hearing such words of gratitude from the man he served as lord made all the suffering and pain he had accumulated up to now vanish in an instant.

“From here on, I’ll take care of it.”

Raon briefly smacked his lips as he looked at Green Wolf Snake, who was gripping his wrist, and the monsters beginning to gather behind him.

“As fast as possible.”

 

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