The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1031

 Chapter 1031

 

“Haaah….”

Martha let out a rough breath and lowered her stance as if she was about to charge out immediately.

“W-Wait a moment!”

Krein rushed to her side and grabbed her wrist.

“We can’t just start fighting right away!”

He shook his head, his face pale, saying there was something they had to do first.

“Please, calm dow—huh?”

Krein, who had been shouting at Martha to calm down, blinked blankly.

“Why… why is she so composed?”

He had rushed over in a panic, thinking she would go wild the moment she saw the White Blood Religion, but instead, her eyes were chillingly calm.

“I’ve got a nasty temper, but I’m not an idiot.”

Martha raised her fist and flicked Krein’s forehead.

“Ugh, s-sorry…”

Krein rubbed his forehead and squinted one eye.

“Then first, let’s contact Sir Raon…”

“Communication’s blocked.”

Martha frowned as she looked at the white fog swirling around the harbor and village.

“That fog must be obscuring vision from the outside and controlling the flow of mana.”

The moment the White Blood Religion’s ghost ship entered the harbor, contact with Raon had been cut off. That white fog was clearly capable of blocking outside communication.

“Raon probably noticed it too, but just in case…”

Martha threw the crystal orb she was holding to the ground.

Kyaaaang!

The orb didn’t shatter into pieces,  instead, it disintegrated into dust, as if it had never existed.

‘This should get the message through.’

This crystal orb was an artifact made by the Magic Tower. It was normally used for communication, but when broken in an emergency, it would send this location to the corresponding linked orb.

However, the Raon she knew would have already started moving the ship this way before she even broke the orb.

“Well done. Then, now we can figh—”

“Hold.”

Martha raised a hand to stop Krein, who was about to charge out.

“Huh? Why…?”

“We need to see what those White Blood bastards are up to.”

They had to figure out how the White Blood Religion erased entire harbors without a trace in order to save the people who had disappeared.

This wasn’t the time to fight, it was the time to observe.

“Ah, understood.”

Krein widened his eyes, seemingly surprised by Martha’s calm judgment, and nodded.

“It’s—it’s the White Blood Religion!”

“They’ve invaded!”

“That long coat… is he an archbishop?”

“Those damned bloody demons!”

Because the White Blood Religion’s white coats were so well known, people recognized the bloody demons and stepped back, lips trembling.

“You filthy blood-sucking freaks!”

A mercenary with a sword on his back furrowed his brow and stepped forward.

“You dare come here, of all places!”

He shouted at them to get lost and drew his sword.

“You foolish people.”

The archbishop stepped forward and removed the hood that had been covering his face. With his blond hair and blue eyes, he revealed a refined appearance and spoke arrogantly, calling the people of the harbor “subjects,” as if he were some kind of king.

“The mercy of the Blood God has descended upon you, the ignorant and benighted.”

The archbishop smiled benevolently, completely ignoring the sword pointed at him.

“You son of a…!”

The mercenary, unable to hold back his rage, brought his sword down toward the archbishop.

“Very well. I shall bestow upon you the first blessing.”

As the archbishop let out a chilling smile and brought his hands together, the mercenary's descending sword suddenly stopped mid-swing against his will.

“W-What the…?”

The mercenary flipped his sword around and stabbed himself in the abdomen.

Puhk!

As blood poured from his stomach, he stared blankly at it, as if unable to believe he had just stabbed himself.

Wooooong.

With a flick of the archbishop’s finger, the blood that had spilled to the ground floated up on its own and flowed toward him.

“What… what did you do to me…?”

The mercenary gasped in pain, unable to comprehend what was happening.

“Let’s have a little taste first.”

The archbishop smiled at the confused mercenary, then licked the floating blood.

“Not bad.”

He nodded, saying it was blood worthy of being offered to the Blood God.

“Then let us begin.”

As the archbishop put his palms together, a massive wave rose up in front of the ghost ship he had arrived on, sweeping over the village and its people. It wasn’t an ordinary wave, it was a wave laced with bloody energy, wicked and vile.

“Kuaaagh!”

The mercenary, swept away by the wave, dropped the sword he was holding and collapsed on the spot. The blood flowing from his stomach floated up as if it had a will of its own and was drawn toward the ghost ship.

“D-Damn it!”

“What the hell is happening?!”

“M-My body won’t move…!”

“It’s the bloody demons’ sorcery!”

The other mercenaries and villagers couldn’t move their limbs either and were swept away by the wave, their lips trembling.

Wuuuuuung!

When the archbishop began chanting the bloody sorcery aloud, the wave of bloody energy surged even more violently, smashing buildings and houses without mercy.

The villagers, drained of strength, stopped resisting and froze in place with blank eyes.

“Let’s go.”

As if they had been waiting, the bloody demons began moving, placing collars around the necks of the immobilized people and dragging them toward the ghost ship.

‘Now I get it.’

Martha twisted the corner of her lips as she watched the wave of bloody energy approaching, tearing through the harbor itself.

‘So that’s how they destroyed the harbors without leaving a trace.’

The reason people vanished without a trace was that archbishop. Because of his mind control abilities and the wave of blood energy, people were dragged onto the ship without being able to resist.

‘And the reason we couldn’t sense the bloody energy…’

Martha furrowed her brows as she looked at the White Blood Religion’s ship that was causing both the wave of bloody energy and the white fog.

‘It’s that ship.’

She didn’t know what kind of sorcery had created it, but the ghost ship had the ability to absorb human blood and bloody energy.

Because they had used that ship to completely erase any traces of bloody energy, not even she, let alone Raon, could tell anything was off, assuming only normal seawater had passed by.

“P-Please…”

“Spare us!”

“Just kill me here instead!”

There were still people who hadn’t lost consciousness, but due to the wave of bloody energy, they couldn’t move and were dragged away by the bloody demons.

“Consider it an honor to receive the Blood God’s blessing.”

As the archbishop nodded with a reverent smile, the bloody demons drew scimitars from their waists.

When the White Blood Religion attacked villages, they would eat half of the people on the spot and abduct the other half back to their main headquarters. It seemed today, too, they intended to follow that doctrine.

Paaah!

Just as the White Blood fanatics raised their scimitars to strike the necks of those they had dragged in, a yellow light swept past their heads.

Puuuhk!

As the light faded, the heads of the white blood fanatics who had tried to kill the people fell to the ground, and Martha, with her red hair tied back, stood before the archbishop.

“Rakshasa Squad! Protect the people!”

“At your command!”

As she brought down her sword and stomped her foot, the swordsmen of the Rakshasa Squad, who had been hiding among the people, surged forward with a fierce gust of wind and cut down the White Blood fanatics.

“Th-The Rakshasa Squad…?”

The archbishop lowered his gaze, trembling, as if he hadn’t even imagined this.

“Zieghart’s Light Wind Palace!”

He gulped as he met Martha’s fierce eyes.

“It’s the Rakshasa woman of the Light Wind Palace!”

“They haven’t left yet!”

The people let out sighs of relief, thinking they were saved, and began shouting Martha’s name and nickname.

“I’m not the Rakshasa woman.”

Martha furrowed her brow as she looked back at the people who had called her that.

“Even at a time like this…”

Krein muttered in awe and shook his head.

“Thanks to you, all the riddles are solved now…”

Martha stepped forward, trampling over the wave mixed with the blood of the bloody demons, and gave a slight nod of her chin toward the archbishop.

“It’s time for you to die.”

*   * *

Bzzzzzt!

Raon furrowed his brow as the location of the harbor where Martha was hiding appeared within the crystal orb he held.

'So they did go there?'

He had thought something was wrong the moment communication with Martha was cut off and immediately prepared to set sail. Thankfully, that decision hadn’t been a mistake.

“Palace master! Preparations are complete!”

Rabawin lowered his head, saying they could move at once.

“Sicot Harbor, where Lady Martha is, is right nearby, so it won’t take long.”

Despite his words, he bit his lip uneasily.

“Then let’s depart right away.”

As Raon nodded, Rabawin turned and shouted to the crew.

“Set sail! Move at full speed!”

Given how urgent the situation was, Rabawin personally took the helm and began steering the ship.

“P-Palace master! I've contacted everyone else as well!”

Dorian, panting, reported that he had informed the scattered Light Wind swordsmen of Martha’s location at Sicot Harbor.

“Good work.”

Raon patted Dorian on the shoulder and gestured to the swordsmen aboard the ship.

"The attack has likely already begun. Be fully prepared to fight as soon as we arrive at the harbor."

“Yes!”

The Light Wind swordsmen shouted a roaring response, placing their hands on their sword hilts to show they were ready.

“……”

While Raon was looking out over the ocean, Dorian wandered around the deck, fidgeting like he needed to pee.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m worried about Lady Martha and the others…”

Dorian bit his lip, saying he had seen Paros’ fear through his mind’s eye, which made him worry about Martha and Krein.

“I get it about Krein, but Martha’s there.”

Raon calmly shook his head.

“If it’s her, she’ll protect everyone until we arrive, without letting a single one die.”

Because she trusts herself, Martha only acts aggressively in her role as the charge leader. But if she were to stand in the position of a leader and give commands, she would undoubtedly act more wisely and calmly than anyone else.

“Y-You think so?”

Dorian blinked as if still unsure.

Hmmm…

Wrath let out a low hum as he looked at Raon.

The King of Essence does like the beef girl, but wise…? That one’s hard to say.

Even he blinked, saying he couldn’t quite imagine Martha acting calmly and wisely.

“You’ll see when we get there. What worries me more is…”

Raon furrowed his brow as he looked out at the ocean, where the waves were getting rougher, even though it was a bright, cloudless day.

‘This smell of blood…’

They hadn’t even reached Sikot Harbor yet, but the scent of blood and an eerie energy had already begun spreading across the ocean. It wasn’t just a feeling, something in the ocean was actually changing.

‘What on earth is happening…’

Raon bit his lip as he watched the churning ocean—

Wuuuuuung!

The Blade of Requiem, which had remained quiet until now, suddenly vibrated violently as if it would shatter at his waist.

‘No way…’

Raon grabbed the Blade of Requiem that was trembling as if it had encountered its sworn enemy and swallowed dryly.

‘The one behind this incident is…’

*   *   *

Kuwaaaaang!

Martha struck down with a heavy astral sphere, tearing apart the wave of bloody energy that had been suppressing the villagers.

“I—I can move…!”

“My legs are free from the wave!”

“Fall back, quickly!”

“Don’t just run by yourself, help the others too!”

The people, freed from the bloody sorcery, crawled and scrambled away toward the back of the village.

“Stay back like that.”

Martha gave a small nod of praise to the villagers and approached the archbishop standing before the ghost ship.

"I heard you had gone back, but to think you were hiding for over a month."

The archbishop furrowed his brows, as if unable to believe it.

“We’re a bit more tenacious than you think. Not like you lot, who just give in to your impulses.”

Martha let out a scoff, as if dismissing the White Blood Religion itself.

“You’re not even Raon Zieghart, someone like you means nothing!”

The archbishop fiercely shook his head and raised a surge of bloody energy.

“Before the blessing of the Blood God, nothing can—”

“You’re noisy.”

Martha curled her lips into a smirk and swung the sword raised above her head downwards.

Kuuuuung!

The archbishop hastily pulled up his blood energy to block Martha’s terrifying downward strike.

“G-Guh…!”

His whole body trembled uncontrollably, unable to withstand even a casual swing of Martha’s attack.

“I’ve figured out all your tricks now.”

Martha curled her red lips like bleeding wounds and gripped her sword tighter.

“Just die.”

With a chilling smile, the weight imbued in her sword surged to a monstrous level, cutting through the archbishop’s bloody energy and cleaving his body in two.

“Huh? Aaaaaargh!”

The archbishop didn’t even seem to realize his body had been torn apart until it was too late. He screamed belatedly as he toppled to the ground.

“You're noisy.”

Martha stepped forward and crushed the screaming archbishop’s head.

“H-Huh…”

The bloody demons froze in place, seemingly shocked by the sight of Martha killing the archbishop with a single strike.

“Deal with the rest.”

Martha waved at the Rakshasa Squad swordsmen and stepped onto the white stairs leading up from the ghost ship.

‘This comes first.’

There had to be a device on this ship that controlled the wave of bloody and the fog. Destroying it was the only way to save the entire village, not just individuals.

“Understood!”

“Leave it to us!”

Krein and the swordsmen nodded firmly, as if to say there was no need to worry, then began fighting the bloody demons remaining at the harbor.

Once she confirmed the swordsmen were overwhelming the enemies, Martha stepped onto the ghost ship.

‘Clean, huh.’

Despite its aged exterior that gave it the appearance of a ghost ship, the inside had been neatly refined as if newly built.

However, thick blood sorcery was engraved deeply into the deck and walls, yet, strangely enough, not a trace of bloody energy could be felt. It seemed this sorcery was erasing the traces of bloody energy from spreading to the outside.

Srrrng!

The bloody demons on the deck drew their scimitars, wary of the intruder.

“What do I have to destroy to stop the waves and the fog?”

Martha jerked her chin at the bloody demons who were radiating killing intent toward her.

“……”

The bloody demons didn’t answer and slowly approached. Though they must have instinctively sensed the overwhelming difference in power, they did not retreat.

“Yeah. You’re just that kind of scum.”

Martha muttered as if this made things easier, then swung her sword at the bloody demons on the right.

Kwaaang!

As her sword passed through, the bloody demons behind it burst apart without leaving behind even a scrap of flesh.

“If I kill all of you and smash everything, that should stop it.”

Just as Martha twisted her lips and began walking toward the bloody demons inside—

Screeeeech.

The door to the cabin above the deck creaked open, and a bald middle-aged man with a belly round like an apple walked out, his arms draped around two women with blank, unfocused eyes.

“Useless fools…”

The bald middle-aged man clicked his tongue in disdain and kicked the bloody demon standing in front of the cabin.

Puhk!

Though the kick wasn’t particularly strong, the bloody demon vomited crimson blood and never got back up.

‘That…’

Martha frowned as she looked at the bloody demon who had just died.

'Did he make it explode from the inside?'

It looked like a light kick, but it was clear he had killed the bloody demon by exploding his energy from the inside. He wasn't a Transcender, but he was a warrior of a higher level than her.

“You…”

Martha bit her lip as she looked at the pot-bellied bloody demon.

“You’re one of the apostles.”

“You don’t know who I am?”

The pot-bellied man raised his chin arrogantly and furrowed his brows.

“I am the Ninth Apostle, servant of the One.”

He introduced himself as the ninth apostle and let out a sinister laugh.

“You’re quite pretty. I must bestow upon you the Blood God's blessing as well.”

The ninth apostle licked his lips and scanned Martha’s body from top to bottom, then suddenly bit into the neck of the woman beside him.

“Hmm…”

He slightly narrowed his eyes as he watched Martha remain composed, even while a person was dying in front of her.

“I heard from the tenth apostle that you were a beast-like bitch, but this is unexpected.”

He spat the woman’s flesh onto the floor and gave a cold smile. It seemed he had heard everything the archbishop had said and knew who she was.

“I didn’t expect the provocation wouldn’t work.”

“If I fell for such a cheap provocation, the one who taught me would weep.”

Martha raised her sword with unwavering eyes.

“I won’t say I’m here to save you. But…”

She didn’t look away from the eyes of the dying women gripped in the ninth apostle’s hands, and gave a slight nod.

“I’ll make sure to avenge you.”

Martha charged at the ninth apostle, her aura flaring not with killing intent, but with a rage far deeper.

Kuwaaaaaang!

 

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