The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1048

 Chapter 1048

 

Hoo.

Raon exhaled a white breath as he looked at the ocean, now steeped in cold.

‘It’s changed a lot.’

While he was searching for the former Holy Sword Alliance’s master, Darkan, with Rector and training the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace, winter had come to the ocean as well.

Though the chill hadn’t yet fully settled in, the rippling waves were tinged with a color unlike before.

“Time flies, doesn’t it?”

Rabawin flicked the seawater with his fingertip and smiled softly.

“It feels like it’s only been a few days since you left, Sir Raon, but it’s already been three months.”

He nodded, saying that because the ocean remains unchanged, it makes time feel like it passes faster.

“Have you perhaps seen Haerang recently?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the calm surface of the water.

“No. I haven’t seen it at all since you left.”

Rabawin shook his head, saying that even though he’d been around this area for three months, he had never encountered Haerang.

“I see….”

Raon smacked his lips briefly.

‘Did it go somewhere else?’

Before leaving this harbor, he had asked Haerang to keep an eye on the White Blood Religion, but now, hearing that the spirit hadn’t appeared even once, the thought occurred to him that Haerang had left this place.

That’s only natural. It barely escaped the clutches of those bloody demon bastards, do you really think it would care only about your request.

Wrath snorted, saying that a wolf needed freedom.

Don't rely on a spirit. Use your own feet and run yourself.

‘I brought the diving suit anyway.’

Since he needed to confirm firsthand whether there had been any changes in the White Blood Religion’s movements before the war began, he had brought Evelyn’s diving suit.

‘There’s still time before sunrise, so I should head out now…’

Just as he was about to take out Evelyn’s diving suit from his subspace pocket and put it on—

Pop!

A water droplet the size of a human torso splashed out of the ocean and transformed into a young wolf.

“Kwaang!”

It was Haerang. As if he had been waiting, he jumped out as soon as Raon dipped his foot in the ocean and stuck out his tongue.

“You didn’t go somewhere else?”

“Kyaung!”

Haerang firmly shook his head, as if to say no.

“Don’t tell me… you’ve been keeping an eye on the White Blood Religion and waiting for me this whole time?”

“Kkeong!”

He wagged his tail with his back stretched long, as if that was exactly the case.

Tsk. A wolf should have a touch of pride….

Wrath furrowed his brow, saying it looked like a puppy that had chosen its master.

That’s not a wolf, it’s just a dog!

“Thank you.”

Raon bent his knee and stroked Haerang’s head.

“But you seem a bit bigger? No, your build is about the same, but the energy you’re carrying….”

Haerang’s size wasn’t much different from before, but the ocean energy it possessed had grown so vast it was hard to compare. It felt as if it were embracing the surrounding ocean.

“Kyaung!”

Haerang raised its front paw and scratched its snout, as if it didn’t quite know.

It was born as a special spirit and overcame a difficult ordeal. It’s not strange that it grew in a short time.

Wrath lowered his eyebrows, saying that thanks to the difficulties Haerang went through, it seemed to have grown as a spirit.

‘That’s a relief.’

Hearing that Haerang had endured pain and achieved growth of the soul brought Raon both pride and relief.

“Then, shall we go?”

Raon put on Evelyn’s diving suit and patted Haerang on the head.

“Kyaang!”

Haerang gave a nod, as if saying it would lead the way, and dove into the ocean.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yes! I’ll be waiting,”

Rabawin bowed deeply, as if telling him to be careful.

Ssssss.

After hearing Rabawin’s farewell, Raon dove into the ocean without a sound. Though the water had filled with a chilly cold as the seasons changed, it had no effect on him.

Kyaong.

Haerang gently parted the water ahead, as if telling him to follow.

‘Cute.’

Raon followed Haerang’s swaying tail, suppressing his presence and regulating his breathing.

All he did was trail that tail like watching a campfire, yet before he knew it, they had arrived at the underwater canyon where the White Blood Religion’s headquarters lay submerged.

Recalling Roenn’s movements, he descended to the bottom of the canyon while avoiding the barrier spells, and saw the Kraken camouflaged in gray sand and the white city towering above it.

‘It’s still in the same spot. However…’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the area around the headquarters.

‘Can’t get too close because of the bloody demons.’

For some reason, bloody demons of archbishop level and higher were also submerged around the White Blood Religion’s headquarters, just like him.

‘What happened while I was gone?’

If nothing special had happened, there’d be no reason for those bloody demons to be out in the ocean. A sense of unease welled up in his chest.

‘If it’s like this, I might need to revise the plan…’

As Raon frowned and watched the bloody demons moving around the headquarters—

Kuuuuuuuung!

Like a volcanic eruption, the ocean trembled as the Kraken’s enormous legs spread out, so vast they couldn’t be seen all at once.

‘What… is this….’

It felt unreal. The Kraken’s sheer size and magnificence made him question whether what he was seeing was a dream.

Kugugugugugu!

The Kraken stretched its long legs, as if manipulating the currents, and gripped the canyon.

Kyaung!

Haerang trembled as if it thought they had been discovered, and looked toward him.

‘No.’

Raon held Haerang tightly in his arms and shook his head.

‘We haven’t been found yet.’

If their presence had truly been discovered, it wouldn’t be the Kraken moving, it would have been an apostle bursting out from within.

Right now, the Kraken was clearly trying to move elsewhere.

Kugugugugugu!

Just as he expected, the Kraken wasn’t attacking. It climbed up the canyon while using all eight legs to stabilize the White Blood Religion’s headquarters so it wouldn’t shake.

'That was almost dangerous.'

Since the Kraken was moving and the bloody demons were also shifting around, if his diving suit hadn’t been enchanted with camouflage magic, he would’ve been discovered without question.

Haaaa….

Wrath let out an excited breath as he watched the Kraken’s legs slowly ascend the canyon.

The more the King of Essence sees it, the more he wants to eat it.

He smacked his lips longingly, saying he wanted to eat grilled Kraken, completely unaware of the situation.

‘Hoo…’

Raon let out a sigh of relief inwardly and climbed up the canyon, keeping some distance from the Kraken.

Kuuuuuung!

After climbing the canyon, the Kraken traveled far to the north and buried its enormous body in a field of brown sand.

Just as he had seen before, the creature seemed to possess strong instinctual power, it instantly blended its skin’s texture with the brown sand and concealed itself.

Its concealment technique was so perfect that even Raon could barely make it out with his own eyes.

What the hell? If it was only going to come this far, why did it move in the first place?

Wrath furrowed his brow, complaining that it hadn’t even moved that far after climbing out of the canyon.

At this rate, that meat’s going to get fatty!

He clicked his tongue, saying that if it doesn’t move enough, it won’t taste good.

‘This is the place Haerang planted in my mind.’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked around the ocean where the Kraken had settled.

‘The place where the White Blood Religion's headquarters used to be.’

It was certain. Upon seeing the surrounding terrain and landscape, the exact scene Haerang had left in my memory came to mind.

Then….

‘Yeah. The White Blood Religion has lifted its guard.’

Yeah. The White Blood Religion's guard has been loosened.'

It was clear that the White Blood Religion, after their activities had been exposed, had lifted the heightened guard they had maintained and were now preparing to resume external activities.

‘Well, they’ve held back for a long time.’

It had been over three months since the Nine Apostles were killed and the White Blood Religion’s ship was sunk. They had held out far longer than he had expected.

Considering the White Blood Religion’s nature of needing to drink others’ blood to grow stronger, it was a surprising feat.

‘Spending those two months preparing magic ended up working in our favor.’

Raon slightly raised the corner of his lips as he looked at the bloody demons spreading a new barrier around the headquarters.

‘Our chances of winning just went up by twenty percent.’

*   *   *

Kuwoooooong!

Martha’s sword came crashing down, carrying destructive power. The slash, flickering with dense aura, carved a heavy sword mark into the floor of the training ground.

“Tch.”

Martha clicked her tongue harshly as she looked at the training ground floor, violently blasted apart.

‘This isn’t it…’

The power of the Destructive Noble Sword alone felt as though it had surpassed the Grandmaster level, but because there were many openings in areas outside the destructive sword principle, it gave off a sense of unease.

‘It doesn’t feel like when I cut through father’s aura.’

Unlike when Derus had given her advice, it felt uncomfortable, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit her body.

‘Again…’

She was exhausted from swinging her sword all day, but there was no time to rest. With the war just ahead, she raised her sword again.

Creeeeak.

Just as Martha was about to perform the Destructive Noble Sword again, the door of the training ground opened and Denier entered.

“So it was you. I was wondering who was in my training ground.”

Denier let out a short breath, as if seeing her for the first time in nearly two months.

“Today is individual training, so I thought I’d come home for a bit.”

Martha didn’t mention that Raon had left. Instead, she simply said it was individual training and lowered her head.

“You’ve been busy too lately, haven’t you? I heard you’ve barely been home.”

“The head of house ordered a period of focused training.”

To keep information from leaking to spies of the Four Demons, Glenn hadn’t mentioned the war against the White Blood Religion. Instead, he had ordered the entire house to minimize missions and focus solely on training.

Thanks to that, not only the Light Wind Palace, but all the swordsmen were enduring hellish days.

“You’ve improved a lot since I last saw you. Crossing the wall of advanced Grandmaster level is just a matter of time now.”

Denier patted Martha’s shoulder with pride.

“My martial realm seems to be rising, but my skill with the Destructive Noble Sword isn’t improving. I feel like I’ve regressed compared to when I showed it to you after the last mission.”

Martha let out a sigh, saying that although her aura, battle experience, and mental strength had all grown, her proficiency of the Destructive Noble Sword had gone backward.

“That can’t be. Show me once, let’s see for sure.”

Denier stepped back, saying he would watch personally.

“Yes!”

Martha nodded and demonstrated all the forms of the Destructive Noble Sword in front of Denier.

“How should I put it… The principle of destructive sword is growing stronger, but the other principles can’t keep up, so the balance feels broken.”

She told Denier about the part of her sword  technique she had been worrying about recently.

“So your worry is that only the principle of destructive sword is getting stronger….”

Denier stroked his chin as he looked at Martha.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with continuing just as you are.”

“…What?”

Martha blinked in confusion.

“But if I do that, the power will be strong, but it’ll be easier to dodge or block, won’t it?”

“It’s fine. Don’t try to forcibly change that flow. I’ll correct your posture and the flow of your aura.”

Denier told her to trust him and focus on the destructive sword principle, then demonstrated it himself.

Whooosh!

Denier’s Destructive Noble Sword, like hers, was focused on the principle of destructive sword, and yet, strangely, the balance of the sword technique didn’t collapse.

“When the trunk of a tree grows, the branches will follow on their own. The same goes for the Destructive Noble Sword. If you focus on the destructive sword, the other principles will follow naturally.”

He nodded, telling her not to doubt herself and to follow the feeling she had now.

“Especially in the face of evil energy, focus even more on the destructive sword. It’s about breaking through with force. Got it?”

After unfolding the Destructive Noble Sword imbued with the principle of destructive sword, Denier turned around and smiled at her.

“I understand.”

Martha gave a firm nod.

“Then I’ll try again.”

She stepped forward and raised her sword. Encouraged by Denier’s advice, she no longer suppressed the principle of destructive sword. Instead, she focused on it more as she performed the Destructive Noble Sword.

‘It definitely feels better.’

Once she stopped suppressing the principle of destructive sword, it was as if the shackles binding her arms and legs had been released, and more vigorous strikes burst forth. Just unleashing her sword  technique brought a refreshing feeling to her chest.

“It wasn’t bad, but here, spread your arms a little wider.”

Denier grabbed Martha’s arm and forcefully guided her along the flow of the Destructive Noble Sword, but his gaze was filled with the warm heat of someone delighted by his daughter’s growth.

*   *   *

After reporting to Glenn and Chamber that the White Blood Religion had moved up from the canyon, Raon headed straight to the fifth training ground.

“Hm….”

He smacked his lips briefly as he watched the swordsmen refining their swordsmanship.

‘The war is coming soon. What kind of training should I give them?’

Over the past two months, he had trained them daily, rotating through swordsmanship, mind, body, and aura. Now, he wasn’t sure what to give them next.

‘When nothing comes to mind, returning to the basics…’

Just as he thought he should reorganize their swordsmanship again, Krein passed in front of his eyes.

Seeing Krein, he recalled the brown notebook he always carried around, where he recorded the details of their training.

“Krein.”

Raon snapped his fingers and called him.

“M-me?”

Krein pointed to himself with his finger.

“Then is there another Krein besides you?”

“Ah….”

Krein rolled his eyes nervously and walked over.

“Why did you call me?”

“You’ve been writing the training log, right? Bring it here.”

“Eh…?”

The moment he was told to bring the log, Krein’s pupils trembled as if he’d seen a ghost.

“W-why do you need that…?”

“I want to check what kind of training we’ve done so far. That’s why I told you to write it down.”

Raon flicked his finger, as if wondering why he even had to explain something so obvious.

“W-wasn’t that for personal record-keeping?”

Krein’s jaw quivered like he genuinely had no idea.

“I don’t care if you keep it for the memories. Just bring it here first.”

“Hk…”

After a long silence, Krein shook his head.

“I-I left it at home yesterday…”

He said it wasn’t with him right now and shook his head.

“Is that so? Then bring it by tomor—”

“What are you talking about. You carry that around in your subspace pocket.”

As Raon was about to say to bring it tomorrow, Dorian stepped up next to Krein and shook his head.

“You even wrote in it when we ate breakfast this morning.”

Dorian blinked his eyes, saying he saw Krein writing in it this morning too.

“You bastard… Where the hell did you sell off your mind’s eye…?”

Krein, without even opening his lips, performed a mysterious technique of cursing at Dorian alone.

“Bring it.”

Raon let out a small laugh and motioned with his chin toward Krein.

“Ah, u-uh, yes…”

Krein glanced resentfully at Dorian, then opened his subspace pocket and handed over the notebook, which looked thoroughly worn.

“U-um, I need to use the restroom…”

The moment he handed over the training log, Krein began to back away, claiming he had a stomach ache.

“Go ahead.”

Raon gave a slight nod and opened the training log he had received from Krein.

“Huh? Ha… Ha!”

Each day's entry was short, but it contained exactly what training had been done and how.

And at the end of every entry was always an insult aimed at himself.

And at the end of every log entry, it always finished with a curse about him.

He was a madman, no matter the time or place.

“K.R.E.I.N.”

Without lifting his eyes from the log, Raon called out to Krein.

“Y-yes? I said I was going to the restroom…”

“To the front.”

“Hrk!”

Krein released the stomach he’d been clutching and stood pale-faced at the front platform.

“This log is very well done.”

Raon looked down at Krein and gave a gentle smile.

“Everything I need is written here. Of course, so are things I don’t.”

“I-is that so? I just wrote down the facts…”

Krein awkwardly smiled, darting his eyes around.

“Hahaha.”

“Ahahaha.”

As Raon laughed, Krein twisted his lips and forced out a similar laugh.

“You’re laughing?”

“Hmp!”

Krein raised both hands to cover his nose and mouth.

“Today—no, for the rest of the remaining days, I’ll show you what a true madman looks like.”

“Kkugh!”

At the cold voice that sounded as though directed at an enemy, Krein’s complexion turned bright yellow.

Tsk tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue in pity.

He got caught by the wrong dirty bastard.

He pressed his palms together, as if offering a prayer for Krein’s soul.

*   *   *

Raon sat on the bed in the annex building and lifted his head.

‘The time has come.’

Morning had come on the day Evelyn and the archmages said they would complete the magic spell.

‘A long and yet short span of time.’

It had been hell, raising the level of the Light Wind swordsmen while also elevating his own level, but looking back, it felt like a fleeting moment.

‘The Light Wind Palace has grown greatly.’

Especially Martha.

Everyone had trained hard, but the one who had achieved the greatest growth was Martha.

While he had been away at the ocean, she had grasped the true meaning of the Destructive Noble Sword. It seemed that, however slightly, she might now be able to aim for an opening in the White Blood Religion’s leader.

‘Of course, I’ll have to help.’

Even though Martha had grown, if she were to charge at the White Blood Religion’s leader alone, she would be burst into a spray of blood that instant. His role remained the most critical.

‘For that…’

Raon smacked his lips and called up his status window.

<Status Window>

Name: Raon Zieghart
Title: <The One Who Turns the Wheel of Fate>
Condition: None
Traits: <Wrath>, <Sloth>, <Envy>, <Gluttony>, <Lust>, <Greed>, [Clear Mirror, Still Water], [Death God], [Mind’s Eye of the Azure Flower], Ring of Fire (Nine-Stars), Water Resistance (Twelve-Stars), Fire Resistance (Eleven-Stars), Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation (Ten-Stars), Glacier (Ten-Stars), Bleeding Curse (Six-Stars), Iron Will (Eleven-Stars), Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (Ten-Stars), Clear Mirror, Still Water, Poison Resistance (Six-Stars), Spiral Power (Ten-Stars), Water Affinity (Seven-Stars), Array Analysis (Two-Stars), Fire Affinity (Six-Stars), Snow Flower’s Veil (Five-Stars), Divinity Blooming from the Underworld (Ten-Stars), Energy of Death Resistance (Seven-Stars), Magic Armor of Snow Flower (Eleven-Stars), Snow Flower Attraction (Five-Stars), Snow Flower repulsion (Five-Stars), Wrath Release (Three-Stars), Flame That Overcomes Death (Six-Stars), Blade That Severs Death (Seven-Stars), Divine Power Resistance (Two-Stars), Blood Path (Three-Stars), Ascara’s Combative Energy (Six-Stars), Flying Spirit (Five-Stars), Celestial Slayer (Two-Stars), Authority Amplification (Four-Stars), Light Resistance (Three-Stars), Energy of Death Detection (Four-Stars), Authority Control (Five-Stars), Crisis Detection (One-Star), Heart Sword (Spirit) (Seven-Stars), Soul Transfer Transformation (Four-Stars)

Strength: 1856
Agility: 1887
Stamina: 1853
Energy: 1872
Perception: 1905

Wrath: 400
Sloth: 270
Envy: 270
Gluttony: 220
Lust: 180
Greed: 100

He meant to check his status one last time before the war, but now the numbers had grown so vast it was hard to even finish reading them across two full pages.

Just from the stats alone, it felt like he wouldn’t lose to anyone unless it was the head of one of the Five Kings or the Four Demons.

‘Especially…’

The Heart Sword had grown significantly.

[Your soul’s level has increased.]

[The rank of the trait <Heart Sword (Spirit)> has increased.]

As if all his efforts had finally borne fruit, just yesterday, he had managed to raise his Heart Sword one more step.

‘Still, even with this sword, I probably can’t cut the White Blood Religion’s leader.’

Her soul was simply too massive. With my current Heart Sword, I still wouldn’t be able to completely cut through her soul.

But perhaps, just perhaps, I might be able to create an opening to rescue the soul of Martha’s mother that still lingered within her.

Where there had once been no hope at all, it now felt like a sliver of light had broken through.

‘Now it begins.’

Raon rose to his feet, slinging the Black Dragon Coat over his shoulder from where it lay beside the bed.

‘The war that will bring an end to the deep and dark grudge of a child who lost her mother.’

 

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