The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1329

 Chapter 1329

 

'Now that I think about it….'

Raon tightened his trembling grip and slowly nodded.

‘I never truly gave it everything I had inside this mental world.’

Because I can come back to life after dying, every time I suffer a serious injury, or rather, ever since the very first time, even a minor one, I end up killing myself, thinking it's better to fight again in perfect condition. I thought that would save time... but was I wrong? Has it actually been costing me more time instead?

‘I was wasting my time... and wasting myself.’

In actual combat, one can't always fight in perfect condition. You might already be injured from training, exhausted from lack of sleep, or forced to face your enemy while still carrying wounds from an earlier fight.

But ever since entering this mental world, I've insisted on fighting Wrath only when I'm in perfect condition.

This isn't training.

It's nothing more than self-indulgence.

"Ha!"

Still gripping Heavenly Drive, Raon swung his own fist into his cheek.

He hadn't held back. A dizzying burst of pain shot through him, but strangely, his mind felt clearer than ever.

'I thought it was the same as before, but it wasn't at all.'

Back when I sparred with Wrath in the Chamber of the Self, dying meant I had to cross the ocean before I could fight him again. During that long journey, I'd desperately rack my brain for a way to survive even a single blow from him. And whenever we fought, I gave everything I had in that moment, even if it meant losing an arm or a leg.

But now, the convenience of being able to revive instantly and challenge him again has made me forget what truly matters. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I've done nothing but throw myself into the fire.

I've made the worst mistake of my life... a mistake I never even made when I was far weaker.

"Judging by that face…."

Wrath let out a faint chuckle and waved his snow-white hand.

“It seems you’ve finally realized it.”

He scoffed, saying Raon had realized it far too late.

“Yeah. Far too late.”

Raon chewed hard on his lip and gave a heavy nod.

“You don't seem to blame the King of Essence.”

Wrath narrowed his eyes slightly, looking amused that Raon wasn't blaming him for never pointing out the mistake.

“As expected, you're not stupid.”

He smacked his lips, saying Raon was a fool, but not a stupid one.

“Because there would be no meaning in you telling me directly.”

Raon let out a long sigh, his brow furrowing.

"It was something I had to realize on my own."

Wrath had no reason to point that out to me.

No... even if he had, I could only overcome this flaw by realizing it myself.

But looking at things now...

I may have realized it far too late.

"As the King of Essence said, your mental world is already broken."

Wrath raised both arms, gesturing toward the collapsed, shattered, and frozen landscape of Raon's mental world.

"A mental world is a mirror that reflects everything you've built until now. In other words, it would not be an exaggeration to say that you yourself have already been broken."

He flicked one of the frozen swords with his finger, twisting his lips.

"Ha..."

Following Wrath’s gaze, Raon slowly surveyed his own mental world.

"You're not wrong."

Just as Wrath said, my mental world is already in ruins. Every sword I've forged throughout my life lies frozen. The vast sky and ground that reflected the strength of my soul are split apart, and the lush blue forests that symbolize my growth have been swallowed by black fissures.

If I leave this place like this, I won't just stop growing... I'll suffer catastrophic regression.

"But..."

Steadying his ragged breathing, Raon formed a faint smile with blood-stained lips.

"It's not over yet."

I saw those two swords return to me, restored, when I pierced Wrath's White-Silver Aurora with the Flame Dragon Art and the Heavenly Heavy Cannon.

Hope isn't lost.

If I keep fighting and win… then the frozen swords, the shattered sky and ground, and even the forests consumed by the black fissures will all be restored to their original state.

"With that body?"

Wrath openly mocked him.

As that flawless beauty smiled coldly, it felt as though the entire world were laughing at him.

“Since time has passed, the only chance left to you now is this single life.”

Snorting, Wrath mentioned that while he had two chances left a little while ago, time had passed, and now he only had this single, injured body remaining.

“You've already used the Divine and Demonic Harmony, your hands and legs are injured, and you've expended a considerable amount of aura. Just how long do you think you can last in that state?”

He furrowed his brow deeply, seemingly thinking that Raon was looking down on him.

“And...”

Wrath narrowed his eyes to thin slits, emphasizing that this was the most important point.

“Because you've spent all this time sparring without any real sense of urgency, your martial realm has actually regressed. This is already over.”

He dusted off his hands, as if nothing Raon did could possibly change the outcome.

"Maybe you're right."

Raon exhaled a clouded breath and nodded.

"It's true that I'm injured. It's true that I can't use my sword field. And it's true that both my realm and my might have regressed."

Now that my mind is clear, no one understands better than I do just how much weaker I've become. I have to accept that.

“But...”

Raising Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword, Raon slowly parted his lips.

"I'm still alive."

I've always overcome every crisis. I've fought through countless life and death battles, and there were even times when I truly died. Compared to those times, this, where I won't truly die, is no different from relaxing with a warm cup of tea.

“I guess I only come to my senses when I'm backed into a corner. I'll defeat you right here... and reclaim everything I've lost.”

A faint smile curled across Raon's lips as he leveled Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword at Wrath.

"Come."

Declaring that he would withstand the Demon King's might even in his current, battered state, Raon planted his foot firmly.

"Ha."

Clutching his forehead, Wrath let out a hollow laugh.

“To blow a good opportunity yourself and then strike such a pretentious pose. It's ridiculous. But…”

The corners of his red lips curled upward as he nodded.

“That confidence isn't bad. Perhaps that's why the King of Essence has stayed with you.”

As though he himself had made that choice, Wrath raised both hands, glowing with an icy blue radiance.

“Of course, just because the King of Essence admires your spirit doesn't mean he intends to go easy on you.”

Declaring that he would continue fighting at full strength, just as he had from the beginning, he opened his hand, terrifying frost pouring from his palm.

“That's exactly what I want.”

Raon steadied his breathing and arrogantly lifted his chin.

“Otherwise, I'll never be able to restore this world.”

There's nothing to gain from defeating Wrath if he holds back. Only by overcoming him at his full strength can both I and this world return to what we once were.

"Then."

Wrath lowered his hand with elegant grace, his icy eyes flashing.

A single delicate flower bloomed in his palm and drifted into the air.

The Monarch of Wrath’s Ultimate Technique.

Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower.

An ice flower bathed in moonlight.

From it descended an endless storm of slashes aimed straight at him.

Kiiiiiiing!

Raon resonated the Ring of Fire to its utmost limit and retreated.

‘I can't break through the Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower the way I did with the Silver-White Aurora.’

The Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower is a technique that slices apart everything before the flower without leaving a trace before unleashing a devastating explosion. If I try to force my way through it like I did with White-Silver Aurora, my entire body will be torn apart.

'If a single flower can cut through everything...'

Raon summoned a massive World Tree above Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.

Thousand Flames.

Flame Spirit.

Gritting his teeth, he unleashed the Flame Spirit once more, despite having seen it shattered by the Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower before.

Fwoooooosh!

Red and blue petals blossomed from the twin World Trees, surging toward the Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

Just as before, countless fragments of Flame Spirit failed to overcome the lone blue flower.

Every last one was cut apart.

“You idiot.”

Wrath wrinkled his nose as he watched the fragments of Flame Spirit fall like autumn leaves.

"Have you given up thinking? The King of Essence clearly said one flower—"

“I can't fight the way you do.”

As though he already understood everything, Raon calmly nodded and swung his swords again.

Fwoooooosh!

A second pair of red and blue World Trees sprouted above Heavenly Drive and Wooden Ring Sword, once again pouring out an immense torrent of flame and frost fragments. The sword-strike fragments rained down at a speed on an entirely different level from before. It felt as though the Flame Spirit would continue endlessly.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

The Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower tore through the second barrage as well.

But the storm of icy blades gradually slowed.

Then, upon colliding with the third wave of Flame Spirit, its peerless sharpness was finally worn away, and the attack came to a complete halt.

"Ha..."

Wrath let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the Ten Thousand Hands of Death Flower, which had failed to explode, its icy blades completely worn away.

“Sure, it would be great if I could cut everything down with a single sword.”

A smile spread across Raon's lips as he accepted the Flame Spirit sword that burst free from the ice.

“But if that doesn't work, there's nothing wrong with overwhelming it through sheer numbers.”

Lifting his chin, he said there was never only one answer, and even the wrong answer could ultimately become the right one.

"Even a wrong answer can ultimately become the right one..."

Wrath let out a quiet chuckle and nodded.

“You've proven it right before his eyes, so he can't argue with that.”

Smiling as though he found the situation genuinely amusing, he gave another nod.

“Let's see you keep going then.”

Saying they should take this to the end, Wrath gathered a new mass of frost in his palm.

Wooooooooong!

The cold did not spread outward. Instead, it compressed into a tiny sphere.

It looked like he was preparing his ultimate technique, the Silver Moon Demonic Palm.

“One hurdle after another.”

Raon let out a sigh as he watched the frost in Wrath’s hand grow denser by the moment.

“You don't look very troubled for someone saying that.”

Wrath snorted as he looked at Raon's face.

“I'm actually enjoying this.”

Raon nodded as he looked down at his trembling hand.

“I should've fought like this from the very beginning.”

If I'd fought like this from the beginning instead of wasting all that time, I'd already have accomplished what I came here for.

“There's no point regretting time that's already gone!”

Telling Raon to stop wallowing in pointless regrets, Wrath fired the Silver Moon Demonic Palm condensed in his hand. The silver radiance erupted from his palm like a flash of light, hurtling straight toward Raon's heart.

"I know!"

Raon unleashed the Sword's Silvery Dream and Fire Wall toward the incoming Silver Moon Demonic Palm. The sword flowing like a dream and the shield blazing with frost deflected the terrifying might of the Silver Moon Demonic Palm, guiding it harmlessly aside.

KWAAAAAANG!

The ground, struck by the Silver Moon Demonic Palm in Raon's place, was engulfed by an overwhelming surge of frost that rose into a massive iceberg.

“There's no point regretting what's already behind me. I'm just going to do my absolute best right now. If I do...”

Exhaling a plume of white breath, he erased the frost blanketing sky and ground with the flames enveloping his soul.

“...I might even reach a realm beyond the one I originally sought!”

Vowing to turn this crisis into an opportunity, red lightning flashed across Raon's eyes.

Ruuuuuumble!

As though answering Raon's soul-infused shout, the frozen Ring of Fire high in the sky of his mental world slowly began to turn, forcing back the frost, while the shattered swords began to stir, as though awakening from a long slumber.

 

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