The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1019

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1019

‘Wrath.’

I called out to Wrath while keeping my gaze fixed on Akgeomhu.

‘You sense it too, don’t you?’

A person’s temperament doesn’t change easily.

Especially given that she had revealed a completely different nature in such a brief moment, it was clear that another entity had taken residence within Akgeomhu’s body.

-Of course, lad.

Wrath nodded immediately, as if questioning why I would even ask.

-Another soul dwells within that woman’s flesh.

He tilted his chin slightly, certain of his assessment.

‘Is it a Demon who descended from the Demon Realm like you?’

Since a Demon Lord or Demon like Wrath could seize Akgeomhu’s body, the dying embers of Manhwagong’s flame reignited within me.

-Nay.

Wrath shook his head firmly, as if to say absolutely not.

-What dwells within that woman’s body is unmistakably human.

He twisted his mouth, explaining that this was not a being from another dimension, but a human of this world.

‘Human, you say…?’

I narrowed my eyes as I observed Akgeomhu, who wore a faint smile.

‘Could it be the White Blood Cult Master?’

The White Blood Cult Master currently occupies Martha’s mother’s body.
I wondered if she might have stolen Bridget’s body using a similar sorcery.

‘No, that’s not it.’

I don’t sense any negative energy from this woman.

Bridget’s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, but I felt no sinister aura like blood energy or demonic power. According to Wrath, she seemed to be an ordinary human.

-That’s correct.

Wrath nodded calmly.

-What dwells within this woman is human. Though there is a faint scent of sorcery, mind you.

He waved his hand, saying that while an unknown sorcerous aura flowed from her, she was indeed an ordinary human.

“Before I tell you who I am.”

Bridget approached me with a slow, dragging gait.

“Why don’t you step back?”

The voice was identical to Bridget’s, but the tone was light and hollow.

Now it was certain. A different soul inhabited Bridget’s body.

“You shouldn’t interfere with the moment of enlightenment I’ve barely attained, should you?”

Akgeomhu beckoned him over with a gesture, as if calling a child.

“I only blocked your path because I thought you might interfere with Heegyukje.”

Raon furrowed his brow without lowering the Heavenly Sword.

“Ah, you’re right. Since Geomje gave me this opportunity, he wouldn’t throw it away again. My apologies for the rudeness.”

Akgeomhu brought her two hands together in front of her chest as if to apologize.

“….”

I bit the tip of my tongue as I watched Akgeomhu apologize so casually.

‘Her entire being is so light.’

Not just her manner of speech, but her personality seemed incomparably lighter than the original Akgeomhu.

“You asked who I am? My name is Brianna.”

Akgeomhu revealed a name that wasn’t Bridget, but Brianna, and smiled brightly. It was an expression the original her would never have shown.

“Brianna….”

I murmured the name Brianna, my brows furrowing deeply.

“Come this way.”

Brianna beckoned me with a wave of her hand, as if inviting me to follow.

“Where are you trying to go?”

I asked without moving my feet.

“Didn’t you have business with me?”

Brianna tilted her chin, questioning whether I hadn’t wanted a proper duel.

“A duel….”

I breathed slowly, sensing Brianna’s serene momentum.

‘This is strange.’

Brianna possessed Akgeomhu’s body and aura, yet oddly, she radiated an energy that suggested she wouldn’t lose to me.

‘Is she like me—bearing the burden of causality to bring her true self’s power?’

I shifted my gaze toward Wrath.

That’s not it. Only the soul has changed.

Wrath shook his head, saying that because he was human, he couldn’t use such a method.

‘So just a change in soul can create such a difference?’

I became curious about what aspect of Brianna made me sense a strength on an entirely different dimension.

“Hmm….”

I turned around to look back.

“Thank you so much for taking care of our lord.”
“Don’t worry about this side.”
“We will protect our lord.”

Baekgyeong’s warriors remained motionless until Heekyuk Je awakened, keeping watch around her with weapons drawn.

“I trust you.”

I had incurred a considerable debt to Heekyuk Je, so I didn’t want to waste this opportunity, but it seemed her subordinates would protect her on their own.

“The rest of you, follow along.”

I gestured to the Gwangpung Hall swordsmen and followed behind Brianna.

She toured the market and shops outside the Training Ground, exchanging light greetings with people. It was completely different from Akgeomhu, who was fundamentally taciturn.

“Isn’t something strange about Akgeomhu?”
“I felt it too. She seems to have gone mad from losing the duel….”

Crain and Burren Zigheart sighed, saying her personality was far too different from what they’d heard in rumors.

“She’s become a different person….”
“Yeah. There’s something different about her—it’s not Akgeomhu.”

Lunan Slion and Martha seemed to have noticed that a different entity resided within Akgeomhu’s body, perhaps because of their experiences since childhood.

“Eek….”

Dorian also sensed through his keen perception that Bridget had transformed, and his shoulders trembled slightly.

“This place should work, right? There’s no one around.”

Brianna glanced around the Training Ground built on the outskirts of Barene and shrugged her shoulders.

“This time, let’s fight properly….”
“Before that.”

I raised my hand toward Brianna, who was loosening her shoulders.

“Tell me who you really are.”
“I already told you—Brianna.”

Brianna laughed as if to say there was nothing more to it.

“You know that what I’m asking isn’t your name, don’t you?”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Brianna.

“If you’re curious, defeat me. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

Brianna smiled and placed her hand on the sword at her waist.

‘Is her fighting style the same?’

Bridget was a swordmaster who knew how to use the drawing technique, and it seemed Brianna was also attempting to use the same sword draw.

“Fine.”

I exhaled sharply and nodded.

“That’s not a difficult task.”

In truth, I had sustained some internal injuries from taking Heekyuk Je’s crude attacks head-on with my body, but I was confident I wouldn’t lose to Brianna.

“It feels refreshing. You… Aah!”

Brianna’s bright laughter faded as her brows furrowed.

“Quiet down!”

She stomped her foot in frustration at the empty air.

“Keep it to yourself? Why don’t you do the same! Shame be damned!”

Akgeomhu clicked her tongue roughly and stepped forward.

“Sorry! Let’s begin now.”

She jerked her chin, signaling to start the duel immediately.

“…Fine.”

I was about to ask Brianna something but stopped myself.

‘I’ll understand once I win this fight.’

Something vague came to mind, but it didn’t matter now. What mattered was winning this duel.

“Ready?”

Brianna bounced lightly in place like she was jumping rope, then vanished like smoke.

Whoooosh!

She reappeared at my right side.

Clang!

In a flash, she crossed the space and unleashed an incredibly swift blade strike.

By the time I noticed, her sword was already at my throat.

Screech!

I simply rotated the angle of the Heavenly Sword I held at my waist and blocked Brianna’s strike aimed at my neck.

‘Tch.’

Is speed all there is to it?

I had defended, but my reaction came too late—a shock that felt like my wrist and arm bones were shattering rippled through me.

‘Speed isn’t everything.’

Brianna wielded the same swordplay and footwork as Akgeomhu, yet the power behind them was worlds apart. It was as if her martial foundation itself had transformed.

“You shouldn’t be startled by just this.”

Brianna laughed as if to say the real battle was only beginning, flicking her wrist.

“I know.”

Raon thrust the Thirty-Six Crimson Strikes toward the motionless Brianna.

Whoooosh!

Thirty-six flames erupted as if tearing the very earth asunder, but Brianna had already vacated that space.

“Impressive strength! Here I come again!”

The moment Brianna laughed and swung her blade, a chilling sensation crept across my back.

Clang!

Without time to turn, I moved the Heavenly Sword first, deflecting the dark-gleaming slash that burrowed toward my shoulder.

‘An awl-like strike.’

Despite my proper defense against Brianna’s blade, it pierced through flesh and muscle, shaking my bones. Her swordplay possessed terrifying penetrating power.

“If you don’t defend properly, you’ll end up with chronic injuries.”

Brianna lightly shook her blade, urging me to focus on defense.

“You talk too much.”

Raon narrowed his eyes, drawing the silhouette of a crimson dragon across the blade of the Heavenly Sword.

Kuwaaaaaaaang!

The Manhwagong’s Heavenly Fire Flame Dragon Technique. A crimson dragon wreathed in flames incinerated everything in its path.

Whoooosh.

Brianna burst through the gray smoke and scorching heat from the left. Using her extreme speed footwork, she had escaped the range of the Flame Dragon Technique.

Ssssshing!

She trampled the blazing flames on the ground and drove her blade toward her own heart.

“The sheer power is insane.”

Brianna exclaimed in admiration, but her eyes held no fear of my blade.

Kyaaaaaaang!

I deflected Brianna’s sword strike, which burrowed in like thorns beneath my feet, and let out a low groan.

‘It’s the same swordsmanship, yet the gap is this enormous.’

Brianna was using her swordsmanship and footwork in Akgeomhu’s body, yet she was creating an absurdly vast difference. It felt like I was dreaming.

‘From now on, I need to treat her as an entirely different being.’

I unfolded the Manhwagong’s Flame Sea Flawless Technique and the Spear Sky Sword’s Grand Connection Heaven consecutively, blocking Brianna’s assault and cutting off the space where she could move.

“This is fun.”

Yet Brianna easily deflected my offense and launched a sharp counterattack in return. It was like a cornered mouse biting a cat.

“Hmm….”

I evaded Brianna’s thrust by the width of a single sheet of paper, my brow furrowing.

“Keep going.”

Brianna unleashed a barrage of extreme speed thrusts toward me, her expression hardened.

Clang!

I blocked Akgeomhu’s thrust with the Flame Barrier, but the shield of flames couldn’t withstand the assault and shattered like a spider’s web.

My aura lacked the sharpness that Brianna’s aura possessed.

“Now I understand.”

Brianna nodded as if she’d figured something out.

“Ever since you reached transcendence, you’ve only used overwhelming swordplay, haven’t you?”

She licked her lips and thrust forward with an even faster, sharper blade.

“What do you…”

I parried Brianna’s thrust while biting my lip.

“What do you mean?”
“You’ve only fought opponents far stronger than you or weaklings, so you can’t read their moves?”

Brianna twisted her lips into a smirk, clearly enjoying how easy this fight was.

Clang!

I struggled to block Brianna’s sword technique that bit into my skin, gritting my teeth.

‘Now that I think about it…’

She wasn’t entirely wrong.

Most of my recent battles involved either crushing opponents with overwhelming force, like when breaking through encirclements, or gambling with grand techniques against formidable foes like the Black Tower Master or Tacheon.

Guisalchang. Except for that last fight where I regained my senses, nearly all my battles had been one-sided.

“Seems like I was right?”

Brianna nodded as if she’d expected this.

“How did you know that?”
“Because your blade carries something with it. The certainty that ‘I am strong.'”

She smirked at Akgeomhu’s solemn expression as if amused.

“Today, I’ll shatter that certainty.”

Brianna vanished before her words even finished, then burst forth directly before my eyes.

Clang!

She was aiming for my abdomen. I hurriedly lowered the Heavenly Sword to defend, but my timing was late—a sharp, stinging pain shot through my hand and shoulder.

“Tch…”

I drew a sharp breath.

‘She’s honed the orthodox strike, the swift strike, the elegant strike, and the observant strike to their absolute limits.’

Not to mention her footwork.

Brianna’s mastery of those four sword techniques surpassed my own, and her footwork was superior as well.

Yet that alone couldn’t explain the overwhelming power she now displayed.

‘What am I missing?’

I furrowed my brow as I met Brianna’s chilling thrust with my own blade.

‘My aura and body are unchanged, yet with only her soul transformed, can she produce such results?’

The confusion made me panic, and my sword grew increasingly unsteady.

“What do you think swordsmanship is?”

Brianna asked while our blades remained locked.

“Swordsmanship is merely a method of wielding a blade.”
“A fitting answer from one who has transcended through understanding the blade.”

Brianna nodded, confirming that I was correct.

“The same swordsmanship can fail to cut even a single branch depending on the person, or it can cleave the very heavens. However….”

She pointed to herself and lifted her chin with conviction.

“I believe swordsmanship is like chess.”
“Chess?”

I furrowed my brow as I deflected Brianna’s blade descending straight toward me.

“Yes. A duel between swordsmen is like a siege. Your opponent’s swordsmanship becomes the castle walls and gates. We must think about how to break through and penetrate those defenses.”

Brianna twisted her lips and shook her head.

“But it seems your walls are already breached.”

With that chilling voice, Brianna’s sword arc sliced past my right flank.

*

*

*

“Sigh.”

Brianna watched me ignore the wound on my flank and let out a long breath.

‘A swordsman approaching perfection.’

Body, spirit, swordsmanship, and resolve—Raon was walking toward perfection more than anyone I had ever witnessed.

If he continued to grow at this rate, he would become a vessel destined to reach the pinnacle of the Continent.

‘But in swordplay duels, I will not lose.’

In the Mental World where I possessed only a single pale light, I had trained the Wrath Sword and the White Line Technique tens of millions—no, hundreds of millions of times.

The profound mysteries of martial arts contained within the Wise Sword and White Selection had transcended mere embodiment, becoming one with my very soul.

Especially since I had engaged in endless battles with Bridget, who had brought external swordsmanship into the Mental World where time did not exist, I possessed absolute confidence that I would never lose in a contest of sword techniques.

Screeeech!

Brianna pierced through Raon’s defense, inflicting a wound on his thigh before licking her lips with satisfaction.

‘A shame.’

Diverse sword techniques, a body perfected to its peak, an aura with no visible end—the finest ingredients were all gathered, yet Raon had not yet managed to create a proper dish from them.

‘I understand the reason why.’

Raon likely had not attempted to overwhelm his opponents through sheer force and powerful martial arts from the very beginning.

Having changed through experiencing numerous battles, it would not be easy to correct this now.

‘Should I end this?’

Since Bridget had instructed me never to kill him, only to break him, it seemed best to end this before suffering any unexpected ambush.

Whoooosh!

Brianna licked her lips as she watched Raon deliver a heavy, decisive slash.

‘A siege begins with receiving the enemy’s attacks.’

She angled her blade diagonally and smoothly received Raon’s sword strike, which carried immense force.

‘Now comes the time to destroy the enemy’s gates.’

She pursued Raon as he retreated a step after his failed attack, thrusting her blade forward.

Crash!

Though Raon raised a shield and spear of flame, her blade pierced through that fleeting moment and tore through his aura.

Rumble!

Raon, befitting a transcendent, raised the Heavenly Sword ablaze with golden flames to block her onslaught.

‘She’s reading that too.’

Brianna reversed Raon’s fierce sword strike and drove her blade toward his throat.

‘Now it’s time to take the King’s neck.’

Just as she thought it was all over and tried to stop her sword before his throat—

Whoooooosh!

Raon’s sword, which had never been caught by her technique until now, bent with an alien trajectory.

Claaaaaang!

A flawless defensive sword technique without a single margin for error blocked the Akgeomhu’s ultimate strike and slashed back at her blade.

Screeeech!

For the first time, Brianna was pushed backward not by her own will, but by Raon’s sword.

Deep footprints marked the Training Ground floor, bearing the imprint of force that hadn’t been fully dissipated—just as Akgeomhu had left before.

“What?”

Akgeomhu swallowed hard, staring at the steaming footprints on the floor.

“Swordsmanship is a battle of wits? That’s right. It was.”

Raon’s eyes gleamed with the spark of intrigue.

“Thank you for reminding me.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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