The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1076
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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 1076
“My answer has always been the same.”
I extended my right hand not toward Darkan, who had posed the question, but toward Glen.
“A blade that cannot be broken by anyone, a sword that remains unshaken by any storm. That is the blade I desire.”
I had declared this in the Charcoal Kiln to Balkan, and now I retrieved the vow I had upheld all this time.
“A blade that cannot be broken by anyone…”
Glen’s lips curved into a subtle smile, as if pleased with my answer.
“That’s good.”
Darkan grinned and traced a semicircle with his hand.
“If you keep thrusting with an unbreakable blade, no matter how vast Derus’s soul is, you’ll eventually be able to cut it down.”
He laughed, suggesting that his own mental blade might indeed be the answer.
“But there is one problem.”
Darkan raised his index finger.
“No matter how thick and hard your mental blade is, if the edge is dull, you won’t be able to cut his soul.”
He looked at Glen as if asking for his thoughts.
“You’re not wrong. A blade of the soul must be sharper than any physical blade.”
Glen nodded, saying that one must hone the blade of the soul as a master craftsman hones a fine sword.
“Of course, I deliberately made mine dull!”
Darkan shrugged, explaining that he had not sharpened the edge of his mental blade in order to summon the enemy’s soul within his mental realm.
“Anyway, we’re in agreement.”
Darkan smiled and extended his hand toward Glen.
“It seems we’ll have plenty to do over the next month, don’t you think?”
“Indeed.”
Despite his words of agreement, Glen didn’t take Darkan’s hand. Instead, he closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again.
“In the morning, the mind is sharpest, so you’ll cultivate his will. In the afternoon, I’ll develop his technique.”
Darkan snapped his fingers as he proposed dividing the training hours for Raon.
“And finally, in the evening, the three of us will discuss the philosophy of the blade.”
“Why are you being so serious about this?”
Glen’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Darkan.
“Because this moment is the blade itself.”
Darkan expressed life itself as the blade and assumed a solemn posture.
“…I understand.”
Glen seemed to sense Darkan’s sincerity and accepted his proposal.
“Then I’ll simply observe.”
Despite saying he would observe, Darkan didn’t step back and remained standing in place. He was truly an extraordinary man.
“Raon.”
Glen called out to Raon without paying attention to Darkan.
“Yes, sir.”
Raon approached Glen and bowed his head.
“Now that I think about it, I have a small question.”
Glen narrowed his eyes to sharp slits.
“Your intent has always transcended mere swordsmanship, and your soul’s grade has risen even further—so why has the intent infused in your blade grown weaker?”
He furrowed his brow, clearly perplexed.
“I’m not entirely certain myself, sir.”
I lowered my gaze and smacked my lips together.
‘Grandfather was right.’
I hadn’t neglected my mental cultivation in any particular way, so hearing that my intent was insufficient caught me off guard as well.
-That old codger might not know, but…
Wrath settled onto my shoulder.
-You should understand, shouldn’t you?
He narrowed his eyes as if questioning why I hadn’t grasped it.
‘What?’
I widened my eyes, looking at Wrath.
‘What do you mean?’
-Your intent isn’t weak—it has grown weaker.
Wrath shook his head, insisting I understand this distinction.
‘Grown weaker?’
-What do you believe intent is?
‘It’s the power to manifest my deepest desires into reality—the fervent wish that what I imagine becomes real, materialized through my soul.’
Intent was pouring that intense yearning into my blade, transforming imagination into reality.
-You’re roughly correct. However, you…
Wrath’s eyes narrowed as he looked at me.
-You mixed something else into that resolve.
‘Something else?’
-The True Demon King’s power and that of the other Demon Lords.
His pupils flashed with an icy blue light.
-During those desperate battles where lives hung in the balance, those powers served you well. But in exchange, your resolve weakened accordingly.
‘Ah, so that’s why….’
-Since the Demon Lords’ powers fulfilled your wishes in your stead, it’s only natural that your resolve would diminish.
Wrath let out a scornful laugh, as if I couldn’t even properly wield the strength I possessed.
‘Now I understand.’
Everything became clear—why Glen sensed my resolve was weakening, and why I hadn’t noticed the deterioration myself.
‘Power wasn’t an omnipotent force after all.’
I’d thought it only gave. But now I saw it for what it truly was—a dangerous strength that could harm me as well.
‘Then the method to restore it should be simple.’
I immediately conceived a way to recover my resolve and nodded to myself.
“Raon?”
Glen called my name, noticing I’d fallen into thought.
“Are you all right?”
“My apologies. I was organizing my thoughts.”
I bowed my head to Glen.
“Organizing your thoughts?”
“You were correct, Grandfather. My resolve weakened because I focused too heavily on other powers. And so….”
I placed my right hand on the Heavenly Sword.
“Grandfather, I would appreciate it if you would attack me with swordsmanship infused with will.”
“Can you withstand it?”
Glen narrowed his eyes slightly, as if suggesting it would be difficult for now.
“I can. Or rather, even if I cannot, I must.”
I nodded and drew the Heavenly Sword.
“Very well.”
Glen raised the Jincheon Sword as if he had read the will dwelling in his own eyes.
“However, you will not be able to block it easily.”
With a grave expression, he brought the True Heavenly Sword down with a piercing gaze.
Whoooosh!
Though the True Heavenly Sword carried no overwhelming aura, a tyrannical wave of energy erupted as if to shatter the very heavens.
“Excellent!”
The moment Glen unleashed his swordsmanship, Darkan applauded. He seemed to be a devoted admirer.
Clang!
I slashed the Heavenly Sword diagonally upward, intercepting Glen’s descending True Heavenly Sword.
‘Will infused in the blade…’
As I blocked Glen’s strike, I steeled my resolve to push back and infused the Heavenly Sword with greater power.
-Not bad.
Wrath nodded, acknowledging that I had improved compared to before.
“Not bad at all.”
Glen also smiled faintly, pleased with the start.
“It will weaken again, but please don’t reduce your intensity.”
I made my request and then summoned the powers of the Demon Lords that lay dormant deep within my soul.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Six powers bloomed above the Heavenly Sword, and Glen’s blade began to be pushed back roughly.
-Hey, what are you doing?!
Wrath’s eyes widened as he suddenly questioned why I was doing something so reckless.
-Relying on power weakens your will!
He tapped his own forehead, telling me to come to my senses.
“Hmm….”
Glen also seemed to notice that I was using a force beyond my will, and his brows furrowed.
“Don’t stop. Please continue.”
I told him not to stop and separated the Demon Lords’ powers that were trying to seep into my will.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Rather than combining my will and power as before to swing my blade, I made the two forces clash against each other instead.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
When I made my will and power collide, the force contained in my blade weakened compared to when I used only my will.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Glen’s Heavenly Sword pushed back the Heavenly Sword, and his knees bent as if they were about to touch the ground.
“Are you truly certain about this?”
Glen gazed at me with eyes filled with concern.
“Please, continue!”
I nodded even as my waist began to bend under the strain.
-Yes. What exactly are you trying to do…?
Wrath blinked as if he couldn’t comprehend my actions.
-Your will and authority are clashing and both are being annihilated!
He struck my back, telling me to come to my senses.
‘This is the answer.’
I bit my lip and shook my head.
‘Just as muscles tear and regenerate thicker, energy grows stronger when it battles itself.’
The Manhwagong’s flames and Glacsia’s frost were opposing attributes, so they fought endlessly, and through that struggle, they grew stronger together.
Similarly, if I made my will and authority fight each other, both energies would likely grow faster as they competed to overcome their opponent.
‘And besides…’
I clenched my teeth as I watched Glen bring down his heavy sword of will.
‘With the strongest opponent before me, I have no choice but to become stronger.’
While triggering a battle between my will and authority and simultaneously blocking Glen’s blade, my mind felt like it might scatter, but this very difficulty would ultimately forge my growth. As it always had.
Kyaaaaaaang!
On the verge of collapse yet somehow still standing, I continued to block Glen’s blade.
Gooooooo!
I felt my soul growing thicker, denser than before.
[Your conviction grows.]
[The power of the lords strengthens.]
[Your soul’s grade has risen.]
As the messages appeared before my eyes, I could feel a subtle surge of power flowing into my blade.
Ching!
Glen’s sword, which had been pressing forward like a tidal wave, was pushed back by a hand’s breadth for the first time.
‘All this effort was worth it.’
In half a day, I had achieved rewards that ten days of solitary sword training could never have granted me. Training with Glen truly held value beyond measure.
“Excellent.”
Glen, sensing my transformation, let out a soft exclamation.
“Already improved? What exactly is that?”
Darkan laughed in disbelief at how rapidly the growth was occurring.
-Ugh…
Wrath’s eyes widened, as if he hadn’t expected the messages to appear so quickly.
‘See that?’
I elbowed Wrath and laughed.
‘Children grow through fighting. But….’
I bit my lips deeply and lifted my dimming eyes.
‘This is quite exhausting.’
Blocking Glen’s blade while simultaneously controlling the conviction and power clashing within me was agonizing.
After only half a day of training, I felt as though I had wielded my sword for ten days without sleep.
‘Still….’
I smacked my lips and raised the Heavenly Sword once more.
‘I have to keep going.’
To see where this path leads.
“Again.”
I took my stance and stood before Glen once more.
“Please, once more!”
*
*
*
After finishing lunch, I encountered Darkan at the Training Ground.
“Now it’s my turn.”
Darkan smiled faintly, saying he’d been waiting.
“What’s lacking in my blade?”
I said I was ready to listen properly and brought my hands together before me.
“Harmony.”
Darkan waved his hand lightly. A subtle sense of stability emanated from the aura blooming above his palm.
“Harmony?”
“Your blade is indeed moving toward perfection. I understand why Glen doesn’t want to interfere with your swordsmanship. But I’m different.”
He raised a finger, pointing to his eye patch.
“After losing my eyes and learning to perceive through sensation, I became extraordinarily sensitive to the movements of others.”
Darkan erased the smile playing at his lips and continued.
“Even without channeling aura, I can feel the fine hairs on the back of my hand swaying in the wind.”
He tapped the back of his hand, explaining that this alone allowed him to discern the strength and direction of the wind, and even the weather to come.
“Since every sense except sight has transcended human limits, the way I perceive swordcraft has fundamentally changed.”
“I imagine it has.”
Raon nodded in acknowledgment.
“That heightened perception detected a subtle distortion in your blade.”
Darkan nodded, explaining that because he lacked eyes, he could sense the twist embedded within his own swordcraft.
“If you attune that distortion as carefully as one would tune a piano string, your blade will ascend to a new realm.”
He extended his hand toward me, asking if I was willing to attempt it.
“…”
Glen seemed to agree with Darkan’s words, saying nothing as he stood with his arms crossed.
“What must I do?”
I grasped Darkan’s hand without hesitation.
“Display your swordcraft before me once more.”
Darkan nodded, instructing me to perform the same swordcraft I had demonstrated at dawn.
“Understood.”
I steadied my breathing and began to unfold the swordcraft of Manhwagong in sequence.
Whoooooosh!
As I was about to unleash the Flame Dragon Strike after executing Heavenly Rotation, Red Island, and Flame Blossom in succession, Darkan extended his hand to stop me.
“Stop. Perform that swordplay again.”
He waved his hand, instructing me to unfold Flame Blossom once more.
“Understood.”
I nodded and conjured a tree of flames upon my blade.
“Again.”
Darkan shook his head once more, dissatisfied, commanding me to repeat it.
Whoooosh!
I continued unfolding Flame Blossom endlessly, while Darkan called for repetition without pause. As this cycle repeated, the Training Ground floor became etched with countless traces of flame fragments, as if flower petals had settled upon it.
As this repeated, countless traces of spark fragments, like flower petals settling, were etched into the floor of the Training Ground.
“Understood.”
“I got it.”
Raon didn’t complain at all and unfolded Hwaryeong dozens of times over and over again.
“Why aren’t you asking why again?”
Darkan tilted his chin with a curious expression.
“You don’t even ask for advice?”
“Listening to someone else’s counsel only helps in that moment. To grow stronger, I must discover the solution myself—that’s how I advance faster and higher.”
“If I don’t listen to advice and solve things myself, that’s how I can become stronger.”
Listening to other people’s advice only helps for that moment. You have to find the method yourself to move forward faster and reach greater heights.
“Kahahaha!”
Darkan burst out laughing while clutching his forehead.
“I knew I had a good eye for people!”
He chuckled and turned to look at Glen.
“You’ve raised one impressive grandson! I never thought I’d envy anything as much as I envy your blade!”
Darkan pressed his lips together deeply, speaking with genuine sincerity.
“Ahem!”
The moment Glen heard Darkan’s heartfelt praise, he dropped his guard stance and his lips trembled slightly.
“It’s not quite that impressive.”
His ears had turned completely red—he was clearly delighted.
“Don’t look anywhere else. Watch my blade.”
I reinforced the essence of Blade Transformation in Flame Spirit and unleashed the flames.
“Again.”
Darkan called out again, still unsatisfied.
“Understood.”
I extended my left foot forward. I weakened the Blade Transformation and Blade Reversal that formed the core of Flame Spirit, strengthened the essence of Swift Blade, and thrust my sword forward again.
Whoooosh!
Though I didn’t employ much aura, the flames that blossomed from the Heavenly Sword’s blade tip bloomed with radiant beauty and spread across the entire training ground.
Fwoooosh!
The brilliance and transformation dwelling in Flame Spirit remained unchanged, but the faster fragments of flame enveloped Darkan before he could even blink.
The sight resembled the blade of the First Patriarch of Zigheart that I had seen in my memories.
[Mastery of Ten Thousand Blades increases.]
A message appeared indicating that my Mastery of Ten Thousand Blades had risen, perhaps because I had achieved a small but genuine enlightenment.
“Now you’re finally starting to feel it.”
Darkan spoke words of approval for the first time, saying it wasn’t bad rather than repeating his usual criticism.
“At last….”
As I smiled and nodded, Darkan’s mouth opened again.
“But do it again!”
He waved his hand, insisting I still had much to improve.
“Sigh….”
I pressed my lips together and shook my head.
‘This training is no joke either.’
The difficulty far exceeded my expectations, and my legs grew weak while my head throbbed with pain.
‘Both my mind and body feel as heavy as if soaked in water.’
-Hehehehe, seeing you whimper like that is so satisfying!
Wrath chuckled and shook his head.
-Just pretend you’re dead and swing your sword for a month straight!
He waved his hand dismissively, suggesting I relieve my stress through pain.
‘There has to be a better way….’
I clicked my tongue and shook my head.
‘There should be another method to relieve stress….’
*
*
*
‘I’m growing tired.’
After finishing my sword training with Darkan, I collapsed onto the floor of the Training Ground.
Though I’d eaten a delicious dinner at the Main Mansion, my head still spun from the exhaustion I’d drained since dawn.
-Pathetic weakling.
Wrath smacked his lips and shook his head. He seemed satisfied with the Main Mansion’s meal, his expression free of complaint.
“Did you enjoy today’s training?”
Darkan approached me and tilted his chin, asking how the day’s training had gone.
“It wasn’t enjoyable, but it was tremendously helpful.”
I nodded, saying I’d found a path for how I should grow moving forward.
“From training with Grandfather, I learned methods to strengthen my will, and from training with you, I grasped the subtle nuances in sword technique.”
I felt certain that if I could endure a month of training with these two, I would reach a new realm.
“If you truly accomplish it all, you’ll receive a reward befitting your effort.”
Glen nodded as if sharing my thoughts.
“Then shall we discuss the Heart Sword one last time?”
Darkan tilted his chin while sitting beside me.
“What do you think the Heart Sword is?”
“A martial art that hones one’s soul to sever the enemy’s soul.”
I explained what I understood about the Heart Sword.
“Then mine isn’t the Heart Sword? My blade doesn’t kill enemies.”
Darkan tilted his chin as if questioning whether that was truly correct.
“Hmm….”
I let out a low groan.
“You must not regard Heart Sword as merely a martial technique.”
Glen shook his head calmly.
“First, consider what you can demonstrate through Heart Sword.”
After leaving those words, he turned away.
“Since it’s your first day, we’ll stop here for today.”
Glen waved his hand, telling me to think carefully before returning.
“He really communicates well. How about our friend’s meal? What year was he born?”
Darkan, sharing the same thought as Glen, followed after him.
“Phew….”
I spat out the dust gathered in my mouth, left alone in the Training Ground.
“Mental fatigue is accumulating.”
I had conducted spiritual training in the morning and repeated the same sword technique in the afternoon, and now with this enigmatic assignment, my head began to throb even more intensely.
-How delightful that you suffer!
Wrath wagged his tail, pleased that I was struggling.
-Still, if you endure, you’ll eventually adapt….
‘No, there’s no need to endure.’
I let out a cold laugh and rushed out of the Family Head’s Training Ground toward the 5th Training Ground.
“Huh?”
“Lord Rion. Why are you here?”
“Weren’t you training with the Family Head?”
The swordsmen of Gwangpung Hall, who had been training leisurely, widened their eyes as they looked at me.
“I learned some rather entertaining training today.”
A crimson madness flickered across my eyes.
“I wanted to share it with all of you.”
I painted a bright smile across my face, contrary to what I truly felt.
“Really?”
“Well, training with the Family Head and the Previous Holy Sword Master must be extraordinary!”
“Right. It won’t be as crude as just swinging swords mindlessly like we do.”
The swordsmen of Gwangpung Hall licked their lips in anticipation of the training.
“Huff…”
However, Dorian read my sinister intentions through his keen perception and slowly began backing away.
“I… I need to escape…”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I descended from the platform and draped my arm across Dorian’s shoulder.
“Ugh!”
Dorian foamed at the mouth as if he might lose consciousness.
“This excellent training I learned…”
I smiled wickedly and lifted my chin. My appearance seemed both like an angel descending from heaven and a demon rising from hell.
“Let’s try it together.”
-Ha…
Wrath’s mouth fell open as if he had no idea how to relieve stress at Gwangpung Hall.
-They say there are no worthless subordinates under a capable master, yet beneath the greatest swordsman in the world, the greatest madman in the world has emerged….
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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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