The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1253
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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 1253
“Mmm….”
Lunan Slion opened her eyes with a slight frown. She wanted to continue sleeping, but the sound of someone sobbing kept reaching her ears, making it impossible to fall back asleep.
‘What is this?’
Lunan slowly raised her upper body and turned her head toward the source of the sound.
‘Why is someone crying… Wait? A village?’
Where was this place?
She had been certain she was trying to break through Martha and Burren’s interference to kill the Eden Ghosts that had destroyed Budnew Village, yet she couldn’t understand how she had ended up in a village she’d never seen before in her life.
‘It’s definitely somewhere I’ve never been….’
Yet it felt strangely familiar.
The village where she had awakened was not particularly large, but it was an unusual place with brilliant flowers and a Garden spread wide across its center.
She had never been to this village before, yet oddly, the place itself felt familiar. More than that—she seemed to know exactly where everything was located and who lived where.
“Ugh….”
Lunan lifted her slightly stiff legs and pushed herself upright.
‘But why are the people crying?’
Many people had gathered in the center of the village, and they were weeping sorrowfully at something. It was as if someone had died.
‘Who could it possibly be….’
Lunan approached the center of the village where the people had gathered, her brow slightly furrowed.
“A child?”
In the center of the Village lay a vibrant Flower Garden, and within it rested a young boy—still and lifeless. Already dead, the child bore no sign of movement, his shoulder and chest drenched in blood from what appeared to be a blade wound.
“I, I killed this child… ah!”
Lunan Slion gazed upon the boy’s face, her voice trembling as she began to confess her deed. In that moment, the colorful flowers of the Flower Garden all transformed into a sickly black light, weaving a grotesque pattern beneath her feet.
Whoooooosh!
The form mirrored the sorcery she stood upon in reality—inverted perfectly, as if reflected in a mirror.
Dream-World Sorcery. The ancient sorcery that inverts dream and reality had been completed.
“Ahhh!”
Lunan Slion clutched her head, releasing a pained groan.
‘What… what is this…’
Information about this place and its people flooded into her mind like a torrent. The sheer volume of knowledge and the violent emotions it carried rendered her immobile.
‘I… I am…’
Lunan Slion could not withstand the grotesque power the sorcery unleashed. She collapsed to her knees, and the mental barriers she had constructed crumbled. New memories engulfed her soul.
‘That’s right…’
Lunan Slion drew a sharp breath, her fists clenching with renewed strength.
‘I lived in this Village.’
Now it came back to her. In reality, she was a swordmaster who protected this Village, and in the Dream World, she had lived as a swordmaster of a nameless, brutal Clan.
“Lunan, older sister!”
“Lunan, big sister!”
“Lunan….”
The villagers called out her name, their eyes reddening with desperate pleas for help.
“Ruzel….”
Lunan Slion called out the dead child’s name, biting her lip with fierce intensity.
“Why did this child have to die?”
She revealed her fury, her memory of having killed the child completely erased—as if it had never existed. She bit her lip hard.
“Phew.”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer, who had been hiding behind the villagers, took another step backward. He exhaled a sigh of relief, convinced that the sorcery he had cast upon Lunan was working perfectly.
“What crime did Ruzel commit?”
Lunan clenched her lips tightly. Ruzel had been such a pure and kind child, one who loved playing tag more than anything. I couldn’t comprehend why this innocent had to die so brutally.
“Ah, the demons killed him!”
“The demons with swords did this to Ruzel….”
“Please avenge him! Sister Lunan!”
“Lock all those demons with swords—the ones trying to kill us—inside ice!”
The villagers continued speaking in turn as if performing a theatrical play, crying out to Lunan to avenge Ruzel. Yet in truth, their eyes gleamed with terror and dread.
“Lunan.”
Raon appeared from nowhere and approached her.
“Let’s take our revenge. Against Zigheart.”
He whispered to her that they must kill all of Zigheart’s swordsmen, squeezing her hand firmly.
“Yes….”
Lunan clenched her teeth and lifted her head.
“I must take the same revenge.”
Confusing dream and reality, she clenched her fist, vowing to avenge the child she had killed.
“Yes! I trust only you, sister.”
“You’ll definitely be able to do it!”
“Poor Ruzel….”
The people displayed a natural performance once more, drawing Lunan into this sordid theatrical production.
“Don’t worry….”
Lunan nodded firmly, as if she would avenge Ruzel exactly as the people desired.
“Yes. Let us stand together. My beloved sister.”
Raon’s face twisted grotesquely and transformed into the appearance of Siria Slion. He spoke of standing together and embraced Lunan.
“Yes. Of course….”
Even as Raon had transformed into the appearance of Siria Slion, Lunan clenched her fists as if she felt nothing at all.
‘It’s finished.’
The sorcerer wearing the bear mask lowered his chin as he watched Lunan vow her revenge.
‘There’s no turning back now.’
Lunan had already fallen completely into the sorcery I had woven. In her current state, even if the Raon she truly believed in and followed were to appear, there was no way to undo it.
‘It took long enough.’
The sorcery that had enchanted Lunan was the unique ability of the Bearwolf Sorcerer mask I was wearing—the Bearwolf Sorcerer’s inherent power.
Once ensnared by this vicious sorcery that draws the target into the Dream World, slowly rots their soul, and then reverses reality and dreams to brainwash them, it was nearly impossible for anyone to escape.
‘I honestly didn’t expect it to work on a martial artist of that caliber.’
This ancient sorcery was extraordinarily difficult to cast successfully.
However, because Siria Slion understood the human called Lunan so thoroughly, and had placed spies within the Slion Family, I was barely able to succeed.
‘I won’t be needing those anymore.’
The Bearwolf Sorcerer furrowed his brow as he gazed at the humans surrounding Lunan.
‘Now that Lunan has become a true inhabitant of this Dream World.’
The people surrounding Lunan now were actual humans who existed in reality.
I had forcibly pulled these pleasant-faced humans into this Dream World to ensnare Lunan, but now that I could create dream humans through sorcery, they no longer seemed necessary.
‘Still, it’s a shame that boy had to die.’
The Bearwolf Sorcerer clicked his tongue briefly as he gazed at Ruzel, the boy who had fallen to Lunan.
‘He was quite useful.’
Though Ruzel’s combat prowess was unremarkable, his talent for escape was unparalleled. I had entrusted him with the task of luring Lunan here by equipping him with the Forest Rabbit’s helm. He was destined to fall to Lunan eventually, but his exceptional abilities made his loss regrettable.
‘No, now that there’s no need to hide, I can find talents like Ruzel anywhere.’
If Siria Slion merged with Lunan, there would be nothing left to fear. I could openly summon Eden and simply abduct talented individuals from across the Continent.
‘This place is finished, and reality should be settling into place as well.’
Both I and Siria Slion here were split fragments of my soul. I had left external matters to my true body and was simply keeping Lunan content here.
‘Now then, for the final touch….’
It was the moment the Bearwolf Sorcerer raised his staff toward Lunan.
Crrrrrack!
A dark fissure tore across the sky above the village where warm sunlight had been streaming down.
“Wh…?”
“Why… why is the sky…?”
“W-what is happening?”
The villagers trembled violently, terrified by a situation they had never experienced since entering this world.
“What is this!”
“Hmm….”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer and Siria Slion alike stood aghast, their mouths falling open at an impossible turn of events.
“….”
Meanwhile, Lunan remained utterly composed, her narrowed eyes fixed upon the sky as it fractured further with each passing moment.
Craaaaaash!
The fissured heavens shattered completely, and from above, a torrent of crimson blood cascaded down like a tidal wave.
Whoooosh!
An immense Sea of Blood engulfed the Village, and atop that viscous crimson tide, a raven-haired beauty descended.
“Haah….”
Martha Zigheart—the Zigheart swordswoman who had sought to protect Lunan even as steel pierced her body—opened her eyes in the Dream World.
“Damn Evelyn!”
She kicked at the Sea of Blood with evident displeasure, her voice sharp with frustration.
“Making an entrance like this—she looks like a true demon!”
* * *
“So this is that Dream World, then.”
Martha’s lips curled upward as she met Lunan’s quiet gaze upon her.
“Plenty of flowers, beautiful structures, and a pleasant atmosphere. I understand now why you wanted to sleep so badly.”
Evelyn had suspected that Lunan was being exposed to malevolence through her dreams, so she had crafted an artifact capable of granting entry to this realm. Her conjecture proved accurate—the moment Martha fastened the bracelet, she was drawn into this peculiar world.
“Ah, a demon!”
“A blood-soaked specter!”
“That demon killed Ruzel!”
“Sister Lunan!”
The Village people pointed accusingly at Martha, crying out for Lunan’s aid. Of course, they were merely following the Bearwolf Sorcerer’s instructions without question.
“Lunan.”
Siria Slion grasped Lunan’s shoulder, her brow furrowing with concern.
“Kill that demon for me.”
Unable to exert his power in this place, he refrained from engaging directly and instead entreated Lunan to take up the battle.
“Yes….”
Lunan nodded and stepped forward.
“Leave it to me.”
She exuded a glacial killing intent toward Martha—a companion and friend who had shared half a lifetime together, yet now seemed unable to recognize her.
“Wow, you don’t even recognize me now? This is driving me insane!”
Martha exhaled a sigh, her exasperation plainly etched across her face.
“It’s all over! Lunan has become a perfect inhabitant of this place!”
She shook her head, declaring that Lunan, now a resident of the Dream World, had become one of its people.
“With that foolish woman in such a state, it’s safe to say everything is finished. But there’s something you don’t know.”
Martha’s lips curled upward as she gazed upon the crimson blood drowning the entire village and the blackened sky split asunder.
“This world is no longer perfect!”
Originally, this Dream World had been crafted as a flawless sanctuary to ensnare Lunan, but her intrusion had shattered that perfection. Now it was merely a grotesque realm born from the merged consciousness of multiple minds.
“I will avenge Ruzel.”
Still entranced by this world, Lunan swung her frost-scattered blade toward Martha.
“In a place like this….”
Martha’s lips curled into a smile as she charged toward Lunan.
“I won’t give ground!”
I drew my blade upward, cleaving through every one of Lunan’s frostbitten strikes that fell like a torrential downpour.
“Hmm….”
Lunan’s eyes narrowed in surprise at my swordcraft—fierce yet exquisitely precise.
“It’s not just Burren who’s changed. I’ve bled and sweated wielding this blade too!”
Just as Burren had mastered evasion through the manipulation of wind, I had received Evelyn’s guidance to eliminate every gap that existed within my swordplay.
In this Dream World where souls clashed without distinction between aura and flesh, I would never lose to Lunan.
“I will win. No—I shall win….”
Lunan’s voice turned glacial as she thrust her blade forward. Her sword blazed with brilliant white light, summoning a colossal tempest of frost that threatened to devour the entire Dream World.
“No matter how grand the technique….”
I charged toward the heart of Lunan’s frost storm, my lips curling into a fierce grin.
“Without substance, it means nothing!”
I brought my blade down with all my strength, crushing the frost tempest Lunan had unleashed before shattering it completely.
KWUAAAAAAANG!
The collision of soul against soul detonated with a terrifying shockwave, and the cracks etched into the Dream World split open even wider.
“Ugh….”
Lunan trembled visibly, her hand gripping her blade shaking from the tremendous impact of our clash.
“You can’t understand how someone weaker than you remains unscathed?”
I looked down at Lunan with a smirk.
“It’s simple. While you were playing around, I’ve been wielding this blade with my life on the line! Even if my body and aura falter, my spirit will never break!”
To break Lunan and save her, I trained my swordsmanship with obsessive fervor. In reality, it would still be beyond my reach, but in this place where power was equalized, I held the advantage.
“Martha, block her!”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer could no longer contain himself and stepped forward, swinging his hand.
“Stop that monster woman! Don’t let her reach Lunan!”
He chanted incantations to prevent Martha from touching Lunan, summoning the Dream World’s inhabitants forward. It seemed he was trying to build a wall of human bodies.
“Ha….”
Martha furrowed her brow as she observed the people blocking her path and the Bearwolf Sorcerer preparing dark sorcery.
“So it’s you. The vile creature who slew our swordsmen at the border.”
A vile stench of deception emanated from the bear-masked sorcerer. Seeing how the land touched by his sorcery rotted even in reality confirmed that this wretch had killed Zigheart’s swordsmen.
“You’ll follow them soon enough!”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer cackled, claiming Martha would also rot and perish.
“At first, I intended to seize that insufferable mage by the throat—the one who revived such an irritating memory….”
Martha gazed at the blood soaking the Dream World, closing and opening her eyes.
“I suppose I owe her gratitude. That damned thing actually wanted to help us in her own way.”
She murmured her thanks to Evelyn and lifted her head.
“What nonsense! Die!”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer hurled pitch-black flames, and at his command, the Dream World’s inhabitants rushed toward Martha with crimson eyes blazing.
“This place is no longer your home—it is my Hell.”
Martha struck the blood-soaked Battlefield with her blade, her gaze turning glacial and piercing.
“Demon Prison!”
As she cried out “Demon Prison,” the blood pooled throughout the village stirred as if alive.
Whoooosh!
The blood surged upward, taking on the thin, blade-like form of a chain whip, coiling around the Bearwolf Sorcerer’s limbs and pinning the Dream World residents so they could not move.
“W-what is this… grrk!”
Siria Slion, who had been retreating, sank into an endless abyss with his limbs bound by blood.
“I-impossible! How could this be….”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer cried out that it was inconceivable, his parched lips trembling violently.
“Impossible, you say….”
Martha approached the Bearwolf Sorcerer with a cold smile playing across her lips.
“That damned mage’s skills are quite impressive, I must admit.”
To hear the word “impossible” from the sorcerer who had created this Dream World itself—it was worth surrendering a wish token to Evelyn in exchange for obtaining this artifact.
“W-wait!”
“There is no waiting.”
Without hesitation, I tore through the Bearwolf Sorcerer’s throat with my blade.
“Ggghhh….”
The Bearwolf Sorcerer sank to the ground, his eyes wide with shock—he had never imagined he could die in this world.
“Ahhh….”
As the Bearwolf Sorcerer fell, Lunan clutched her head as if struck by tremendous shock. Her eyes flickered alternately between violet and black.
“Noooooo! This cannot be! No one can die!”
Lunan unleashed a piercing wail, demanding that those bound by blood not be killed, as she scattered blades of frost in all directions.
“Stupid bitch.”
Martha muttered that she’d see this through to the end, then kicked at the fractured ground beneath her feet.
Whoooosh!
She shattered every trace of frost that Lunan had unleashed, then drove herself into her opponent’s space.
“Ugh!”
Lunan, a swordmaster approaching transcendence, reacted in that instant and brought her blade down upon Martha.
Clang clang clang!
Martha roughly deflected Lunan’s sword, then drove her own blade deep into her opponent’s chest. Even though this wasn’t reality, she felt the edge pierce through flesh and bone.
“Ah, ah.”
Lunan let out a dull groan and coughed up black blood. The malevolent darkness that had dominated her eyes began to fade, and her true violet-blue gaze slowly returned.
“M-Martha…?”
Lunan called out Martha’s name as her consciousness returned, her eyes brightening with recognition.
“Wait, I—I—!”
Her entire body trembled as she not only regained consciousness but also recovered all her memories of what had transpired.
“So you’ve finally come to your senses?”
Martha exhaled a heavy sigh.
“Not bad. But…”
She bared her teeth and clenched her fists.
“I can’t just welcome you back with a smile! I won’t be satisfied unless I land a punch!”
Martha raised her fist and struck Lunan’s face with all her might.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Lunan Slion spat blood as the impact—far worse than the blade itself—sent her flying backward. She tumbled across the ground, gasping.
“Ugh….”
She touched her swollen cheek where Martha had struck her and struggled to lift her head.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry….”
Lunan Slion clenched her fists so tightly that blood dripped from her palms, as if everything had finally come back to her.
“You’ve really put me through so much. Having such a foolish younger sister.”
Martha pointed to herself and let out an exasperated sigh.
“But….”
She approached Lunan Slion.
“Ugh….”
Lunan Slion bit her lips hard, bracing herself for another blow from Martha.
“I’ve been there too, so I have no choice but to accept it.”
Martha laughed softly. Seeing Lunan’s face, she was reminded of her own past self—how recklessly she had thrown herself into danger to save Evelyn’s Mother. Now, looking back, she truly understood how much Raon had suffered.
It all made sense now.
“Lunan. Until now, Burren and I have handled it….”
Instead of striking her, Martha gently embraced Lunan Slion with her raised hand.
“I’m entrusting what comes next to you.”
Martha wiped away the tears flowing from Lunan’s eyes and nodded.
“You can do it, right?”
“…Yes.”
Lunan clenched her fists, understanding the meaning behind Martha’s words.
“I trust you.”
The moment Martha spoke those words, torrents of blood erupted from the black crevasse, and the Dream World shattered into countless fragments, collapsing in upon itself.
“You understand, don’t you? Right now, you don’t even have the right to cry.”
Martha pushed Lunan away through the deluge of blood, laughing with a twisted grin.
“Cry after it’s all over. No—let’s laugh instead.”
With Martha’s final words, darkness consumed Lunan’s vision.
A brilliant flash of light erupted.
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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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