The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 234

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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 234

I smiled faintly as I watched Dogyae’s eyes widen in shock.

‘This is entertaining.’

Dogyae’s Sword Realm manifestation wasn’t an enhancement type like Rimer’s, which amplified the sword’s power. Instead, it was an installation type—creating dark spaces and embedding invisible blades wherever he desired.

‘I never knew a Sword Realm like this existed.’

Dogyae would strike with an illusory sword from the front that I could block, while simultaneously manifesting the black blades he’d pre-installed from behind to target my weaknesses.

A technique that anyone would fall victim to in this world where sensory perception was dulled. I’d assumed only Sword Realms that enhanced the body, aura, or attributes existed, but I never imagined a Sword Realm designed to deceive opponents could be possible.

‘Truly a consistent man.’

A warrior of Dogyae’s caliber could have created a far more powerful Sword Realm, yet he’d manifested one that mocked his opponent—proof that he was a gambler through and through.

Thanks to him, I’d grasped something about what the Sword Realm truly was.

The Sword Realm wasn’t merely a technique like swordsmanship or footwork. It was the very flow of life itself—embodying a warrior’s nature and the footprints of how they’d lived.

‘Am I still not ready?’

Perhaps because my experience was shallow, I couldn’t perceive that flow yet. But since time would resolve this, there was no reason to feel regretful about it.

“You’ve figured it all out? All fourteen blades?”

Dogyae’s brow furrowed as though irritated, creasing like rotted bark. Having read his expressions throughout their gambling and drinking contest, I detected the faintest hint of awkwardness beneath that scowl.

‘Focus.’

This isn’t over yet.

I had merely grasped the secret of the Sword Realm and reached the same level as Dogyae. No—to be precise, I was still at a severe disadvantage. I remained trapped within the Sword Realm, and all I’d managed was to stem the bleeding.

‘To win, I must use the black blade.’

Dogyae was concealing one more deception in this very moment, and I had already discerned it. I needed to feign ignorance, seize my opening, and end this in a single stroke.

“Excellent. Very excellent indeed.”

Dogyae bit his lip hard. His voice trembled ever so slightly, tinged with excitement and anticipation.

“But knowing that changes nothing—I’ll show you!”

He materialized as if riding the darkness itself, drawing his blade in an instant. The sword, infused with the mysteries of illusory swordsmanship, spiraled as it rose, deflecting dozens of blades. The pressure was like dozens of soldiers simultaneously thrusting their spears at my vital points.

Roooooar!

I lowered my stance deeply. I evaded the black blade hovering directly above my head, then drew the aura of the Ten Thousand Flower Technique to its peak.

Ten Thousand Flower Technique—Hundred Flowers.

Flame Spirit.

Crimson light bloomed across the blade’s edge as though caught by the wind. Over a hundred strands of flame energy cascaded down like petals falling at the moment of brightest radiance, engulfing the shadowed space.

Boom!

The dark blade and the torrent of flame collided, erupting into a tremendous explosion. The shockwave was so violent that the barrier itself rippled, sending both Raon and Dogyae flying backward simultaneously.

Even as I was pushed back, my mind catalogued the black blades positioned behind me.

‘Lower right, middle left, two more along the diagonal.’

I twisted my body with the suppleness of reeds bending in autumn wind, weaving through the black blades that filled the space.

Crash!

Dogyae, frustrated at gaining no advantage despite the explosion, tore through the shockwave with his massive frame and hurled his blade forward. His colossal form and razor-sharp steel reached my face in an instant.

Screech!

One blade became two, then four, then eight. In a heartbeat, my entire vision was consumed by Dogyae’s swords.

‘Absurd swordsmanship.’

Setting aside the fading aura, the speed and tangibility of the phantom blade technique spreading before me made the swordplay of Rayden Zigheart or Garon Zigheart—whom I’d fought before—look like child’s play. The dimension of skill was entirely different.

‘I have no choice but to break through!’

I resonated the ring of fire and tilted my sword to the side. I stepped forward with a powerful true stance, as though shattering a barrier.

Whoooosh!

A crimson sphere bloomed before the sword strike that shot forth like lightning, and an enormous aura condensed into being.

Raon Zigheart style sword technique.

Zenith Cannon.

The illusory blades Dogyae had created were drawn in by the gravitational pull of the Zenith Cannon, and in that instant, the darkness lifted.

“This is—!”

The moment Dogyae tried to escape the pull with his eyes wide open, I detonated the Zenith Cannon.

Boom!

Hundreds of blades and the condensed fierce aura of flame exploded, causing the Sword Realm to swell as though it would burst.

Crackle!

The shockwave of aura born from the collision of two forces opened its dark maw toward both Raon and Dogyae.

I threw myself into the storm without hesitation, and Dogyae kicked off the ground as well.

Crash!

The two swordsmen unleashed tremendous sword strikes at each other, even the slightest retreat threatening to shred flesh within the tempestuous maelstrom.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

I clashed blades with Dogyae, evaded the torrential aura pouring from the storm, and deflected the dark blades targeting my limbs.

Simultaneously, a sense of peril as though fighting three opponents drenched my entire body, yet strangely, laughter bubbled up from within.

‘This is exhilarating.’

Even as I wielded the Ring of Fire, Mana Convergence, and Glacial with fervent intensity, and my mind burned with the effort to predict Dogyae’s movements, I felt pure joy. The strength of unleashing everything I possessed flowed through my grip.

“You’re laughing in this situation?”

“It’s strangely exhilarating.”

I deflected Dogyae’s illusory sword targeting my shoulder with Mana Convergence Rotation, then withdrew my left foot to render the two dark blades useless.

Boom!

Sagrado surrendered to the tempest of aura. I channeled the spiral’s rotational force into the Heavenly Sword, summoning a frost dragon’s ascent.

Dogyae raised his downward-aimed sword to meet it. As blade edges overlapped, a dark iron flower bloomed. It was the manifestation of Dogyae’s forbidden sword technique—Wall Rotating Slash.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

The silver storm and the cluster of iron flowers collided, unleashing a deafening roar that made my ears ring.

“You’re really getting on my nerves!”

Dogyae parted the rippling aura and thrust his blade forward. The sword tip wavered endlessly, making it impossible to discern his exact target.

Whoooosh!

No sword sense, but the ring of fire existed. I pushed my concentration to the brink of burning my mind, heightening my perception speed.

‘Left!’

In my slowed vision, I could see the direction his blade was moving. Right chest. He was targeting my lungs.

Clang!

Like rainwater flowing down a roof, I angled the Heavenly Sword sideways to deflect Dogyae’s blade, then immediately rotated my sword.

Screech!

The fangs of the Radiant Sword gleamed in the sparks of the Heavenly Sword that erupted while scraping the ground. The eerie blade grazed Dogyae’s thigh.

Crash!

Dogyae laid his sword horizontally to defend, but the ferocious power contained within the Jechen Sword pushed him backward.

“Grrrgh!”

His pride wounded, he bared his teeth like a beast, accompanied by a faint growl.

A low rumble escaped him.

He lowered his stance, channeling force through his left big toe, then activated Manwha-gong and Glacia simultaneously. His condensed muscles exploded like a snapped rubber band, propelling him forward in a burst of speed.

‘I must end this here.’

A solemn gleam flickered in my eyes.

This was the decisive moment.

*

*

*

Dogyae watched Raon charge forward with blazing eyes and forcibly relaxed his grip. Maintaining his bewildered expression, he retreated three more steps backward.

‘Impressive.’

Many had pierced the secrets of this space, but this was the first to grasp the positions of all the blades so quickly.

‘That’s the skill of the Continent’s youngest Master.’

Now I understood why Rimer and the other powerhouses called out Raon’s name and anticipated his future. His skill itself was unlike anyone else’s. That boy, who resembled the current head of the family, possessed the talent to soar beyond the very heavens.

‘But he’s still too hasty.’

His martial prowess, judgment, and perception were all exceptional, yet his youth left him with inexperience.

Raon believed there were fourteen black blades hidden within this barrier, but the actual number was different. The blades I had installed in the darkness totaled sixteen—two more than his prediction.

‘But there’s no helping it.’

I had deliberately made him think that way.

Before even revealing myself, I had shown him the dice’s face to make him miscalculate the number of blades embedded here as fourteen.

With that single phenomenon, Raon would be convinced there were fourteen blades installed in this barrier.

But that was a deception. From the beginning, I had embedded sixteen blades in this barrier, completely unrelated to the dice.

One of them was now aimed at Raon’s right shoulder as he rushed forward, while the other was fixed on his left ankle.

‘Even in defeat, there will be lessons to learn.’

He possessed the finest talent on the Continent, certainly, but he was far too young and inexperienced to earn my acknowledgment. Perhaps in a few years, but I could not lose to him now.

‘Come.’

Dogyae lowered his blade, anticipating the expression on Raon’s face when he realized he’d fallen for the deception, believing he’d already grasped all of his tricks.

Whoooosh!

Raon approached the fifteenth dark blade unaware. Just as the obsidian edge was about to pierce his shoulder, his body dissolved like smoke. Spinning through the air, he evaded even the sixteenth blade before closing in like lightning.

Grrrrr!

The moment Dogyae saw Raon’s crimson eyes, sunken as deep as the ocean abyss, every hair on his body stood on end.

‘This… this bastard knew all along!’

His composed gaze and flawless evasion made it abundantly clear—he’d known from the start that there were sixteen hidden blades.

“Impossible!”

Dogyae clenched his teeth. The fact that he’d identified even this blade was astounding, but he’d had ample time to prepare. As he moved to block the descending crimson blade, Raon’s left hand shot toward his waist instead.

Screeeech!

With a dull, grinding sound like wood being scraped away, a crimson short blade was drawn, scattering frost in streaking patterns.

Uuuuuuung!

Simultaneously, a sword cry erupted—a bizarre resonance that blended clarity with sinister energy, bursting forth like thunder.

“W-what?!”

Dogyae’s eyes widened. He had never drawn the dagger he’d kept hidden until now, nor did he know it could channel the Sword Realm of sound. His reaction came too late.

The strange sword cry seized that fleeting moment and pierced my ear like lightning.

Zzzzzing!

A thunderous boom laced with frost erupted inside my ear, disrupting my vestibular system. My vision spun violently, and I lost all sense of balance.

Whoooosh!

Raon drew the Sword of Heaven as though he’d anticipated this opening from the start, moving with the fluidity of water. Crimson flames danced along the silver blade as it cleaved through the darkness.

“You bastard!”

Dogyae cursed. He forcibly anchored his collapsing body with aura and thrust his blade toward the approaching Raon.

Clang-clang-clang!

The crimson and black blades crossed diagonally, unleashing a tremendous shockwave.

Boom!

Raon and Dogyae rebounded simultaneously like rubber balls.

“Grrgh!”

Dogyae plunged his sword into the ground to stop himself, while Raon rolled across the floor, evading the black blade even as he moved.

“Hah…”

Raon staggered to his feet. Blood trickled from a long gash that split across his chest.

“Did you know there were sixteen black blades?”

Dogyae’s face twisted with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

“Well, yes.”

Raon nodded, clutching the wound on his chest.

“How…?”

“By observing the Sword Realm, I became certain of one thing—you’re a gambler through and through.”

“Hmm…”

“A gambler like you wouldn’t fail to roll an eighteen on the dice. I concluded that the number you showed at first was a fake.”

Dogyae was an ability user who could make a one with three dice. There was no way such a man would throw a fourteen in such a crucial match. The dice had been nothing but a trap from the beginning.

“So you knew I was deceiving you…?”

“Yes. I pretended to fall for it. The best moment to deceive an enemy is when they’re executing their own scheme.”

“Hmm, how on earth did you find those blades? It’s impossible you located them by wounds alone.”

“With this.”

I lifted the Soul Reaper Sword, which continued to wail even now.

“I awakened the sword’s resonance and found the blades you had hidden.”

“Sword resonance? Then all those times you unleashed it….”

“Yes. Not to fight, but to locate your hidden blades. Unlike your sense of aura, my hearing remained intact.”

“You found them all and still put on such an act….”

Isn’t the fool who gets deceived the real idiot?”

I offered a faint smile. Dogyae had been so consumed with the thought of deceiving me that he never grasped my own deception at all—and that was precisely why this outcome had come to pass.

“There you go again….”

Dogyae bit his lip.

“Did a blade strike your head?! How does someone your age make such judgments!”

I had crossed the Continent and faced countless duels, yet I had never encountered anyone as perceptive in deception as this boy.

I couldn’t fathom how someone raised so tenderly in a Garden watered by sunlight and care could be more versed in deception than the weeds that had crawled through the Back Alleys.

“My blood is expensive. I must be compensated for it.”

I chuckled softly and pointed to Dogyae’s chest.

“Sigh…”

Dogyae closed his eyes. He exhaled a deep breath and nodded slowly.

“You’re right. After suffering this much, it would be shameful not to acknowledge it.”

The moment he spoke those words, crimson blood erupted from his chest. The wound he’d been holding back with aura had burst open.

A deep rumbling sound echoed.

Within the dissolving darkness, Dogyae’s face bore a genuine smile for the first time.

“I acknowledge it. You have achieved the Three Oaths.”

*

*

*

A sudden burst of light flooded my vision, and I narrowed my eyes. As if night had passed and dawn had broken, the darkness receded, and the Back Alley returned to its original form.

“Vice-Unit Leader!”

Dorian rushed toward me urgently. His eyes trembled like aspen leaves as he took in the wounds covering my entire body.

“Your wounds are too severe!”

“It’s not that bad.”

I shook my head. Dogyae had held back his strength, allowing me to escape without sustaining serious injuries. If he had harbored malicious intent, it would have been truly dangerous.

“Raon! You did it! I knew you could!”

Rimer, quick to read the situation, let out a cheer upon spotting the wound that had opened across Dogyae’s chest.

“I always win when I bet on Raon! You are my divine blessing!”

He clasped his hands together in prayer and closed his eyes.

“Sigh, I can’t fathom how someone like you came from such a fool.”

Dogyae clicked his tongue while looking at Rimer. He wiped away the blood seeping from his wound, then retrieved a pale-colored salve from his pouch and applied it.

“You should apply some too.”

Dogyae tossed over the salve with its lid already open.

“It’s called Jingyeonggo—a topical medicine for external wounds. A wound like that will heal easily.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded and applied the medicine to the wound that had opened across my chest. A cool sensation spread through the area, and the pain diminished noticeably. It seemed to be quite an expensive remedy.

“Well used.”

I applied medicine to the large wound and returned the first aid kit to Dogyae.

“There’s not much left, so you take it.”

Dogyae waved his hand and turned his shoulder away.

“Gambling, drinking, and martial prowess too. I stake my name on recognizing your skill.”

He stamped his foot and straightened his back. His massive frame and fierce eyes radiated an overwhelming presence—a body still brimming with vitality, unlike mine, emanating formidable pressure.

“As the first victor of the Three Trials, speak what you desire. I shall grant anything.”

Dogyae extended his hand with a cheerful smile, as though it mattered not what I asked. His expression conveyed the magnanimity of one who had acknowledged me and now accepted the outcome with grace.

‘Not bad at all.’

He seemed petty when employing tricks, but once he acknowledged something, he possessed a clean, straightforward nature.

“This… this is a scene that will be etched into Continent history….”

“Raon! Remember what I told you before? The most important thing in the world!”

Dorian’s jaw trembled with emotion, while Rimer drew circles with his fingers, as if urging me to extract even more coin.

“Heh.”

“Hmm!”

Dogyae’s subordinates also tensed, swallowing hard as they kept their eyes fixed on the scene.

Raon sheathed the Divine Celestial Sword while bearing the weight of all their gazes.

‘Asking for money would be good, and requesting to learn martial arts would also be fine. But….’

Having completed the three trials with Dogyae, I had already decided what wish I wanted from him.

‘There’s a way to utilize him to the fullest.’

Raon smiled coldly as he looked at Dogyae.

“I….”

—————
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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