The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 269
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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 269
I narrowed my eyes as I watched Burren standing with his jaw practically unhinged in shock.
‘Looks like I arrived just in time.’
His eyes were still alert and aware.
I had been worried that Burren might have been brainwashed, but fortunately, there seemed to be no serious damage. His pupils were clear and sharp, not clouded at all.
“R-Raon Zigheart? How did you get here!”
Gelmir Zigheart’s lips trembled. Shock was written plainly across his eyes.
“I had a guide.”
I pointed to the blue-haired swordsman standing in front of the door. Killing intent dripped from Gelmir’s gaze as he looked at him.
“Dir. You traitor….”
“N-No! That’s not it!”
The swordsman called Dir frantically waved his hands.
“That friend of yours is quite good at giving directions. I got here without any trouble.”
By simply following Dir’s footsteps, I had avoided the formations and traps, arriving at this place safely. I had destroyed the ceiling to avoid entering through the door—a move that might have resulted in Burren being taken hostage—and it had worked perfectly.
“That’s not what I meant!”
Gelmir slammed his fist against the wall. The solid wall of the secret chamber crumbled to dust.
“I’m asking how you knew Burren was here!”
“Oh, that? Well, actually….”
I chuckled softly and shrugged my shoulders.
“No. There’s no need for you to explain.”
“You….”
A sound like something crumbling came from Gelmir’s lips. His rage seemed to reach a boiling point.
“But I’ll tell you one thing.”
I lifted my finger and pointed at Burren behind me.
“You’ve underestimated your younger brother far too much.”
“What?”
“Burren has the strongest sense of responsibility among all the Gwangpung Unit inspectors. He’s so rigid that if he couldn’t attend training, he’d come in person to explain the circumstances to everyone.”
It made no sense from the start that this frustratingly stubborn fellow, who served as the vice-commander of the Gwangpung Unit, would send a butler to notify them of his absence from training.
“Hmm….”
Burren bit his lip while watching my back.
Perhaps it was because he’d received unexpected praise in such a situation. His heart pounded fiercely. He felt grateful to Raon for acknowledging him and coming to rescue him—so grateful that tears threatened to spill.
“Raon. I’m really grateful….”
“What are you thanking me for? You got yourself captured like an idiot.”
“Ugh!”
His soaring heart sank abruptly at the cold words that defied his expectations once more.
“What happened to Gomen and the Jeonmadan?”
“Find out for yourself.”
I deflected Gelmir’s question with ease. Even though the ceiling above was destroyed, this secret chamber had been specially constructed, so he wouldn’t be able to sense what was happening on the surface.
“If you can.”
Since I’d decided to crush Gelmir’s mental state, I showed composure without answering his question.
“This bastard….”
Gelmir immediately unleashed a chilling aura as if he were about to charge at me.
‘He took the bait perfectly.’
Even a master couldn’t have handled this situation.
Caught red-handed kidnapping his own brother, Gelmir had lost his composure and descended into chaos.
“Why were you being held captive here?”
I turned my head to look at Burren.
“That is… well…”
“Stop hesitating. Do you still consider him your brother?”
I pointed at Gelmir, whose eyes darted frantically as he calculated his escape.
“Hah, you’re right. He’s no brother of mine anymore.”
Burren exhaled a long breath, releasing the pent-up emotions, then let out a bitter laugh.
“He was targeting you. He wanted to kill you before you rose any higher.”
He continued, his cold gaze fixed on Gelmir.
“He said he needed my help to kill you. He wanted me to discover your weaknesses and lure you out.”
“Burren!”
Gelmir shrieked, but Burren didn’t stop.
“When I refused, he used this man instead and even brainwashed him.”
Burren gestured with his chin toward Ollan, who stood trembling beside Gelmir.
“Impressive.”
I scoffed, watching Gelmir’s glistening eyes.
‘Everything unfolded exactly as I predicted.’
Just as I’d foreseen from the beginning, Gelmir had targeted me and attempted to manipulate Burren. An older brother kidnapping and brainwashing his younger sibling—depravity had reached its nadir.
“I’ve never seen a human with a vessel smaller than a dog’s bowl.”
Most of the martial artists I’d encountered thus far carried a weight befitting their power. Gelmir was undoubtedly a swordmaster standing on higher ground than myself, yet in this moment, he appeared impossibly small.
“Am I frightening you that much?”
As I smirked at Gelmir, a chilling murderous intent flickered across his pupils.
“Silence. Before I cut that mouth of yours off.”
Gelmir drew his blade with an eerie voice. It was slightly thicker than a thin sword, designed not merely for thrusting but equally suited for slashing.
“Burren. Your mind is still intact, yes?”
“I can still fight!”
Burren nodded, his lips pressed firmly together.
“That’s fortunate.”
I chuckled softly and drew the Heavenly Sword. I rotated my right hand, which gripped the blade, in a loose, limbering motion.
Clang!
Before the sword completed its rotation and returned to its starting position, the shackles and manacles binding Burren were torn away by the sword’s aura.
“Ugh….”
Burren lost his balance and collapsed forward.
“Don’t worry! It’s just because your body’s been restrained for so long.”
He shook his head dismissively and immediately pushed himself upright. Watching his limbs tremble, he seemed to be struggling more than his words suggested.
“Hmm….”
I observed not Burren’s physical form, but his eyes—steely and resolute—and nodded.
‘He’s fine.’
It was hard to believe he had endured a week of confinement and brainwashing given the formidable aura he now radiated. I could sense an otherworldly energy flowing from above his head and a concentration so intense it was almost unsettling.
-Hmm, he’s entered an awakened state.
Wrath furrowed his brow as he observed Burren Zigheart.
‘An awakened state?’
-It’s the stage just before that transcendent oblivion you slip into as easily as breathing. A state where concentration reaches its absolute peak.
‘It does look similar now that you mention it.’
There were moments when, after prolonged sleep deprivation, drowsiness would suddenly vanish and the mind would achieve crystalline clarity at its limits.
Whether it was the brainwashing or this extraordinary situation, Burren Zigheart’s current state resembled that phenomenon precisely.
‘I can’t afford to waste this opportunity.’
I leveled my blade at Gelmir Zigheart.
“Shall we begin?”
I kicked off the ground with raw force and charged forward.
“Excellent. Let me silence that mouth of yours!”
Gelmir Zigheart steadied his breathing and summoned his aura. A massive yet razor-sharp spear thrust forward, its eerie energy wave piercing like a blade aimed at the heart.
Boom!
I feinted a charge toward Gelmir Zigheart, then pivoted using the Three Paths of Harmony, redirecting my momentum in a fluid arc to kick Dir, who stood by the door.
Crack!
Dir, who was suddenly struck, crashed into the Wall without even being able to scream, and dropped the sword he was holding.
Bang!
Raon lightly grabbed his sword and stepped back beside Burren.
‘Hmm….’
“Hmm…”
I held back the urge to ask if he thought he could do it alone.
“Take it.”
I handed the sword I had just obtained to Burren and pointed toward Ollan.
“You can handle someone like that, right?”
“Of course!”
Burren exhaled sharply and rose to his feet, gripping the sword firmly. His eyes blazed with fighting spirit as he fixed his gaze on Ollan.
“Then let’s begin.”
I smiled faintly and stepped forward with Taewhail’s stride.
Boom!
As I carved into Gelmir’s space and raised my blade to strike, a dizzying sensation erupted from above. A sword aura—Gelmir’s energy blade descended like it would split my skull in two.
‘His martial prowess is genuine.’
The way he predicted Taewhail’s speed and trajectory before immediately striking down lived up to the legendary name of Gelmir the Wind Sword that echoed through the world.
‘But.’
I drove force into my extended left foot and rotated my waist. I channeled the rotational power flowing through my erector spinae into my blade, unleashing the Manwhagong Rotation.
Crackle!
The serrated heat spinning from my blade collided with the azure wind energy embedded in Gelmir’s three-sword strike, creating a catastrophic impact. The impenetrable walls of the secret chamber were torn to shreds.
“This space is too cramped.”
I stepped into Jinakak and drove my Jecheon Sword upward with full force against Gelmir. The immense power contained in the blade sent Gelmir rocketing through the hole in the ceiling.
“You, you bastard!”
“I’ll catch up. Wait for me.”
I gestured to Gelmir suspended in the air, then turned around.
“Don’t you dare die. There are too many people waiting for you.”
For some reason, I hesitated slightly over the word “people” before following Gelmir and leaping through the shattered ceiling.
“Don’t worry.”
Burren nodded, his lips pressed firmly together.
“I have no intention of dying here.”
“Ha….”
Ollan exhaled sharply and walked toward the center.
“Raon Zigheart truly lives up to his reputation. Now I understand why Gelmir would attempt something like this.”
He gazed up at the collapsed ceiling and shook his head in disbelief.
“Draw your blade.”
Burren leveled his sword at Ollan.
“A blade? What meaning does that hold in this situation? Whether I win or lose, I’m dead either way.”
He raised both hands, declaring it all over.
“When I said earlier that I could beat you, you seemed to get worked up. Or was I mistaken?”
“Hmm….”
“Before I go, I’ll prove those words true. Come at me.”
“Unlike that monster who went up there, you’re terrible at provocation.”
Ollan chuckled and drew his blade.
“Since I’m a dead man anyway, taking the Main Lineage of Zigheart with me wouldn’t be so bad.”
Before his words finished, he kicked off the ground. In an instant, he struck from the left, his blade descending in a sweeping arc.
The silver blade extended into five crescents. A swift and elegant strike—the work of a properly trained swordsman.
Clang!
I roused the aura that had been dormant in my core with all my strength and thrust my blade forward, but Ollan’s sword strike reversed that momentum and drove deeper inward with even greater speed.
“Did I not tell you?”
Ollan let out a scoff and raised his chin.
“No matter how exceptional your talent, time cannot be overcome. You have yet to reach my level.”
“Time? Level? I’ve seen both shattered countless times.”
Burren clenched his teeth and parried the blade. His sword strike—elegant and dignified like a nobleman’s dance—blocked Ollan’s sword momentum.
Cling-cling-cling!
Steel met steel in the middle, producing an eerie metallic ring.
‘I can’t afford a prolonged battle.’
I’d been confined for roughly a week and hadn’t slept, so enduring a long exchange was impossible. I had to shatter Ollan’s blade with a single strike.
Whoooosh!
Yet Ollan’s blade came relentlessly, brimming with ornate variations and tremendous power. It was difficult even to discern his intended target, and the speed made defense arduous.
“Hah…”
Burren steadied his breathing and recalled a past conversation with Raon.
[How do you handle illusory and variable sword techniques? Simple. Most illusory and variable strikes reveal their true form at the final moment. Even if you’re terrified and impatient, hold firm and wait—then you’ll see the opening.]
It was what Raon had answered when I asked how he had erased the variations of Master Garon.
‘He’s always been that way.’
Whenever I asked Raon about martial arts, he would provide an answer. Others desperately tried to hide their secrets, but he had none of that. If he couldn’t give a proper answer that day, he would come back the next day to teach me anyway—a strange fellow indeed.
‘How could I betray such an idiot!’
Burren kept his lips pressed together and fixed his gaze on Ollan’s blade as it approached his neck and chest. He suppressed the urge to retreat or deflect the strike, keeping his eyes open until the very end.
Whoooosh!
Just before Ollan’s blade made contact, the five sword edges merged into one, shifting its trajectory from my neck toward my chest instead.
‘Now!’
Gripping the sword hilt firmly, I unleashed the Gale Wind Sword’s constellation technique. The wind blades, connected like stars, deflected Ollan’s unchanging sword and embedded themselves in his shoulder.
“Ugh!”
Ollan tried to retreat in shock, but that was the worst mistake he could make. The true essence of the Gale Wind Sword was an endless assault like the north wind itself.
Szzzzzt!
The chilling wind-laden blade tore through Ollan’s chest faster than his retreat could carry him.
“Cough….”
Ollan, slashed from shoulder to waist, trembled at the jaw before collapsing where he stood. He looked up at Burren with eyes filled with disbelief.
“How… how is this possible….”
“I said I’d only ever see Raon’s back, didn’t I?”
Burren exhaled wearily, his sword planted in the ground.
“That’s true. It would be difficult for me to stand before Raon. But I wasn’t just watching his back. I built my foundation by observing his battles from closer than anyone else.”
He smiled, pouring strength into his sword hand.
“We’re different from you, who tried to kill Raon thinking he wasn’t a match for you.”
“Ah….”
“Don’t expect an easy death. Atone for your sins before you die.”
Burren struck Ollan unconscious with a punch, then stemmed his bleeding.
“Haa….”
All strength drained from my body as I fell backward onto my rear. Exhaling deeply, I lifted my head.
“To think the Windstorm Blade Ascension would be completed at a time like this….”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the irony of finally succeeding with a technique I’d never managed before, only to use it in such desperate circumstances.
“Hah!”
Burren gazed upward at the ceiling, his lips curling into a satisfied smile.
“I kept my promise.”
*
*
*
“It seems the battle below has concluded.”
I offered a faint smile as I observed Gelmir, our blades still locked in opposition.
“Now we can truly begin.”
“I’ll give you one last chance.”
Gelmir twisted his sword upward, creating distance between us.
“Leave now. If you do, I can still suppress this entire matter.”
“You believe you can suppress this situation?”
I chuckled softly, listening to the roaring shouts echoing from the fractured ceiling above.
“This is the Central Martial Hall. Even the Family Law Enforcement cannot enter here recklessly.”
“Yet we’re here, aren’t we?”
“Does everyone else lack your particular brand of madness, or do they simply not possess it?”
Gelmir bared his white teeth, his expression twisting into a scowl.
“Hand over Burren. If you withdraw quietly as though nothing happened, I won’t pursue your crimes.”
“Are you missing something? Or perhaps you never had it to begin with?”
I tapped my temple with my finger, mocking him as if to say he had no brain. Gelmir’s eyes turned cold and rigid.
“You’re the ones who committed the crime. I just came to retrieve my subordinate.”
“A man who has lost all sense of fear.”
A frost-like aura seeped from Gelmir’s entire body.
“You kidnapped and tried to brainwash your brother because you feared a junior? How dare you speak?”
“What I feared was your future. A creature like you now can be killed as easily as I wish!”
The sharp energy emanating from him felt as though it would tear my skin apart. Crude, but undoubtedly intermediate Master rank.
“This is your last chance. Withdraw with everyone. Live quietly as if nothing happened.”
“Sorry, but it’s already too late.”
I pointed upward and grinned wickedly.
“I’ve also summoned the Family Law Enforcement. Don’t you hear the whistle?”
I had sent a letter to the Family Law Enforcement so they could arrive after the Gwangpung Unit defeated the Jeonmadan. By now, the Family Law Enforcement prosecutors would have arrived.
-You’re truly insane.
Wrath’s face turned red, then he let out a hollow laugh watching Gelmir’s complexion pale.
-I’ve never seen anyone toy with their opponent like you do. Give the True Demon King a lecture. There’s someone I really want to mock like that….
‘Later.’
I pushed away Wrath, who was demanding payment later, and focused on Gelmir.
“Raon Zigheart!”
Gelmir could not contain his rage and stomped his foot. With a face twisted like a demon, he thrust his sword forward. The blade, infused with wind-laden aura, reached my heart in an instant. Extreme speed and a precise strike—the power was enough to send a chill down my spine.
The extreme speed and precise strike. It was a force so overwhelming that it sent chills down the spine.
“Hmm.”
Raon stepped forward with his left foot and lowered his waist. He layered the qi of the Manwhagong that grazed his lower dantian onto the physical strength he drew up from the tips of his toes.
Clang!
The Celestial Sword, blazing with the fierce aura of flame, collided with the ultimate thrust Gelmir unleashed.
Boom!
The Celestial Sword and the World Sword clashed mid-air, and a crimson storm of scorching flames engulfed the underground chamber.
“I am an intermediate Master! A lowly wretch like you could never—”
“Intermediate, advanced, beginner. Such distinctions only matter during training.”
I looked down at Gelmir, our foreheads pressed together, and offered a cold smile.
“Once battle begins, rank means nothing. If you call yourself a warrior, speak with your blade.”
I infused the Thousand Calamity Aura into my overwhelming strength. The inferno erupting from the blade mercilessly scorched away Gelmir’s wind.
“So you’ve chosen punishment after all. Very well.”
Gelmir aimed the World Sword at my heart, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.
“I’ll start by severing that insolent tongue of yours.”
The wind aura blooming from him grew so fierce it made my head ring. He had realized there was no escape and was now drawing upon his full power as an intermediate Master.
“Now this is getting interesting.”
Crimson lightning flickered across my eyes.
Come.
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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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