The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 282

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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 282

The 7th Apostle narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the people sprawled across the ground.

‘What in the world happened here?’

Not a single one of the humans who had received the blood energy from the Blood Phantom Demon had died. Not only that, but none of them appeared to be injured.

In stark contrast, every single cultist surrounding them lay dead.

‘Is such a thing even possible?’

He had anticipated the cultists’ deaths. Even knowing that Raon would ring the sword resonance with the Soul Reaper Sword and taking precautions, there had been some shock to it.

But what he couldn’t believe was that the vermin who had been positioned far closer had merely lost consciousness.

‘Unless his aura control transcends human limits….’

It meant he had struck shallowly at those nearby and driven the sword resonance deep into the distant cultists—a level of aura manipulation that even he didn’t think he could achieve.

“As expected.”

The 7th Apostle lifted his gaze to look at Raon, who held the Soul Reaper Sword pointed forward.

“Impressive.”

I acknowledged my surprise at the unexpected turn of events and offered leisurely applause.

‘This level of deviation is acceptable.’

This wasn’t everything, after all.

Bringing those infused with blood energy and forcing Raon to choose between killing or sparing them was merely a device to mock him and shatter his spirit.

The truth was the sorcery above that sky, still swelling even now. It was a blood-line aberration.

“Raon Zigheart.”

The 7th Apostle raised a finger, pointing toward the heavens.

“That sorcery is called the Blood Phantom Calamity. Do you know what it means?”

“….”

Raon didn’t answer, his sword still raised.

“Of course you wouldn’t know. You didn’t even realize such a sorcery existed. The Blood Phantom Calamity means manifesting phantom horrors of blood into this world. It describes creatures like these who become our sustenance, but in another sense….”

The 7th Apostle smiled with a chilling expression as he drew upon his blood energy. Overwhelmingly potent blood energy surged forth, and the air around him began to desiccate rapidly.

“It also refers to the faithful who grow stronger beneath that sorcery. Though right now it’s merely a warm-up—once the Blood Phantom Calamity fully activates, the amplification effect of blood energy will exceed twice its current power.”

“….”

Even as tremendous blood energy blazed from the 7th Apostle, my expression remained utterly unmoved. I merely observed him with calm, penetrating eyes.

“Now I shall grant you true despair. Die beneath the star of blood energy.”

The 7th Apostle snapped his fingers—a signal for Tus to activate the formation.

“Hmm?”

Yet nothing changed. The blood energy of the Blood Phantom Demon Formation continued to swell, drawing in the surrounding aura.

Snap!

He snapped his fingers again, harder this time. Still, the formation refused to activate.

“Tus!”

Even calling out his name produced no response.

“What is this…?”

“Did I ever say I didn’t know that formation?”

At my cold voice, he lifted his head.

“True, I didn’t know its name. But…”

A sneer crossed my lips as I pointed toward the Blood Phantom Demon Formation.

“I know more about that sorcery than you do.”

“What did you do to Tus!”

The 7th Apostle’s eyes, which had been composed moments before, wavered like a surface struck by waves.

“You should never have used children. To offer those innocent ones as sacrifices—you wear human skin, but you’re nothing more than beasts.”

I looked down at the 7th Apostle with a chilling gaze.

“I entrusted this to someone who despises such vile acts most of all. By now, I suspect the Tus you’re screaming for has already lost his head.”

The 7th Apostle swallowed hard, meeting my eyes.

‘Does he… really know? The Blood Phantom Demon Formation? How?’

How in the world!

He even knew that the children closest to the formation when it activates become the sacrifices—he truly had grasped the sorcerous array.

‘Damn it….’

If Tus died as he said, everything would unravel. Anxiety crashed over him like a tidal wave.

Crash!

At the 7th Apostle’s snap of his fingers, White Blood Cult members who had been hiding nearby rushed out in a torrent.

More than thirty of them, unfazed even by the current situation, raised their blood energy without hesitation.

“Help Tus! Spread out and move in all directions!”

I had to send them out before I could ring the sword’s cry again, so I issued the command immediately.

But instead of ringing the sword’s cry, I turned my head backward.

“Gwangpung Unit!”

With a refreshing shout, the swordsmen of the Gwangpung Unit appeared and formed a circle, encircling the White Blood Cult members.

“Worthless trash not deserving of life.”

I glared at the White Blood Cult members with cold killing intent.

“Kill them all.”

The moment my command fell, the Gwangpung Unit swordsmen, who had appeared emotionless, unleashed tremendous force and began sweeping through the White Blood Cult members.

There was not even a single battle cry. All that could be heard was the sharp sound of blades cutting through air and the dull thud of White Blood Cult members’ heads falling.

“Let’s begin on this side as well.”

I gripped the Soul Reaper Sword in my left hand and the Heavenly Sword in my right.

“Even the air you breathe is a waste.”

*

*

*

Two hours earlier.

Martha swallowed hard as she watched Luna conversing with Tus, the Back Alley children gathered around him.

‘It was true.’

Just as Raon had said, Luna and the children of the Back Alley had heeded Tus’s summons and gathered at his shop.

‘So that’s Tus.’

Tus was a middle-aged man with blue hair, possessing an appearance so kind and gentle that the words came naturally to mind.

‘And he commits such atrocities with that face….’

With such a benevolent visage, it would have been all the easier to manipulate the children. Abandoned children yearned for affection, after all.

‘Bastard.’

I wanted to rush over and smash Tus’s mouth in right then and there.

“I’m counting on you again.”

Tus smiled brightly and handed the children a stone and silver coins the size of an adult man’s fist.

“Yes!”

“Don’t worry!”

The children grinned with joy at receiving the money and nodded their heads.

“Mister, there are five silver coins?”

“Huh? There are five for me too?”

“Usually it was only one or two. You gave us too much.”

The children who received five silver coins tilted their heads in confusion rather than joy.

‘That damned bastard….’

Was he giving them coins for passage to the afterlife?

The reason for the extra silver coins was obvious. As Raon had said, it was payment for sacrifices—the price of offering these children.

“Ah, there’s one more thing I need to ask of you today.”

“One more thing?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t bury the stone right away. Wait here, and when I give you the signal, bury it for me.”

Tus smiled as he made the request.

“How will you give the signal?”

“I’ll shout. You’ll all hear it.”

“Ah!”

“Got it!”

“Yes!”

The children, having received five silver coins each, departed to their assigned positions without complaint.

“Hmm….”

Only Luna, who stood behind them, did not leave with the others.

“Luna?”

“Sir, I….”

She parted her lips slightly, as if she had something to say.

“Hmm?”

“Oh, never mind!”

Luna examined Tus from head to toe, then shook her head and stepped back.

“I’ll tell you after today’s work is done.”

“Very well.”

Tus nodded gently, as if to say she could do as she pleased.

“Phew….”

Martha exhaled softly. She had worried about what might happen if she spoke carelessly, but her persistent persuasion that the author was a dangerous person had paid off.

The moment the children departed, ten men and women with expressionless faces appeared beside Tus. Their attire was ordinary, but they were unmistakably members of the White Blood Cult.

“Go.”

Upon hearing Tus’s command, they scattered in the direction the children had just left.

“Now it’s our turn. Disperse as designated earlier.”

“Yes.”

At Martha’s gesture, the first squad’s swordsmen departed in the direction the White Blood Cult members had moved. A pursuit of pursuers—a double tail tracking those who followed the children.

Martha remained motionless behind the rooftop sign, continuing to observe Tus.

An hour passed, the sun vanished, and night descended upon the city. The people who had wandered its streets seemed to have made a pact, retreating into nearby buildings. Not a single soul remained in the city once famous for its noise.

‘This too….’

It matched Raon’s prediction perfectly. He had said that after sending the children away, the sun would set and people would disappear—and that’s exactly what happened.

‘That guy is a true monster.’

With the Continent’s greatest swordsmanship talent not being enough, he possessed this level of analytical and judgment ability too. I couldn’t even muster jealousy anymore.

Thud.

Only after the sun had set and people vanished did Tus emerge outside. His appearance was completely different from before. Clad in the Archbishop’s robes, he walked down an empty street.

‘Now it’s my turn.’

Martha forcibly suppressed the rising killing intent and disappeared into the darkness.

*

*

*

Luna collapsed weakly at the location where she had decided to place the stone. She gazed down at the silver coins she had received from Tus and let out a heavy sigh.

“Sigh….”

I should have said something.

There was no way Tus, the only adult who looked after abandoned children like herself, could be a strange person.

Martha didn’t seem to be lying when I met her yesterday, but my heart ached at the thought of betraying Tus.

‘Yes. I’ll tell him after this is over. That would be best.’

Luna made up her mind to confess last night’s events to Tus once this was all finished, and she nodded to herself.

“Huh? What is this…?”

As my senses returned, the world had grown dark. It was so pitch black that one could believe it was the dead of night.

‘There’s no way this much time has passed.’

The time spent deliberating had been mere moments. It made no sense for afternoon to suddenly turn to night.

“Gasp!”

Disturbed by the strangeness, I lifted my head to look around. In the sky where the sun had vanished, crimson clouds swelled like balloons.

“What are those clouds…?”

“Luna.”

At the voice from behind, Luna turned her head. Tus approached with a benevolent smile.

It was the same smile as always, yet something felt different. A chill ran down her spine, as if she had encountered a beast in the mountains.

“Ah, sir?”

Luna pointed at the darkening sky and the crimson clouds, her lips trembling.

“What on earth is happening?”

“Nothing to worry about.”

Tus smiled as if there was truly nothing to be concerned about.

“By the way, what was it you were trying to tell me earlier?”

“Pardon?”

“What was that thing you said you’d tell me later?”

“That is….”

Luna found herself unable to speak. Just as Martha had said yesterday, Tus’s demeanor felt profoundly alien to her.

“Ah, it doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me.”

Tus waved his hand gently.

“It matters little what the dead have to say.”

“What do you….”

“Now, cast the stone.”

“Uncle?”

Luna wanted to refuse Tus’s command, but her body moved unnaturally as she turned her back.

‘What…?’

She wanted to stop, but her limbs wouldn’t obey. It felt as though she had entered someone else’s body.

“Luna. I owe you so much. Because you came to me first, the other children began to trust me as well.”

Tus’s voice was the same as always, yet it carried a chill that made one’s spine crawl.

“I considered leading you as a believer, but unfortunately your body was already damaged. At most, you had a year left. However, your siblings are in decent condition.”

He licked his tongue and smiled with a sinister expression.

“I’ll raise those children well.”

“Ah…”

No. No, this can’t happen!

She tried to scream in desperation, but all that escaped her lips was a low moan.

Luna’s body betrayed her will and walked toward the place where the stone needed to be buried. Her rigid hands dug into the earth and lifted the stone once more.

“Ugh…”

My palm throbbed with searing pain, as if I were gripping a stone studded with thorns.

“Ah, the blood stone is drawing out the vital energy within your body, so don’t worry too much,” Tus whispered in a gentle voice.

Tus spoke softly, his words dripping with false comfort.

“Hgh…”

“The pain will fade soon enough.”

Yet contrary to his words, the agony only intensified with each passing moment.

“Ah, but since this is the end, perhaps it’s fitting to hear your voice one last time.”

At Tus’s gesture, my clenched jaw loosened. What emerged, inevitably, was a scream.

“Aaaaaahhhhh!”

As if my palm were plunged into roaring flames, I shrieked with such agonizing intensity that my throat felt torn asunder. My consciousness began to blur, my eyes fluttering shut.

‘Please… someone, please…’

Anyone would do. Even if I perished, it mattered not. I only prayed—desperately, ceaselessly—that my siblings would not be dragged away by this demon.

But of course, nothing changed. Just as there had been no god in that rain-soaked back alley when I covered my siblings with planks, there was no god here either.

Damn god. Fucking god!

The curses spilled from my lips as I invoked the wretched deity.

Crash!

The crimson stone in my grip shattered into fragments, struck by something hurtling from behind.

“Who… cough!”

The moment Tus’s scream pierced the air, my body moved of its own accord. I spun around urgently.

Thud, thud.

Tus’s left arm lay on the ground, and before it stood Martha—the woman I’d seen yesterday—gripping a blade dripping with ashen blood.

“You bastard!”

Martha spat out a curse that seemed incongruous with her appearance and charged at Tus.

“Ugh…”

Tus retreated hastily, swinging his remaining arm. A torrent of ashen energy erupted from his grasp, forming a barrier to block Martha’s advance.

“Ahhhhh!”

Martha let out a primal roar, shattering the wall in a single explosive motion before charging straight at Tus.

“You damned bitch!”

Tus’s soft features twisted grotesquely as he chanted in an otherworldly tongue.

Kyakkyakkyakkyakkyah!

Crimson thorns erupted from the air and ground, sweeping toward Martha in a vicious assault.

“You filthy worm! Living up to your grotesque appearance with your repugnant deeds!”

Martha shattered the blood-infused thorns with her aura-wrapped body, bringing her blade down in a devastating arc.

“Hmph! I merely needed time!”

Tus ceased his endless footwork and brought his index and middle fingers together, chanting a sorcery.

Boom! Crash!

His words proved true—Martha’s blade strikes began to falter against the blood sorcery. The wall of crimson energy thickened relentlessly, its thorns sharpening to pierce and tear through her skin.

“Haah…”

Turbid breath escaped Martha’s lips. Her dark eyes flushed crimson as the brown aura swirling around her entire body swelled to twice its previous intensity.

“Graaaaaah!”

Her crimson eyes gleamed as she charged forward at twice her previous speed.

Boom!

In one breath, she shattered the blood barrier and thorns, lunging straight at Tus.

“Tch!”

Tus stepped back using blood shadow steps, his eyes narrowing.

‘Berserk state….’

Her physical abilities and aura had increased by roughly 1.5 times, and her eyes had turned red—it was unmistakable.

This was undoubtedly the berserk state that the warriors of Sian Gorge used when waging great wars against monsters.

‘Foolish woman.’

The berserk state carried a severe drawback—it could not distinguish between ally and enemy, attacking only whatever stood directly before it with lethal intent. Even now, Martha was relentlessly pounding against the ever-rising blood barrier.

“Heh heh.”

Tus smiled coldly as he summoned a blood seal crafted from his blood essence.

“Screeeee!”

As expected, Martha didn’t target me—instead, she brought her sword down upon the Blood Servant summoned right beside her.

‘I’ll end this in one strike.’

Just in case something unexpected happened, I layered the blood barrier twice and chanted a high-tier sorcery capable of tearing Martha to shreds in an instant.

‘Blood Annihilation Spear should be more than sufficient.’

I was about to hurl the Blood Annihilation Spear at Martha after chanting the incantation swiftly.

Boom!

Martha, who should have been distracted by the Blood Servant, shattered the blood barrier in one explosive motion and charged forward.

“It’s already too late!”

Tus quickly retreated and unleashed the Blood Annihilation Spear. A berserker swordmaster would never dodge that attack.

She would try to destroy it with her blade, and that would be her end.

But the opposite of what he anticipated unfolded.

Whoosh!

Martha’s crimson eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence as she deflected the incoming spear and brought her raised sword down in a devastating arc.

“Gack!”

Tus desperately tried to raise a blood shield, but it was already too late.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Martha’s blade tore through the blood aura and ripped open Tus’s chest diagonally.

“Ugh… hack…”

Tus staggered backward in disbelief, his jaw trembling. Gray blood flowed endlessly from the gaping wound.

“But… that was definitely a berserk state…”

“I’ve overcome losing my reason long ago.”

Martha spun her blade and advanced toward Tus.

“I can’t stay trapped by the same wall forever.”

She wiped the blood trickling down her cheek with the back of her hand, then reversed her grip on the sword.

“Die asking forgiveness from those you used! You worthless bastard!”

Martha screamed and drove her blade down toward Tus’s heart.

“Hck… why… why should I apologize? I gave them the blessing of the Blood God… they should be grateful instead…”

Tus, true to his fanatic nature, never repented until the very end. At least he had the mercy of dying in extreme agony.

“Haaah….”

Martha dropped her sword and collapsed to the ground. Her body was covered in wounds from the blood energy, and using both berserk mode and rational control simultaneously had left her stomach churning violently.

“S-sister….”

Luna approached with her lips pressed tightly together. Her wavering eyes reflected fear, remorse, and confusion.

“Come here!”

Martha gestured irritably, and Luna crept forward hesitantly.

“Show me your hands.”

“What?”

“Are your ears broken? I said show me your hands!”

“Oh, yes.”

Luna opened her palms to Martha. Her hands were split raw and crimson, as if she had been gripping a pineapple’s rough skin with all her strength.

“Tsk, I should have stepped in first.”

“No, no! I just… I didn’t trust you enough….”

“Be quiet.”

Martha furrowed her brow and summoned what little aura remained, pushing back the blood energy that clung to Luna’s hand.

“Ah….”

“Trusting someone you’ve just met is foolish. You idiot!”

Luna’s shoulders trembled at the gentle energy tickling her hand.

A rough voice that belied its tenderness. It was a warmth that evoked memories of days long past, now too distant to recall clearly.

* * *

BOOM!

The Soul Reaper Sword and the serrated blade collided head-on, unleashing a violent shockwave. The ornate buildings stacked around them crumbled like sandcastles, and through the debris, Raon and the 7th Apostle clashed once more.

CLANG!

Five clashes that occurred in a fleeting moment. Strength against strength. Speed against speed—the contest was perfectly matched.

“Grrr….”

The 7th Apostle’s eyes blazed as he swept his serrated blade upward from below. Massive blood energy surged forth like waves crashing upon a vast ocean.

WHOOSH!

Raon’s lips curved into a cold smile as he brought the Soul Reaper Sword down in a devastating arc. The sharp spectral energy emanating from the dagger intertwined with heavy sword force, radiating brilliant light.

Kuwaaaaang!

The collision of aura and blood energy twisted the very earth beneath us, warping the space itself.

Thud!

I kicked the 7th Apostle’s abdomen while our blades remained locked. He bounced back like a rubber ball, tumbling across the ground.

“You….”

The 7th Apostle gnashed his teeth, his pride wounded.

“You felt it too, didn’t you?”

I approached the 7th Apostle with the Heavenly Sword resting across my shoulder.

“That man Tus you called for—his breath has ceased.”

I chuckled softly and gestured behind me. The streets were littered with the corpses of White Blood Cult members felled by the Gale Wind Squad’s 2nd and 3rd Units.

“Now only you remain.”

I lifted my chin and smiled.

“We have a celebration to attend, so let’s finish this quickly.”

“Kugh, krahahahaha!”

The 7th Apostle remained crouched on the ground, erupting into wild laughter. He squinted his eyes and began to clap.

“Yes, I acknowledge it. Your schemes, your strategies, and your power—all worthy of admiration.”

He slowly rose to his feet, his aura transformed into something far more formidable than before. His gaze turned glacial and piercing.

“However, there is one thing you have gravely misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood?”

“That incantation does not simply end when the caster dies.”

The 7th Apostle grasped the hilt of the saw-blade sword with both hands and began chanting an incomprehensible mantra at breathtaking speed.

The moment the unceasing incantation spread forth, the massive blood-red clouds overhead surged violently.

“Now, the Blood Phantom Calamity detonates.”

With his smile, the blood-red clouds swelled as if ready to rupture, unleashing a terrifying force.

Massive and even more massive. The sphere of blood energy that filled the sky endlessly expanded and began to slowly descend.

“When that detonates, this entire place will be obliterated. Only I shall remain unscathed, while you become nothing but tatters.”

The 7th Apostle spread both hands wide, chuckling darkly.

“Do not worry. I shall drain every last drop of your blood.”

“Did you forget what I said earlier?”

“What?”

“I told you I understand that sorcery better than you do.”

Raon smiled faintly as he vigorously activated the Mana Sphere.

Boom!

Stamping the true angle, I channeled the solemn resonance rising from the earth and formidable heat into the Soul Reaper Sword, launching it skyward.

Crack!

The Soul Reaper Sword, wreathed in crimson flames and saffron demonic energy, became an inverted lightning bolt that pierced into the sphere where blood essence endlessly converged.

Yet despite the Soul Reaper Sword’s penetration, the sphere of blood essence showed no change. Instead, it amplified its power further.

“Kahahaha!”

The 7th Apostle sneered, pointing at the descending blood essence.

“What can a mere dagger do, no matter how much demonic energy it possesses! This sphere contains the blood of over a thousand people! You cannot erase it!”

Raon’s eyes gleamed with composure as he raised his right hand.

“You love putting on airs—let me borrow that for a moment.”

I offered a faint smile and flicked my finger.

Snap!

With a crisp, satisfying sound, the Blood Phantom Calamity trembled as if caught in a tempest.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

A deafening roar erupted like thousands of birds crying out, and the sphere of blood energy came to a complete halt.

Whoooosh!

With the sharp sound of the blade cutting through the air, a hairline fracture appeared across the Blood Phantom Calamity. Thin cracks spread like a spider’s web across the entire crimson sphere.

Boom!

Golden light erupted through the spreading fissures as the Blood Phantom Calamity shattered completely.

The explosion, resonating as if shaking the entire Continent, burst beyond Granseville’s sky and poured down outside the city.

“7th Apostle.”

I stood before the 7th Apostle, leaving the cascading shower of blood energy light behind me like a meteor rain. I smiled as I watched his eyes widen in shock.

“I never lose to an opponent I’ve already defeated once.”

I gripped the Soul Reaper Sword firmly and drove it into the ground.

Clang!

I channeled the spinning flames into my blade and brought the saw-tooth sword down in a crushing arc, driving the 7th Apostle back.

“Grrgh!”

The 7th Apostle assumed a precise defensive stance despite his shock, but the tremor of his emotions bled through clearly.

Raon stepped forward with Taewhabo and drew the Swordstorm with the Heavenly Sword, tracing a path of frost. Azure light streaked along the silver trajectory, cutting through the empty air.

“I know that swordsmanship!”

The 7th Apostle slashed his saw-tooth sword diagonally downward, intercepting both strikes of the Swordstorm.

“What about this?”

Raon extended his left hand into the void.

Whoosh!

The Soul Reaper Sword, having shattered the Blood Thread Curse Formation, returned to his grasp in reverse grip, unleashing an eerie blade resonance.

At close range, the blood aura blooming from the blade paralyzed the 7th Apostle’s body in an instant.

“Ugh!”

The 7th Apostle swiftly withdrew, but I seized that fleeting moment and thrust the Soul Reaper Sword forward.

Sploooosh!

The wound that had split open when struck by Frost Chain tore anew, spraying murky blood across the ground.

“Ugh….”

“I promise you this.”

My eyes burned with crimson lightning as I gazed down at the 7th Apostle, bent at the waist.

“This place shall be your tomb.”

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