The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 286

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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 286

Boom!

The 10th Apostle unleashed a terrifying flash of blood aura, tearing apart hundreds of spells in a single motion.

His body was covered in wounds, yet his eyes burned with an even more intense madness than before.

“Merlin!”
“Too late. The date’s already over.”

Merlin smiled wickedly, holding the sealed Spiritual Stone Jade in her hands.

“You crazy woman!”

The 10th Apostle gnashed his teeth and thrust the White Spear downward. A massive lance of concentrated blood aura crashed down toward Merlin’s head.

“That’s all for today.”

Merlin snapped her fingers, and her entire body sparkled like a constellation before fading away.

“You won’t escape!”
“Clingy men aren’t popular.”
“Shut up!”

The 10th Apostle kicked off the ground and charged directly into the cavern below. A series of terrifying explosions erupted from the underground.

Ugh!

Dorian pushed himself up with trembling hands. He struck his unresponsive legs with his fists as he ran across the crumbling earth.

‘Damn it!’

I had hoped this wouldn’t happen.

Having been closest to Raon since our training days, I knew him better than anyone. Raon always appeared to navigate crises wisely, but he was constantly pushing himself beyond his limits.

Because I was a fool who thought of others before my own life, I endured the trembling and remained hidden, but the worst possible situation unfolded.

‘Master Raon….’

Even as Raon was sealed within Merlin’s box, he sent me a look of concern, urging me to flee. Because he was that kind of man, I wanted to help him even if it meant throwing away my own life, but there was nothing I could do.

‘This… this is the best I can do.’

If I turned all my pockets inside out, there might be some device that could stop that box, but it’s meaningless now. Even if Raon emerges again, I cannot escape from those two.

For now, the best course of action was to think only of how to find Raon again and move accordingly.

“Merlin!”
“Ugh!”

Dorian swallowed hard at the horrific shriek of the 10th Apostle echoing from the cavern.
If not for this urgent situation, it was the kind of eerie sound that would make him collapse and weep.

‘I… I have to escape.’

If I’m caught by that monster now, death isn’t the problem—the very possibility of finding Raon again disappears. Because I won’t be able to deliver ‘that’ to him.

‘As fast as possible…ah!’

Dorian stopped as he tried to flee as far as possible from the 10th Apostle.

‘He said not to move in times like this….’

Words Raon had spoken during training at Bekmang Mountain not long ago came to mind.

[When you want to escape from a master, hiding is better than running. Even at the Master level, tracking and catching up with you would be trivial. On the other hand, if you hide and control your breathing well, your chances of survival are quite high.]
[Control my breathing?]
[Yes. In the mountains, move like a wild animal; in crowded places, move like an ordinary person suited to that environment. The most important thing is to release your tension. If you calm your mind and suppress your presence, finding you won’t be easy.]

Recalling the concentration training I had done with Raon, I held my breath tightly. Like a dead man. No—like a dying man, breathing very slowly and thinly, I concealed my body beneath the wall.

‘His words were right.’

The 10th Apostle was said to be a Grand Master. Even if I escaped this city, there was a possibility he could follow, so playing dead and hiding was far better.

Had he known such a situation would unfold? The training he’d deemed useless was now saving his life. Gratitude washed over him once more.

‘Raon always thinks ahead.’

Just in case….

He retrieved a small glass vial filled with crimson liquid from his pocket, tucked it inside his sleeve, clamped his mouth shut, and crouched lower.

Crash! Craaaaaash!

The enraged 10th Apostle’s destructive rampage echoed through the area. After a prolonged cacophony, the sounds subsided, and the 10th Apostle’s murderous aura scattered like dust.

“Phew….”

Dorian didn’t rise until thirty minutes had passed. His flesh still trembled. His heart hammered relentlessly—a coward pushing himself too far, unable to calm its frantic rhythm.

“I’m going to die.”

Unable to breathe properly, his head throbbing, he moved toward where the Gwangpung Unit would be.
Suppressing his presence out of caution, he detoured and headed out of the city.

As he was about to leave the city, over thirty people were entering. Some were unfamiliar, but most belonged to the Gwangpung Unit.

“Squad leaders!”

Dorian suppressed the tears threatening to spill and rushed toward Burren.

“You bastard!”
“You fatty! Where the hell were you!”

Burren and Martha charged forward with furrowed brows. Though their words were harsh, their eyes brimmed with concern.

“Ugh!”

Dorian bit his lip as he met the gazes of the Gwangpung Unit members.

“Ra, Raon….”

He struck his chest, expelling a breath that felt trapped and suffocating.

“Raon has been kidnapped.”
“….”
“Damn it….”

Burren Zigheart and Martha cast their gazes downward, their fists clenching so tightly their knuckles turned white.

“Curse it all!”
“So that’s what happened….”
“The one fighting the 10th Apostle. She was wearing that old woman’s mask. It must have been Merlin, the one targeting the Deputy Master.”

The Gwangpung Unit seemed to have already anticipated this outcome after witnessing the battle between the 10th Apostle and Merlin.

“Idiot! What could you possibly do between two Grand Masters!”

Martha’s fist crashed against the floor. The blow, infused with emotion rather than aura, struck at the hearts of everyone present.

“He sacrificed himself again to save us.”

Burren Zigheart ground his teeth. His fists clenched so hard they bled as he bowed his head.

“Ah…ah….”

Lunan Slion simply collapsed where he stood, his clasped hands trembling. He seemed to have fallen into complete panic.

“Which side was he taken to?”
“To Merlin of Eden. He was dragged into some strange box….”

Dorian recounted what he had witnessed to the others.

“Damn it, of all things, spatial displacement….”
“Then finding him is impossible, isn’t it?”
“No! If we move fast enough….”
“The 10th Apostle couldn’t stop her. A mage of Merlin’s caliber leaves no traces in spatial displacement….”
“Raon….”
“Damn it!”

The faces of the Gwangpung Unit members drained of all color. Everyone stood with vacant eyes and stammering words.

“Ugh….”
“Damn it!”
“Raon. That bastard….”

Sobs echoed from various corners of the room.

“W-we do have a way to find him.”

At Dorian’s cracked voice, the eyes of the Gwangpung Unit gleamed with sudden hope.

“A way? What way!”

Lunan Slion, who had been sitting slumped on the ground, sprang up like a doll and grabbed Dorian by the head.

“Dorian!”
“Speak quickly! Quickly!”
“Open your mouth already!”

The entire Gwangpung Unit rushed at Dorian, seizing his collar, shoulders, and arms.

“Ah, let go of me!”

Dorian stepped back and withdrew a small glass vial filled with crimson liquid from his pocket.

“A glass vial?”
“What is that?”
“It’s a crushed liquid extract of Serpent Tail Crimson Blossom.”

He opened the vial’s stopper. A faint, delicate fragrance tickled the tip of his nose.

“Continental Tracking Scent!”

A young woman with a rose-colored eye patch, standing among the Gwangpung Unit, let out a cry.

“You’ve applied the Continental Tracking Scent!”
“Huh? Who is this person….”

Dorian tilted his head, as he had never seen this person before.

“That’s Deningrose, the Black Market Branch Director. Explain the situation first.”
“Ah, according to her, this is called Continent Tracking Scent—a liquid used for tracking that, once applied, can trace a target from the Zigheart in the Northern Region all the way to the Robert Family in the South.”
“Then, you….”
“Don’t tell me!”
“Yes. I applied this liquid to Raon before he entered the box.”

Dorian nodded with a faint smile.

“Dorian.”
“You clever bastard!”
“Since when did this coward become so resourceful!”

Lunan, Burren, and Martha embraced Dorian, while the Gwangpung Unit smiled with renewed hope.

“But it barely has any scent, does it? Can you actually track it?”
“Strong scents fade quickly, you see. You need a special artifact to detect this particular fragrance.”

Dorian nodded and retrieved a ring from his waist pouch. It was an artifact embedded with a crimson gemstone at its center.

“With this ring, I can detect the scent of the Serpent-tail Crimson Blossom. In other words, no matter where Young Master Raon is, we can find him….”
“I see.”

A chilling voice echoed from behind, and a cold shiver ran down their spines.
In the widened eyes of the Gwangpung Unit, the silhouette of the 10th Apostle materialized.

“Gasp!”

Dorian quickly shoved the tracking scent and ring back into his waist pouch. He tried to flee immediately, but his body began to stiffen from the neck down. Before his hands could stop moving, he hastily brushed his sleeves.

“You’ll have to come with me.”

The 10th Apostle seized Dorian by the nape of his neck, lifting him like a statue.

“No!”
“Die!”

Lunan and Martha reacted first. Both drew their blades in an instant and charged toward the 10th Apostle.

Crash!

The 10th Apostle swept his hand downward. Blood aura bloomed from the light slash, targeting the hearts of both warriors.

“This bastard!”
“Tch!”

Lunan Slion erected a wall of frost before Martha, whose eyes had gone wild.

Crash!

The ferocious blood aura shattered the frost wall mercilessly, and Lunan Slion spat blood as he was hurled backward.

“Ugh!”

Martha saw Lunan Slion’s eyes urging her forward and unleashed her berserk state. She detonated all her aura at once and brought her sword crashing down.

Boom!

The 10th Apostle flicked his finger. A line of blood aura extended from his index finger, shattering Martha’s sword and piercing through her shoulder.

“Damn it! Block him even if it kills you!”

Burren Zigheart and the Gwangpung Unit bit their tongues and rushed forward. All of them, prepared for death, unleashed their most devastating techniques with full force.

“How bothersome.”

The 10th Apostle extended his hand. A wave of blood aura erupted from his palm, obliterating the Gwangpung Formation in an instant. The swordsmen all spat blood and crashed to the ground.

“Hnngh….”

Martha raised her sword, her lips bleeding as she bit down, seemingly oblivious to her wounds. A worn water droplet pendant swayed between the tears of her tattered uniform.

“I’ll kill you myself! I won’t give Raon or Dorian to you!”

She snarled and thrust her sword forward.

Thud.

The 10th Apostle caught Martha’s descending sword effortlessly, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her pendant.

“So that’s what happened back then.”
“Ugh….”

He clicked his tongue briefly and flicked his finger. Martha rolled across the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Forget about Raon. Forget about this one too.”

As the 10th Apostle dusted off his hands, a crimson pool bubbled up beneath his feet.

“That’s the only way you’ll survive.”

Before he could finish speaking, he and Dorian sank into the pool.

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Lunan Slion screamed and crawled forward, pounding the ground where the 10th Apostle had vanished with his bare hands. Blood poured from his palms, flesh tore away, yet he didn’t stop.

“Hngh….”

Burren Zigheart wiped the blood dripping from his mouth and moved beside Lunan, clawing at the ground as if possessed by madness.

“Dorian….”
“Dorian!”
“You bastards!”

The other Gwangpung Unit swordsmen, except for the unconscious Martha, joined them in striking and pounding the earth.

Deningrose watched them assault the ground before her eyes widened at a glass vial rolling in from the right.

“Wait!”

She picked up the vial and called out to everyone.

“With this, we can find him!”
“B-but the ring….”
“We use Continent-Tracking Incense too. With this scent alone, we can create a tracking artifact!”

I didn’t know why the Continent-Tracking Incense that had been in the 10th Apostle’s hand was here, but with it, we could certainly track them.

“No matter what happens, I will find them.”

Deningrose’s eyes flashed with brilliant light.

“I stake my name as the Black Market Master’s fourth successor on it.”

*

*

*

Dorian rolled his eyes and swallowed hard.

‘This place….’

A pristine white chamber without a speck of dust, crimson pillars as if painted with blood, and an elegant platform erected upon them. Even someone as oblivious as myself could discern who owned this chamber.

The 10th Apostle knelt at the center of the chamber.

“I greet my master.”
‘Gulp!’

My ominous premonition proved accurate. There was only one person an Apostle would address as master. The owner of this grotesque chamber was the White Blood Cult Master—someone I had desperately hoped never to encounter in my lifetime.

A soft shimmer.

Behind the crimson veil obscuring the platform, a shadow with distinctly feminine curves materialized.
Though no force had been exerted, her presence descended upon the chamber as if she had risen from the earth itself.

‘This is….’

My paralyzed jaw trembled. An otherworldly mystique, different in nature from Glen’s commanding presence, permeated the entire chamber.
The fact that she could emanate such an atmosphere while concealed behind the crimson veil was utterly astounding.

“So the Seventh has returned to the embrace of the Blood God.”

From within the veil came a voice that felt warm and gentle, yet it seemed to blend joy and sorrow, affection and contempt all at once.

“I apologize.”

The 10th Apostle closed his eyes and bowed his head.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. The child simply lacked ability. The Blood God will embrace even such a child, so don’t concern yourself.”

Laughter tinged the White Blood Cult Master’s voice. She smiled despite her disciple’s death—incomprehensible, and far more terrifying.

“What of Raon Zigheart?”
“Ah, when I found him….”

The 10th Apostle opened his eyes and recounted what had transpired in Granseville.

“Merlin. Merlin again, causing interference.”

The White Blood Cult Master’s voice remained affectionate, yet shallow irritation and anger seeped through.

“So who is this child?”
“I sprinkled Continent-Tracking Scent on Raon, and since he said there was an artifact to track him, I brought him along.”
“An artifact?”
“Yes. It’s in his waist pouch, but I cannot remove it.”

The 10th Apostle frowned, looking at Dorian’s waist pouch.

“It appears to be a special artifact.”
“How intriguing.”

The White Blood Cult Master made a gentle gesture from her seat, and Dorian’s body lifted effortlessly into the air. He was dragged toward the platform as if suspended by invisible threads.

‘Ahhhhh!’

Dorian screamed silently within. His heart constricted so violently he thought his breath would stop entirely.

‘I’m… definitely going to die. But still….’

I cannot surrender the ring.

Considering the debt I owe Raon, I must never hand over the ring. I left the tracking scent in my sleeve, so they can create another tracking artifact. Everyone will save Raon, and I must endure here.
Everyone would come to save Raon, so he had to hold on here.

Thud!

Dorian descended before the platform as gently as he had risen, and with the mana pathways no longer blocked by the Ten Apostles, his limbs began to move once more.

“If you kill me, the pouch will never open! The ring will absolutely never—”
“You must have endured so much.”
“What…?”

I expected torture to begin immediately, but only a soft voice flowed from the White Blood Cult Master.

“To hide yourself on such a battlefield in order to aid your master—how admirable.”

A hand emerged from within the crimson aura. Pale and beautiful enough to raise goosebumps, it gently stroked the dust-laden hair. The warmth and tenderness made my jaw tremble.

“I know how much you have suffered.”
“But… still… ah!”

I lifted my head to protest, only to meet the dark eyes within the slightly parted aura. The moment I gazed into those pupils that seemed to contain pure darkness itself, my mind went blank.

“If you remain as you are, your master’s soul will become nothing more than food for a monster worse than a beast.”
“That is…”
“Give me the ring.”

The White Blood Cult Master extended forward the hand that had been stroking Dorian’s head.

“I will find your master and elevate him to even greater heights.”
“I…”

With vacant eyes, I nodded and withdrew the ring set with a crimson jewel from my waist pouch, offering it to the White Blood Cult Master.

“Thank you.”

At the White Blood Cult Master’s gesture, Dorian collapsed to the side.

“Finding a new disciple seems like it will be quite entertaining.”

She gazed at the ring glowing crimson and offered a faint smile.

“After so long, I will see those longed-for faces once more.”

*

*

*

Chad moved toward the Audience Chamber with greater urgency than ever before. Normally, he would have knocked and waited, but instead he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Chad?”
“Chad?”

Sheryl, who had been gripping Rimer by the collar, and Roen, who stood behind her with a smile, both tilted their heads in confusion.

“Oh! You came to rescue me?”

Rimer waved his hand, his eyes bruised.

“My apologies! This matter is urgent!”

Chad ignored the three of them and dropped to his knees before Glen, who stood in the center.

“An urgent report from the Black Market in Granseville. The Gwangpung Unit Commander has been kidnapped by Merlin of Eden!”

Chad’s lips trembled as he spoke. Uncertain of what reaction would come, he nervously lifted his gaze.

A low, ominous sound rumbled through the air.

Rimer’s eyes, which had been filled with playfulness, instantly gleamed with a ghostly intensity. Sheryl’s gaze darkened with murderous intent, and the air around Roen grew as cold as ice.

“Explain.”

Glen’s expression remained unchanged. His face bore the same cold composure as when Chad first saw him, yet it was all the more terrifying for it.

“Tell me in detail.”
“Yes, sir. The Gwangpung Unit Commander learned that a formation had been installed throughout Granseville and….”

Chad summarized the letter sent by Deningrose as concisely as possible and made his report.

“Eden. These trash bastards….”
“We leave them be, and they think the world is their playground?”
“We’ve kept them alive far too long, it seems.”

The auras that Rimer, Sheryl, and Roen unleashed grew fiercer. The three of them shook the Audience Chamber with their rage.

“Chad.”
“Y-yes….”

Glen’s flat tone sent goosebumps across my entire body. In his subdued voice, I felt an anger that surpassed even the three of them.

“What’s the status of the tracking stone I gave Raon?”
“I’ve searched for it, and the signal appears in empty space and the sea. It seems to be in a place where spacetime is distorted.”

The tracking stone necklace Glen had given Raon was a detector capable of locating anywhere on the Continent, but the signal wasn’t coming through properly. It seemed to be within an exceptionally high-level barrier.

“…Then we can’t find him?”
“No, we can.”

Chad shook his head rapidly.

“What we need now is the physical location, and apparently a child named Dorian solved that by scattering Continental Tracking Incense. If we use both the necklace and the incense, we can find him. The Black Market seems ready to move actively as well, so it shouldn’t take long.”

One of the Black Market’s successors said they would begin the search immediately once the tracking incense artifact was made. Since they were skilled at finding people and objects, they would surely discover him.

“Sheryl. Summon all the executives within the House. Roen. Summon the Heads of the Vassal Houses.”
“Yes!”
“Yes.”

The two departed from the Audience Chamber with chilling eyes.

“Chad. Mobilize all the forces of the Gale Wind Unit and the Units to track Eden and the White Blood Cult’s movements. As quickly as possible.”
“The White Blood Cult as well, sir?”
“The White Blood Cult possesses sorcery that twists the laws of the world. If they have a ring that tracks the incense, the chances of discovering Raon’s location are high.”
“Ah….”
“And the child they’ve abducted is also of Zigheart.”
“Ah, understood, sir!”

Chad clenched his fists and stood up. His heart pounded fiercely at the words that stirred pride in the House of Zigheart.

“Rimer, you assist Chad.”
“….”

Rimer took his place behind Chad without a word. The perpetual smoothness that had always cloaked his demeanor evaporated like a cold northern wind, leaving only austere silence in its wake.

“And….”
“I won’t inform the Annex Building.”

Rimer bowed to Glen Zigheart before departing the Audience Chamber with Chad.

“Haa….”

Glen Zigheart bit his lip as his grip tightened on the armrest of the Jade Throne. His knuckles whitened with such force that iron dust scattered like powder.

“Eden. The White Blood Cult.”

His eyes gleamed with crimson fire.

“I will erase you all.”

No matter where in this world you hide.

*

*

*

“Mmm….”

I narrowed my eyes as I gazed up at the ceiling, which appeared to be fashioned from logs.

‘Where am I….’

A dull throb pulsed through my head, and the memory surfaced—being caught by that artifact Merlin had used, the Spirit Jade Stone.

‘She actually used a Legendary consumable.’

A Legendary artifact of immeasurable rarity. And among those, she’d expended a single-use consumable on me—it seemed I’d gravely underestimated that mad woman.

“Hmm….”

I pushed myself up. As I brushed away the blanket—soft as down—a pristine white garment came into view, untouched by a speck of dust. Merlin must have changed my clothes.

‘There’s a necklace. Wait… a sword too…?’

Not only the fluorite necklace, but my uniform folded neatly, the Soul Reaper Sword, and the Heavenly Sword all lay undisturbed at the head of the bed.

‘What’s going on?’

This really was a kidnapping, wasn’t it?

I could understand leaving the uniform and necklace, but why would they leave both the Soul Reaper Sword and the Heavenly Sword behind?

-You’re awake now?

Wrath thrust his face forward, assuming a posture as if ready to take notes.

-Now then, how will you move next? Teach the True Demon King your plans.

The creature wore an intriguing smile, as if he now believed himself the architect of all events, orchestrating every move.

‘Plans, huh….’

I grasped the Heavenly Sword, my lips curving slightly.

‘When I think about it, this isn’t bad at all.’

Listening to Merlin and the 10th Apostle’s conversation, I’d already concluded that if I were to be kidnapped, Eden was far preferable to the White Blood Cult.

‘They said a powerful monster’s soul dwells within the helmet.’

Since he had been fighting against the self-proclaimed Demon King since childhood, he was confident he wouldn’t lose to whoever was inside that helmet.

‘There’s more than enough possibility of escape.’

Not just breaking free from this place—I might even return stronger.

‘As expected, Wrath gives without reservation… wait—’

I smiled as I gripped the Soul Reaper Sword, but a sharp gaze pierced the air behind me.

A low hum resonated through the blade.

The Soul Reaper Sword’s warning came instantly. I spun around and drew my blade in one fluid motion.

Steel clashed against steel with a deafening ring.

A pitch-black greatsword met my Soul Reaper Sword, and above it hovered a skull-white helm. Within its hollow eye sockets, golden flames flickered with an aura of death.

“A Death Knight’s helm….”

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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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