The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 290

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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 290

The Witch and the Dragon.

The fairy tale of a witch commanding an evil dragon to devour people originated from the very Merlin standing before me.

Centuries ago, Merlin betrayed humanity, sided with monster forces, and waged war—ultimately consuming an entire kingdom whole.

During the time Merlin was called the Witch of Betrayal, a dragon with azure scales stood at her side. Records of the malevolent dragon that froze hundreds of knights in a single breath have persisted to this day, and this helmet appeared to have been crafted using that dragon’s mana stone.

I narrowed my eyes, observing the helmet hovering in Merlin’s hand.

‘I’m certain of it.’

This is the dragon from the tales.

The sharp azure scales and sky-blue mane flowing from this helmet unmistakably belonged to the dragon Merlin once commanded.

‘So that’s why she gave me the elixir of cold.’

I’d wondered why the elixir was saturated with frigid energy—it seemed to be a gift prepared in advance for this dragon.

‘Quite impressive.’

Without even donning the helmet, she was already attempting to draw forth the cold using the elixir—such meticulous preparation struck me as admirable.

‘But if this is a true dragon, isn’t that rather dangerous?’

The tales only mentioned it as an evil dragon Merlin commanded. It could be a lesser wyrm like a sky dragon or earth dragon, but if it were a true dragon, that posed genuine risk.

‘Regardless of what anyone says, dragons are the strongest on the Continent.’

Dragons bore the title of the mightiest race and arbiters of the Continent. If the soul dwelling within this helmet were a true dragon, even the Ring of Fire would offer insufficient protection.

—Hmph! What’s some mere lizard to me!

Wrath scoffed at the dragon’s helmet.

-The True Demon King roasted those lizard wretches, boiled them, and even fried them!
‘You did?’
-Indeed! I am the Lord of Wrath! Dragons are nothing but insects to be crushed beneath my feet!
‘Sure. Sure.’
-Hey! Listen to me!

I nodded slightly as I watched Wrath flailing his fists about wildly.

It’s probably not a lie.

Wrath doesn’t lie. The way he spoke suggested he’d slain at least three dragons.

‘This might actually go more smoothly than I expected.’

I lifted my head while watching Wrath snort with a heavy breath.

“Is this helmet made from a dragon’s soul?”
“Who knows.”

Merlin let out a soft laugh and lowered her eyes.

“You’ll find out tomorrow.”

She didn’t give me a proper answer, suggesting I’d understand once I wore it myself.

“Then let me ask something else.”
“Hmm?”
“Are you really Merlin?”

I gazed into Merlin’s eyes behind the old woman’s mask. Her irises shimmered with an enigmatic hue and gleamed with heat.

“What do you think?”
“Until now, I was uncertain, but seeing this helmet… you seem genuine.”

Merlin had prepared a helmet perfectly suited for our second meeting. The fact that she was obsessed with kidnapping me and fitting me with a dragon’s helmet, even expending Legendary consumables, made me believe she truly might be Merlin.

‘There is something odd, though.’

The skin visible beyond her mask was smooth and pale without a single wrinkle. Even being generous, she appeared to be around Ensia’s age.

‘On top of that, Roengrin said he personally cut off Merlin’s breath.’

Roengrin had explained himself by saying he destroyed the Witch’s Castle and severed Merlin’s life.

The dead don’t return, so the woman before me couldn’t possibly be Merlin.

‘But that’s not right.’

I widened my eyes and swallowed hard.

I came back to life too.

Just as I was reborn from the assassin Raon into Raon Zigheart, there was a possibility that Merlin had also been reborn through some means.

“You’ll understand that question once you put on the helmet.”

Merlin said I’d know everything once I experienced it myself, then covered the mask’s lips with her finger.

“When will I put on the helmet?”
“Tomorrow.”

As she waved her hand, the dragon’s helmet floating in the air dissipated like smoke.

“Tomorrow evening, when the full moon rises, we’ll begin.”

The heat burning in Merlin’s eyes blazed even more intensely.

“Until then, it would be best if you made the power within that elixir your own.”

Merlin raised her finger and pointed to the elixir placed on the table.

“That way, you can remain yourself, at least a little.”

She swept her hand down my cheek and exhaled with anticipation.

“See you tomorrow.”

Merlin waved her hand without hesitation and left the chamber.

“A possibility of winning….”

I opened the lid of the wooden box. Upon seeing the spiritual elixir emanating frigid energy, I let out a soft chuckle.

‘If I consume this, any possibility of winning will vanish entirely.’

A greater quantity of Impure Water had been added compared to yesterday, making it abundantly clear that Merlin intended to completely dismantle the barrier protecting my soul.

-Instead of hindering this demon, she’s actually helping him!

Wrath clicked his tongue while staring at the door through which Merlin had departed.

-She pretends to be clever, but she’s foolish.
‘That’s certainly true.’

I nodded in agreement. Merlin had prepared the Impure Water intending to aid the dragon within the helmet, but that energy instead nurtured the Ring of Fire and the Thousand Flower Bloom—both formidable assets in battling the dragon.
It was no different from what Wrath said: she had inadvertently aided the enemy.

-Hmph. The True Demon King would never commit an act that benefits his adversary. True wisdom lies in understanding what consequences your actions will yield.
‘….’

I stared at Wrath, now shaped like freshly spun cotton candy, nodding in satisfaction, my mouth falling open. He still didn’t realize he was a fool’s sovereign—the absurdity of it drew an involuntary laugh from me.

How did this idiot ever become a Demon King?

What fool appointed him?

*

*

*

I opened my eyes. Soft moonlight streamed through the window, which meant dawn had broken outside.

‘The quantity is greater than yesterday.’

Feeling my aura—now more solid and expansive than when I was with the clan—I allowed myself a faint smile.

‘To think I’ve grown this much in just two days.’

Not only had Manwha Gong and Glacia advanced, but even the Ring of Fire that purified the Unholy Water had grown.

Kidnapped by the enemy, yet becoming stronger than before—if I told someone unfamiliar with my circumstances, they’d slap me across the face for spouting such nonsense. Yet it was genuinely happening.

‘I wonder if there are a few more elixirs around?’

The efficacy of the same type of elixir diminished with each consumption, but since I’d never consume the Unholy Water again anyway, I wanted to gather a bit more if possible.

-Tsk, you’re the only one who’d think about plundering enemy provisions like that!
‘That’s precisely what audacity is.’

I chuckled softly and pushed myself upright. As I was loosening my stiff body, the door opened and Merlin entered.

“Did it go well?”
“Yeah….”

I nodded with eyes noticeably more relaxed than yesterday. Having observed Lunan Slion extensively, I was confident in my vacant stare.

“Not bad.”

Merlin examined those eyes and nodded with satisfaction. The corner of her mouth visible beneath her slightly lifted mask twisted upward like a vine.

“Unfortunately, I can’t play with you today. I need to prepare for tonight.”

She set down the meal she’d brought on the table, her eyes gleaming with a subtle crimson light.

“I’ll come get you in the evening.”
“Okay.”

I simply nodded with vacant eyes.

“Hehe.”

Merlin patted my head and left the room.

I immediately shook off the act and sat at the table. After finishing my meal quickly, I left the room at once.

I walked down the corridor toward the Great Hall, and the gazes of those around me felt distinctly different from yesterday. The specters of Eden greeted me with noticeably more deference.

‘Are they finally truly accepting me?’

Now that it was confirmed I would don the helmet today, they seemed to regard me as a genuine executive of Eden.

‘Sorry, but things won’t go the way you’re thinking.’
-I continue to sense it, but do you possess no anxiety at all?

Wrath rested his chin on my shoulder, his expression darkening.

‘Anxiety?’
-You’re alone in enemy territory, and your very body might be seized. By any measure, this isn’t the audacity of a human.
‘Not in the slightest.’

I shook my head.

I defeated you—why would I fear anything?

The moment Wrath mentioned that I had overcome a dragon, the tension vanished like a snuffed candle flame.

I had emerged victorious in a battle of willpower against the Lord of Wrath himself. Against anyone else, I was confident in my triumph.

If mental attacks proved ineffective and they pressed me with raw physical force, I had a final recourse: unleash Wrath to obliterate this entire place and escape.

There was no one here I needed to protect.

If the Gale Wind Squad were present, I couldn’t recklessly summon Wrath, but everyone in this place was an enemy. In fact, my mind felt more at ease than when I stood alongside my allies.

I was confident I could extract everything of value and slip away regardless, so rather than tension, I felt only exhilaration.

-A curious creature you are.

Wrath frowned, unaware that his presence was the very source of my peace of mind.

-Where are you headed now?
‘You’ll see when we get there.’

Raon accepted the greetings of the robed and masked specters with unhurried ease before stepping out of the Great Hall.
He approached the edge of the barrier and raised his hand.

Uuuuuung!

The moment he manifested the barrier by channeling his aura, the presence he’d felt yesterday surged up from behind him.

“What is it this time?”

Geummyeonsa twisted his jaw irritably.

“….”

The Severed Soul Sword materialized before the Wall and stood motionless like a statue, his gaze fixed on Raon.

Shing!

Raon drew the Heavenly Sword and pointed it at Geummyeonsa with a smile.

“Let’s spar again today.”

At those words, both Wrath and Geummyeonsa dropped their jaws simultaneously.

“You madman!”
-You madman!

*

*

*

Clang!

Geummyeonsa blocked Raon’s blade strike and narrowed his eyes.

‘What is this?’

It’s different from yesterday.

The swordplay I had easily deflected yesterday could not be pushed aside so readily. Raon probed for openings with the cunning of a predator stalking prey, thrusting his blade through each gap he found.

“Tsk!”

Geummyeonsa clicked his tongue and straightened his wrist. He stripped the softness from his blade and added force and weight instead.

‘I’ll crush him.’

To overwhelm him with strength and aura as I had yesterday, I gripped the sword with both hands and brought it down in a single motion. A slash falling diagonally like lightning—the Sudden Thunder Blade.

Crackle!

As the Sudden Thunder Blade poured down as if to cleave Raon’s head in two, his movements shifted dramatically. He pulled his feet back half a step, rotated his waist to the right, and struck the center of the Sudden Thunder Blade with a blade wreathed in searing heat.

Clang!

The Sudden Thunder Blade twisted without unleashing its full power, and my own balance crumbled.

Whoosh!

Raon approached like a beam of light, as if he had been waiting for this moment, and swung his blade. A violent aura surged above the silvery-white edge.

‘Fool!’

Perhaps eager at having seized the opportunity, a small opening appeared in Raon’s strike.

“Begone!”

Geummyeonsa let out a scoff and unleashed the Red Star Flow toward Raon’s opening. A blade thick with murderous intent that shattered gaps without mercy.

Screech!

The moment the Red Star Flow was about to strike Raon’s opening, a crimson gleam flashed in his eyes.

Rumble!

As if the light born in his gaze seeped into the blade, Raon’s strike solidified with perfect form. The thickly layered aura completely blocked the flow of the Red Star Flow and unleashed a chilling counterattack.
A thick aura completely blocked the enemy’s flow and launched a chilling counterattack.

Whoooosh!

Two delicate streams of flame spiraled fiercely along the blade’s edge, converging toward my neck and chest.

“Tch!”

Geummyeonsa swiftly pivoted his sword, unleashing the defensive technique Hwigon Cheomp in a sharp downward arc.

Claaaaaang!

The two blades collided with tremendous force, unleashing a violent shockwave. I staggered back eight paces from the cratered earth, while Geummyeonsa retreated six.

It was the same collision as yesterday, yet my disadvantage had shrunk by two paces, and his retreat had increased by one.

“Huh…”

Geummyeonsa stared at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

‘What in the world is happening here?’

He had deployed his swordplay with far greater vigor than yesterday, yet I received his strikes with increasing ease and fluidity, even launching counterattacks. His lips trembled with the weight of what he was witnessing.

‘Is it even possible to grow this strong in a single day?’

Merlin had administered an elixir to me, so naturally my aura had strengthened.

But this retreat wasn’t due to aura alone. His swordplay had transformed—a world of difference from yesterday.

Even with enlightenment, it was impossible for swordplay to advance this dramatically in a single day. What magic had he employed?

‘If he continues developing at this rate…’

This could become dangerous.

Geummyeonsa swallowed hard. If I truly grew at this pace every single day, by the tenth confrontation at the latest, I might stand on equal footing with him.

“Phew.”

Geummyeonsa lowered his sword and straightened his posture.

“What a shame.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your talent is wasted. It would have been more entertaining to fight a few more times.”
“….”

I raised my head, still gripping the Severed Soul Sword.

“If I wear Eden’s helmet, do I stop being myself?”
“To be precise, I’d call it assimilation.”
“Assimilation?”
“Yes. Your soul gets absorbed into the entity within the helmet.”

Geummyeonsa tapped his snake helmet lightly and smiled.

“Assimilation can happen instantly or progress gradually. Once you naturally begin performing actions your normal self wouldn’t do, that’s when it truly begins.”
“So I can use Demonic Energy from that moment on?”
“You’re thinking of growing stronger even as yourself disappears? You’re truly mad. Now I understand why you possess such power at that age.”

He chuckled with amusement, clutching his forehead as he laughed.

“That’s right. Once assimilation begins, you’ll instinctively wield Demonic Energy. That’s how it works.”

Geummyeonsa gazed at me intently before sheathing his sword.

“We’ll stop here for today. My interest has waned.”

He waved his hand as he turned away.

“You’ll come find me again tomorrow.”

I spoke quietly, watching Geummyeonsa’s retreating figure.

“It’s meaningless.”

Geummyeonsa let out a soft laugh and vanished like smoke.

“….”

The Severed Soul Sword did not retreat even after Geummyeonsa departed, remaining in place and staring at me with the same posture.
Those golden eyes, devoid of emotion, seemed to convey something, yet I could not decipher its meaning.

“You are….”
“Raon!”

As I moved to approach the Severed Soul Sword, the air warped and Merlin burst forth.

“Did you fight that idiot again?”

She narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the crushed ground.

“Don’t play with that filthy serpent. You’ll get tainted too.”
“I had nothing else to do. Swinging a blade eases my mind somewhat.”

I answered with a slight unfocusing of my gaze. When my mind was naturally vacant, I moved on pure instinct, betraying no suspicion in my eyes.

“Once today passes, you’ll be able to crush that serpent easily.”

Merlin smiled softly and took my hand, her unusually scorching fingers caressing the back of my hand as her lips curved upward.

“Everything is ready now. It’s time for you to be reborn, stronger than ever.”

I met her gaze, her eyes burning with anticipation, and licked my lips.

‘My preparations are complete as well.’

Ready to devour four dragons.

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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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