The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 297

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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 297

Tsk.

Geummyeonsa lay sprawled across the rooftop, clicking his tongue softly.

‘This doesn’t sit right with me.’

Normally, I wouldn’t have cared who wore the helmet or who died, but the thought of Raon Zigheart becoming a half-dragon somehow irritated me.

‘Is it because he’s the first lunatic like this?’

Raon Zigheart was a madman—captured in enemy territory, yet audacious enough to challenge me to a duel.

I’d actually found that reckless spirit rather appealing, but now that his existence had vanished in an instant, my mood had deflated. The reason I’d declined the duel with the one wearing the blue dragon helmet was because my energy had been sapped.

‘I was actually looking forward to it.’

Raon had spoken with such confidence about meeting again next time that I’d held hope, but it was as I expected. No human existed who could overcome the souls of the helmet and mask.

‘Things will be tedious for a while.’

The duel with Raon had been a thread of amusement in this monotonous duty of guarding the barrier, and now that it was gone, I felt a twinge of regret.

“No, what am I even thinking right now?”

Geummyeonsa laughed coldly and tapped his own cheek.

‘He was always going to disappear anyway.’

I had known from the beginning that Raon’s soul would vanish. It was strange to be having such thoughts at all.

“Sigh….”

I exhaled lightly and closed my eyes. Since no one could even recognize the Taeeum Barrier, let alone enter it, I was about to let this body rest for a moment.

Whoooooosh!

I sensed someone making contact with the Taeeum Barrier.

“What in the—!”

Geummyeonsa shot to his feet and bolted toward the direction where the barrier had been breached.

‘What is that…’

Four ordinary-looking people of varying ages and genders carried a crimson palanquin painted as if drenched in blood, and from beneath it, a pale white hand extended outward, caressing the barrier.

‘I couldn’t sense their presence at all?’

Those four certainly possessed formidable power, but not enough to escape my detection. This body was specialized above all else in sensing auras.

‘Then that woman must be…’

Geummyeonsa swallowed hard and fixed his gaze on the center of the palanquin. Despite radiating no killing intent whatsoever, her presence reached toward the heavens themselves. It was as if a monster—something not of this world—had donned human skin as a disguise.

“Insane…”

The White Blood Cult Master. She had changed drastically since I last saw her, but there was no mistaking that mad woman.

‘It will break through.’

Even the Taeeum Barrier could not stop that monster. It was only a matter of time before the barrier fell—that much was inevitable.

Uuuuuung!

Geummyeonsa clenched his teeth and activated the barrier. Its interior thickened, and an alarm bell tolled within the Great Hall.

“It’s futile.”

A sweet voice that tickled the ears flowed from within the crimson palanquin. Before that voice faded, the barrier rippled like water, opening a passage for the palanquin to pass through.

‘She… opened it?’

Not destroyed—opened. I could never have imagined such a thing was possible.

“I have connections with him, after all.”

At the White Blood Cult Master’s gesture, the 10th Apostle took the lead and entered the barrier. Behind him, the palanquin advanced, and the 5th Apostle followed at the rear.

Gooooooo!

The Archbishop, bishops, and followers filed in after them, entering the barrier in formation.

“Y-you’re breaking the oath and starting a war?”
“There’s no need to worry.”

The White Blood Cult Master gazed at Geummyeonsa, her crimson lips curling into a thin smile.

“I’ve simply come to reclaim what is mine.”

*

*

*

I furrowed my brow as I looked toward Merlin’s chamber.

‘I need to make a choice.’

Given Rocta’s nature, he would remain here to protect Merlin regardless of what happened outside—because what mattered to him wasn’t Eden, but Merlin.

But if I did that, my understanding of the situation would be delayed, and I’d be slow to respond to external threats.

‘I don’t know who came.’

One enormous presence had overshadowed everyone else, making it impossible to discern who had actually invaded.

‘Can you sense anything?’
-Ugh….

Instead of answering, Wrath let out a faint groan and slumped against my shoulder.

-I’ve… exhausted too much power. I can’t sense anything.

He muttered that he’d spent all his accumulated strength manifesting his true form and piercing through dimensions twice.

‘This is utterly useless….’
-Ugh….

The fact that Wrath didn’t respond even when I ignored him suggested he was exhausted.

‘Then I have no choice but to go myself.’

With no other options left, I had to venture out and assess the situation directly. Since Merlin was unconscious, there was no one else to rely on.

I slipped through the throng of Eden’s spectral servants, suppressing my presence, and exited the Great Hall.

‘A… palanquin?’

The moment I stepped through the doorway, a crimson palanquin came into view.

From the silhouette of a woman reflected in the pale pink silk draping the palanquin’s seat, an overwhelming presence radiated outward. Her gaze pulled at mine like nails driven through my pupils, drawing my eyes endlessly toward her.

Not only I, but all of Eden’s spectral servants found themselves unable to look away from her.

‘Tch….’

I forced myself to turn my gaze away, gripping my jaw with my hand. The carriers holding the palanquin’s poles came into view—men and women of various ages.

‘Formidable.’

They wielded tremendous power, and it was no accident they bore that palanquin. Though the palanquin’s master made it difficult to sense them properly, not a single one of the four carriers possessed a martial foundation inferior to my own.

My eyes widened as I turned my gaze toward the side of the palanquin.

‘The 10th Apostle? And the 5th Apostle?’

The 10th Apostle, with ten orbs embroidered on his coat, and the 5th Apostle, with five orbs, stood on either side of the palanquin with their hands clasped together.

‘Then… that woman must be….’

I looked back at the palanquin. Observing the woman making languid gestures from within the crimson silk, I clenched my lips tightly.

‘The White Blood Cult Master!’

There is only one being whom the apostles of the White Blood Sect treat with such courtesy.

No, setting everything else aside—the woman in the palanquin displayed a presence comparable to Glen’s from the very start, so the answer was clear from the beginning.

That woman was the White Blood Cult Master, the ruler of the White Blood Sect.

-Hmm!

Wrath narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized her.

-She’s quite formidable.

Wrath was a creature who acknowledged no one except Glen. For him to speak of the White Blood Cult Master in such terms meant her power reached the heavens just as Glen’s did.

‘But….’

Why had the White Blood Cult Master come here?

She hadn’t broken through the barrier to enter, but judging by Eden’s reaction, she hadn’t come by prior arrangement either. I couldn’t fathom why that monster—capable of shaking the entire Continent wherever she appeared—would come to this place.

‘Could she be here to capture me?’

One might call it excessive self-importance, but the White Blood Sect had sent the 10th Apostle to kidnap me. As absurd as it sounded, the possibility wasn’t zero.

-Fool.

Wrath let out a scoff and waved his hand dismissively.

-A being with such power is rare even in the Demon Realm. Why would she come to capture a wretch like you? This is why I can’t stand those afflicted with protagonist syndrome…..
“Where is Raon Zigheart?”

As he scoffed, a soft voice that seemed to melt one’s ears flowed from within the crimson palanquin.

-Huh?
‘What?’

I pushed Wrath aside, who had been blocking my view, and opened my mouth wide. That monster really did seem to have come here to capture me.

“There is no such person here.”

Geummyeonsa answered in a voice that sounded parched and cracked.

“Who are you lying to right now?”

The 5th Apostle glared at Geummyeonsa, his murderous intent surging forth. He clenched his fists as if ready to strike at any moment.

“All of you, kneel. Before you now stands a most noble….”
“That’s enough.”

The White Blood Cult Master waved her hand lightly.

“Raon Zigheart is gone? Why?”
“That… that bastard is dead… so.”

After deliberating until the very end, Geummyeonsa spoke in a casual tone rather than formal speech. The fact that he didn’t raise his tone even in this situation showed he was a man bound by pride.

“Dead, you say….”

The White Blood Cult Master let out a faint laugh.

“So he’s wearing your helmet.”
“Indeed. He may be able to impersonate Raon Zigheart, but the real Raon Zigheart no longer exists in this world.”

Geummyeonsa nodded, his lips trembling.

I suppressed my presence further and bent my waist slightly.

‘Why is she trying to make me an Apostle?’

The White Blood Cult Master was a monster worthy of Wrath’s acknowledgment. No matter how much of a genius I was called, I couldn’t understand why she would personally come to take me, now that I had only reached the intermediate Master level.

“Then….”

The White Blood Cult Master leaned back against the seat of her palanquin and snapped her fingers.

“I suppose I should take that child as well.”

She spoke of taking me along as naturally as if retrieving something she had entrusted to someone else.

“That… that is impossible.”

Geummyeonsa furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“Eden does not simply release those who enter. If you’ve already donned the helmet….”
“You lack understanding of your position.”

The 5th Apostle stepped forward before Geummyeonsa, an eerie killing intent radiating from his form.

“Bring Raon Zigheart here before I crush that mouth of yours.”
“I’m not speaking to you.”

Geummyeonsa bared his teeth at the 5th Apostle, then turned his gaze back to the White Blood Cult Master.

“You speak of taking an Eden member without intent to fight—what is your true scheme?”
“That depends on you. If you obstruct my path, I’ll simply remove you.”

The White Blood Cult Master tilted her head slightly. Her voice was endlessly composed—so much so that one might mistake this place for the White Blood Cult’s main headquarters rather than an Eden branch.

“Kuh, you would break the Oma Covenant?”

Geummyeonsa stammered as he spoke. Though the White Blood Cult Master displayed no overt aura or power, her overwhelming presence was undeniable. Even Geummyeonsa, a Master-rank cultivator, found himself struggling to form words.

“There is no reason for the covenant to break if you simply hand over the child.”
“That’s absurd….”
“Close your mouth.”

The 10th Apostle, who had been standing back, stepped forward. His eyes, sharp with ferocity beneath their composure, fixed upon Geummyeonsa.

“You are not someone who can speak so carelessly to her.”
“….”

As the 10th Apostle unleashed a tremendous wave of energy toward Geummyeonsa, the Severed Soul Sword moved to intercept it.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!

The 10th Apostle and the Severed Soul Sword clashed, with Geummyeonsa and the 5th Apostle locked in confrontation as the earth itself began to tremble.

“I am not a patient one.”

The White Blood Cult Master let out a low chuckle and flicked her finger. The two powerful auras clashing against each other subsided in an instant, and Geummyeonsa fell to his knees.

“Kugh!”
“….”

The Severed Soul Sword did not kneel, but his eyes widened to twice their normal size as he staggered from the impact, staring at the White Blood Cult Master.

“I will take Raon Zigheart with me.”

As the White Blood Cult Master nodded, the palanquin moved forward. When her unstoppable steps continued, the Severed Soul Sword forcibly regained his balance and stood up.

“….”

The Severed Soul Sword still said nothing as he drew up his aura. A pitch-black death energy coiled around his entire body.

“Ho.”

The White Blood Cult Master let out an admiring exclamation as if amused.

“How amusing. You dare block my path despite being off-balance?”
“There is no need for you to step forward, Master.”

The 10th Apostle stepped in front of the Severed Soul Sword, his eyes flashing with cold light.

“I will dispose of this one.”
“….”

The 10th Apostle and the Severed Soul Sword gripped their spear and sword, unleashing auras that seemed intent on killing each other—far more intense than before.

‘I can’t escape this.’

I bit my lip. If Eden and the White Blood Cult were evenly matched, I could use this situation to flee, but the balance of power has tilted toward the White Blood Cult. Escape is impossible.

“So you were right here.”

The White Blood Cult Master pointed her finger, which had been twirling in empty space, at Eden’s ghosts. The ghosts collapsed one by one as if falling asleep, and my figure was completely revealed.

“Raon Zigheart.”

She let out a sharp laugh and pointed at Raon.

“I wanted to see you.”

A scorching heat rose within me, yet it felt as comforting as if it had come from a mother’s womb. The moment I heard her voice, I wanted to rush toward her and embrace her.

‘Grrr….’

I forcibly stopped my feet from moving. Using the Ring of Fire, I erased the White Blood Cult Master’s voice that had burrowed into my mind.

“Who are you?”

I trembled my voice, acting as Rocta, who knew nothing of this world.

“Hmm….”

The White Blood Cult Master gazed at me with her chin resting in her hand. I felt an intense, scorching gaze emanating from her eyes.

“How ambiguous.”
“What do you mean by ambiguous?”
“The scent of the helmet spirits is slightly faint. Could it be that you’ve overcome them?”

Even as her gaze passed through the red aura, it remained sharp as a blade, piercing through to my very soul.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

I bit the inside of my cheek until it bled to hide my panic.

‘Damn….’

How did she figure it out?

I had executed a perfect aura manipulation and performance that could even deceive Eden’s spirits, yet it didn’t work on this monster. She said it was ambiguous, but her voice carried absolute certainty.

“Whether you’ve been consumed or not doesn’t matter.”

The White Blood Cult Master gently flicked her fingers.

“Come with me. I shall show you a new world.”
“Ugh….”

As I stared at the shadow of fingers reflected in my feet, my mind suddenly went blank, but I resonated the ring of fire to sharply clear my senses.

“Such mental fortitude is rare. I find myself growing even more fond of you.”

The White Blood Cult Master smiled, delighted that her sorcery had failed to take hold.

“As long as my family remains in this place, I will not leave.”

I spoke the words Rocta would have spoken, gripping the blade of my newly acquired sword.

“Then I shall simply kill your family.”
“What nonsense is that!”
“Choose. Will you follow me after your family is dead, or will you follow me now?”

There was no inflection or emotion in the White Blood Cult Master’s voice—only the unwavering conviction that this was the only logical course.

‘This woman has lost her mind.’

Whether it was the White Blood Cult or Eden, they were all gathering madmen. Not a single person here possessed a functioning mind.

‘Wrath.’

I glanced down at Wrath, who resided within the ice flower bracelet on my wrist.

‘If you enter my body, can you fight against her?’

Normally, Wrath would confidently declare victory, but right now he had expended considerable power on unnecessary matters. Since I couldn’t predict how the situation would unfold, I needed to hear his answer first.

-You ask a foolish question.

Wrath frowned as if questioning why I would even ask such a thing.

-Of course I can crush her to dust.
‘Then prepare yourself.’

My voice trembled slightly, but right now, surrendering my body to Wrath was my only option. Everyone here was an enemy. Even if Wrath went berserk and killed them all, it didn’t matter.

“Restrain yourself.”

As I steadied my breathing, Geummyeonsa stepped forward.

“This is Eden’s domain. No matter how powerful you are as the master of the White Blood Cult, there are things that must not be done here.”
“How bold, matching the number of heads you possess. I rather like that.”

At the White Blood Cult Master’s words, Geummyeonsa’s eyes widened.

“But your words are mistaken.”
“What do you…”
“Wherever I stand becomes the White Blood Cult.”

She extended her hand. With that single gesture, a crimson aura bloomed in the eyes of the White Blood Cultists at her side.

“Bring me Raon Zigheart. You may kill anyone who stands in your way.”

As the White Blood Cultists advanced with murderous intent, Eden’s spirits could not move. They were enveloped by the mysterious and pure energy the White Blood Cult Master had unleashed.

Clang!

The first to clash were the 10th Apostle and the Severed Soul Sword. Formidable auras erupted above their sword and spear, their killing intent rising toward each other.

Whoosh!

The moment the blades of two Grand Masters were about to collide, the heavens split open.

The sun, which had been sinking below the western mountain, rose again, and brilliant light blazed across the entire world.

From within the magnificent radiance, a man appeared.

He wore a mask of such breathtaking beauty that it seemed almost human, with lips curved gently upward like a living face.

The gray robes he wore were inscribed with an angel’s wings and a demon’s horns, and above his head floated a halo blending the symbols of sun and moon in equal measure.

Sacred and yet profane.

The heavens sang hymns for him, and the earth yearned for him while raising malice.

Aaaaaaaah!

I bit my lip hard as I listened to the bizarre wails—a sound like the cries of both angel and demon intertwined.

‘Tacheon…’

A monster cloaked in both holiness and demonic nature. One of Eden’s two pillars, known to the outside world as Tacheon.

Gooooooh!

Tacheon descended slowly, accompanied by an immense aura of energy that rivaled even the White Blood Cult Master’s.

I clenched my fists tightly.

‘This is good news.’

With Tacheon’s arrival, the balance between Eden and the White Blood Cult had been restored. If things went well, there was a possibility of escaping without unleashing Wrath.

-That bastard…

As I was formulating an escape plan, Wrath’s eyes narrowed at the sight of Tacheon, his brow furrowing with such intensity that his expression twisted.

-He’s been tainted.

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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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