The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 338

—————

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

—————

Chapter 338

“I-intruder… gack!”

The caretaker standing behind let out a scream before his neck was severed.

“Whoosh!”

Dorian emerged from behind, giving a thumbs up. His finger trembled slightly—a sign of his tension.

“Showing off, are we?”

Raon chuckled softly and examined the two children before him. The wounds were deep, but mercifully not fatal.

“You held on well. You did good.”

I stroked their heads and used my aura to stop the bleeding from their wounds.

“W-who are you?”

The blue-haired girl who had told her the name Fine trembled at her lips.

“Just a passing villain.”

I couldn’t reveal my identity; there was a possibility Derus might learn of it through these children.

“A-a villain? But you said you’d help us find our names…”
“That’s right. I’ll help you find your names and get you out of this place. A villain who catches villains, after all.”
“Oh!”

Fine’s expression twisted into something indescribable. Because of her emotional suppression, she wanted to cry, but tears wouldn’t come.

Tsk.

I frowned. Tasting the bitterness rising from my tongue, I examined Fine and the children standing behind her.

‘Damn it.’

Watching the distorted faces of children who didn’t know what to do, my stomach churned. It felt as though my past self—the one who had killed Number Nine—was staring back at me.

‘I must have been like this too.’

No, it was probably worse.

My past self had never received salvation from anyone and had completely buried my emotions.
I would have been wearing a pitch-black mask, smiling without even the distorted expressions these children showed.

A low rumble echoed through the cavern.

I lifted my head to look at the ceiling of the Cavern. The commotion above and below intensified—they had noticed the disturbance in this place.

‘They’re coming.’

Their movements were faster than expected. There was no time to leisurely converse with the children here.

“Just wait a moment.”

I lowered my gaze and stimulated the mana circuits at the base of the two children’s necks, rendering them unconscious.

“Wait, just a second….”
“When you wake up, it’ll all be over.”

After putting all the other children standing rigidly behind Fine to sleep and gathering them in one place, I approached Dorian.

“Why are you putting them to sleep?”

Dorian tilted his head, looking at the children collapsed in a heap.

“They’re under brainwashing, so they might attack you even though you’re trying to protect them. And….”

I fixed my cold eyes on the Corridor where the assassins were approaching.

“Things are about to get messy.”

I intended to reveal my killing intent fully today. A sight unfit for these children’s eyes was about to unfold, so it was better to let them sleep.

“Ugh….”

Dorian poked at the unconscious children with his finger and swallowed hard.

“Th-they’re really knocked out, right? They won’t wake up again, will they?”
“Don’t worry. They won’t.”

I turned my head with a faint smile.

“You can guard them, right?”
“O-of course.”

His voice lacked confidence, but I decided to let it slide since it was Dorian.

I approached the entrance through which I had descended into this place.

Wheeeee!

Two Masked Men emerged from the corridors on both sides, concealing themselves in the shadows as they rushed forward.

Shhwaaack!

I brought down the longsword Dorian had given me in a single arc.

Screeeech!

The longsword, imbued with the subtlety of a master swordsman, slashed diagonally across the body of the Masked Man rushing from the right. A spray of blood erupted from the gaping wound.

“Ugh!”

The Masked Man on the left seized the opening and thrust his blade forward. I pivoted on my left foot and raised the longsword to parry.

Claaang!

The razor-sharp blade, honed to perfection, split the Masked Man’s body in two along with his sword. He didn’t even have time to scream before his life ended.

Whoooosh!

As I walked toward the corridor, a black blade erupted from the shadows on the ground. It was the Shadow Blade—the assassination technique used by Robert’s assassins.

Screeeech!

I didn’t even turn my body as I extended the longsword backward, deflecting the black shadow blade. Using that recoil, I drew the longsword down smoothly.

“Grrk….”

The assassin’s head severed before he could fully emerge from the shadow.

Whoooosh!

Caretakers and assassins descended from the upper corridor connected to the Orphanage. Without even a shout, they charged forward, wielding swords and daggers. They looked every bit the assassin.

“It’s all the same. Never changes.”

I stepped on my right foot’s pressure point. I swung the longsword, which had been tilted to the left, horizontally. The blade, imbued with the subtlety of both defense and offense, carved a crimson wave through the air.

Skreeeeeech!

The bodies of the Masked Men who had charged like lightning were split in half along with their weapons.

“Ah….”
“Ughhhh!”
“What is this….”

The Shadow operatives, trained in hellish conditions to never even scream, fell into a sea of blood, unable to comprehend their own deaths.

Splat.

I stood before the corridor, treading on the warm blood pooling across the floor.

I had dealt with all the assassins descending through here. Now I had to go up and cut down Lisbon, the one responsible.

“Dorian.”

I turned back and looked at Dorian. His expression remained unchanged even at the sight of such brutality, whether from anger or something else.

“Yes….”
“I’m counting on you.”

With those words, I climbed the stairs.

The moment I stepped out of the stairwell, blades thrust at me from four directions. The damp aura clinging to the steel aimed for my heart and throat.

Boom!

I kicked off the ground and launched myself upward.

Clang!

The assassins raised their blades as if they’d anticipated this. Their killing intent pressed against my skin like thorns.

‘Pointless.’

I brought my longsword down against the assassins’ blades that thrust at me simultaneously, channeling the subtle essence of the Suction Technique.

Screech!

Their swords clung to my longsword before snapping back in unison. Unable to withstand the recoil, they lost their grip and the blades clattered to the ground.

Whoosh!

I spun through the air and swept my longsword down in one fluid motion. Four necks were severed cleanly by the cascade of sword light.

Thud.

I walked out of the Orphanage Director’s office with an expressionless face. My footsteps painted a crimson carpet across the floor.

“You, you monster!”

An old woman near the exit waved the staff she held. She was the Orphanage Director who had been waiting for the children at the entrance. As expected, she was a high-ranking member of Shadow conducting the brainwashing operation.

Whoooosh!

Flames erupted from the old woman’s staff. The intense heat melted the corridor like cheese.

Rumble!

I didn’t retreat an inch. I unleashed a sword wind against the overwhelming flames.

Crash!

A sharply honed blade of wind sliced diagonally through the storm of heat.

“Who… who are you?!”

The old woman glared with wide eyes, grinding her teeth.

“A corpse speaks.”
“What nonsense….”

As the old woman retreated and attempted to cast another spell, her body tilted at an angle—the same direction as the flow of the sword wind.

“You… you….”

The old woman stared at her own bisected body with bulging eyes before collapsing.

“You’ve arrived.”

I turned quietly to face the newcomer. A middle-aged man with deep blue hair and a sword scar across his left cheek stood like a shadow. Lisbon. The caretaker who had caused Number Nine’s death in my past life, and Matio’s loyal subordinate.

“Impressive.”

Lisbon lifted his chin with cold eyes.

“How did you find this place?”
“Well.”
“By the looks of you, you fancy yourself some apostle of justice. You’ve chosen the wrong path.”

He drew his sword from his waist with tedious slowness.

“Your family, your friends, everyone you know will be dragged here and killed. All because of you.”

Lisbon spoke with a sinister tone, pointing his blade at me.

‘That will happen.’

Derus, Matio, Lisbon—they all feigned boldness on the surface, but they were petty men who harbored grievances and repaid them from the shadows. That malicious threat was no lie.

“I wonder if that mouth of yours can still run at that time.”

Lisbon laughed coldly. He regarded Raon as a knight intoxicated by a sense of justice.

“Does it sound like a joke? But it will actually happen. I won’t kill you. First, I’ll make you watch your family and friends die, then pierce your heart as the final blow.”
“Is that so?”

Raon chuckled softly. Among the family and friends I’d gained in this life, not a single one was someone to be underestimated. If someone like Lisbon tried to reach Zigheart, he’d be riddled with holes before even crossing the front gate.

“Try it. If you can.”
“Fool.”

At a flick of my finger, Lisbon shattered the ground beneath him and charged forward. The dense aura of force radiating from his blade pressed down upon my entire body.

“I told you. You picked the wrong opponent. It’s too late to regret!”

Lisbon seemed to think I was frightened, grinning wickedly as he brought his blade down. The aura of force erupting from his sword bent diagonally and fell away.

Boom!

I lowered my center of gravity and stepped forward with my left foot. Simultaneously, the blade I unleashed struck the center of the aura of force Lisbon had conjured.

Crash!

The degraded aura of force sprouting from my ordinary longsword shattered Lisbon’s aura and tore his arm clean away. Not even blood flowed from his shoulder, seared by the heat.

“Aaaaaargh!”

Lisbon stared at his right arm, which had vanished so easily, and let out a scream that seemed to tear his throat. His eyes trembled as if they might burst from their sockets.

Absolute dominance. My martial prowess had already reached a level where I could crush even Master-rank lower-tier warriors without relying on swordsmanship.

Thud!

I approached the screaming Lisbon and struck his left chest. It was to incapacitate the Rage Worm embedded in his heart.

“Gasp!”

Lisbon was driven backward and rolled across the ground. Using that momentum, he pivoted and executed footwork in the opposite direction.

‘This… this can’t be happening!’

I was the one who miscalculated.

A single collision was enough to tell me everything. I couldn’t defeat this creature. No matter what strategy I employed, I was facing a monster I could never overcome.

‘Damn it!’

It hadn’t seemed particularly strong, so I’d planned to handle it myself before reporting to Derus Robert. That was my mistake. I should have informed him immediately without fail.

‘There’s still a way out.’

My specialty wasn’t swordsmanship—it was the shadow-stepping technique. If I used the Black Shadow Step, I could escape from this creature.

Whoooosh!

I pressed myself against the wall to hide in the shadows and move. Just as I was about to plunge into the darkness, my body tilted and I collapsed to the ground.

‘What—what is this!’

My legs had gone completely numb, and a burning pain surged through my flesh. I twisted my stiffened neck to look behind me.

“Huh? Aaaaaaahhhhh!”

Both my legs had been severed and lay scattered across the ground.

“My—my legs! Why are my legs—!”
“Pathetic.”
“Uhhhhh….”

Raon approached me with heavy, deliberate steps. With each thunderous footfall, my entire body trembled.

“Your subordinates didn’t scream once, even as they died. You’re already on your second outburst.”
“I—I….”
“Isn’t screaming considered the shame of an assassin?”

At those words, my trembling intensified. I clenched my teeth and lifted my head.

“H-how did you know that….”
“I heard it from you.”
“Who exactly are you….”
“A specter.”

I lifted my longsword with a smile so chillingly cold it sent shivers down the spine.

“A specter returned from hell to erase you all.”

I brought the blade down in a straight strike, driving it into Lisbon’s left chest.

“Kugh—hack!”

I made it so the sword barely grazed his heart, ensuring he wouldn’t die immediately. A thin stream of blood trickled from his chest.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

Lisbon screamed and thrashed, but the blade embedded in his chest refused to budge.

“Wail.”

I gripped the longsword tightly, my eyes burning with an eerie light.

“Let the children whose lives you stole hear you. Let those buried without even closing their eyes hear you. And….”
“Kugh….”

At my voice, so desolate it was almost suffocating, Lisbon’s pupils trembled.

‘Wail for my nameless friend up there in the sky.’

Remembering Number Nine, whom I never even knew the name of, I tightened my grip on the sword.

“Y-you’re from Shadow….”
“Your screams will become a requiem for them.”

I twisted the longsword, tearing open Lisbon’s wound. From his mouth poured a horrifying shriek that could console even a specter.

“Kyaaaaaaagh!”

*

*

*

Raon descended back into the Underground after erasing all traces of what had transpired.

“A-are you finished? I heard such terrible screams….”

Dorian lowered his sword and swallowed hard. Blade marks were etched across his shoulders and waist, and corpses of assassins lay stacked beside him. It seemed he had endured quite a grueling battle.

“Yes. They won’t be doing anything like this ever again.”

Raon nodded and shoved the corpse in the Underground toward the Corridor. He methodically erased every last trace of evidence.

“Should we wake the children now?”
“Hmm….”

I gazed at the children who still hadn’t awakened. Tears glistened at the corners of their eyes—evidence of the ordeal they had endured before losing consciousness.

“No. Since we can’t take them with us anyway, it’s better to leave them to those who will arrive soon.”
“Will they treat them well?”

Dorian sighed and gently stroked the head of a child before him.

“I never imagined children could live such lives. I thought I had suffered considerably myself, but now I realize how fortunate I truly was.”

He shook his head as if embarrassed by the admission.

“You are you, and they are they.”

I shook my head.

“Only you know your own suffering. There’s no need to torment yourself with guilt.”
-Well spoken indeed.

Wrath rose above the ice flower bracelet and nodded in agreement. For some reason, that creature had been unusually quiet today.

-What matters is not the past, but the future. Tell that fellow to think of his future and walk forward.

I chuckled softly and looked at Dorian.

“Forget the past and think of the future. What matters is moving forward.”
“Who said that?”
“Some strange person with a good appetite.”
-The True Demon King is not a strange person! I am a proud demon!
‘Sure. Sure.’

I nodded lightly.

“Hearing those words gives me strength. Please tell that strange person I’m grateful.”

Dorian wiped away the children’s tears and smiled.

“Hmm….”

I looked upward and narrowed my eyes. The sound of knights’ armor echoed from a distance. The aura felt familiar. It was Borini Kitten, whom I had fought not long ago.

“It’s time to go.”
“Is Sir Borini Kitten coming?”
“Yes.”

I nodded and scribbled a message on two small pieces of paper, placing one on the Platform and the other in Fine’s pocket. Finally, I set down a pouch of gold coins for the children.

“It’s a shame. I wanted to see these children smile more.”

Dorian also pulled out all the candies and sweets from his bag and laid them on the ground. Tears glistened at the corners of his eyes.

“You’ll see them soon. They’ll come to Zigheart.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”

I nodded and gestured.

“Let’s go now.”
“Yes!”

I ran through the underground corridor attached to the Cavern to avoid running into Borini Kitten. As I was about to exit, Wrath’s demonic eye detected a small chamber hidden behind the wall.

“Hmm?”

I stopped in front of the bookshelf. A smile bloomed across my lips.

“Looks like they’re giving me spoils of war too.”

*

*

*

Borini Kitten swallowed hard as he gazed upon the Orphanage called Cloud House.

‘Is this really a place that raises assassins?’

When he saw that someone had infiltrated his chamber without anyone knowing and left a letter, he had tried to dismiss it regardless. But the moment he read its contents, his body moved on its own.

‘They said they kidnap children and raise them as assassins.’

Upon seeing content that he could never overlook as a knight, his desire to ignore it vanished completely.
At the mention that a conspiracy might be involved, he had rushed here with all his strength, bringing only those among the Silver Knights he could trust.

“Is it really true?”
“We’ll know once we look inside. Though there’s surprisingly little presence here.”

Borini Kitten patted his subordinate knight on the back and headed inside.

“Blood?”

Inside the Orphanage building, blood pooled thickly across the floor, and corpses slashed by blades were stacked in the corners. However, they were all the blood of Masked Men who should never have been in this place.

“Tch….”

Borini Kitten bit his lip.

‘So it was real.’

A corpse that hasn’t been dead long retains the temperament of when it was alive. The aura lingering on this body was nothing but the damp chill one would expect from an assassin.

“Search the area.”
“Yes, sir!”

At Borini Kitten’s command, the knights scattered in all directions.

“There’s a staircase leading underground over here.”

Borini Kitten listened to his subordinate’s report and entered the Orphanage Director’s office. A passage descending into the underground lay open on the blood-soaked floor.

“Let’s go.”

Borini Kitten descended the stairs with tension coiling through him. Only after descending quite far did his feet finally touch the ground.

“Gasp!”
“Ah….”

The two men’s jaws trembled as they beheld the floor drenched in blood and the children sprawled across it.

“Good heavens!”

Borini Kitten rushed forward urgently to examine the children.

“Phew….”

They were alive!

Fortunately, not a single child was dead. They were all merely unconscious, their mana circuits disrupted. It appeared to be the work of whoever had written that note.

“Hmm….”

Borini Kitten, finding some measure of relief, surveyed the children’s condition.

‘Their state is dire.’

All wore tattered clothing, and despite their clean faces, their bodies bore countless scars from blade wounds. The fact that every child bore identical marks in the same locations made it unmistakably clear—these were the marks of assassin training.

“There are torture instruments and such on this side.”
“Ah, there’s also a room where children’s skeletal remains are piled up.”
“There’s a room for the children, but it’s a place where people can barely survive….”

With each report from the knights, my anger swelled until I had no choice but to clench my fists tightly.

“Damn it….”

Honestly, coming here, I had hoped the contents of that note were fake. If it were true, it would be far too tragic and vicious.

But that hope never materialized. This place was a hell designed to raise children as assassins.

“Sigh….”

Borini Kitten rose to his feet with a heavy sigh. As I furrowed my brow and turned around, a single sheet of paper resting on the Platform caught my eye. The paper was folded into a triangle, identical to the one that had been in the room.

‘Did that person leave this?’

When I unfolded the paper, the handwriting of the person who had brought me here was written upon it.

[Someone will come soon to treat the children. Until then, I entrust them to you.]

It seemed like a request to protect the children.

Borini Kitten’s hands trembled as he looked at the paper.

“So you’re just asking me to clean up the aftermath.”

Honestly, I felt relieved. If these children had been held hostage, I wouldn’t have been able to move properly.

‘And there’s money too.’

The pouch of gold coins beside the paper seemed to be meant for use on behalf of the children.

“What should we do?”
“Wake them carefully. We take all of them with us.”
“Investigate the traces of this place too. We need to uncover who the culprit is.”
“Yes!”

The knights split into groups to wake the children and continued collecting evidence.

*

*

*

“Mmm….”

Agent 45 opened her eyes as she felt someone’s touch.

‘Is it him?’

She lifted her head, thinking of the tall man who had cut down Caretaker Number Four at the end. But it was a knight in silver armor she’d never seen before who held her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes….”

She answered and turned her head. The man who had saved her was nowhere to be seen—only knights were moving about.

‘Was it a dream?’

No, it wasn’t.

The warmth of his hand stroking her head still lingered. That tenderness could not have been a dream.

“Agent 45….”

As she clenched her fists, a thin, trembling voice reached her ears. When she turned her head, Agent 86 was looking at her. Tears streamed down from her eyes.

“Agent 86!”

Agent 45 bit her lip and rushed forward, pulling Agent 86 into an embrace.

“Mmm….”

The knight’s expression hardened in shock upon seeing them call each other by numbers. He let out a deep sigh and approached them.

“My name is Borini Kitten. I am a knight of Owen.”

He slowly extended both hands toward me.

“Come with me. I will ensure you all live lives worthy of human beings.”
“I….”

Agent 45 couldn’t bring herself to take his hand. She knew what kind of person Borini Kitten was, but she feared that following him might lead to something like what had happened here.

“Um….”

As she trembled uncertainly, a carefully folded note slipped from her pocket. When she picked it up, she saw writing on it.

[We will meet again. Follow the knights.]
‘This is….’

She could tell who had written it. It was that person—the one who had saved them and promised to find them names.

Agent 45 carefully folded the note and placed it back in her pocket. Thinking of that person, she gathered her courage and took the knight’s hand.

“Yes. I’ll go with you.”

—————

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

—————