The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 354

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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 354

Shhhhink!

Toten Robel drew his sword. The blade’s whisper against the scabbard sent a chill through the Training Ground’s atmosphere.

“So you said waiting was boring?”

He leveled the gleaming steel at Dorian.

“I’ll grant your wish. Draw your sword now.”
“Teach that arrogant mouth a lesson first. Make sure he never runs it again.”

Palen Sepia glared at Dorian, grinding her teeth.

“Ugh….”

Dorian’s face had gone pale as he looked back at me, his eyes pleading desperately for help.

-It’s not that I won’t help, but you won’t even offer advice?

Wrath frowned as he observed Dorian’s trembling eyes.

-That wretch is weak in spirit rather than in strength.
‘That’s exactly why.’

I gave the frightened Dorian a cheerful wave, my smile bright and encouraging.

-Why?
‘You know as well as I do. Dorian isn’t weak.’
-From my perspective, he’s as feeble as an ant.
‘….’
-Why?

Wrath tilted his head as if genuinely confused.

‘…From your standpoint, I understand. But you know he doesn’t get completely overwhelmed by his opponents.’

It was true that Toten Robel, Dorian’s opponent, was at the peak of Expert rank, but he had only barely stepped beyond the threshold.
For his age, it was an impressive level, but compared to the squad leaders of the Gale Wind Squad, he was still far behind.

-That’s certainly true.
‘Dorian thinks of himself as being at the beginning of Expert rank, but that bastard’s true strength has already reached the wall of the peak level.’

Dorian had steadily trained on his own and surpassed the threshold of the upper ranks.
After consuming the leaves of the Sea Spirit Flower, receiving my help with cultivation, watching his strength climb like ascending stairs, and through the practical combat training conducted on this journey, he now stood right before the peak of Expert rank.

‘But that bastard still doesn’t know.’

Since I had struck him at the level of early Master rank when facing him, he lacked objective self-awareness.
He still believed himself to be weak.

‘Even in the duel held in the Owen Kingdom, he lost too easily because his opponent was a comrade.’

Dorian had faced a fellow swordsman from the Gale Wind Squad in the tournament and lost, but if he had fought with true intent, he could have easily won.

The reason he didn’t fight with true intent was simple.

‘That bastard doesn’t use his strength for himself.’
-Mm, certainly….

Wrath nodded slightly in agreement.

‘But when he does exert himself and finds courage, it’s always for others. You saw it too—when he sprayed that Continent-Tracking Scent on me.’

I closed my eyes and recalled that day when I had been kidnapped.

‘I never could have imagined it.’

The last thing I saw before being pulled into Merlin’s artifact was Dorian spraying the Continent-Tracking Scent.
Who would have thought that the most fearful member of the Gale Wind Squad would do such a thing? Even as I was being kidnapped, I couldn’t help but be astonished.

‘Dorian does step up when it matters.’

The problem was that it wasn’t for his own sake.

I slowly opened my eyes. Dorian still hadn’t drawn his sword, his shoulders trembling. He glanced back with an expression of desperate hope.

—Still, it seems you’re raising him too harshly. Perhaps a gentler approach….
‘I admire that you care deeply for your subordinates, but this time is different.’

I steadied my gaze as I watched Dorian grip his sword with trembling hands.

‘Now is the time to push Dorian off the cliff. He must cultivate the strength to climb back up on his own.’

Changing Dorian’s timid nature immediately was impossible. It might never change in his lifetime.

‘But here, at least, he must transform.’

The reason he developed such a personality was because he suffered ridicule and mistreatment from his brothers and those who followed them in this place.
To shatter that past, he must climb the cliff with his own arms and legs.

—Pushing him off a cliff, you say….

Wrath turned his head away while his hands moved busily. Looking at what he was doing, he was writing on his palm.

‘What are you doing?’
—Can’t you see? I’m taking notes.’
‘Why would you do that?’
—So I can raise demons like you when I return to the Demon Realm.

He grinned, saying that with just two Raons, he could dominate the Demon Realm.

‘That’ll be difficult.’
—Don’t jest. The True Demon King shall replicate Raon Zigheart and seize both the Demon Realm and the Continent entirely!

Wrath recited his plans for conquering the Demon Realm and the surface world without being asked.

‘A second Raon Zigheart can never exist.’

I can’t even predict my own nature.

A past life lived as an assassin. A childhood spent as the family’s disgrace and yet blessed with Sylvia’s love. From my days as a trainee until now, I’ve been heavily influenced by Rimer’s eccentric nature, and recently, Glen’s temperament has begun to seep into me as well.

Because of two lives and the countless connections with people around me, my personality and nature continued to evolve.

‘This too must be part of my preparation for manifesting the Sword Realm.’

The Sword Realm Manifestation is not merely swordsmanship—it reveals the life a Zigheart swordsman has lived.
Even now, my Sword Realm Manifestation was slowly taking shape within my mind’s eye.

‘In any case, I’ll leave Dorian as he is.’

Whether I break through the Expert-tier ceiling in this battle or not doesn’t matter. I simply hope he opens his heart and moves forward, even if only slightly.

‘Still, I should at least humble him a bit.’

After all, I’ve been giving him personal training for over a month.

-That wasn’t a fight, that was getting beaten up….
‘Same difference.’
-No, they’re quite different….
“Dorian!”

I cut off Wrath’s words and waved my hand at Dorian, who was clenching his jaw.

“You said you’d crush him! Come on, do it!”
-….

*

*

*

Dorian’s teeth chattered at the sound of my voice from behind.

‘What’s gotten into that guy today!’

He was always a bit off mentally, but today he seemed more than half crazy.
It felt like watching a supercharged version of the mischievous Rimer.

“Hey.”

Toten Robel’s patience had worn thin, his eyes gleaming coldly.

“Draw your sword. If you don’t draw it within five seconds, I’m coming at you as is.”

His killing intent materialized into a tangible pressure that bore down upon my entire body.

“Ugh….”

Dorian bit his lip and drew his blade.

“I’ll make sure that mouth of yours never runs so freely again!”

Toten Robel kicked off the ground and surged forward. Propelled by the momentum, his descending sword unleashed a chilling wave of sword energy.

“Hiss!”

Dorian pivoted to the right, executing the Cloud Drifting Step.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Toten Robel sharply changed direction and pursued. Needle-sharp aura crashed in from both sides—he was a swordsman who had truly mastered both predictive and swift strikes.

“Ugh!”

Dorian slid backward and unfurled the Ten-String Sword Technique.
Sword energy that rippled forth like silk collided head-on with Toten Robel’s razor-sharp aura.

Crash!

Dorian was driven back by the overwhelming impact, sliding across the ground. Toten Robel retreated only three short steps.

“You’ve earned the right to speak. But….”

Toten Robel frowned, observing his blade trembling slightly.

“That’s nowhere near enough to shake me!”

His eyes blazed as he charged forward once more. Now fully unleashing his power, his speed increased dramatically, and the sword energy wreathing his blade shone with a deep azure light.

Boom!

The second collision erupted, carving a small crater into the center of the Training Ground.

“Gack!”

Overpowered by raw strength, Dorian tumbled across the ground like a ball, while Toten Robel drew more aura upward and retreated four paces.

“What are you doing?! Crush him so he can’t even lift his head!”

Palen Sepia narrowed her eyes at Toten Robel and pointed an accusing finger.

“Give me a moment.”

Toten Robel ground his teeth and glared down at Dorian.

“So you were holding back a technique.”

As he drew upon his full power, a blue aura rippled and blazed across his shoulders.

“No, I wasn’t….”

Dorian shook his head and clenched his teeth hard.

‘A technique? What technique could I possibly have!’

I had merely parried Toten Robel’s sword strike on pure instinct. There was no hidden strength, no secret technique to speak of.

Zing!

Toten Robel approached like a beam of light, thrusting his sword repeatedly. His sword strikes curved in a circular arc, assailing from all directions like a whip striking a horse.

Clang! Crash crash crash!

I unfurled the Ten String Sword technique from beginning to end.
The blade energy spread like drifting clouds, flowing with rhythmic grace, yet it could not withstand Toten Robel’s savage onslaught.

Screech!

The Ten String Sword’s energy was mercilessly torn asunder, sending a nauseating shock through my core.

“Ugh….”

Dorian stifled a groan, weaving swordplay with footwork to fortify his defense, yet Toten Robel’s relentless assault showed no sign of abating.
Gradually, his limbs grew sluggish, and the space to retreat began to vanish.

“So this is your true measure? To boast with such meager skill—had you stepped onto a real battlefield, your head would have rolled long ago!”

Toten Robel, apparently taking my words to heart, unleashed even sharper sword strikes, his eyes blazing crimson.

“I knew it would come to this. What good is sword training for the likes of you?”

Palen, finding her composure, crossed her arms and let out a derisive laugh.

“Dorian! What are you doing! With your full strength, you could shatter him in one blow! Use your ultimate technique—the Infinite Orbit Invincible Demon-Piercing Sword!”

I began spouting nonsense again, grinning broadly. What in the world was the Infinite Orbit Invincible Demon-Piercing Sword! For the first time, I genuinely wanted to strike that smug face of mine.

Crunch.

Dorian clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.

‘Why is everyone doing this to me!’

He was furious—at Toten Robel, who had fallen for my absurd performance and was wildly swinging his sword; at Palen, who still mocked and belittled her brother despite his return after nine years; and at me, whose pranks had grown excessive today.

Crack.

The shell of something that had hardened in his chest shattered, reverberating through his entire body.

“Damn it!”

Dorian cursed—a word he rarely spoke—and channeled his surging rage directly into his blade.

Boom!

The Ten-String Resonance Sword shed its gentleness and erupted with violent force, sweeping away Toten Robel’s descending strike with a thunderous clash.

“Ugh!”

Toten Robel staggered backward five paces with a sharp groan, while Dorian rolled across the ground once more.

“This bastard!”

Toten Robel charged forward with eyes blazing crimson, smashing through the ground like a fruit fly drawn to something sweet.

“Come on!”

Dorian’s retreating feet suddenly planted themselves firm. He made no attempt to hide the roiling emotions surging within—instead, he poured them directly into his swordplay.

‘I’m on my own now!’

Raon clearly had no intention of helping, so I had to settle this myself.
As the will to beat these idiots senseless welled up inside me, something knotted in my chest suddenly cracked open with a sharp sound.

Whoooosh!

The eighth form of the Ten-String Zither Sword—Strings of Heaven’s Phoenix—unfurled.

“That sword technique won’t work on me!”

Toten Robel, already familiar with Strings of Heaven’s Phoenix, burrowed low and thrust his blade upward to meet it.

“You fool. You idiot!”

Dorian twisted his wrist as if it might snap. The graceful sword energy of Strings of Heaven’s Phoenix—which had stretched forth like clouds clinging to a mountain peak—suddenly shifted, erupting with fierce and overwhelming force.

Boom!

A violent shockwave exploded outward, and Toten Robel staggered back seven steps.

Cough, cough.

Dorian no longer tumbled across the ground. Though pushed back ten steps, I remained standing firm on both feet.

“Despicable wretch. So you’ve been hiding your strength all this time.”

Toten Robel spouted more nonsense as he slashed downward from the right, sending sharp sword energy streaking toward my arms, shoulders, and legs.

‘He’s definitely strong. Strong enough to make my flesh cry out in pain. But…’

Not as much as I’d anticipated.’

Toten Robel’s sword energy was undeniably strong, swift, and sharp.

But it paled in comparison to Raon Zigheart, whom I’d sparred with daily since arriving here. His blade had become so familiar to my eyes that the azure sword energy rushing toward me felt almost gentle.

Ching!

I unfurled the Ten-String Zither Sword’s technique—the Returning String Absolute Circle. My sword energy flowed like clouds dancing through a tempest, effortlessly sweeping away every strike from Toten Robel. The fractured energy dissipated across the ground.

“How audacious!”

Unable to contain himself, Toten Robel charged forward and brought his blade down. I didn’t retreat, scraping the ground as I drew my sword upward to meet him.

Clang!

Steel met steel. Our eyes locked in the space between our blades.

“It matters not what you’re hiding.”
“That’s not it!”
“Silence!”

He thrust his blade forward and twisted his wrist. An eerie aura coiled up the silver blade as a dozen sword energies erupted toward me, spinning to encircle and trap me with no escape.

“I’ll make sure you never speak so carelessly again!”

Whether sincere or not, his most vicious target was clear—my face, specifically my mouth.

Whoosh!

My gaze swept across the scene. Toten Robel, confident in victory. Palen, smirking with amusement. And Raon, still smiling that infuriating smile. The frustration I’d been holding back erupted once more.

“What the hell did I even do?! You damned bastards!”

The moment I unleashed the words I’d been suppressing, the shell around the knot of resentment in my chest shattered completely, and a thunderous boom resonated through my entire body.

Boom!

Power surged through me as if my shackles had been torn away. It felt as though I could accomplish anything.

Whoooosh!

Dorian unleashed his aura at full power. As an overwhelming force he had never felt before wrapped around his blade, a massive cloud of energy erupted into being.

The final technique of the Ten String Sword—the Great Ten String Slash—revealed itself to the world.

“You idiots! I didn’t do it, I tell you!”

With those words, a cross-shaped sword aura burst forth, shattering Toten Robel’s storm of blade energy and relentlessly pummeling his entire body.

Boom!

A tremendous shockwave erupted, filling the Training Ground with brown dust.

Whoosh!

A wind from somewhere swept through the dust, revealing the end of the duel. Toten Robel lay embedded in the ground with his eyes rolled back, while Dorian stood above him, breathing heavily.

“Huh?”

Palen’s jaw dropped so far it nearly fell off as she stared at the scene.

“How… how is this possible?”

She couldn’t find words, unable to believe what she was witnessing. Following Raon’s instructions, her mouth finally closed properly.

“I… I won. I, you fools.”

Dorian’s hands trembled, his excitement not yet subsided. His face flushed crimson.

“Dorian!”

Raon, who had been spouting nonsense throughout the duel, called out to Dorian. When he turned, Raon was smiling brightly and raising his hand.

“Are you going to end it so ungracefully?”
“Ugh!”

At those words, something ignited in his chest. Not resentment, but a burning pride.

Dorian bit his lip and gestured to the two warriors standing behind Palen Sepia.

“You’re next!”

*

*

*

Raon watched Dorian gesture with such confidence and smiled warmly.

‘He’s finally reached it.’

The peak of Expert rank. The path that should have opened when he consumed the Sea Coral Flower’s leaves and used continuous cultivation to unlock the mana circuits throughout his entire body had finally broken through.

Since I had been sparring with him at the early Master level all this time, if he regained his senses, crushing someone like Toten Robel would be the natural outcome.

‘But….’

He’s genuinely too kind.

When he vented his frustrations, all he said was: “It’s not me! You idiots! You fools!” A pure-hearted fool with a purity rating of one hundred percent who couldn’t even speak harshly.

‘I’m right, aren’t I?’

I tapped Wrath’s head, which had grown quiet, and pointed toward Dorian.

‘He said he could handle it on his own.’
-Indeed. I witnessed it well.

Wrath nodded and curled up the corners of his mouth in a grin.

-The emotion that wretch used to break through the Wall was rage! Truly, a choice befitting the True Demon King’s subordinate!

He seemed delighted that Dorian had overcome the Wall through an outburst of anger and chuckled wickedly.

‘Anyway.’

Though his usual gluttonous nature suggested he was simply overeating, it seemed he was truly the Demon King of Wrath incarnate.

“Come at me!”

Dorian flicked his nose with his thumb and gestured to the remaining warriors.

‘He’s properly fired up now.’

Having fully unleashed his power for the first time and defeated a strong warrior, he seemed exhilarated beyond measure. My provocation had paid off.

-Shouldn’t you stop him now? This is excessive.
‘Just wait.’

I called out toward the front with a wry smile.

“Well done, Dorian! Just as planned, your sister’s finally shut her mouth!”

Though my words were directed at Dorian, they struck Palen’s ears like daggers.

“Grrrgh….”

Palen’s eyes gleamed crimson as she ground her teeth.

“Take that bastard down right now!”

She turned to face the two remaining warriors behind her.

“Now!”

At Palen’s command, the warriors exchanged glances and chuckled.

“If the employer insists, what can we do?”
“I’ll handle it.”

The larger of the two men shrugged his shoulders. As he began to move, a middle-aged man in mercenary garb emerged from the darkness.

“I’m not doing any more night shifts.”

He shook his head and approached Dorian.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got!”

Dorian whirled his sword, his eyes burning with fervent emotion. His expression was slightly intoxicated with the joy and exhilaration of reaching the pinnacle of Expert rank.

-Are you really going to let him be? Wrath furrowed his brow as he watched Dorian.

-That’s a Master-level warrior!

He grimaced as he watched the warrior who had emerged this time draw his blade.

‘Yes. A Master.’

And not just any Master—one forged through countless real battles, a mercenary-turned-Master.

-Surely you don’t think he can actually win?

-Then why provoke him…?
‘Because his confidence has skyrocketed from the ground to the heavens. He needs a beating to bring it back down to earth.’
But why did you provoke them…?
Just as children who drink together develop bad drinking habits, if I don’t educate him properly now, Dorian could die meaninglessly in war.

‘Of course, that’s not all there is to it.’

My gaze toward Palen Sepia turned cold and sharp.

‘She needs to learn a lesson too.’

That what Dorian had built over nine years wasn’t just his own martial prowess.

I slowly rotated my shoulders and ankles, keeping myself ready to move at any moment.

-So… you’re saying you’ll watch his confidence soar, only to see it shatter completely?

-You…
That’s right.
Wrath let out a hollow laugh as he watched me stretch with a cold smile playing at my lips.

Wrath let out a hollow laugh as he watched Raon stretch his body with a cool smile.

—Why don’t you try becoming the True Demon King once?

I have a feeling an unprecedented arch-demon would be born.

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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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