The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 397

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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 397

Seven rings of fire, pivoting around my heart, rotated with fierce intensity. The seven circles resonated as one, and I felt a scorching sensation as if flames flowed through my spine.

The surging tidal wave of the Swamp of Death slowed, and the screams and breathing of those atop the Castle Wall ceased.

A moment of absolute concentration where everything seemed to freeze.

I stepped into that world and called out to Wrath.

-Speaking in a time like this? You’ve grown quite a bit.

Wrath’s eyes widened in surprise. As expected, he—a being whose soul was bound to mine—had entered this world alongside me.

‘Help me use your technique.’
-Technique? Don’t tell me you’re referring to what I showed you in the Mental Realm?
‘That’s the one.’

I closed my eyelids rapidly.

There was no other way.

I had felt it just moments ago when I reached out my hand. Even if I unleashed all of Glacia’s frigid power in this state, I couldn’t freeze that tidal wave of the swamp. Poorly frozen ice shards would only fall and kill even more people.

‘Teach me that technique where you froze the space itself in my Mental Realm.’

The world of absolute concentration only felt as though time flowed slowly—it wasn’t actually slowing down. The tidal wave of the swamp was drawing closer, so I had to move quickly.

-Shameless bastard.

Wrath snorted derisively.

-I don’t even want to teach you, but even if I did, it would be impossible for you right now.
‘What?’
-That technique requires the kind of genius-level mastery of cold that the True Demon King possesses. A pathetic human like you would only create icicles if you tried.

He waved his round hand dismissively, saying it was pointless.

—The True Demon King recommends gathering only the Mad Dog Squad’s young ones to erect a barrier of strong energy. Then at least those wretches can survive….
‘From today until the day you leave, I’ll buy you everything you want to eat.’
—Huh…?
‘If this place gets destroyed, you won’t be able to eat grapes and blueberries anymore.’
—Huh huh…?

Wrath’s deliberation was brief.

—Operate Glacial immediately according to the flow I’m creating!

His frigid aura burrowed into my mana circuits. I drew upon Glacial with all my might and followed that current.

‘Ugh….’

Channeling so much cold energy at once made my mana circuits feel as though they would rupture, but I gritted my teeth and endured.

—Now comes wrath.

Wrath seeped into me from Wrath himself. I awakened the fury clinging to the depths of my soul and chased after the colossal current he was creating.

‘Ugh….’

I clenched my teeth so hard they felt ready to shatter. My body creaked as if it would break apart. Enduring the sensation of my mana circuits tearing and my bones being crushed, I reached out once more.

—Release the drawn wrath and cold energy in one breath! This technique’s name is….

The moment the swamp’s tidal wave cast a massive shadow upon the castle wall, I opened the floodgates I had held back in my grasp.

Crack.

Along with the frigid sensation of blood freezing in my veins, silvery frost bloomed from my palm.

‘And finally, the most crucial element….’

Imagery.

I painted the imagery Wrath had always spoken of. Imagining myself freezing every wave of the swamp, I twisted my wrist. The ring of fire encircling my heart resonated with the frigid aura spreading across heaven and earth.
I poured forth the entire flow of Glacial, releasing every last speck of cold energy without reservation.

Kwaaaaaaaa!

A brilliant silver-white radiance surged from the center of my right hand, engulfing the swamp’s tidal wave.

The Lord of Wrath’s ultimate technique.
Silver Aurora.

The swamp’s wave, which had been tilting as if it would crash down at any moment, turned silver-white and its flow ceased. It wasn’t due to extreme focus. The swamp itself froze solid, becoming perfectly rigid.

Grooooo.

The colossal frozen tidal wave of mud, not a single grain flowing away, seemed alien—as if it defied the balance of this world.

‘So this is Silver Aurora….’

The aurora called the celestial curtain that veils the heavens. It lived up to its magnificent name.

“Uh, uh….”
“You’re freezing that? Is he human?”
“Mud ice cream….”

Burren Zigheart, Martha, and Lunan Slion swallowed hard as they gazed at the shadow of the colossal wave blocking out the sun.

“Hueok!”
“M, my lord!”
“He’s truly insane….”
“I knew he was a monster, but….”

The Gale Wind Squad standing on the castle wall also fell backward, their eyes trembling as if struck by lightning.

Grooooo.

I continued operating the Ring of Fire without pause to hear their astonishment.

‘Damn it….’

It hurt like hell.

Even as I rotated the Ring of Fire and elevated my soul’s rank, my entire body screamed with tearing pain. I had channeled far too much power at once, and in a manner I had never attempted before.

“Haah…”

I exhaled painfully and lifted my head. Even now, I couldn’t believe that my own hands had conjured a tidal wave of mud frozen solid in silver-white ice. But there was something far more pressing to attend to.

‘Whoever created this tidal wave…’

It had to be him.

A tidal wave of this magnitude couldn’t occur naturally in the Swamp of Death. It was undoubtedly the work of the mage who had summoned the Death Knight. Since I didn’t know where he was watching from, I maintained a calm, unbothered expression.

Crunch.

Wrath ground his teeth as he watched me maintain my composed demeanor.

-You mad bastard! How did you even do that?!
‘You’re the one who taught me, so why are you acting like this?’
-Well…

I had shown him the flow of the technique, but I never actually expected him to pull it off. I thought he’d freeze it partially and shatter it, but this lunatic froze the entire swamp wave solid.

-I really didn’t think you’d actually manage it!
‘I visualized it.’
-What?’
‘You always said it yourself—that the most important thing when wielding mana is imagination. I recalled your image from my mental realm and thought about freezing the entire swamp.’
-Tch, I won’t teach you anything ever again!

Wrath ground his teeth, clearly sulking.

‘That’s fine.’

I nodded slowly.

‘I’ve already memorized it.’

By resonating the ring of fire and wielding the silver aurora, I had already grasped the flow of the cold. Of course, using it alone would be difficult.

-There’s absolutely nothing I like about you!
‘Too bad. I’m starting to like you a bit.’
-Shut that mouth of yours!

Raon smiled faintly as he grasped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword. He drew the blade while using the Manhwagong to suppress the overwhelming chill that surged through his entire body.

Whoooosh!

A torrent of energy traced a crimson arc through the air, cleaving through the frozen waves of the Swamp of Death. A massive fragment of ice, as tall as the castle itself, tilted and came crashing down.

Boom!

The colossal chunk of ice struck with such force that the ground seemed to collapse beneath its weight.

“Hah…”

As Raon slowly steadied his breathing and sheathed the Heavenly Sword, Wendy Arian, the Yellow Sword Unit, and the Ranger squad leaders climbed onto the castle wall.

“Raon!”

Wendy’s lips trembled, her face drained of all color.

“W-what on earth just happened? Why did the swamp suddenly turn into waves…?”
“It appears to be a wave that surged from the depths of the Swamp of Death.”
“I see…”

She exhaled heavily as she gazed upon the frozen and severed mud wave, now pale white.

“Does this mean it’s finally over?”

Wendy clasped her hands together as if pleading for confirmation that it had ended. The others too moistened their dry lips, desperate to hear the same answer.

“….”

Raon did not answer. Instead, he approached the edge of the castle wall.

Crack, crack, crack, crack!

The frozen mud melted away as black energy bloomed from the ground. The piles of mud that should have reached the castle wall crumbled to dust, and the earth—stained pitch-black for centuries—revealed its true form.

‘The aura of death.’
-No matter when I sense it, it reeks of filth.

Deathly miasma began seeping from the vast, deep Swamp of Death that had been suppressing the earth beneath.

I lifted my gaze toward the end of the Swamp of Death—or rather, what could now be called the Land of Death. From an unfathomably distant place, beyond even the reach of my aura sense, I felt an immense presence. It was deliberately revealing itself.

“Tch….”

I exhaled in irritation and turned around. Seeing the people staring at me with trembling eyes, I shook my head.

“Now it begins. Prepare for war.”

Judging by how the miasma rising from the earth was intensifying, it wouldn’t be long before this place was overrun with undead. We would have to conduct a siege against them for control of this castle.

‘At least there’s one saving grace….’

We were somewhat prepared.

The moment Wendy Arian assumed the temporary position of Head of House, she had replenished war supplies and trained the people. We at least had the groundwork to fight.

“W-War?”

Wendy’s shoulders trembled, her mouth clamped shut.

“A war, you say….”
“It will begin soon.”
“War….”

She too seemed to feel the deathly aura surging from the earth, her cheeks and neck flushing red.

“W-What should I do first? Preparations, or—no, should I send word….”
“Wendy.”

I approached Wendy, who appeared to be on the verge of panic.

“We have little time. To save the Arian Family and these people, you—who know this place best—must act.”
“Ah….”

As I spoke, I gestured toward the people of the Arian Family standing atop the castle wall. Seeing their eyes wavering without proper support, Wendy’s trembling ceased.

“I… understand.”

Wendy clenched her fists until her knuckles bled white, then nodded firmly.

“We enter wartime readiness effective immediately! The Sword Units and Rangers—prepare for siege warfare!”
“Understood!”

Whether it was her commanding presence or something else, not just the Sword Units but the Rangers too began trembling and moving with urgent speed.

Clang, clang, clang!

For the first time in centuries, the emergency bell tolled, and the entire Family Estate mobilized for war.

Raon observed the flurry of activity before turning around.

“Assemble.”

The Gale Wind Squad, realizing this was no time for jest, straightened their posture as they lined up atop the Castle Wall.

“As I mentioned, war with the undead will begin shortly. Go to the Dormitory, cultivate your energy, and return.”
“C-Cultivate our energy?”
“We don’t need to defend here?”
“The unit leader looks exhausted too.”
“Right. The unit leader should be the one cultivating.”

Having spent so much time together, the Gale Wind Squad had noticed that Raon was depleted.

“I can do it here.”

Raon shook his head. Since he was still operating the Ring of Fire, recovering from these internal injuries was hardly difficult.

“You’ve all been sparring all morning. Go quickly, restore both body and spirit completely, then return.”

I surveyed the land where murderous intent bloomed, twisting my expression.

“There won’t be time to cultivate if not now.”
“Ugh….”
“This is terrifying….”
“Understood.”

The Gale Wind Squad ceased their protests, nodded, and rushed down from the Castle Wall.

“Dorian. Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
“Is there perhaps….”

I called out to Dorian, who was about to descend, and asked if he had a certain item.

“Ah, of course I do. It’s essential equipment. I can retrieve it now… huh?”

He paused mid-reach into his ship’s pouch.

“But if we use that, wouldn’t our mission fail?”
“It’s fine.”

I shook my head with a faint smile.

“It’s not just my strength—it’s the power of the Gale Wind Squad.”

*

*

*

After everyone had departed, I remained on the Castle Wall, watching over the Land of Death. The Ring of Fire had subdued my internal injuries, and though the people of the Arian Family were preparing for war with courage, unease refused to fade when I gazed upon that cursed land.

‘It’s become truly virulent now.’

The malevolent aura rising from the earth beneath the Swamp grew endlessly stronger. An ordinary person without mana would collapse the moment they stepped beyond this Castle Wall, unable even to draw breath.

-That’s not the only problem.
‘Indeed.’

I nodded and gazed toward the far edge of the Land of Death. From that distant horizon, countless undead—their numbers beyond reckoning—were being summoned forth.
Empowered by the virulent miasma, the auras of the strengthened monsters were palpable against my skin.

‘Extremely dangerous….’
-No, not that! Aren’t you going to eat the grape sandwich and blueberry pie?!
‘This isn’t the time to eat.’
-The True Demon King doesn’t know such things! Keep your promise!
‘The shop is closed.’
-Then open it!

As Raon pushed away Wrath, who clung to him like a swamp, Wendy Arian came running over.

“Th-there’s a problem.”
“A problem?”
“The emergency communication network won’t connect!”

Wendy scratched her arm with her nails as she explained that the emergency communications had been down for hours.

“I suspected as much.”

Raon nodded calmly. I hadn’t expected a creature that summoned an evolving Death Knight and transformed the swamp into waves would leave an emergency communication network intact for others to contact.

“Then….”
“We must fight as we are now.”

Raon withdrew two rings from his pocket and slipped them onto his fingers. One was the Cyan-Red Ring he’d received from the Yonan Family, and the second was a ring given to him by Chamber, the Grand Mage of Yeongwha.

“Haa….”

Wendy struck her own forehead and clenched her fists tightly.

“So we must endure this somehow on our own.”

She gripped her sword firmly, as if steeling her resolve.

“That’s correct.”

As Raon nodded, the Gale Wind Squad climbed onto the Castle Wall. Having finished their training, everyone’s complexion was brighter than before.

“We’re done.”
“We’ll hold this place. This time, you….”

Martha was about to tell Raon to cultivate his aura when she felt the ground trembling from behind.

Everyone, including Raon, rushed to the Castle Wall and gazed upon the Land of Death.

Crack-crack-crack!

With an eerie sound like bone flowers blooming, gray skulls and zombies stained green clawed their way up from the earth. Like seedlings sprouting from seeds scattered across the entire Land of Death, undead began rising everywhere except before the Arian Family Castle.

“Ah….”
“In, insane….”
“Are all of those undead?”
“Can we even hold against this?”

As countless undead rose to their feet, the Rangers standing watch on the Castle Wall trembled violently.

“Th, that’s quite a lot, isn’t it?”

Burren Zigheart bit his lip as he watched the endless stream of skeletons rising.

“How is it that I see more undead skulls than actual ground!”

Martha’s eyes gleamed as she clenched her fists, watching the zombies.

The two of them, equally unprepared for such numbers, swallowed hard and furrowed their brows.

“They look like bead ice cream.”

Lunan Slion licked his lips as he gazed at the skeletons’ skulls. Even in this moment, he harbored such thoughts—truly, a peculiar child.

“Phew….”
“W, will the castle hold?”
“If it doesn’t, we all die.”
“Quiet, and prepare. They’re coming soon.”

Just as everyone tensed under the overwhelming numbers, the undead suddenly turned in formation like an organized army.
Instead of advancing toward the Arian Family Castle, they knelt before the three pillars in the Land of Death and released an otherworldly cry.

Uuuuuuu!
Grrrrrrr!

It was a hymn of darkness. The undead, whom they had not summoned in centuries, bowed their heads to their master and sang songs of worship.
Just as priests revered their gods and gained divine power, the aura of death that dwelt within these creatures grew thick and heavy.

Uuuuaaaaaaah!
Kiiiiaaaaaaah!

As countless undead sang of death, even the sun seemed to cower, hiding itself within the clouds.

The sky turned ashen gray, and the resolute atmosphere atop the Castle Wall sank into gloom as if a funeral had been declared.
Not even a breath could be heard, as if the place had been abandoned by all living things.

“W-what is this!”
“What are those things doing!”
“M-my hands and feet won’t stop shaking….”
“Are they drawing power from a demon?”

Not only the Rangers and the Yellow Sword Unit, but even the Gwangpung Unit’s faces had turned deathly pale at the undead’s song.

“How absurd.”

Raon let out a scoff and drew the Heavenly Sword. He activated the Manhwa Palace to its fullest, pulling his right arm back. In a motion like drawing a bow, he thrust forward the blade engulfed in flames.

Kwaaaaaaaaaah!

A fiery tempest erupted from the entire blade, sweeping through the horde of undead crying out in darkness.
Hundreds of undead melted away without leaving even a single fragment of bone behind.

The endless hymn that had echoed ceased, and the sunlight that had faded was restored, illuminating the Castle Wall once more.

“Mad Dog Squad.”

Raon turned around. He smiled as he saw the eyes of the soldiers, now burning with resolve like embers reigniting.

“The meat clinging to bone is always the most delicious.”

He raised the Heavenly Sword, pointing it at the still-countless undead remaining.

“Devour them all.”

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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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