The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 399

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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 399

I drew the Frost Ribbon through the cascading torrent of iron rain. Behind the silver-white flash of the Heavenly Sword, a blade of cold followed in its wake.

Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!

The Frost Ribbon no longer contained merely sharpness and speed. The terrifying wave of force burst through the undead horde like rotting fruit.

Whoosh!

Without pausing after cutting down dozens of undead, I pressed forward and infused the Soul Reaper Sword with the mysteries of Spiral Heaven.
A sphere of resentful flame, spinning ferociously with the energy of grudge, shot toward the undead gathered on the right side.

Boom!

In the fiery storm that erupted with violent force, not a single undead survived.

‘I need to reduce their numbers now.’

The Arch Lich had positioned the stronger undead at the front to display its superiority in power.
Even if my aura and stamina consumption were severe, I had to inflict catastrophic damage on the undead legion now.

Clang!

I stepped on Tai Hwa Step, trusting in the barrage of sword energy and arrows pouring down from the Castle Wall.
I burrowed into the center of the undead and unleashed Blue Rain with the Heavenly Sword, then Fire Spirit with the Soul Reaper Sword.

Whoooosh!

The vast sword resonance spread by Blue Rain caused the undead to clutch their heads in agony. Immediately after, fragments of flame that covered the sky melted through the undead’s skulls.

As I slaughtered the undead legion, a magic circle inscribed with black characters appeared above my head.

‘A magic circle?’

It was clearly the magic of the Arch Lich controlling these undead.

Boom!

A violet beam of light descended from the magic circle with terrifying velocity. I infused my backward steps with Heavenly Harmony.

Crash!

The ground where I had stood moments before now bore a bottomless chasm. The power transcended not merely speed—it defied imagination itself.

‘At this distance, with this magnitude of force…’

At minimum, a Superior Ghost.

Witnessing such devastating magic unleashed from the Land of Death suggested a strength that even the term “Superior Ghost” failed to capture.

‘Perhaps it’s time to withdraw.’

I had gleaned what I came for, and I had ventured beyond the reach of arrows and sword energy. Now was the moment to retreat.

Whoosh!

A second black magic circle materialized in the sky. The inscriptions differed from the previous spell.

“That’s enough for today.”

I waved my hand mockingly toward the Arch Lich watching from this place.

“Take care.”

I turned and sprinted toward the Castle without a backward glance.

-As expected!

Wrath nodded with satisfaction.

-When it comes to shameless provocation, Raon Zigheart is unmatched!
‘Hmm?’
-This King has never witnessed a human who provokes with such mastery. Your talent lies not in this Continent, but in the Demon Realm itself!

He patted my shoulder, lamenting that such talent was wasted in the human realm.

‘You should go back too.’

I pushed away Wrath, who clung to me, and stomped the ground.

Boom!

The massive explosion behind me sent my clothes and hair fluttering. Riding that wind as if to mock the Arch Lich, I ascended the Castle Wall even faster.

“Phew….”

I exhaled a heavy breath and gazed down at the Land of Death.

‘It’s completely destroyed.’

The formation of the undead legion that had just moments ago inflicted overwhelming terror upon humans lay in perfect ruin.
Scattered like common soldiers across the landscape, they posed no threat whatsoever.

“Great work, Raon.”

I turned at Lunan’s call.

“You absolute madman!”
“Wickedly magnificent.”
“So this is what a Demon King truly is!”
“At least we’re not the only ones experiencing this personality.”
“It’s a shame the undead can’t react. If you’d done that to the White Blood Cult or Eden, all hell would have broken loose!”

The Gale Wind Squad laughed and waved their hands. The pallor that had gripped their faces moments before had faded, replaced by a vibrant flush of vitality.

“Raon! You’ve done wonderfully!”
“Your swordsmanship was truly beyond words.”

Wendy and Freica smiled and nodded as well. The shadows that had darkened their faces were gone.

“Truly the White Dragon Swordmaster. A name well-earned.”

Bainder, as if he were a comrade, whistled with ease.

“Woooow! The pride of our Annex Building!”
“Is that even a compliment?”
“….”

Yua and Julius cheered with broad smiles, raising their voices in celebration. Mark Goeten bowed his head quietly, as if acknowledging the hardship.

I smiled as I watched the brightened eyes of the Gale Wind Squad, the Yellow Sword Squad, and the Rangers.

‘It worked perfectly.’

Not only had I driven back the undead, but the morale atop the Castle Wall had reached its peak. Everything I’d aimed for had been accomplished.

“Just hold on a little longer, everyone….”

As I was about to offer those words of hope, a magic circle suddenly materialized in the empty air above the Castle Wall.

‘As expected.’

Since the Arch Lich had cast magic even where the undead were gathered, it was only natural that it could do the same here.

‘I need to cut it down properly here.’

Even for an Arch Lich, casting magic freely from such a distance would be impossible. I had to demonstrate decisively that using magic would only result in loss.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The moment violet rays began pouring from the magic circle, I unleashed the Soul Reaper Sword like an arrow.

Boom!

The blade of the Soul Reaper Sword, infused with magic acupoint techniques, tore through the Arch Lich’s magic and the magic circle itself.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The magic circle summoned by the Arch Lich crumbled like dry leaves without ever releasing its magic.

“Whatever that skull tries from afar is useless.”

I caught the falling Soul Reaper Sword lightly. Curling my lips into a sneer, I directed my mockery toward the Arch Lich watching from afar.

‘This is my final move.’

If this provocation worked and the Arch Lich revealed itself, I could win this battle without fail.

‘But if it doesn’t come out and continues this war of attrition….’

It might become difficult.

*

*

*

The Western End, which should now be called the Land of Death rather than the Swamp of Death.

The three pillars that had been submerged in the marsh revealed their true forms, bearing numerous scars as if carved by a blade.

The Arch Lich and the Death Knight, their hollow eye sockets blazing with blue flames, leaned their backs against the pillars while gazing into a massive crystalline sphere.

“Is that the Zigheart of this era?”

The Arch Lich flicked its finger as it observed Raon reflected in the sphere.

“He still possesses that vicious aura. It’s like seeing him all over again.”
“Indeed. Unlike Arian, the power still dwells in his bloodline.”

The Death Knight nodded, his massive fists pressed together.

“It’s not merely brute strength. He understands how to win a war.”

The Arch Lich lowered the hem of its robe and adjusted the staff in its hand.

‘He makes it impossible to use magic carelessly.’

The young descendant of Zigheart effortlessly tore through magic and magical formations with a small dagger.
Long-range magic consumed vast amounts of mana and mental fortitude. Unable to discern how the magic was being shattered, I could not attack recklessly.

“However, the consumption of stamina and aura was likely far greater than it appeared. The same would be true for the other humans.”
“Then let us strike immediately.”

The Death Knight nodded and placed his hand upon the longsword at his waist.

“Reform your ranks. I shall take the vanguard and tear down that Castle Wall for you.”
“Understood. Right away—”
“No, wait.”

Just as the two supreme undead were about to advance, the Phantom Soul Ghost emerged from behind them.

“That’s exactly what he wants.”

Even as the Phantom Soul Ghost spoke, the Death Knight and Arch Lich stood motionless, their gazes fixed ahead without so much as a glance backward.

“He’s merely waiting for you to come to him.”

He withdrew a sphere from within his robes. The orb, once as crystalline as spring water, was now more than half stained with an inky darkness.

“You should not go to him—you must draw him here instead. That is the path to altering history.”

The Phantom Soul Ghost extended his hand forward, his voice measured and calm as black smoke bloomed from the sphere.

“Allow me to lend my aid.”

The dark vapor seeping from the orb permeated the Death Knight and Arch Lich.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

The power emanating from the two undead surged dramatically, and the miasma rising from the Land of Death exhaled an even more putrid stench.

“Rise.”

The Death Knight and Arch Lich raised their hands.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

A tremendous tremor shook the Land of Death, and the undead that had fallen before the Castle Wall stirred back to life, reforming their ranks.

“That’s right.”

The Phantom Soul Ghost swept away a bead stained an even darker black and nodded.

“Wearing them down until they collapse—that’s the only path to victory for you.”

Cyan flames erupted from the eye sockets of the Arch Lich mask he wore.

“I’ll signal you when it’s time to draw your blades.”

*

*

*

I bit my lip as I watched the tide of lesser undead surging toward me.

‘So he really does have a sharp mind after all.’

Two days had passed since I descended the Castle Wall, slaughtered the undead, and provoked the Arch Lich.

I’d expected them to come directly in their fury, but instead they’d spent these two days sending only mid and low-tier undead, grinding us down in a war of attrition.

Over five days, corpses of the undead had piled upon corpses until they formed a low hill that nearly reached the Castle Wall itself.

‘But that’s not even the real problem.’

I bit my lip and turned to look behind me.

“Ugghhh….”
“Damn it! When does this end?! Even ants don’t swarm like this!”
“I want… to sleep….”

Burren, Martha, and Lunan were biting their lips with ashen faces. It wasn’t fear—it was that after five days of fighting without proper rest or sleep, their stamina and mental fortitude had reached their breaking point.

“Is… is this ever going to end?”
“They’re trying to exhaust us to death….”
“Damn it! They’re like corpses!”
“Please, just stop coming!”

The Gale Wind Squad swordsmen were even more exhausted than their squad leaders, their hands trembling as they gripped their blades. Many had their eyelids drooping halfway shut, having failed to get proper rest, let alone sleep.

“Ugh….”
“Just… some sleep….”
“It never ends.”

Because the Gale Wind Squad was in such a state, the Yellow Sword Squad members were either gripping their knees as if unconscious or leaning their backs against the walls, while many of the Rangers had collapsed from exhaustion.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at the hands of the collapsed swordsmen and Rangers.

‘There’s no helping it.’

Despite the absence of direct combat, the Rangers and swordsmen had bloodstained bandages wrapped around their hands. They had gone five days without setting down their weapons—in truth, they had endured remarkably well.

“This… this is hell….”

I pulled a clothespin from my pocket pouch and approached Dorian, who had it clamped over his eye sockets.

“Dorian. When you receive that, doesn’t some kind of notification come back?”
“Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that. It’s truly one-way communication….”

Dorian removed the clothespin from his eyes and shook his head.

“All we can do is wait.”
“I see.”

I nodded and stood before the Castle Wall once more. Even as I thought, the undead continued their slow approach.

‘Now I need to think of another method….’
-Think about yourself first.

Wrath emerged from the bracelet, his expression hardening.

-The others managed to get some brief sleep. But you haven’t slept in five days!

He threw a round punch at me, telling me to rest instead.

‘Is he worried about me?’
-Worried? Nonsense! Your body will soon belong to the True Demon King, so don’t waste it carelessly!

Wrath shook his head rapidly, denying it.

‘Though I did notice him subtly weaving his wrath into the Silver Aurora earlier.’
-Huh?! How did you….
‘How could I not notice?’

I smiled faintly. Wrath hadn’t retrieved the wrath he’d poured into activating the Silver Aurora. He probably intended to leave it behind as a trap for later use, but I’d already seen through it.

-Grr! You’re really someone I don’t want to help!
‘Still, thank you for worrying about me.’

I patted his cotton candy-like hair and steadied my breathing.

‘Once this war ends, I’ll buy you everything you want.’

I meant it sincerely. I hadn’t been sleeping properly or eating comfortably, and I desperately wanted to rest and eat a proper meal.

-Really?
‘Yes.’
-What’s gotten into you….
‘It’s not exactly a trade, but I’ll give you my wrath in return. You can restore my aura and vitality, right?’
-I can restore aura and heal wounds. But mental fortitude is beyond my power.
‘Mental fortitude….’
-Right now, you’re fighting to defend this castle without a moment’s sleep, and your mental fortitude is depleted beyond measure. Even I cannot restore that.

Wrath continued, his expression darkening.

-Even if your vitality and aura are replenished, without sufficient mental fortitude, you cannot fight properly.
‘I see.’

He was right. Through cultivation, I could gradually recover my aura, but mental fortitude couldn’t be restored. Yet knowing this, I had no choice but to endure for now.

As I exhaled a thin sigh, Wendy Arian approached.

“Raon.”

Wendy Arian offered an awkward smile as she lifted her gaze.

“W-wouldn’t it be better to abandon the castle and retreat now?”

Her lips trembled as she spoke of surrendering the castle.

“Are you serious?”

Wendy Arian was a true warrior—a woman of admirable spirit who had wielded her blade alone to preserve the Arian family even as the entire clan crumbled and fell into ruin. For her to suggest abandoning the castle and fleeing signified the gravity of their predicament.

“Yes. People matter more than stone and mortar.”

She nodded, her resolve already crystallized.

“I’m afraid that won’t work.”

I shook my head slowly.

“That’s exactly what they’re counting on.”

This castle, constructed by the first Head of House Arian, possessed a barrier against miasma. Should the castle fall or we venture beyond its walls, the miasma rising from the earth would overwhelm us—the common folk would perish, and even the swordsmen and Rangers would become prey to the relentless undead.

‘Is that man still training?’

As frustration gnawed at me and even Rimer came to mind, Freica, the Ranger captain who had gone to rest, came sprinting toward us.

“This is terrible!”

Freica wiped the cold sweat from her brow as she continued.

“Wigen Arian and the executives have escaped!”
“What?”
“They somehow opened the prison doors, took hostages, and fled over the eastern castle wall!”
“Ah….”

Wendy Arian’s nails found their way to her mouth as despair washed over her.

“What do you mean by that…?”

I clenched my fists as I looked at Freica.

‘I knew it, but…’

He was garbage of that caliber.

No matter how much he’d been pushed back, to flee when he knew his own family was in crisis—it was an unbelievable depravity.

“Who helped him escape? Was it Bainder?”
“It wasn’t me.”

Bainder, who had come up behind Freica, shook his head.

“I was resting quietly in the Dormitory. Freica is my witness.”
“Yes…”

Freica nodded, confirming his words were true.

“Though he was a cowardly human, the atmosphere has soured because the Head of House fled. Everyone’s wondering if they should all escape too…”

He ground his teeth, lamenting how the family’s unity, forged through Wigen and the executives, had crumbled.

“That makes sense.”

I nodded in agreement.

‘No matter how incompetent, he was still the Head of House.’

Even if Wendy had become the new Head of House, it was ultimately temporary. With that loach Wigen fleeing, it was natural that morale would plummet.

“I’ll deal with that pig bastard no matter what!”

Martha couldn’t contain herself and slammed her fist on the ground.

“Sigh…”

As I exhaled in frustration, a formidable aura surged from behind.

‘Could it be?’

I turned around and saw dark clouds rising in the distance.

Kuguguguguuu!

As if sensing the turmoil within the castle, the intermediate-tier undead forces hidden behind the zombies and skeletons began to move once more.

Kiiiiiii!

The first to act were the Specters hovering in the sky. They exhaled blackened breath, targeting the Rangers standing at the right end of the Castle Wall.

“Lunan!”
“On it.”

At my call, Lunan Slion, who had been standing near the right Castle Wall, kicked off the ground. The moment his feet left the earth, a barrier of frost extended outward, blocking the Rangers’ front.

Craaaaaash!

The Specter’s breath and the wall of cold collided, then dissipated simultaneously.

The instant the wall shattered, Lunan Slion leaped into the air and unleashed a second blade. Two Specters that had been retreating were bisected by the swift yet graceful frost-laden slash.

Yet the undead paid no heed to whether the Specters fell or not, charging forward with all their might.

Kuguguguguguuu!

Ghouls and Skeleton Warriors surged from the center, Durans charged like a knightly order, and three Death Knights on the left flank ignited their crimson eyes.

But that was not all. From the right, Liches and Skeleton Mages emerged and began casting spells. It was the magical battalion they had been concealing all along.

“Martha, Burren.”

I bit my lip as I pointed toward the magical battalion.

“Block the magic no matter what.”
“I’ll follow your command.”
“You’ve given me such an easy task!”

The two of them, contrary to their words, raised their auras with grave, sunken expressions.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Arch Liches and Skeleton Mages unleashed malevolent spells. Burren and Martha countered with sword auras infused with wind and earth essence, shattering the magic mid-air. Yet the shockwave from the explosions crashed against the Castle Wall, carving large and small fractures across its surface.

“Head of House, please continue protecting the entire Castle Wall! Mark, I’m counting on you to handle those surging from the center. As for me….”

I unleashed a silver sword strike against the horde of Durans charging from the left. Behind the slender blade’s trajectory, a chilling aura dripped like a torrent of killing intent. It was a long-range sword strike—a transformation of Silver Sword Dream.

Screeeech!

With a bone-chilling cutting sound, six Durans tumbled across the ground, their bodies cleaved in half.

“I’ll handle the larger ones.”

I pivoted to the right, stepping into the Blazing Step. A chimera zombie—a mass of roughly a hundred zombies fused together—was charging toward me.

‘I can’t let that thing get any closer.’

I adjusted my grip on the sword and unleashed an ultra-high-speed blade strike. But before the cyan blade could connect, the chimera zombie’s body swelled like a balloon.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The chimera zombie, expanding as if wind had been pumped into it, detonated its own flesh before my blade could reach it. Blackened corpses and bones hurtled toward the Castle Wall. It was a suicide attack—a corpse explosion.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

I released the tension in my grip on the Soul Reaper Sword while standing on the tilted Castle Wall. The white shadow that burst forth, erasing darkness, dissolved every bone and flesh fragment hurled at the wall. White Shadow Slash—a sword technique that obliterated all essence, nullifying the explosion’s aftermath.

Whoooosh! Whoooosh!

Two magic circles materialized in mid-air, striking the Castle Wall without a moment to breathe. As blackened spears began to launch from the circles, I swung the Soul Reaper Sword wrapped in aura downward.

Screeeech!

The magic’s vital point activated, simultaneously cleaving both the descending magic spear and the magic circle.

“Phew….”

I exhaled roughly, lowering my gaze. There were far too many of them. With these reinforced undead, countless creatures were piercing through my sword energy and burrowing inward.

‘Hmm?’

My sword energy continued to fly, but the endless rain of arrows had stopped. Turning back, I saw the Rangers gripping their bows with trembling hands.

‘We’ve run out of arrows….’

In a sense, it was inevitable. Even when Wendy made the difficult decision to replenish supplies, we hadn’t anticipated a battle of this scale. We’d only managed to hold out this long thanks to the residents stepping up to craft arrows for us.

“Take up spears!”

At my shout, the Rangers grasped short spears and rushed toward the Castle Wall.

“Throw!”
“Aaaaaaah!”

Though their skill was lacking, there were so many undead that the spears lodged themselves in the skulls of ghouls and skeleton warriors. Yet the undead’s advance did not halt.

Roooaaaar!

I summoned flames through Manhwagong and hurled ice spears forged from Glacia’s chill, but holding back the entire undead horde alone was impossible.

‘Faster than expected, but there’s no choice!’

I turned my attention to the Rangers managing our supplies.

“Pour the holy water!”

At my command, the Rangers uncapped the holy water they’d been carefully hoarding and poured it into saltwater. They quickly mixed it and dumped it down the Castle Wall.

Shhhhiiiiing!

Yet even drenched in holy water, the undead did not stop. Instead, they rushed forward even faster, beginning to strike the Castle Wall.

Craaack!

The dense malice dwelling within the undead caused the cracks in the Castle Wall to spread wider and wider.

“Gasp!”
“What… what is this…?”
“Holy water… it’s not working?”
“This doesn’t make any sense!”

The Rangers and swordsmen trembled as the undead creatures advanced, utterly ignoring the holy water’s effects.

“I think… I think that’s fake.”

Wendy Arian frowned and shook her head.

“Fake?”
“The previous Head of House was selling something from the warehouse and collected an enormous sum of money. I think that was the real holy water.”

She bit her lip, unable to believe the stored holy water had actually been sold off.

“Ah…”
“F-fake holy water…?”
“How is this even possible?”

The revelation that the holy water was counterfeit crushed the morale on the Castle Wall even further. Shadows fell across not only the Rangers’ faces, but the swordsmen’s as well.

“Dorian!”
“I have essentials! But…”

Dorian lowered his sword and thrust his hand into his waist pouch. When he withdrew it, his palm held five bottles of exquisite-looking glass.

“These are expensive, you know!”

He mixed the holy water with salt water in a watering can—the kind used for flowers—and sprayed it down from the Castle Wall.

Screeeeeech!
Kyaaaaaaagh!

The undead creatures, which had been charging forward like bulls even when struck by spears, arrows, and sword energy, shrieked and began to retreat. The malevolent aura that had been clawing at the Castle Wall vanished as if erased.

Booooom!

A jet-black beam shot forth from the Arch Lich commanding the undead mage battalion. Its trajectory was aimed directly at Dorian.

Screeeech!

I reversed my grip on the Soul Reaper Sword and slashed downward, cleaving through the incoming magic. Continuing my descent, I channeled the will of fire into the Heavenly Sword. As the blade shot forward, the breath of a fire dragon erupted from it, incinerating all the undead approaching the Castle Wall.

Crash!

While attacking, spells and arrows fired by Skeleton Archers and Skeleton Mages came pouring down.

Clang clang clang!

As I cleaved through magic with the Soul Reaper Sword and arrows with the Heavenly Sword, I heard the sound of the left Castle Wall crumbling.

Lifting my gaze, a Death Knight that had been hiding among the zombie horde leaped onto the Castle Wall.

Crash!

Lunan rushed forward and blocked the falling blade from reaching the Ranger, but she too was exhausted and was immediately pushed back.

I drew rotational force from my ankle up to my wrist and unleashed the Thousand Killing Strike.

Piercing crash!

A blade thick with murderous intent, infused with the incantation of flawless technique, became a beam of light that flew forth and shattered the Death Knight’s skull.

“Ugh…”

I endured the sharp pain in my lungs and climbed back onto the Castle Wall.

‘This is unbearably difficult.’

My hand holding the sword trembled as I grimaced. Holy water and the Flame Dragon Technique had forced them back momentarily, but it was merely buying time. While I was utterly exhausted, their war was only just beginning.

I stared at the surging undead and the tightly sealed Castle Gate, grinding my teeth.

‘Now the only option left is…’

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