The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 448

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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 448

I swept my cold gaze over the middle-aged man who had identified himself as Baek Rangdo.

‘Baek Rangdo Dunkern.’

He was a man with narrow, small eyes like the holes a pine borer leaves in wood, and a prominent hooked nose.
His body, honed like an iron tower, made it clear he still maintained his basic training regimen.

‘To hear that name here.’

He was a swordmaster who had made a name for himself over twenty years ago when I lived as an assassin, but I never expected him to be within the White Whale.

‘His reputation means nothing to me now.’

The Cheoljeon Unit had suffered grave injuries and needed rest, while the hostages rescued from the Black Tower were still trembling with fear.

I was responsible for all of them, yet this man suddenly appeared and began muttering accusations against Zigheart—it didn’t sit well with me.

“What did you just say?”

Baek Rangdo’s eyes blazed with fury as he placed his hand on his sword’s hilt, as if threatening to draw it at any moment.

“Going to draw?”

I met his glare without flinching, a faint smirk playing at the corner of my mouth.

“Go ahead. I’ll sever that arm for you.”

I tilted my chin up, inviting him to try.

“Ha!”

Baek Rangdo let out a bitter laugh, his expression twisting.

“So it was true. You’re insane. Completely insane.”

He glanced back at Hyeol Unkgyeom, whose shoulders trembled, and flicked his fingers resting on the blade.

“Do you understand what you’re doing right now?”

Baek Rangdo’s words burned with fury, and a scorching aura blazed forth. A heavy and sharp force, like the blade he wore at his waist, pressed down upon my shoulders.

Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch!

I narrowed my eyes against Baek Rangdo’s aura, which felt like being stabbed by a thick awl.

‘Quite heavy.’

Unlike Marun and Binghyang, who had relied solely on demonic energy and barriers and failed to display their true abilities, I could sense the aura of a martial artist who had properly cultivated genuine martial arts. It didn’t seem like I could suppress him easily.

‘But….’

I couldn’t back down.

There were people I needed to protect, and this land belonged to Zigheart. I couldn’t afford to fear the New Rising Powers, who had planted their flag in the gaps of the Six Emperors Five Demons.

“I do.”

I nodded calmly and tapped the scabbard of the Heavenly Sword.

“I’m giving a lesson in manners to a punk who came into our territory and caused trouble.”
“Sigh, you really aren’t in your right mind.”

Baek Rangdo exhaled a sigh and twisted his mouth.

“This may be Zigheart Territory, but it’s near the barrier without any checkpoints. We haven’t committed any crimes, yet you attack us—even the Oma wouldn’t do such a thing!”
“That’s true.”
“Then….”
“A correct thing to say.”

I stepped forward before Baek Rangdo, my gaze cold as ice.

“If your purpose wasn’t sightseeing, and you’re hiding while using artifacts in a place where people have gone missing—that means you have some ulterior motive, doesn’t it?”
“We merely sought to gather information. We cannot accept that you severed an arm and committed violence simply because we were concealed!”
“You’re the one who isn’t in your right mind, you bastard.”

I sneered and pointed at Hyeol Unkgyeom standing behind Baek Rangdo.

“This bastard Hyeol Unkgyeom attacked me first on this land. Should I just accept that?”
“What…?”

Baek Rangdo’s eyes widened as he turned to look behind him, clearly unaware of this.

“W-well, he made excessive demands first, so it was unavoidable. I was only trying to intimidate him.”

Hyeol Unkgyeom lowered his head, unable to meet Baek Rangdo’s gaze.

“That’s why I suggested we just leave….”

He continued speaking without any sense of shame.

“Hmm….”

Baek Rangdo pressed his palm against his forehead and shook his head.

“I didn’t know the circumstances were like that. But we never intended to attack Zigheart. We only wanted to gather information about the Black Tower.”

He bit his lip, his eyes dimming slightly.

“Information? Fine. In this age, information is power.”

I nodded slowly, my jaw moving deliberately.

“So you understand—”
“But there are still lines that shouldn’t be crossed, aren’t there?”

I cut off Baek Rangdo’s words and curled my lips into a thin smile.

“I can understand why you didn’t mention that the Cheoljeon Unit was abducted by the Black Tower here. You’re neither the Six Emperors nor the Five Demons—you’d be satisfied just watching them tear each other apart. But….”

I turned to look behind me. My eyes narrowed as I observed the hostages trembling in fear, unaware of what was happening.

“These people are not warriors. They have nothing to do with the Six Emperors Five Demons or the New Rising Powers. Ordinary people living peaceful lives were abducted and offered as sacrifices, yet you stay silent and just want to extract information without even attempting to rescue them? That’s absurd.”

I stared at Baek Rangdo with cold, hardened eyes as I continued.

“You declared neutrality, didn’t you? From where I stand, there’s no difference between you and Oma. You’re all monsters willing to do anything for your own gain.”

Within my chilling voice lay all the resentment I had accumulated thus far.

“That’s….”

Baek Rangdo bit his lip as he looked at the people dressed in tattered rags.
Unable to refute my words, which carried both justification and resentment, he furrowed his brow.

“If you understand, then follow me.

I gestured to Baek Rangdo.

“I need to know what you’re hiding and what your relationship is with the Black Tower.”
“All I can tell you now is that we have nothing to do with the Black Tower. And….”

Baek Rangdo shook his head without moving from his spot.

“I cannot follow you.”

He placed his hand back on his sword, lifting his burning gaze.

“Yeah. I knew you’d react like this.”

I laughed softly and gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword.

“You talk about justification, yet you’ve lost everything and still try to line your own pockets. That’s the fundamental nature of you rats.”
“Sigh….”

Baek Rangdo exhaled a long breath at my provocation.

‘Today will bring more losses than gains.’

In truth, he had ordered me to return with only Hyeol Unkgyeom, but I couldn’t help myself when I saw his arm severed. I had stepped forward thinking that Zigheart had disrespected White Whale, but I hadn’t anticipated things would spiral like this. There was nothing good about the justification or the situation.
I set out thinking that Zigheart had disregarded the White Whale, but I never expected things to become so complicated. There wasn’t a single good aspect, whether in terms of justification or the situation itself.

“It would be best to give it a light touch and then step back.”

Raon’s martial prowess appeared to be at the Master’s pinnacle, but he must have expended considerable strength battling Marun and Binghyang within the barrier.
Subduing him as quickly as possible and departing this place was the best course of action.

“Come whenever you wish.”

Raon unfurled the Black Dragon Robe and channeled Seolhwa’s senses.

‘He’s no easy opponent.’

The aura I sensed through my energy perception was colossal as a mountain. He had ascended to Master’s pinnacle through the blade alone, and since he relied neither on demonic energy nor cunning techniques, a careless assault would invite a devastating counterattack.

Yet my heart quickened at the thought of finally having the opportunity to properly employ the swordsmanship Glen and Lectar had taught me.

‘If he doesn’t come, I’ll advance first… wait?’

As I read Baek Rangdo’s aura and reached to draw the Heavenly Sword, another presence registered in Seolhwa’s perception.

‘How unsightly—though I’m hardly one to judge.’

I turned my gaze toward the forest to my right and clicked my tongue sharply.
Within the thicket, the White Lotus Society Master Airand gleamed like an owl, his eyes luminous with intent.

‘Is he waiting to intervene if I lose?’

Airand knew of this situation yet remained hidden, masking his presence.
It was clear he intended to emerge and claim credit for assistance should complications arise.

‘That won’t happen.’

I resolved not to grant Airand even the smallest contribution as I gripped the Heavenly Sword firmly.

“Is there no way to resolve this through dialogue?”
“All you need do is follow us to Zigheart.”
“That’s impossible!”

Baek Rangdo released a turbid battle cry and drew his blade. His draw technique had reached supreme speed—a white wolf-like sword spirit erupted forth like lightning.

Screeeee!

I had already read Baek Rangdo’s momentum. In a fleeting instant, I drew the Heavenly Sword and captured the flow of azure energy. A crisp blade song rang out as crimson flames erupted.

Crash, crash, crash!

At the center of the Lake, the draw and counter-draw collided, sending fierce energy rippling outward in all directions.

Crack, crack, crack!

Baek Rangdo and I ignored the fierce energy with our aura barriers, pushing blade and saber against each other.

“You live up to your reputation!”

Baek Rangdo twisted his saber and knocked the Heavenly Sword aside, then brought his blade down vertically. It was a ferocious technique refined to the extreme—power, speed, and weight all honed to perfection.

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Baek Rangdo’s saber strike, as if collapsing the heavens themselves.

‘Similar to the Feral Sword technique?’

Baek Rangdo’s saber strikes had a bestial quality befitting his name. Rather than following formalized techniques, he wielded his weapon by instinct in each moment.

Whoosh!

I stepped into true position. Creating massive ripples across the Lake, I raised the Heavenly Sword to meet him. The energy of Manhwagong coiled around the blade bloomed forth like a flower in full bloom, summoning a towering pillar of flame.
The energy of Manhwagong, wrapped around the sword god, unfolded in full bloom and raised a massive pillar of fire.

Crash!

The sword strike and spear thrust collided head-on, and a tremendous shockwave erupted, causing the Lake to undulate as if it had become a vast ocean.

“Not yet!”

Even though Baek Rangdo’s strike was blocked head-on, he showed no panic, letting out a bloodthirsty voice as he aimed for the neck.

“Not bad.”

Raon smacked his lips and stepped forward with his bent knee. He left deep footprints on the Lake as he drove down the opening move of the Gwangah Sword.
Crash, crash, crash!

Screeeech!

Sword and blade collided head-on, and a towering vortex of energy erupted around the Lake.

Raon and Baek Rangdo unleashed a relentless barrage of sword and blade strikes at each other within the ferociously howling tempest.

After an incalculable exchange of techniques, it was Baek Rangdo who was sent flying backward first.

Screeeech!

Baek Rangdo’s back was torn by the violent vortex as he was driven back, dropping to one knee.

“Ugh….”

He trembled as he gripped his blade, biting his lip in disbelief.

‘How is this possible….’

His martial realm was higher, and he had infused more aura into his blade, yet he had been overwhelmed. It was incomprehensible.

“This is a lie! It makes no sense!”

Baek Rangdo snarled and unleashed the Claw of the White Blade—a technique from his secret art.
Sharp, vicious energy descended upon my head like the claws of a tiger known as the Mountain King.
Though he appeared enraged, his mind remained cold and calculating.

‘He will certainly evade.’

He was a swordmaster, after all.

Evading such a heavy assault and counterattacking was the fundamental principle of swordmasters, so Raon would do the same.
But that was precisely my trap. The Grappling Strike that followed the Claw would tear through his body.

However.

Crash!

I did not evade the Claw. Instead, I charged forward as if frustrated, shattering the flow of his White Blade technique. It was as if watching a crude blade user, not a swordmaster.

“You really intend to fight me head-on! I will never lose a war of attrition!”
“War of attrition?”

Raon tilted his chin to the side and curled his lips into a smile.

“Don’t talk nonsense. Not dodging is how I fight.”

With those words, he unfolded the Gwang-a Sword in rapid succession.

Clang! Clang clang!

A contest of strength and speed between blade and saber. Ordinarily, the Baek Rangdo with its superior realm and greater power should have held the advantage, but it was Raon who was pushing forward.

Boom!

His blade, honed to the limits of the subtle principles of strength and speed, unleashed power equal to or exceeding the Baek Rangdo, and his body—transcending human limits—supported every strike.

From the very beginning, Raon had engaged Baek Rangdo in direct combat with confidence in victory.

Crunch crunch crunch!

Baek Rangdo’s eyes trembled violently as if struck by waves, pushed back by the slender blade.

“This bastard….”

His heart clenched at the absurd power that shattered the fundamental logic that blades are fast and varied while sabers are heavy and strong.

‘At this rate, I’ll be pushed back!’

Equal rank. No—he had to acknowledge that Raon had reached an even higher realm. He had to abandon his contempt and shift toward terrain more favorable to himself.

Boom!

Baek Rangdo forcibly deflected Raon’s blade strike and drove into the inner space.
He extended his left fist, which held no saber. It was a declaration to overwhelm him with fist techniques at close range.

Crash!

Raon neither panicked nor retreated. For someone with Baek Rangdo’s extensive combat experience, it was a choice worth considering.
He raised the footwork of the Lightning Fist he had learned during his training days with his left hand, deflecting Baek Rangdo’s punch.

Boom!

Perhaps it was because the ambush he’d deemed perfect had crumbled. Baek Rangdo’s narrow eye sockets widened like lanterns.
Yet he didn’t retreat. He charged again, extending both a blade strike and a fist strike simultaneously.

Crash, crash, crash, boom!

At close range where they could hear each other’s breathing, the sword and saber, along with the fists gripping them, collided in rapid succession.
A thunderous roar erupted as if lightning had torn through the sky, and the ice field shattered and melted away.

The two of them, their feet planted on the rippling Lake, thrust their sword, saber, and fists toward each other’s vital points like a gale wind.

‘Both his martial skill level and practical combat experience are exceptional.’

I watched Baek Rangdo furrow his brow and smacked my lips.

‘Time to change my approach.’

Baek Rangdo’s martial prowess was genuine. Since it would be wasteful to suppress him through sheer force alone, I wanted to test other sword techniques as well.

“We’re far from finished!”

Baek Rangdo bit his lip as he brought his saber down. Faster than before, with fiercer power. Tremendous energy surged forward, consuming the space in an instant.

“For me, this is just the beginning.”

I didn’t push forward with raw strength as before. I suppressed Gwangah Sword and Manhwagong, instead wielding Glacier and Snowwind Sword Form.

Screech, screech, screech!

The gleaming blue blade of the Heavenly Sword shaved away Baek Rangdo’s formidable energy as it crashed down like a mountain.

Baek Rangdo’s saber slid and struck the ground, but the Heavenly Sword didn’t budge an inch. It was the result of infusing softness and adaptability into the Snowwind Sword Form.

“Grraaahhh!”

Baek Rangdo, as if caught in a nightmare, burned with malice in his eyes as he thrust his saber upward from the ground. An eerie energy rose, evaporating the frigid Lake.

Screech, screech, screech, screech!

I lowered my center of gravity and unfolded the Wall of Gales technique from the Snowwind Sword Form. A silver gale descending diagonally gently pushed away Baek Rangdo’s saber strike.

“This is absolutely ridiculous!”

Baek Rangdo panicked as his aura was pushed back by the wind, yet he continued to unleash successive sword strikes.
Each one possessed enough force to overturn this entire lake, but the silver wind that Raon summoned could not be breached.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Raon deflected all of Baek Rangdo’s strikes before thrusting the Heavenly Sword forward alongside his left foot.
The biting cold gathered at the blade’s edge spread like lightning. It was the Cyan Crimson of the Snow Wind Sword Technique.

“Ugh!”

Baek Rangdo drew his sword in a reverse semicircle to block, but the Cyan Crimson flexibly pushed past the blade and carved a deep wound across his waist.

“Huff… I’ve held back long enough.”

Baek Rangdo bit his lip until it bled and raised his sword high.
Unimaginable power gathered above the silver blade. Sharp wind erupted, and the entire lake darkened to an intense blue.

“Uuuaaaaaah!”

He released a heavy shout as he brought the sword crashing down. The technique remained unchanged, but the realm and power it contained were on a different level. Even my strengthened Snow Wind Sword Technique offered no clear path to defense.

‘Then I’ll take a different path.’

Raon relaxed his grip on the Heavenly Sword, holding it gently, and stepped forward with his right foot.
Brushing across the turbulent lake surface, he extended the Heavenly Sword forward from where it had been drawn back.
What flowed through the blade was neither red flame nor blue cold. Pure white shadow streamed from behind the sword and spread like sunlight.

Raon Zigheart Style Sword Technique
Fifth Form: White Shadow Flash.

A massive white wave, enlarged like the shadow rising from the great sword, engulfed Baek Rangdo’s strike.

Whooooosh!

The aura bound within Baek Rangdo’s descending sword was erased, its power vanished, and its speed and weight melted away.

Crack, crack, crack!

The white shadow swept past, and the Dao Sword shattered in half—all that remained were Baek Rangdo’s eyes, wide with shock.

Crash!

A diagonal scar tore across Baek Rangdo’s collarbone down to his waist, and crimson blood erupted from the wound.

“Cough…”

Baek Rangdo dropped the severed half of his blade into the churning lake and fell to his knees.

I gazed down at the Heavenly Sword, blood dripping from its edge, and allowed myself a faint smile.

‘I’ve grown into the White Shadow Technique.’

Following the Radiant Sword and the Snowwind Sword Formation, and the Flame Spirit Technique, the White Shadow Technique had transformed as well. Glen and Lectar’s teachings had woven themselves into every sword technique I had mastered.
Glen and Lectar’s teachings were infused in every swordsmanship technique he had mastered.

“Silence.”
“Shut up.”

Raon kicked Baek Rangdo’s trembling chin, sending him flying.

Blech!

He floated on the wave-tossed lake with his eyes rolled back.

Raon grabbed Baek Rangdo by the collar as he was sinking and pulled him up, throwing him out of the Lake.

“Ahhhhh!”

Hyeol Unkgyeom was horrified at the sight of Baek Rangdo knocked aside and let out a scream.

Raon approached Hyeol Unkgyeom and saw Wrath sitting on his shoulder.

“You understand the mood too. The way you’re being quiet at a time like this.”

Judging by how he stayed quiet without saying a word, unlike usual, it seemed the Demon Lords understood the situation well despite their status.

—…you don’t want to?
‘What did you say?’
—A set is four flavors, so mint chocolate has to go in no matter what, and I need to try this month’s new flavor too. Wait, if I put two mint chocolates in and pick chocolate and strawberry from the other three, there won’t be room for the new flavor….
‘….’

It wasn’t that I was staying quiet to match the mood. Wrath had been deliberating this entire time over how to choose a single ice cream set he’d mentioned earlier.

I shook my head as I looked at the unconscious Baek Rangdo.

‘Demons are far more docile than you’d think….’

A glutton, that’s what he is.

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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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