The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 463
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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 463
Iliun, the Chief Steward of Zigheart, furrowed his brow as he gazed down from the castle wall.
“I never thought I’d live to see such a sight and remain unmoved.”
What entered his field of vision was a vast procession of people approaching Zigheart.
If they were charging forward with drawn blades, I would leap down immediately and drive them back, but not a trace of killing intent or malice emanated from that procession.
There was only a quiet, resolute will—a singular purpose to reach Zigheart.
‘Of course. It couldn’t be any other way.’
They were followers of Heekyuk Je.
Among those now walking toward the Family Estate, there was not a single warrior of the White Whale.
They had all been moved by Heekyuk Je’s heroic resolve to venture alone to Zigheart to save her subordinates, and they had chosen to follow her here.
‘Do they have decorations sitting on top of their necks instead of heads?’
They weren’t merely supporting Heekyuk Je’s obvious machinations—they were trailing behind her, singing her praises.
For the first time, I understood how cults were born and how countless believers gathered to them.
“Tsk.”
Iliun clicked his tongue and turned his gaze to the head of the serpentine procession.
A tall woman walked at the very front, slightly apart from the crowd. She was the one called Heekyuk Je, the leader of the White Whale.
‘Impressive.’
She had trained all these people properly.
Whether she had instructed them beforehand or not, those following Heekyuk Je did not approach her. They committed no acts of violence, made no noise, and simply followed with genuine devotion.
“Absurd.”
Iliun clenched his fist against the castle wall.
‘I don’t like this.’
The Chief Steward of Zigheart was a position akin to a general—one who protected the castle walls and commanded the troops.
By nature, I preferred battles where lives hung in the balance, but watching this spectacle left me feeling as though something were lodged in my chest, suffocating me.
“Sigh…”
As Iliun exhaled heavily against the mounting irritation, the procession of followers halted, and only the woman called Heekyuk Je began advancing toward the castle gate.
‘What is this?’
The followers had stopped at precisely the location where I had been about to issue an order forbidding entry. I had no idea how they knew to halt there.
The moment I felt an ominous chill run down my spine, Heekyuk Je stood before the Main Gate. Our eyes met as she lifted her gaze.
Raven-black hair gleaming with elegant refinement, crimson eyes ablaze as though wreathed in flame. And between them, skin as white as a snowy plain. The epithet “peerless beauty” was no exaggeration.
“I am Ariel of White Whale.”
Heekyuk Je revealed her true name with measured and dignified composure.
“I have come seeking an audience with the Head of House regarding a matter concerning my subordinates.”
She stated her reason for coming to Zigheart in a calm voice.
Without even channeling her aura, an immense presence radiated from her—one that seemed to pierce through these castle walls and touch the heavens themselves.
I had once thought the New Rising Powers were merely shrimp caught between the whales of the Six Emperors Five Demons, but now I saw they were far from that level.
Tap, tap.
Iliun drummed his fingers against the castle wall.
‘The most troublesome type.’
If she had been arrogant or merely confident, she would have been easier to handle. But Heekyuk Je wrapped her confidence in courtesy—she was not easily provoked.
Personally, I wanted to bellow at her to leave immediately, but I had no choice. The Head of House had already granted Heekyuk Je an audience.
“Open the gates!”
At Iliun’s irritated cry, the gates of Zigheart began to open slowly.
The followers of Heekyuk Je swallowed hard with tense expressions as the massive sound reverberated as if shaking heaven and earth.
Yet Heekyuk Je’s expression, standing directly before the gates, remained unchanged. She watched the opening doors with eyes that were serene, almost bored.
When Zigheart’s main gate had fully opened, Heekyuk Je turned around. She bowed respectfully toward those who had accompanied her to this place.
“Thank you for seeing me off. From this point forward, I shall proceed alone.”
Heekyuk Je spoke as though she would surely return with her subordinates, slowly closing and then opening her eyes.
“Uooooooo!”
“We shall not move a single step from this place and wait for you!”
“We pray that you achieve your desired goal!”
“Heekyuk Je! Please return safely!”
“We believe you will surely rescue your subordinates!”
The people praised Heekyuk Je and shouted that they would remain standing in place without moving.
In the biting cold winds of the Northern Region, such a reaction seemed as though they had been brainwashed.
‘That couldn’t be it.’
External informants had reported that Heekyuk Je had not displayed even a hint of coercive behavior or speech.
They all seemed to have lost their hearts to her unwavering resolve and radiant beauty.
Iliun shook his head and descended below the castle wall.
“It is an honor to meet you, Chief Steward Iliun.”
The moment Heekyuk Je’s face came into view, she bowed deeply.
Perhaps due to the refined grace evident in her voice and posture, even though she bowed first, I felt outmatched.
“You know of me?”
“How could I not know of the guardian lion of Zigheart?”
She smiled faintly, as if to say she naturally knew of me.
“Indeed, I am Chief Steward Iliun.”
Iliun gave a short nod and raised his hand to gesture toward the interior.
“Please follow me. I shall guide you to the Patriarch’s Hall.”
“Thank you.”
He glanced back at Heekyuk Je following behind him, his brow furrowing slightly.
‘Quite uncomfortable.’
*
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Ariel walked down the Main Street of Zigheart with unhurried composure, an air of noble dignity permeating the very stones beneath her feet.
Swordsmen lined the outer edges of the street in perfect formation, their presence emanating a chilling, threatening aura. Individual martial prowess intertwined and layered into a unified military discipline that pressed down with palpable weight, yet only a smile graced her lips.
‘Just as I read it.’
The multitude following behind, the Chief Steward Iliun coming out to greet and guide her, the Zigheart swordsmen displaying their menacing presence—all of it unfolded exactly as she had foreseen.
‘Flawless.’
Ariel’s gaze swept slowly across the formation. The Zigheart swordsmen possessed eyes as steadfast as stone and wielded sword auras that sent shivers down the spine. Both combat experience and rigorous training had been honed to perfection. Every single one of them was exceptional.
‘The fools across the Continent remain oblivious to this.’
Until recently, Zigheart had been treated as the lowest rank among the Six Emperors. It was only natural—like a stone buried in the earth, they never moved from the Northern Region.
But then Raon Zigheart shattered the Continent’s records, and Glen Zigheart simultaneously crushed both Tacheon and the White Blood Cult Master, elevating the family’s name once more.
‘We knew from the very beginning.’
White Whale had designated Zigheart as the most dangerous force from the start.
True to that assessment, the swordsmen standing nearby possessed martial prowess that would earn them the title of master wherever they went. There was no other phrase to describe Zigheart—only “a dragon lurking in a deep abyss.”
Heh heh.
Ariel’s lips curved into a subtle smile.
‘I’ve gained enough to depart satisfied.’
Reputation was something difficult to obtain even with unlimited money and time, yet through this incident, the prestige of the names White Whale and Heegyukje would undoubtedly rise—and that realization brought forth a natural smile.
Especially since I knew everything that would unfold from this moment forward, there was no fear, only anticipation and delight.
Ariel savored the momentum generated by the swordmasters as if riding the wind, drawing closer to Iliun’s side.
“You have many exceptional swordmasters.”
“It’s only natural for a sword clan.”
Iliun’s eyes shifted. Despite receiving praise for his swordmasters, his expression betrayed obvious displeasure.
“Indeed. But they exceed what I’ve heard. On the Continent, Zigheart isn’t ranked particularly high among the Six Emperors, yet after witnessing this, it seems those rankings will need complete revision.”
She shook her head with a faint smile.
“….”
Iliun did not respond to Ariel’s words. There was no reason to be pleased by such mere flattery, yet the more he observed her, the more inexplicably uneasy he felt.
‘Something’s off about this woman.’
Few among the leaders of great powers were truly sane, but this Heegyukje was particularly unsettling.
In what amounted to enemy territory, with countless swordmasters emanating an eerie presence and piercing gazes, she not only smiled but carried herself with the ease of someone in her own home.
More peculiar still was that when he was distracted by Heegyukje behind him and the path veered slightly, she would actually adjust their direction—as if she had visited this place countless times before.
“Hm….”
Iliun fixed his gaze on the Main Mansion visible in the distance, exhaling a low breath.
‘This won’t be easy.’
*
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I stood before the pillar in the Audience Chamber with my eyes closed.
‘He’ll be here soon.’
Word had just arrived that Heekyuk Je had reached the Main Gate. Since Chief Steward Iliun was escorting him, he would arrive here before long.
‘I have a rough sense of what kind of person he is….’
Based on Hyeol Unkgyeom, Baek Rangdo, and the situation he’d orchestrated, I could already infer much about Heekyuk Je’s character. But I wanted to see him with my own eyes and verify my assessment properly.
‘Especially his method of reading fate….’
“Why is that bastard even here?”
As I was organizing my thoughts, a disgruntled voice came from across the chamber. Valdemar, Master of Jinmu Hall, was glaring at me with irritation in his eyes.
“Only those of Master rank and above are allowed in this place. Why is a mere Vice-Master here?”
He furrowed his brow as if demanding I answer directly.
“Master Valdemar, your thoughts are as narrow as our house’s pillars.”
As I was about to speak, Rimer shook his head.
“What? Pillars?”
“Raon is the one who personally beat down and captured Baek Rangdo and Hyeol Unkgyeom. Of course he should be here. Should we send him home instead?”
He clicked his tongue briefly as if exasperated.
“Tch….”
Valdemar’s expression was full of irritation, but he couldn’t counter and merely furrowed his brow.
“Oh, and by the way, I broke one of our house’s pillars while drunk, and it’s now about the size of my pinky finger. That should match your intellect pretty well, shouldn’t it?”
Rimer pointed to his little finger and chuckled.
“You… cough.”
Valdemar glared and moved toward Rimer, but stopped upon catching Glen Zigheart’s gaze from the platform.
I nodded as I watched Rimer curl his lips upward.
‘This is it. The perfect specimen of a reckless fool.’
I had never met anyone quite like Rimer—someone so adept at provoking others. If I could follow even half of his methods, today’s chaos would be a resounding success.
I passed the seething Valdemar and surveyed the other hall masters.
Denier, the Hyeonmu Hall Master, wore his usual serene smile, yet the atmosphere around him had grown sharp. He too seemed displeased with the situation Heekyuk Je had orchestrated.
“….”
Karun said nothing and showed no interest in the proceedings. Yet beneath that indifference, I sensed a malice far more cutting than words.
I flexed my fingers and allowed myself a faint smile.
‘Enemies abound.’
I had adversaries among Derus Robert, four of the Five Demons, and within the family itself. In truth, this life had never been particularly comfortable.
‘And today, another will be added….’
As I contemplated gaining yet another enemy, the voice of Iliun, the Chief Steward, echoed from beyond the Audience Chamber.
“Chief Steward reporting. I have brought a guest.”
Glen Zigheart’s eyes opened slowly. He issued his permission in a measured tone for Heekyuk Je to enter.
“Come in.”
With those words, the doors of the Audience Chamber split open. A tall woman standing before the entrance stepped inside, accompanied by a tremor that seemed to shake the Patriarch’s Hall itself. Her gait exuded confidence and composure, as though she owned the very place.
I swallowed dryly and lifted my gaze.
‘So that is Heekyuk Je.’
Her short hair, brushing lightly against her neck, was as dark as a moonless night sky. Her sharply angled eyes held pupils that gleamed like drops of blood, while her vibrant lips revealed a crystalline beauty as delicate as morning dew.
Though her beauty was rare in this world, what truly captivated was not her appearance—it was her presence. The way she commanded the room without dimming, even among the strongest gathered in the Audience Chamber, was remarkable.
Without Glen, there seemed to be almost no one here capable of overshadowing Heekyuk Je’s presence.
The others around her stared with wide eyes, astonished by her aura.
‘A true monster, after all.’
I watched Heekyuk Je walk toward the center and smiled faintly.
‘…Which means the odds of pulling this off just increased.’
*
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Ariel walked toward the center of the Audience Chamber, her fingertips trembling.
‘This is no joke.’
Glen Zigheart. The presence of the man known as the Northern Destruction King—or the Northern Tyrant—was even more overwhelming than his reputation suggested.
A suffocating pressure that made flesh crawl. The rumors of him driving back the White Blood Cult Master and Tacheon seemed true; even sitting motionless, he radiated a heavy, oppressive aura that squeezed at the heart and pressed down upon the entire body.
‘His power exceeds my predictions, but nothing will change.’
Even as I felt my heartbeat quicken, I maintained my smile.
‘The outcome is already decided.’
Ariel kept her composure and approached the Platform, lowering her head.
“Ariel of the White Whale greets the Tyrant of the Northern Region.”
To show the utmost respect, she dropped to one knee and bowed deeply.
“Rise.”
Glen’s dry voice came from above, cutting off abruptly.
“Thank you.”
I rose to my feet and met Glen’s gaze. His eyes were far colder than his tone—the dignified presence of a supreme being who gazed down upon the world itself.
“I apologize for the delay.”
Ariel smiled at Glen’s commanding presence and bowed her head once more.
“The path proved longer and more treacherous than anticipated, so it took some additional time….”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Just as Ariel was offering her polite greeting and preparing to move forward, a crystalline voice rang out from behind her, piercing through the air.
“You walked here on your own two feet, yet you dare claim it took longer than expected?”
“….”
Ariel maintained her composure with effort and turned around.
“Oh? Did you hear that?”
A golden-haired, crimson-eyed youth—beautiful enough to be called bewitching—stood scratching his head as if embarrassed.
“How could I not hear it?”
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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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