The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 486

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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 486

“Aaaahhhhh!”

Crain unleashed a primal roar rather than a battle cry, driving his blade downward in a vicious arc. The sword strike, wreathed in killing intent, whipped through the air like a lash, battering Jeron’s entire body.

“Ugh…”

Jeron could not withstand the direct assault of Crain’s blade and trembled, his grip wavering on his sword.

‘An opening!’

Crain seized the instant Jeron’s arm faltered. Pressing down against the earth, he surged forward and thrust his blade toward Jeron’s arm.

Clang!

A cascading impact erupted as Jeron’s sword fell from his grip, blood spraying from his palm.

Screech!

Crain blocked the Passage, preventing Jeron from retrieving his weapon, and pressed his blade against his opponent’s throat.

“I… I yield.”

Jeron lowered his head, acknowledging his defeat.

“The victor! Crain of Zigheart!”

The Judge raised his hand, declaring Crain’s victory.

“Next!”

Crain exhaled heavily and beckoned with his finger toward the waiting contestants seated in the guest section.

“Uwaaaaaa!”
“As expected of Zigheart! What a spectacle!”
“He’s barely crossed the threshold of adulthood, yet such audacity! Are all Zigheart warriors like this?”
“The man’s insane. They don’t call the Gwangpung Corps the Mad Dog Unit for nothing!”

The spectators, delighted by Crain’s bold momentum, erupted in cheers and clamored for the next match to begin.

Boom!

Unlike his first opponent Jeron, a warrior with an elongated, mantis-like frame ascended onto the Sparring Arena. He struck the ground with his long spear before raising his head with confidence.

“Rogian of the Sekrin Family!”
“Crain of Zigheart!”
“Take a moment to catch your breath.”
“No need.”

Crain declared that rest was unnecessary and turned his gaze toward the Judge.

“Hmm….”

The Judge, meeting his eyes, ascended onto the Sparring Arena and examined both warriors in turn.

“Are both of you prepared?”
“I am.”
“….”

Rogian answered the Judge’s question with calm composure, while Crain merely nodded.

“Then let the second duel commence!”

The moment the Judge announced the start, Crain charged directly at Rogian.

“Hngh!”

Rogian retreated a step and thrust his spear forward. The spear blade, wreathed in azure aura, advanced with lethal precision.

Whoosh!

A subtle maneuver exploiting the spear’s reach—a vicious attack that would force any ordinary swordsman to retreat. But Crain possessed something far more fearsome, rendering such tactics ineffective.

“Ugh!”

Despite the spear blade tearing through Crain’s shoulder, he did not retreat, instead driving deeper into Rogian’s space.

“Hmm…”

Rogian’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Crain to press forward even as the spear struck him. He pivoted on his footwork, sliding smoothly to the right.

“Not so fast!”

Crain, unwilling to surrender the momentum he had seized, surged forward like a tempest and brought his blade crashing down toward Rogian’s waist.

Whoooosh!

Rogian desperately tried to pivot his spear shaft into a defensive stance, but Crain’s blade had already extended in a perfect, flawless trajectory.

Crack!

Rogian’s spear shaft, its aura insufficiently reinforced, shattered, and he tumbled out of the Sparring Arena, rolling across the ground.

“Hah…”

Crain wiped the blood seeping from his shoulder and lifted his chin.

“Next!”

For a moment, silence fell across the entire Sparring Arena. Only Raon and the Gwangpung Corps remained unmoved, as though this were the most natural outcome.

“I shall take up the challenge.”

A knight rose from the VIP seating on the right side and ascended to the Sparring Arena. He emanated a weighty aura as imposing as the armor he wore.

“I am Hofen, from the Shupern Holy Kingdom.”

He was the warrior from the Shupern Holy Kingdom who had come to the Zigheart Residence and requested a sparring match.

“Crain of Zigheart.”

Crain tapped his shoulder wound lightly, demonstrating that it posed no impediment.

The Judge observed both warriors’ signals of readiness and immediately commenced the duel.

“Hm!”

Crain held his breath and stepped into his footwork. Hofen’s caliber was fundamentally different from any opponent he’d faced thus far. To claim victory, he would need to expend every ounce of his strength from the opening moment.

Boom!

Stimulating every muscle in his body, he unleashed a sword strike. The aura that erupted alongside his flesh grew faster and sharper. The blade light, honed smooth as an awl, curved toward Hofen’s armor.

“Formidable.”

From the blade grasped in Hofen’s two hands, a light resembling dawn mist bloomed forth. It was the sacred power possessed by the holy knights of Shupern.

Crash!

The aura blade and the sacred power blade collided, and thunderous shockwaves erupted in succession.

Though Crain maintained the offensive, Hofen stood unmoved, his sacred power wrapped around him like a shield.

“Damn it!”

Crain bit his lip as he met Hofen’s composed gaze.

‘If I lose like this, that demon won’t let it slide!’

Should he fail to breach Hofen’s sacred shield and lose, concentration enhancement training would inevitably await him. He had to shatter that shield by any means necessary.

‘I need to decide this here.’

After launching a barrage of blade strikes, he drew his sword back. He was about to condense his blade light and execute a killing technique to pierce through the sacred shield when—

Whoooosh!

Recognizing the end of the barrage, Hofen compressed his sacred power and raised a thick white greatsword.

“Now it is my turn.”

Hofen brought down the sacred power-compressed greatsword with decisive force, as if to end the match in a single stroke.

“Tch!”

Crain abandoned the seasonal technique he’d been employing and raised his sword to deflect Hofen’s blade.

But he couldn’t withstand the tremendous force channeled through the greatsword, and my arm buckled as I was driven down into the Sparring Arena floor.

“Cough, ah, I’m not… yet…”
“It’s over.”
“I said not yet!”
“Even if you rise, the outcome remains the same.”
“Ugh…”

Crain attempted to push himself up, but Hofen shook his head while pressing his blade against my throat.

“If you continue, you might die…”
“Kill me! It’s better to die! Kill me now!”

He glared at Hofen, demanding death in that very instant.

“Uh…”
“V-victor: Hofen of the Shupern Holy Kingdom!”

The Judge approached and announced the verdict while Hofen blinked in confusion.

“Damn it!”

At the Judge’s declaration, Crain struck the ground with a feeble fist.

“Ugh…”

He rose cautiously, gauging the mood, and descended from the Sparring Arena to stand before me.

“I’m… I’m sorry…”
“You fought well. Your first and second opponents were tired of you, so they didn’t even display their true strength.”

I shook my head while staunching the blood flowing from Crain’s shoulder.

“Really? Then…”
“But in the third duel, you grew impatient against your opponent’s defense and foolishly gathered your strength openly, which is why you got beaten. Therefore…”

He lightly patted Crain’s shoulder after stopping the bleeding, a smile playing at his lips.

“Concentration enhancement training. Lucky draw.”
“Aaaaaahhhhh….”

Crain let out a scream he hadn’t even uttered in defeat, foam flecking his lips as he collapsed.

“Next.”

At Raon’s gesture, the Gwangpung Corps swordsman standing directly behind him leaped onto the Sparring Arena.

“I am Pitran of the Zigheart Gwangpung Corps!”
“Hmm, Hofen of the Shupern Holy Kingdom.”

The Judge confirmed both fighters’ conditions and restarted the match.

“Iyayayayaya!”

Witnessing Crain receive concentration enhancement training despite fighting well, Pitran’s eyes gleamed with madness as he pressed Hofen relentlessly.

“Die! Die!”

Cold sweat beaded on Hofen’s forehead as he faced Pitran’s murderous intent, the swordsman’s eyes ablaze with frenzy.

‘Why… why are these people like this!’

*

*

*

The duel tournament hosted by the New Rising Powers operated differently from the Six Emperors’ dueling competitions.

Rather than recruiting participants beforehand, warriors who wished to compete climbed onto the Sparring Arena themselves, fought, and the victor remained while the defeated descended—a continuous cycle until no challengers remained.

The last warrior standing on the arena became the tournament champion. It was the most festive format imaginable.

Since ascending the arena later increased one’s chances of victory, renowned families and kingdom warriors held back, waiting quietly in reserve—but one faction stood apart.

Zigheart continued to send swordsmen up for every match, even after dispatching Crain in the first duel.

Now that over sixty duels had taken place, the matches had evolved into a structure of Zigheart versus the other factions.

“Zigheart is really enjoying this festival.”
“Right? Unlike other families, they don’t care about reading the room—they just keep sending people up.”
“Both the swordsmen and the family itself are refreshingly straightforward. It makes you want to cheer for them.”
“And the way they don’t hold back, fighting with everything they have—isn’t that wonderful? You can see the sincerity in their expressions.”
“Now I understand why people talk about the Six Emperors. They’re on a different level.”
“Zigheart! Win it all!”

In truth, the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen had only wanted to escape my concentration-strengthening training, but the spectators seemed enchanted by the Gwangpung Corps fighting with such fervor, and more than half of them cheered for Zigheart’s name.

I felt the roar of the crowd against my back as I watched the Sparring Arena above.

“Hngh….”

Dorian was trembling, his sword gripped tightly in his hands. He bit his lip as he watched the sparks of aura burst from his opponent’s blade.

“Why am I facing the Master….”

I had thought the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen could hold out a bit longer, but suddenly the Master appeared—and not just any Master, but one who had advanced beyond the initial stage to the lower tier. The vice-captains fell far too easily. Apart from the captain, Dorian was the only swordsman left up there.

‘His name was Kalon, wasn’t it.’

Dorian’s opponent was Kalon, a direct descendant of the Defen Family, a renowned swordsmanship clan famous for their swift blade style. His practical experience seemed somewhat limited, but it was clear he had not neglected his training.

“Surrender.”

Kalon pointed his sword at Dorian and gestured with his chin.

“A swordsman can never win if he fears his opponent.”

He waved his hand lightly, as if telling him not to waste time and to concede.

“Fear? Yes, I’m afraid. But….”

Dorian glanced not at Kalon, but at me below the Sparring Arena, biting his lip.

“I wasn’t actually afraid of you!”

He cried out that his real terror stemmed from facing a genuine madman, then lunged toward Kalon. His blade multiplied into five arcs, weaving a wave of azure sword energy.

“Hmph.”

Kalon scoffed and drew his sword with casual indifference, as though swatting away a fly.

Clang!

Though the stroke appeared playful, its consequences were anything but. The sword strike, infused with the profound essence of extreme speed, mercilessly cleaved through the wave of sword energy.

“Ugh!”

Dorian attempted to charge forward again, but Kalon’s strike of extreme speed caught him squarely, sending him flying out of the Sparring Arena.

“Gahhh….”

The impact was severe enough to make his entire body tremble violently.

“It’s over….”

As Dorian sighed, resigned to his defeat, a shadow fell across his face. It was Raon, his expression serene.

“C-Commander?”
“You did well. You held your ground admirably.”

Raon helped Dorian to his feet and brushed the dust from his clothes.

“Th-thank you….”
“However, if you had read your opponent’s movements instead of blindly unleashing sword energy at the end, you could have lasted at least three more exchanges.”
“Ah….”

Dorian’s face paled as he grasped the implications of the assessment.

“Therefore, you’ve been selected for concentration enhancement training.”
“Nooooo! Please, anything but that!”

Dorian shook his head frantically, clutching at the hem of Raon’s pants.

“That’s enough. Go get yourself treated!”

I kicked the rambunctious Dorian toward the Treatment Room and looked up at the Sparring Arena.

‘That’s going to be tough.’

Kalon was a warrior who had already adapted to the lower Master realm. Since he could hold his own against Mark Goeten, it would be difficult for Martha, Lunan, and Burren to defeat him even if they fought him in succession.

‘Still, it’ll be good experience.’

Unlike Mark Goeten, this was an excellent opportunity to face a different Master, and it would be tremendously beneficial for all three unit leaders.

“Martha.”

I gestured for Martha to come forward.

“About time you called me. I thought I’d die of boredom.”

Martha flicked her ebony hair and headed toward the Sparring Arena. Despite standing before a Master of considerably higher cultivation, her expression showed no trace of nervousness.

I narrowed my eyes, watching Martha advance with the weighty stride of a lioness.

‘Her temperament… no, her personality has changed.’

Martha’s disposition had been shifting steadily since she encountered the White Blood Cult Master, but lately she was transforming into an entirely different person.

‘Even her training approach is different.’

The old Martha would never have accepted help from Rimer, nor would she have trained alongside Burren or Lunan. Now she was even looking after each individual member, to the point that people were saying her very soul had changed.

‘She’s been influenced by others, just like I have.’

Having undergone the same transformation myself, I understood the feeling. Companions and friends had entered Martha’s once self-centered thoughts, bringing about a profound change in her life.

-That’s the truth. The beef girl has definitely changed.

Wrath gazed at Martha’s back, his expression growing somber.

-The rage that burned in that child’s heart has subsided. She’s lost much of her allure.

He shook his head, saying that without his anger, his expression had grown worse.

‘Isn’t it usually the opposite?’

I watched Martha leave, her gentle earthen scent lingering in the air, and allowed myself a faint smile.

‘If things go well, I might just finish what needs to be done today.’

*

*

*

Martha ascended to the Sparring Arena and faced Kalon.

‘Damn, he’s strong.’

Just from the sharp aura emanating from Kalon’s entire body, she could tell. The swordsman before her was not someone she could defeat.

‘But…’

She couldn’t declare defeat before the match even began.

To retreat in fear without even crossing blades was not the way of the Gwangpung Corps. No matter how much this was merely a sparring match, she had to hold her ground with the resolve to lose her limbs if necessary.

“Zigheart Gwangpung Corps Unit 1 Commander Martha.”

Unlike the other Gwangpung Corps swordsmen, Martha clearly stated her affiliation and gripped her sword.

“Kalon of the Defen Family.”

Kalon, befitting his status as a member of a noble house, respectfully introduced himself even before the younger Martha.

“Are both of you prepared?”

Martha and Kalon answered the Judge’s question with a glance.

“Begin the match!”

He lowered his hand and descended from the Sparring Arena, but the two remained motionless.

“Hah….”

Martha did not charge forward recklessly as usual. Instead, she slowly awakened the aura in her dantian, carefully probing her opponent’s energy.

‘I’ll be pushed back if I engage head-on.’

Against a warrior of similar caliber, she could overwhelm them with the solidity of her Titan Aura. But her opponent surpassed her in multiple aspects. She needed to exploit openings rather than rush in carelessly.

“You won’t come? That’s different from what I heard.”

Kalon narrowed his eyes as he held his sword at mid-level.

“What did you hear?”
“They say the Asura Woman charges forward immediately.”
“I’m not the Asura Woman!”

Martha furrowed her brow and kicked the Sparring Arena. The ground beneath her feet shattered like dried leaves.

“Ah, the Asura Swordmaster. My mistake.”

Kalon smiled as if he expected this, then swept his blade.

“If you know, apologize first!”

Martha advanced fiercely as if consumed by anger, yet her mind remained ice-cold.

‘Keep movements concise.’

She had seen Kalon face Dorian before, but he had not revealed his true strength. From the start, she needed to push with full force and seize the initiative.

Whoooosh!

As Martha infused the earth’s essence into her blade, which glowed yellow, Kalon’s wrist twisted. His swordsmanship was of extreme swiftness—his blade extended like a beam of light, striking toward her neck.

‘How is it so fast!’

Though she had struck first, Kalon’s blade reached her first.

‘Damn it!’

Martha released the force channeled through her blade and accelerated her movements.

Clang!

Steel met steel with a deafening crash that sounded like a building collapsing.

“Ugh….”

Martha pushed back Kalon’s blade while releasing a low groan.

‘My grip is tearing apart.’

Though Kalon wasn’t channeling his aura actively, the disparity in aura levels meant my Titan’s aura was being chipped away. Had I not gone all out from the beginning, I would have been sent flying with a single strike like the others.

“So you’re the unit commander? Impressive.”
“Don’t evaluate me.”

Martha bit her lip and planted her left foot firmly. Drawing forth the power of the earth, she brought her blade down in a sweeping arc.

Clang!

Kalon’s eyes widened at the strike—far more powerful than the first.

“I thought that was your full strength. Was I mistaken?”
“I told you to keep quiet.”
“Difficult, aren’t you?”

Kalon lowered his brow slightly and drew his blade down from its raised position. The strike was swift and precise, wrapped in razor-sharp intent. It was a masterfully executed technique befitting a Master.

“Hnn!”

Martha held her breath and stepped forward with her left foot. She drew upon every ounce of physical strength and steadied her blade.

‘My greatest strength is my charging power.’

Raon had told me this. My most powerful weapon was the audacity to advance without fear of my opponent.

‘Let me show you what the Gwangpung Corps’ assault commander can truly do.’

I detonated my condensed muscles and aura in a single explosive burst, sweeping my blade upward. A terrifying force radiated from the sword strike that erupted across the Sparring Arena, gouging the ground beneath it.

“That’s quite impressive….”

Kalon nodded deeply and flicked his wrist downward as if brushing dust from his clothes. The sword strike, infused with concentrated aura, fell like a thunderbolt.

Crash!

The second sword clash collided, and sharp fragments of aura scattered in all directions.

Amid the explosion of auras, Kalon and Martha exchanged successive sword strikes, testing whether they could trust the auras wrapped around each other’s bodies.

“You should consider withdrawing?”

Kalon waved his hand as he watched blood burst from Martha’s shoulder and abdomen.

“Shut your mouth and swing your blade!”

The more wounds Martha sustained, the stronger her aura became as she unleashed a torrent of sword strikes. She abandoned all defense and poured every ounce of her aura into offense, yet Kalon’s blade remained unmoved.

“I’ll admit it. If you were at the beginning of the Master realm, I might have been pushed back. However….”

The light reflected in Kalon’s blade deepened, and a formidable wind pressure erupted. It was a swift sword technique designed to constrict the opponent’s body.

In that instant, a golden lightning flickered across Martha’s pupils.

‘Now is the moment!’

As Kalon altered his sword technique to end the match quickly, a minuscule opening appeared. That gap was my only chance to defeat him.

Boom!

I amplified my heartbeat and triggered a rampage. My vision turned crimson, and a voice resonated within my mind.

-Surrender your body to me! I will slay anyone in this world for you!

A seductive voice urging me to relinquish control.

‘Shut your mouth.’

Martha bit her lip and forced back that voice. Drawing only the raw power hidden within her madness, she thrust her blade toward Kalon’s opening.

Kuwaaaaang!

Aura erupted from her core, surged through her heart, and swelled outward, detonating with violent force across the collision of blades.

“Kugh!”

Kalon’s sword was driven back, and he released a ragged groan. He hadn’t anticipated that she could trigger a rampage in such a fleeting instant.

Martha’s jaw trembled. Maintaining her sanity within the rampage made breathing difficult—her lungs felt compressed.

‘I have to keep going!’

The window to wield a rampage while preserving reason was infinitesimally brief. If I missed this moment, there would be no second chance.

I unleashed the Titan’s Soul—heavy with the weight of earth and burning with its heat. A tremendous wave of force erupted from the ground itself, driving Kalon’s blade back.

Kuwaaaaang!

The Training Ground trembled with successive explosions. Kalon’s uniform tore, and a thin trickle of blood ran from his lips.

‘Like this… ah!’

Just as I pressed forward to end the duel, a different light erupted from Kalon’s blade.

Zzzzheeeeng!

A massive aura surged forth, and sword energy wrapped in more than twice the aura was mercilessly slashing away. River Force. Kalon had finally unleashed his sword river technique.

“Kugh…”

Kalon’s pride wounded, he furrowed his brow and pressed Martha back with his Blade Force.

Zzzzzzzzzt!

The aura shields Martha had constructed around the Titan’s essence tore like paper.

“That’s far enough.”

The aura gathered on Kalon’s blade had already reached Martha’s throat, drawing a thin line of blood down her neck.

“I concede. Honestly, I didn’t expect to have to use aura.”

He nodded, remarking that Martha’s strength far exceeded her reputation.

“You’ll surpass me before long. But not today.”

Kalon gestured for her to forfeit without lowering his blade.

“Haah….”

Martha exhaled roughly, closing her eyes. Since she hadn’t yet deactivated her Berserk state, the ringing in her head persisted, and her entire body screamed with splitting agony.

She slowly lifted her eyelids without responding to Kalon’s call.

“I won’t speak defeat from my own lips.”
“Martha Zigheart!”
“I can’t keep retreating.”
“This is merely a sparring match! Will you stake your life on this?”
“You don’t understand. How much I’ve only backed down until now.”

Martha bit her lip.

‘There’s nowhere left to retreat to.’

The Monster that possessed Mother’s body was a transcendent being beyond even Grand Master. No matter how much this was merely sparring, I could no longer afford to back down. I was past the age of receiving consideration for my youth. To grow stronger, I had to stake my life on everything.

Grrgh!

Martha gathered every ounce of her strength once more while maintaining her Berserk state.

“White Sword Dragon! Malicio! What is this in a mere duel!”

Kalon, thinking Martha was beyond reason, turned his gaze toward Raon.

“Why should I stop her?”

I turned my gaze from Martha’s back toward Kalon.

“At this rate, she’ll die or suffer grievous injury….”
“The commander of the Gwangpung Corps’s first unit is not one who moves without thought. She stands in that position by her own will. Whether she dies or is gravely wounded, it is her choice.”

He remained motionless, as if to say he would trust Martha.

The other Gwangpung Corps swordsmen gazed at Martha with eyes full of trust.

Martha’s lips trembled. Her entire body shook as she received trust from others for the first time—trust that had never come from anyone but her mother.

In the past, she would not have cared what others did, but now it was different. Their emotions reached her directly.

A deep, resonant hum.

An emotion different from the rage that had clung to her all her life now warmed her heart with gentle heat.

A majestic force surging from the earth beneath her feet pierced through body and spirit.

A shiver-inducing exhilaration wrapped around her entire being as the aura that had been hidden erupted like wildfire.

A deep, rumbling surge.

Blazing golden flames burst forth, pushing back Kalon’s blade aimed at her throat.

The ground cracked and splintered.

I advanced across the Sparring Arena, my body shooting forward like lightning before crashing down with the weight of a mountain.

The faint sword aura that seemed ready to vanish twisted and coiled, birthing a twilight-hued luminescence.

“What!”

Kalon’s eyes widened in shock as he perceived the force gathering in my blade, and he unleashed his own overwhelming power.

A resonant, thunderous boom.

I drew my right hand across the blade with eyes entranced, as if possessed. The twilight beast hidden within the heaviness opened its jaws toward Kalon’s power.

BOOM!

Crimson sunset and azure waves collided, unleashing a violent tempest that swept across the Training Ground.

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