The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 496

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

Chapter 496

I widened my eyes as I watched Merlin confidently declare that I was hers.

‘Why would she say something like that here!’

It was a dangerous statement that could expose my relationship with Merlin to anyone suspicious.
Seeing the eyes behind the mask burning a crimson red, it seemed she had cast aside all concern for consequences and simply let her anger show.

‘How will the 10th Apostle react….’

I turned my gaze to the 10th Apostle while recalling the excuse. He pointed his spear at Merlin with his right hand, grinding his teeth.

“I knew you’d show up. You mad woman.”

The 10th Apostle seemed to recall what Merlin had done to him before, showing no concern for her words.

“Hah….”

I exhaled softly as I watched the 10th Apostle raise his bloodlust.

‘It’s fortunate that the 10th Apostle heard those words.’

Had it been anyone else, they might have found Merlin’s statement strange, but the 10th Apostle and Merlin were now locked in their third bitter confrontation.
He seemed to regard her previous remark as nothing more than the ravings of a madwoman.

“This time, I will not let you escape. I will offer your head and Raon Zigheart to the Cult Leader.

The 10th Apostle spun his thunder-crackling spear and bent his left knee slightly into a stance.

“I don’t care about myself. I can give up my head anytime. But….”

Merlin continued with a sinister laugh.

“If you dare reach for what’s mine, it won’t be your hand that flies off—it’ll be your neck.”

Behind her, countless magic circles materialized. An enormous honeycomb-shaped magic formation that blanketed the empty space erupted with magnificent light.

-Ugh….

Wrath’s lips trembled as he gazed upon Merlin.

-From her entrance to her every word. Everything sends chills down my spine!

The creature seemed far more terrified of Merlin than the Holy Sword Union Master, bowing its head deeply.

Kuuuuung!

The 10th Apostle twisted his lips and thrust his spear toward the heavens. A noble yet sinister aura swept across the surroundings.

“Merlin!”
“Don’t call my name with that blood-sucking mouth of yours. It’s disgusting.”

As Merlin flicked her fingers, the magical circles she had inscribed came alive, breathing as if conscious, unleashing spells of every conceivable color.
Flames and frost danced together, lightning and cutting winds sang in harmony. Unnamed magics poured down endlessly like clusters of stars.

“I won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

The 10th Apostle grasped his spear lightly with both hands and spun it like a windmill.
A pale, translucent aura erupted from the spear shaft, creating a magnificent wave that tore apart all the magic descending from the heavens.

‘Hmm….’

I narrowed my eyes as I observed the aura the 10th Apostle had unleashed.

‘Has that monster grown stronger?’

The 10th Apostle’s aura had become slightly more transparent than when I last saw it.
Given the White Blood Cult’s characteristic of having their blood and aura become clearer as they grew stronger, it seemed this creature had indeed progressed.

‘To grow in such a short span of time—a dangerous foe indeed. However….’

I smacked my lips and looked up at Merlin. She let out a scoff and flicked her fingers, and the magical circles unleashing their spells became dyed in sunset hues.
The activation speed of her magic accelerated further, and its power amplified alongside it. Each spell appeared to possess the force of an aura-level strike.

Kwaaaaaang!

The 10th Apostle’s steps, which had been advancing through magic with ease, gradually began to slow.

“Ugh….”

He trembled at his shoulders and ground his teeth against the successive impacts of magic.

‘Merlin has advanced further.’

Unlike the 10th Apostle, who had only trained within the White Blood Sect, Merlin had walked a perilous tightrope between Eden and Zigheart. It was only natural that she had grown stronger.

‘But why….’

Why did I feel good about this?

When I thought about it, both Merlin and the 10th Apostle were enemies. It would have been ideal if they fought and both disappeared together, yet seeing Merlin gain the upper hand filled me with an inexplicable sense of relief.

‘Pointless thoughts.’

I lightly tapped my own cheek and lifted my gaze.

“This time is different. I won’t follow anyone!”

I glared at Merlin and the 10th Apostle, declared that I would walk by my own will, and bolted to the right.

“Aaaahhhhh!”
“They’re, they’re coming!”
“Help me! From behind….”
“Gahhh!”

The White Blood Sect cultists hunted civilians like prey, tearing flesh and drinking blood.
Those grinning with blood smeared around their mouths looked no different from demons.

“Please, please….”

As a blood-soaked bishop’s claws were about to pierce the back of a woman cradling a child, I stepped on the Taehwa Step.

Boom!

Deep footprints carved into the earth as my body surged forward like lightning.
In a fleeting instant, I lunged before the woman and drew forth the Soul Reaper Sword’s essence.
Golden flashes blooming across the crimson blade simultaneously severed the blood-wreathed bishop’s fingernails and his throat.

“Gack….”

The bishop’s eyes trembled as though he couldn’t fathom his own death, his body tilting toward the ground.

“Burren!”
“Yes!”

At my call, Burren and the swordsmen of Unit Three rushed forward. They gathered the woman and the civilians who had been pushed back, leading them toward the collapsed Castle Wall.

Screeeech!

Lunan and Mark Goeten blocked the approaching Holy Sword Association swordsmen and White Blood Cult members, allowing the people to escape the city.

Perhaps because they had fought together for so long, no words or commands were necessary.
Not just Burren and Lunan, but the entire Gwangpung Corps gathered at the Castle Wall, each fulfilling their role.

‘Still….’

I bit my lip, gazing toward the front.

‘Too many people haven’t escaped yet.’

The martial artists of the Divine Continent Five Regions remained trapped within Heekyuk Je’s formation, protecting only the nearby dignitaries while unable to rescue distant citizens or the martial artists of the Neutral Factions.
If I abandoned those isolated people, a catastrophe claiming over a thousand lives would unfold.

Shhhhwack!

I cut down a White Blood Cult member blocking the passage, my gaze shifting leftward.

‘That side is equally dire.’

Rimer charged at the Yonghyeon Sword Master with a demonic expression I had never witnessed before.

“Killis! You alone—!”

The blade was wrapped not only in lightning and wind, but in malice as well, and the sound it made resembled a beast’s anguished cry.

“You cannot succeed in that state.”

Yonghyeon Sword Master twirled the blade in his left hand and effortlessly parried Rimer’s slash.
Despite it not being his dominant arm, his sword strikes overflowed with sharpness and precision. It seemed the claim that he had grown even stronger after losing his arm was no lie.

“I told you to shut your mouth!”

Rimer unleashed a howl and brought his blade down in a slash brimming with fury.
Though his grip was soaked in blood and wounds had opened across his face and arms, his sword did not falter.

I caressed the Soul Reaper Sword and bit my lip.

‘This is dangerous.’

Though Rimer had not yet drawn the Sword Realm Manifestation, Yonghyeon Sword Master was also refraining from deploying his sword aura. If the fight continued as it was now, it seemed Rimer would be overwhelmed even if he revealed his true strength.
If they continued fighting like this, it seemed like Rimer would be pushed back even if he revealed his true abilities.

“Should I help this side…?”

When Sheryl, who had backed away as she tried to approach Rimer, pulled out a pouch of gold coins from somewhere and threw it at Rimer’s head.

Ahhhhh!

Rimer blinked and turned around after suddenly getting hit in the head with a gold coin.

“You stupid bastard!”

Sheryl glared at the flustered Rimer and gritted her teeth. She completely tore off the hem of her dress and threw it aside, stomping her foot.

“Do you want to kill all the kids? One regret is enough!”

The deep, piercing resonance slowly extinguished the crimson heat that had welled up in Rimer’s eyes.

“Hmm…”

Rimer stopped in his tracks and shifted his gaze. He quickly checked Raon and the Gwangpung Corps behind him, then nodded.

“I’m sorry….”
“Stop with that nonsense and fight better!”

Sheryl bit her lip and adjusted her grip on both blades.

“I’ll do better. I’ll handle this.”

Rimer nodded slowly, then picked up the fallen pouch of gold coins from the ground and tucked it into his pocket.

“That crazy bastard….”

Sheryl let out a hollow laugh, but seeing that he was more focused now, she said nothing more.

“From here on, do whatever you want!”

She swept her hand forward and advanced toward the Apostle. The differently colored auras blooming from her twin blades crossed through the air, blocking the Apostle’s path, and her blade pierced into his shoulder.

Defense and offense occurred simultaneously in a single breath. It was an exquisite move that demonstrated the nature of dual-sword mastery.
Even amidst this, she didn’t lose sight of her vigilance toward Merlin and the 10th Apostle behind her. Sheryl was the one expending the most focus in this place.

Clang!

But the Apostle was no ordinary being either. With his snow-white hair billowing, he parried the white sword’s defense with his left hand technique and deflected the black sword’s offensive with his right hand technique.

Formidable martial prowess that blocked and countered the black and white blades barehanded. It was strength beyond even the 10th Apostle. He resembled one of the three disciples the White Blood Cult Master had first taken.

Boom!

Rimer too had awakened from his blind rage thanks to Sheryl, but breaking the Yonghyeon Sword Master seemed far from easy.
Even his fierce sword strikes flickering with wind and thunder couldn’t shatter the Yonghyeon Sword Master’s blade path, which undulated as gently as ocean waves.

I adjusted my grip on the Heavenly Sword and clicked my tongue briefly.

‘Perhaps I should help that side instead.’

People were dying rapidly, but Rimer and Sheryl’s battlefield seemed more urgent. Just as I was about to join their fray, Sheryl shook her head.

“We’re fine here.”

Sheryl continued speaking without taking her eyes off the Apostle standing across from her.

“I’ll handle this quickly and catch up. You do what you need to do.”
“Right. Don’t worry and get out of here first!”

Rimer apologized for showing such a foolish expression and offered a faint smile.
I observed their backs. They appeared as broad and dependable as Glen’s—the kind of backs one could entrust their life to.

“I’ll return first.”

I bowed to Rimer and Sheryl before pushing off the ground toward the plaza.

Ding!

I carved a frost blade through the ranks of the Holy Sword Association’s Sword Ghosts who were slaughtering civilians. The transparent dew clinging to the Soul Reaper Sword transformed into a blue aura of destruction, piercing through every Sword Ghost’s heart.

‘Not yet.’

Many warriors from the Neutral Factions had positioned themselves in the center to protect the civilians. I had to evacuate them as well.

I sheathed the Soul Reaper Sword and stepped into the Harmony Step, surging toward the right side of the plaza and positioning myself at the heart of the Holy Sword Association’s forces.
Channeling the twisting force from my left ankle through my waist and wrists, I swept the Heavenly Sword in a grand arc. Petals of flame bloomed across the silver blade, scattering on the cool wind.

Manhwa Palace Hundred Flowers Flame Spirit.

Crimson leaves wreathed in scorching aura converged into a tempest of flaming blossoms, engulfing the Holy Sword Association’s Sword Ghosts.

Roooaaaaaaar!

A veritable storm of fire. At that magnificent spectacle, even the Neutral Factions, the White Blood Cult, and the Holy Sword Association fell silent.

Whoooooom!

Following in its wake came the Soul Reaper Sword in my left hand. As the scabbard and crimson blade clashed, the erupting blood aura tore through the nerves of the White Blood Cult members.

“Aaaagh….”
“Kugh….”
“Urgh!”

White Blood Cult disciples screamed as they crashed to the ground, laughing even as blades pierced their bodies.

“Now!”

At my cry, the martial artists and civilians of the Neutral Factions who had been standing in a daze began rushing toward the collapsed Castle Wall.

‘Still too narrow.’

Even though I had destroyed the Castle Wall, there were so many people in the Plaza that it would take considerable time for them all to escape.
I wanted to collapse more of the wall, but Holy Sword Association swordsmen and White Blood Cult disciples were pressing in from both sides, leaving me no room to maneuver.

‘I need to block the Passage… wait?’

As I turned to cover the rear, a colossal figure in a black robe descended. It was Yulia. His massive fist, the size of a cauldron lid and stained crimson, brutally crushed the head of a White Blood Cult disciple who had been chasing the people.

It was not aura. It was a fist infused with the flow of magic.

“I will hold this Passage!”

Yulia said he would block the Passage, so I nodded heavily, asking him to protect the people.

I looked into Yulia’s eyes. They were clear like an ox’s. Eyes that suited his massive frame perfectly.

“Understood.”

I bowed in return to Yulia and rushed toward the Castle Wall. I saw the 10th Apostle and Merlin clashing in the sky above.

“Where do you think you’re running!”

Merlin’s eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light. Crimson fireballs rained down from the magic circle she had drawn.

‘She wants me to use that magic.’

Though she was not my comrade, I could now understand Merlin’s intent just by looking at her eyes.

Ching!

I wielded the Sword Ghost technique, operating a smooth aura like flowing water across the Heavenly Sword and Soul Reaper Sword.
The magic Merlin had unleashed shot toward the Castle Wall, following the trajectory of my blades.

Boom!

The spell that shattered stone and steel had done its work—the Castle Wall collapsed with a thunderous crash, creating a passage twice as wide as before.

“This way!”

I directed the people I’d brought from the Plaza toward the newly collapsed section of the Castle Wall.

With two exits now open, the escape that had been crawling along like a snail suddenly accelerated dramatically.

“To Camelrun!”

The Divine Five Elders City of Barene and Camelrun weren’t far apart. If we could just reach there, everyone would be safe.

‘The Gwangpung Corps should be sufficient.’

If I could hold back the masters here, the warriors of the Gwangpung Corps and the Neutral Factions alone would be enough to protect the civilians.

“Yes!”
“Got it.”

Burren Zigheart, Lunan Slion, and the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen immediately nodded. Without a single question, they accepted the command and departed the Castle Wall, protecting the civilians.
Watching such trust unfold, a faint smile naturally crossed my face.

‘Now I….’

As I turned to head back toward where Rimer and Sheryl were, the Sword Wing aerial warship hovering beneath the moonlight slowly began to move.

‘Could it be heading this way?’

The moment that thought crossed my mind, a crescent-shaped flash of light shot forth from the right cannon of the Sword Wing.

“Tch!”

I bit my lip and raised both the Heavenly Sword and the Soul Reaper Sword simultaneously. The Soul Reaper Sword’s blade wrapped itself in a shield of flames, while crimson radiance coiled around the Heavenly Sword’s tip.

Clang!

I blocked the impact with the Flame Barrier Wall, then cut through with the Red Flash before the Sword Wing’s devastating wave finally dissipated.

“Huff….”

This won’t do.

If Sheryl and Rimer joined forces, I might be able to kill either the Apostle or the Yonghyeon Sword Master, but everyone behind them—the Gwangpung Corps, the Neutral Factions, and the civilians—would all perish.

‘A choice, then….’

No, there’s no need to deliberate.

I stepped back, my gaze fixed on the Sword Wing. Saving lives took precedence over slaying enemies.
The opposite of the path I walked as an assassin. The heart of a Zigheart swordsman that Sylvia had yearned for was finally beginning to bloom after this long journey.

‘At least that’s fortunate.’

In truth, I had believed the Black Tower would pose the greatest threat on this journey.
Unlike Eden and the White Blood Cult, who sought to capture me alive, the Tower Master had been hunting for my life, which had troubled me. Fortunately, they never came.

As I attempted to flee the city while targeting the Sword Wing, Sageomma and Guisalchang burst through the gray smoke filling the platform and soared into the air.

Roooooar!

From Sageomma’s blade thrust toward the heavens, a blackened tidal wave surged forth. A tsunami that seemed capable of erasing one’s very soul crashed down upon the plaza.

Screeeech!

Guisalchang rode upon a demonic steed whose skin burned crimson, and from the Fangtian Huaji held back across his shoulder, a massive sphere of flame as large as the sun blossomed forth.
The Demonic Spear and the Demonic Cavalry—a magnificent martial art that revealed why he led the Machang Society.

Both wielded transcendent martial arts imbued with will, not merely established realms like Kanggi or Kanghwan. My heart raced and my mind resonated simply from witnessing them.

“Excellent.”

The Holy Sword Union Master smiled serenely even as he received the assault of the two transcendents.
He lightly propelled himself off the platform and drew his blade. In that instant, his sword came alive, surging toward both Guisalchang’s solar sphere and Sageomma’s black tide.

Crrrraaaaaash!

The sword surged upward like a bird taking flight, cleaving through Sageomma’s tidal wave and piercing Guisalchang’s sun.
Neither strong energy nor energy rings adorned the blade. A sword wrapped in only faint light had produced an impossible result.

“Ah….”

I watched the Holy Sword Union Master’s sword and felt my jaw tremble.

‘That’s no secret sword technique.’

It was Sword Mastery.

Sword Mastery—the legendary realm where one commands the blade according to one’s will. The Holy Sword Union Master’s sword followed his intent, cleaving through the transcendents’ wills.

‘So this realm actually exists….’

I had thought it was merely a martial art from legends, never expecting to witness it with my own eyes.

-Didn’t the True Demon King tell you?

Wrath scratched his nose and smacked his lips.

-That he was unique. That he walked a different path from your grandfather.
‘It’s far more than that.’

Sword Mastery was not merely a power to be called unique. This was legend itself.

I watched the Holy Sword Union Master press Sageomma and Guisalchang back, my lips pressed tight. The ring of fire naturally surged as I began to perceive the flow of Sword Mastery.

‘The realm is too high to see clearly. But….’

I could discern that the Holy Sword Union Master’s will and aura resonated in a wondrous harmony, commanding the sword.

‘Now I understand why Sword Mastery is legendary.’

If a person grips a sword, there are techniques that human anatomy cannot achieve.
It would be impossible to slash the sword from the left and then slash again from the left.

‘But….’

The Sword Ghost technique is possible.

Since it floats freely rather than being held in human hands, it can establish techniques that would normally be impossible to create. The Sword Ghost was not merely powerful in force—it represented a supreme martial art in terms of sword form itself.

‘I want to keep watching it….’

Observing the Sword Ghost technique, fresh inspiration bloomed in my mind.
There was a possibility that new paths to greater strength might open, but now was the time to save the people.

Raon confirmed that the last of the people had escaped the city, then turned away without hesitation.

*

*

*

Boom!

The Holy Sword Union Master pressed Sageomma with the Sword Ghost technique while simultaneously deflecting Guisalchang’s direct assault with his sword.
As the two transcendents briefly descended to the ground, he caught sight of Raon’s back disappearing through the collapsed Castle Wall and smiled faintly.

‘Remarkable.’

Just as the Blood Sword Master had said—a talent that would shake the Continent. He seemed to surpass even Cloud, the youngest disciple with the finest aptitude among the current Holy Sword Association swordsmen.

‘I should take that boy with me.’

The Holy Sword Union Master gestured toward the rear.

“Cloud.”
“Yes.”

A young martial artist who had been standing back behind the Holy Sword Union Master bowed his head.

“Capture Raon Zigheart.”
“Regarding his life….”
“Naturally, alive. Take the Royal Guard with you.”
“Understood.”

Cloud nodded and gestured into the void. From the Sword Wing descended swordsmen clad in azure robes.

“Let’s move.”

His eyes gleamed with the cold brilliance of a blade as he surged toward the crumbled Castle Wall.

“Where are you looking!”
“This is the first time I’ve met someone more arrogant than me! It’s infuriating!”

Sageomma and Guisalchang unleashed the Black Sea and Sun Sphere once more. Though the compressed power struck with greater intensity than before, the smile lingering at the Holy Sword Union Master’s lips never wavered.

‘I wonder what expression Glen will have when I bring Raon along.’

*

*

*

I positioned myself at the rear, extending Seolhwa’s senses as we moved forward.

“Are we really supposed to leave like this?”

Dorian, carrying Martha on his back, trembled as he spoke.

“The Master and the Heavenly Sword Master are still back there….”

Crain too kept glancing nervously over his shoulder.

“The Heavenly Sword Master and our Master. Trust them.”

Burren shook his head, saying we must do our part.

“That’s right. They’ll come back.”

Lunan too nodded calmly, his faith in the two unshaken.

I offered a faint smile as I watched Burren and Lunan dispel the team’s anxiety.

‘They’ve grown so much.’

In the past, I would have been proud of how they created an atmosphere of reassurance for the other team members, who would otherwise tremble with anxiety like the rest.
When we returned later, I thought I should give them some additional training.

“The squad leaders are right. From now on, we should focus solely on protecting the people….”

Just as I was about to agree with the two and order everyone to concentrate on escorting the civilians, a sinister aura erupted from the direction of the Castle Wall.

“Battle stations!”

I shouted for the Gwangpung Corps to deploy their formation and turned around. The moment I drew both swords, a young warrior in a blue long robe came into view.

‘That bastard….’

He was the one who had been following the Holy Sword Union Master from the beginning. Though he appeared young, the aura he emanated was far superior to mine.

“A sword embedded with a blue star….”

Deningrose’s trembling hand pointed to the man’s long robe.

“He’s the Holy Sword Union Master’s disciple!”

She swallowed hard, thinking he must be the youngest of the disciples given his age.

“That explains it….”

I had thought his martial prowess was excessive for his age, but it seemed he truly was the Holy Sword Union Master’s disciple.

Just as I finished preparing to summon both Manhwagong and Glaccia simultaneously, the Holy Sword Union Master’s disciple stopped before me.

“Raon Zigheart. And everyone here must come with me according to the Rion Lord’s orders.”

He tapped the sword at his waist as if to say that any movement would result in death.

“What if I refuse?”
“Then death is your only option besides returning with me.”

The Holy Sword Union Master’s disciple shook his head, telling us not to make meaningless resistance.

“No, there’s one more thing.”

A sharp, icy flash of lightning gleamed across Raon’s eyes.

“Sending back only your head.”

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