The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 557

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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 557

“Hahhhhh…”

Crain exhaled a sigh so forceful it could have dispersed the dawn mist.

“I never thought he’d make me train until last night. That man is ruthless, absolutely ruthless.”

He muttered about wanting to pass out, gently tapping his shoulder with a loosely clenched fist.

“Tell me about it. I thought he’d let me go in the afternoon, but I never imagined I’d be swinging a sword until nightfall.”

Burren nodded in agreement. Fatigue from the training was etched across his face as well.

“Pathetic!”

Martha narrowed her eyes as she looked at Burren and Crain.

“You two picked up swords claiming you’d become swordsmen, yet you can’t even endure that much training. What do you expect to accomplish?”

She clicked her tongue, her voice dripping with mockery.

“Demon girl. Your legs are trembling.”

Lunan Slion, who had approached without warning, poked Martha’s thigh with a finger.

“Ahhhhh!”

It was the spot where Raon’s blade had struck her yesterday, so Martha shrieked and jumped back.

“You, you crazy bastard!”

Martha snarled like a ravenous beast and reached out toward Lunan Slion.

“All talk.”
“Do you have a death wish?”

Lunan Slion stuck his tongue out teasingly as he fled, while Martha drew her sword and chased after him.

“You two certainly have plenty of energy this early in the morning.”

Dorian rubbed his darkened eyes and let out a weary sigh.

“Are you alright?”
“Not really. But I’ve gotten used to it by now.”
“You’ve gotten used to it?”
“Yes. When we stayed at our Shopping District before, we underwent training that could actually kill us.”
“Training that could kill you? What on earth is that?”
“They’d have us climb cliffs, then roll boulders down, or even collapse the cliff itself.”

He truly thought he was heading to the afterlife, and even in this cold weather, sweat beaded on his forehead at the memory.

“Hmm…”

Mark Goeten, standing beside him, also squeezed his eyes shut at the recollection.

“W-what about the Annex Building? Is it hell there too?”

Burren Zigheart, ignoring Dorian and Dogyae who trembled with fear, turned his gaze toward Yua and Julius.

“No! He takes good care of us! He does everything we ask.”

Yua shook her head vigorously, raising her hand high.

“That’s right. In the Annex Building, he says nothing even when we rest.”

Julius smacked his lips as if he found that disappointing.

“Then why does he go crazy here?”

Burren Zigheart shook his head, saying it was exhausting.

“If he causes chaos today, I’ll really be worn out.”
“Still, he seemed to be in a better mood yesterday, so today should be fine. We should be able to get through quietly…”

As Dorian smiled faintly, the Training Ground door opened and Raon entered.

Goooooooh!

Unlike Rimer, I hadn’t kicked down the door, yet the oppressive aura radiating from me left the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen unable to tear their eyes away.

“That… that guy. He looks like he’s in a terrible mood? He really was released, right?”

Burren nudged Dorian with his elbow while swallowing hard.

“Huh? That’s Raon in his frenzied state… E-emergency! Emeeeergency!”

Dorian shouted the alarm and rushed toward the Platform. The other swordsmen, sensing the dangerous atmosphere, quickly lined up in front of the Platform.

“Uh-haha… hup!”

Rimer, who had been lying on the Platform, yawned but then jumped up abruptly upon seeing Raon’s eyes blazing fiercely.

“You’ve arri… I mean, you’re here?”

Rimer almost slipped into formal speech without realizing it, but barely managed to hold his tongue out of pride as the Unit Commander.

“Unit Commander. Would it be acceptable if I led the swordsmen today?”

I regarded Rimer with a piercing gaze that brooked no refusal.

“Y-yes, go ahead.”

Rimer nodded like a puppet and quickly stepped back.

“Thank you.”

I bowed respectfully to Rimer before taking my place in front of the Platform.

“As you all know, this mission is a simple investigation. However, complications may arise during the investigation that could lead to combat, and like before, we may find ourselves in situations where we have no choice but to flee given our current strength.”

I made eye contact with each of the swordsmen standing below the Platform as I continued.

“Therefore, from this moment until we arrive at Shinigan, we will train our footwork at full capacity. The only time we stop is when we sleep.”

My cold, low voice made the Gwangpung Corps swordsmen shudder.

“What?”
“Yeah.”
“That… that hellish training again?”
“This is insane…”

The swordsmen of the Gwangpung Corps muttered their disbelief, but the moment they caught my dry gaze, they all clamped their mouths shut.
They turned their glistening eyes toward Rimer, silently pleading for salvation.

“Ahem! R-Raon? What if we did our training after we returned from the mission…?”

Rimer couldn’t withstand the weight of their stares and reluctantly stepped forward. The moment he was about to suggest postponing the training, my eyes flashed a brilliant crimson.

“Didn’t you entrust this to me?”
“Uh? Well, that’s…”
“Besides, you were the one who said that life itself is training. Wasn’t that right?”
“Ah, I did say something like that…”

He laughed awkwardly and retreated to his original position. Then he muttered silently, moving only his lips.

‘That bastard scares me too!’

I confirmed that Rimer had backed down, then surveyed the Gwangpung Corps once more.

“All of this is for the sake of improving your abilities, so I hope you understand.”
“Y-Yes, sir…”

The Gwangpung Corps raised their voices as high as they could manage, tears brimming in their eyes.

-So it wasn’t enemies he’d destroy, but his own subordinates…

Wrath sent his applause my way with evident admiration.

-Truly, you are no mere talent for this place! Come to the Demon Realm with me!
‘You go on your own.’
-I would go if I could!

*

*

*

I glanced back while supporting Yua and Julius so they could run faster.

“Huff… huff… huff!”
“This… this guy really won’t stop…”
“…I think I’m going to die.”

The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen ran across the Frozen Lake, exhaling ragged breaths. It was only natural—the footwork forced march that had started at dawn continued well past noon into the evening.

“Does… does he really not plan to stop for food?”
“That madman…”
“I curse you, Raon.”

Burren, Martha, and Lunan weren’t quite as exhausted as the regular swordsmen, but they too were breathing heavily, their breath turning white in the cold air.

I chuckled softly and waved my hand toward the swordsmen behind me.

“You’re holding up well enough, aren’t you?”
“I’m… I’m dying here, sir.”

Dorian shook his head, wiping away the sweat that streamed down his face.

“If it’s too hard, chew on some jerky while you run. You’ll feel better.”

I told them to figure out eating on their own and turned my attention forward.

“Ugh…”
“That demon of a man…”
“Only he could do that!”
“How are we supposed to eat jerky while running at this speed? We’ll bite our tongues off!”

The swordsmen muttered curses under their breath, directed at the back of my head.

“Phew…”

Rimer, running at the very back, let out a sigh of relief.

“At least I’m ahead of him. Thank goodness for that.”

He shook his head as he watched Raon’s back, lamenting what he saw. Had he been in an ordinary swordmaster’s position, he would have abandoned the Gwangpung Corps on the spot. He never knew that growing older could be this satisfying.

‘Still, it’s not training that’s merely grueling.’

Raon wasn’t simply driving the Gwangpung Corps to their limits.
As he said, since they had trained primarily in swordsmanship until now, using the journey itself to cultivate their footwork was an excellent training method that saved time while filling in their deficiencies.

As Rimer gazed at Raon and the Gwangpung Corps with a refreshing smile, a brisk wind descended from the heavens.
Lifting his gaze, a blue falcon plummeted like lightning as if it had spotted prey.

Whoooosh!

Rimer extended his arm without the slightest surprise. The falcon performed an acrobatic maneuver in mid-air, sharply reducing its speed before landing gently on his forearm.

“A falcon from the Bi-Yeon Society?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the falcon perched on Rimer’s arm. The fact that a message from the Bi-Yeon Society had arrived less than a day after their departure suggested something had happened in Shinigan.

“Hmm…”

Rimer stroked the falcon’s head, then extracted the paper from its leg and read it. His leisurely expression hardened in an instant.

“What is it?”

Raon exhaled the turbid energy that had accumulated in his lungs and approached Rimer.

“Read it yourself.”

I unfolded the paper Rimer had thrown to me. It was a message of utmost brevity—merely a single line—yet its content was incomparably grave.

“The Shinigan Branch… completely annihilated?”

The letter stated that all personnel at the Shinigan Branch had been wiped out, and instructed us to head there as quickly as possible.

“Completely annihilated?”
“Why so suddenly?”
“Did the Nambuk Alliance attack?”

Even though it was a branch, it still belonged to Zigheart, and golden flames of fury ignited in the eyes of the Gwangpung Corps swordmasters.

“We change our approach.”

I burned the letter to ash and stepped before the Gwangpung Corps.

“From now on, we reduce our pace and focus on recovering our bodies and aura. Adjust yourselves so you can maintain peak condition whenever battle comes.”
“Yes, sir!”

The Gwangpung Corps swordsmen no longer exchanged idle chatter or voiced complaints. They answered with resolve and began breathing with the gravity of warriors preparing for combat.

I nodded firmly, pleased with the Gwangpung Corps, and took the lead.

“There is no rest until we reach Shinigan. Let’s move!”

*

*

*

The earth had split as if struck by an earthquake, and above it lay a grotesque village brimming with blood.

I narrowed my eyes as I beheld Shinigan—the village whose name meant warmth itself—transformed into a hellscape.

‘It wasn’t just the Branch that fell.’

Not merely the Sinigan Branch, but the entire village of Shinigan had been destroyed.

No corpses were visible, yet beyond the crushed buildings and walls, blood flowed without ceasing. It resembled a battlefield.

“How vicious…”

Burren Zigheart’s eyes trembled as he gazed upon the blood-soaked well. The other swordsmen, confronted by the severity of the scene, could only bite their lips in silence.

“Hah…”

I exhaled sharply, dispelling the stench of blood, and walked forward into the village.
Gathered around the village’s perimeter were people who appeared to have lost their families, blocked from entering by fierce-eyed swordsmen standing in their way.

“What are those people?”

Martha furrowed her brow as she observed the swordsmen blocking the path.

“They bear the insignia of Lakion.”

I narrowed my eyes upon seeing the crimson lion emblem emblazoned across the swordsmen’s chests.

“The Sinigan Branch and Lakion aren’t particularly distant from one another. They must have come to offer their support.”

To the east of the Sinigan Branch lay Lakion, a vassal house. It appeared they had rushed here the moment they learned of the situation.

“Let’s go inside.”

I gestured to the Gwangpung Corps and proceeded deeper into the village.

“Ah, members of the Gwangpung Corps, I presume.”

The swordsmen of Lakion, having received word from the Bi-Yeon Society, bowed their heads upon recognizing the Zigheart emblem.

“What exactly has transpired here?”
“We have yet to receive precise information ourselves. Please, come inside first. I shall guide you to the Branch Chief.”

The swordsman raised his hand with disciplined courtesy and respect.

I nodded and followed the swordsman into the Branch, which bore the scars of what appeared to be a bombardment. Inside, there were many people, but what caught my attention most was the foreign-looking middle-aged man standing at the center, from whom I sensed an immense aura.
There were many people, but the most striking was the foreign-looking Ogre Warrior standing in the center. A tremendous aura was emanating from him.

“Oh, you’re here!”

The dark-haired young man who had been standing next to the Ogre Warrior came running over with a tearful expression.

“I greet the commander of the Gwangpung Corps! Ah, and the commander of the Gale Wind Squad as well!”

The black-haired young man bowed in turn to Rimer and Raon.

“I’m Geph, an informant for the Sinigan Branch!”

He introduced himself as Geph and bowed his head once more.

“You’re still alive.”

Raon exhaled a sigh of relief. If everyone had been dead, the investigation would have taken much longer. He was grateful that at least one person had survived.

“What on earth happened here?”
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure myself.”

Geph swallowed hard and shook his head.

“Pardon?”
“I followed the Branch Chief’s orders and delivered a letter to the Head of House Lakion, but when I returned, the Branch was already in this state.”

His fingertips trembled as he admitted he couldn’t grasp the exact circumstances.

“Then this person is…?”

Raon turned his gaze toward the middle-aged man standing nearby. The man approached Geph’s side and bowed his head.

“I am Belus Lakion. I am ashamed that we could not prevent such a catastrophe despite being in close proximity.”

He kept his head lowered, his expression one of genuine remorse.

‘Belus Lakion, then.’

I had heard of him before. He was a swordsman who had already secured his position as the successor to the Lakion Family—a monster without peer in the surrounding regions.

“Please explain whatever you do know.”

Raon helped both men to their feet and suggested they organize the situation first.

“It’s not entirely certain, but the group we believed to be bandits appears to have actually been the White Blood Cult.”
“The White Blood Cult?”

Martha was the first to react to Geph’s words. She stepped forward and thrust her face close to his.

“What are you talking about? Why would the White Blood Cult suddenly appear here!”
“We deduced it from the traces left at this location.”

Geph shook his head vigorously and retreated a step.

“Both the Branch and the villagers who comprised it have all vanished, yet only half of the bodies remain!”

He continued speaking even as his lips trembled.

“Moreover, the remaining corpses bore wounds as if they’d been savagely mauled, with many showing brutal signs of death. It’s nearly identical to the White Blood Cult’s Festival of Blood, Bell.”
“Ugh….”

Martha’s brow furrowed as she surveyed the collapsed Branch building and the ravaged village.

I nodded quietly, observing the shattered wall within the office and the blood sprayed like a fountain across its surroundings.

‘The White Blood Cult….’

It was certainly possible.

Upon arriving here and witnessing the collapsed structures and scattered blood, I’d considered that this might be an attack by the White Blood Cult rather than the North-South Alliance. However, to confirm that suspicion, I needed to examine the remaining corpses.
That was the only way to be certain.

“May we examine the bodies?”
“Of course. This way, please.”

Geph nodded and led us out of the Branch.

I patted Martha’s trembling shoulder—her hands shaking with rage—before following Geph toward the Training Ground outside the Branch. Black cloth tarps covered the ground, and from the way they bulged upward, it was clear they concealed corpses.
A black cloth covered the floor, and from the way it was slightly raised, it looked like it was concealing a corpse.

As Raon gave a signal with his eyes, Crain and Dorian, who were behind him, came forward and removed the tent.

“What in the….”
“Damn those bloodthirsty demons!”
“Those damn bloodthirsty bastards!”

The inspectors of the Gwangpung Corps bit their lips hard as they looked at the corpses hidden beneath the tents.
I approached closer instead, calmly examining the remains.

‘It certainly bears the hallmarks of the White Blood Cult’s work.’

Scarcely any of the corpses remained intact. Flesh torn away was commonplace; many bore severed limbs, or showed signs of having their heads or torsos wrenched clean off.

Among the corpses, there were hardly any that remained intact. It was common to see flesh torn away, and there were many bodies with severed limbs or those that appeared to have had their heads or torsos completely ripped off.
It looked like he had just finished a blood festival where blood and flesh were torn apart as an offering to Hyeolshin.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

I clenched my teeth and examined the nearest corpse.
It was the body of a young woman, her waist split open by something sharp, and her neck torn away as if savaged by a wolf’s fangs.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, she had died without even closing her eyes.

I tilted my head as I studied the neck wound of the corpse. When I turned and glanced up at Geph and Belus, my gaze carried a question.

“Something’s odd about this corpse.”

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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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