The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 573

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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 573

Boom!

Karun stomped his foot roughly, and the sound—laden with irritation and fury—shook the Garden of the Main Mansion.

“Damn it!”

He stamped his foot repeatedly, yet his resentment remained unassuaged, and he ground his teeth together.

“Calm yourself.”

Valdemar sighed and approached Karun’s side.

“I’m displeased as well, but there’s nothing we can do about this. A man who ascended to Grand Master at twenty-one and took down the Yonghyeon Sword Master—of course the family would favor him.”

He furrowed his brow as if to say: you know this already, so why are you acting this way?

“Displeased?”

Karun glared at Valdemar, twisting his mouth.

“You shameless fool. Wipe that smile off your face before you say such things.”
“Ah, well…”

Valdemar hastily smoothed the corners of his mouth.

“How can you remain so composed after suffering such humiliation at the hands of that boy?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Of course, it is good that the family’s prestige rises and our standing grows. However!”

Karun bit his lip firmly before continuing.

“That target is Raon of the Branch Family. A monkey-like bastard who doesn’t even know what vermin’s blood flows through his veins!”
“Hmm….”
“And now that bastard has slipped from our grasp.”
“Slipped away?”
“It means he’s no longer someone you or I can control and command, but has become a rival competing with us for the position of Head of House. Are your wits still not working?”

He tapped his head with a finger, reminding them of the situation where Glen and Aris had taken care of Raon.

“Ah, so that’s….”

Valdemar’s lips trembled as he finally grasped the gravity of the situation.

“If we move now….”
“It’s already too late.”

Denier emerged from behind the bushes in the Garden, waving his hand lightly.

“What?”
“You’ve heard the rumor that Father is teaching swordsmanship directly to Raon, right? It’s true. And he’s been teaching for quite a while now.”

Denier smiled faintly and leaned his back against a pillar in the Garden.

“I warned you before. Father already sees Raon as one of the successor candidates.”
“No, no! He’s far too young!”

Valdemar shook his head, saying it made no sense.

“Not Sylvia, but Raon! Does it make sense that I’d have to compete with my nephew for the position of Head of House?”
“He might be even more favored for his youth. He’s the youngest Grand Master on the Continent and has built considerable achievements. If Raon becomes Head of House, our family’s prestige and recognition would rise significantly, wouldn’t it? I don’t think it’s a bad outcome.”

Denier shrugged his shoulders with ease.

“Seeing how Father brought up the matter of a life-or-death duel with the Demon King today, I suspect he’ll officially receive Raon into the Main Lineage on January 1st next year and immediately declare him a successor candidate. What do you think, brother?”
“….”

Karun didn’t answer Denier’s question, only casting a sharp glare at him.

“I’m not Raon, so why are you looking at me so menacingly?”

Denier chuckled softly and turned away.

“What I’m trying to say is, don’t poke at Raon and stir up a hornet’s nest. You know there’s no one to stop her if she goes on a rampage, right? Let’s just live quietly.”

He waved his hand lightly and departed from the Garden.

‘Denier….’

Karun watched Denier disappear into the darkness of the Garden, his brow furrowing.

‘What is he thinking.’

*

*

*

I trembled at my fingertips as I beheld the sunken light in Glen’s eyes.

‘You must have suffered so much.’

It was a phrase anyone could speak, yet no one had ever offered to him. Glen’s brief words melted away the dark knot that had been constricting my chest until moments before.

‘That’s what I needed to hear.’

Now I understood why I hadn’t felt such joy when Glen presented me with the golden badge and reward at the Patriarch’s Hall.
What I truly sought was not material compensation, but spiritual solace.

‘I’ve grown weak.’

Or perhaps it wasn’t weakness at all—perhaps this was what it meant to be human.

In my past life as an Assassin, I was nothing more than a puppet on a string—kill when ordered to kill, abduct when ordered to abduct.
Having lived my entire existence as a leashed hunting hound, I had never known the sting of betrayal.

Even when the Ring of Fire freed me from brainwashing and I prepared my escape, only to be slain by Derus, I felt no betrayal because I had never trusted him in the first place. I felt only rage.

But this life was different. I had met countless people and shared my heart with all of them.

Lectar was no exception. Since I had learned swordsmanship and the ways of life from him as I would from Grandfather, the unexpected betrayal pierced through me with a depth and magnitude I had never anticipated.

“You possess good fortune in your relationships.”

Glen turned his gaze calmly. He continued speaking in an even tone while gazing toward the Lake.

“The children who tormented you in your youth have become subordinates who genuinely reflect on their past mistakes and support you. Your master has become a superior willing to stake his life for you. No matter what form you take, their hearts will not waver. As for those in the Annex Building, there is no need to even mention them.”
“….”

I nodded slightly. Just as he said, Burren and Martha, along with the Gwangpung Corps members, had apologized for their childish mistakes from our younger days and sought my forgiveness. Rimer, despite his laziness, had provided training suited to each individual swordsman.
Sylvia, Helen, and the others in the Annex Building were people I could spend a lifetime with, so his words about good fortune in relationships were not wrong.

“The reason you suffer now is because you have experienced betrayal for the first time from someone you gave affection to and believed to be a good connection. Everything is difficult at first. If it is betrayal, it can only hurt all the more.”

Glen nodded as if to show he understood that sentiment.

“Mm….”

I felt Glen’s back, which had always seemed distant, draw somewhat closer, and I wet my lips.

‘Unexpected.’

I thought Glen would only scold me, but I never imagined he would offer comfort through words like this.

“Those who approach you with goodwill cannot always be virtuous. Someone like Valdemar, whose inner and outer natures are completely transparent, is rare.”

When Glen used Valdemar as an example, there seemed to be a faint smile in his voice.

“Come along.”

He flicked his fingers and walked across the Lake toward Bekmang Mountain. Though he appeared to walk ordinarily, he moved as if transcending space itself, and even using footwork techniques, I could not catch up.
He seemed to be walking normally, but he moved as if transcending space itself, and even when using the lightness technique, I couldn’t catch up with him.

Glen stopped in his tracks at the wide training courtyard at the entrance of Bekmang Mountain.

Crack.

He broke off a small twig from the bushes and then gestured to Raon with his chin.

“Draw your sword.”
“Pardon?”
“When your mind is cluttered, it’s best to move your body without thought.”

Glen picked up a twig and held it like a blade.

“Show me what conviction brought you to Grand Master, and what you intend to do with that power.”
“Hmm….”

I gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sword tightly, my eyes fixed on the twig Glen had raised. A few leaves trembled in the night breeze.

‘He’s offering me a sparring match.’

I had received instruction from Glen many times before, but we had never crossed blades. It was a rare opportunity indeed.

“Since you told me to clear my mind, may I fight with my full strength?”
“Otherwise, there would be no point.”
“Then….”

With trembling hands, I drew both the Heavenly Sword and the Soul Reaper Sword.

“I’m coming.”

I grasped both blades in reverse grip and drove them into the earth, opening my Mental World.

The heat and cold rising from my lower dantian surged through my middle dantian in a single breath, reaching my upper dantian.

My vision turned pure white as my Mental World—now far more solid and sharper than before—extended outward into the physical realm.

Behind me, an alien golden sun and silver moon rose into being.

The golden light of the sun seeped into the divine blade I gripped in my right hand, while the silver moonlight matured within the demonic blade that surged in my left.

With the growth of my upper dantian upon reaching Grand Master, new transformations had taken root in both blades.

“It looks impressive, at least.”

Glen’s lips curved into a calm smile as he nodded.

“Come at me.”

I seized upon Glen’s words as kindling and hurled myself directly at him.
Moving at a speed that would uproot the grass beneath my feet, I unleashed the flames of the Divine Sword and the frost of the Demonic Sword in a torrential cascade.
The two blades, woven with the subtleties of dual-sword technique, snapped and fell away, sending forth a tremendous shockwave.

Screeeech!

Glen extended what appeared to be a thin twig—fragile enough that a child could break it—toward the flames and frost that consumed his vision.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Successive explosions erupted in a chain reaction, and the surrounding thicket and trees shrieked in agony, yet the twig Glen held remained utterly unmoved. It was a sight difficult to believe even with my own eyes.

“Your power is worth acknowledging. Continue.”
“Yes!”

I rolled my left foot forward and bored into Glen’s left flank.

‘Ordinary attacks won’t penetrate his defense.’

Breaking through Glen’s guard head-on was impossible. I had to target the spaces his defense could not reach.

Zing!

I stepped through the Flowing Harmony Technique. Moving as naturally as water, I shifted to Glen’s right rear and extended both Crimson Flash and Frost Chain simultaneously.

A scarlet heat line and a blue blade advanced in staggered timing, targeting Glen’s blind spot.

“The moment you stop thinking is the moment the fight ends.”

Glen smiled faintly and turned the twig sideways. With a light flourish, the twig struck down the Crimson Flash that advanced first, then blocked both blades of the Frost Chain that followed in its wake.

‘I can’t even comprehend what he did.’

Time seemed to flow differently for him alone.

I bit my lip and deployed the Flowing Harmony Technique. Folding space itself, I advanced and drove both the Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword directly at Glen’s face.
Sparks of flame and frost bloomed like a kaleidoscope at the blade tips, enveloping Glen’s entire body.

Manhwagong Heavenly Flame.
Red Thirty-Six Severing Strike.

A sword technique that pierced thirty-six directions with a single blade, now wielded with two swords. A grotesque strike targeting seventy-two directions simultaneously extended toward every vital point of Glen’s body.

“Your hands have grown more fluid. Both speed and power have advanced.”

Glen offered brief praise for the swordsmanship he had once criticized harshly, then swung the branch.
A gentle yet unyielding wind swept forth, shattering the flow of the Red Thirty-Six Severing Strike in an instant.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

I clenched my teeth and tensed my legs to resist being pushed back by the wind that seemed to thrust not just my body but my very soul. The Divine Sword and Demonic Sword responded to my will, igniting deeper flames and frost.

Crash!

I stepped into Glen’s direct space once more and swung both blades upward toward the branch.
The two sword edges, scraping across the battlefield as they rose, struck both ends of the branch.

Yet despite pouring all my strength into the attack, the branch in Glen’s grip did not waver.

“Let me try something a bit rougher.”

Glen twisted his wrist subtly. Crimson lightning erupted from the branch, suppressing the flames of the Divine Sword and the frost of the Demonic Sword.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

Yet even as the flames and frost were overwhelmed one-sidedly by the relentless lightning, they did not lose their own radiance.

“I see.”

Glen gazed down at the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, nodding slowly. His eyes seemed to gleam with a subtle light.

“Your choice was unbreakable. An absolutely unbreakable blade.”

From merely exchanging a few blows, he had discerned what will I carried when I ascended to Grand Master.

“Then come at me properly, so your flame does not extinguish.”
“Of course!”

I charged forward with a shout, tracing the trajectory of the Divine Sword with the Demonic Sword while conjuring brilliant rings of red and blue light.

Kuwaaaaaa!

Two luminous rings blazing with radiant light extended toward Glen. He smiled faintly before the overwhelming wave of power that gouged the battlefield raw.

“Your understanding of swordsmanship has reached a certain level.”

Glen casually swung a thin branch downward as if a child playing. From the trembling tip of that slender branch emerged a wave of crimson light, intercepting both luminous rings.

Kwaaaaaang!

The brilliant rings created by the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword dissolved without ever reaching Glen, melting away before the trembling leaves.

‘As expected.’

Having anticipated this outcome, I exhaled and raised both blades again. Stepping closer to Glen, I activated the Flame Dragon Technique with the Divine Sword while summoning the Fire Spirit with the Demonic Sword.

Kuwaaaaaa!

The moment the blue Fire Spirit blocked Glen’s retreat, I unleashed the Flame Dragon Technique.

Seeing the flames tinted gold, Glen smiled faintly and extended the branch.

Kuwaaaaaa!

The roar of the Fire Dragon could not pierce the trajectory drawn by the leaves and dissipated uselessly.

Chiiing!

I seized the moment when heat from the Flame Dragon Technique shimmered into a mirage, slipping to Glen’s right side. Drawing close, I thrust the final blade of the Divine Demonic Harmony Technique at him.
The Raon Zigheart School of Swordsmanship.

Sixth Form, Divine Demonic Harmony Technique—Linked Strike: Crimson and Azure Undefeated Sword.
The Sixth Form Heavenly Demon Harmonization Technique Linked Skill: Azure Red Undefeated Sword.

A brilliant flash of flame and frost that divided heaven and earth engulfed Glen.

“That’s a good sword.”

Glen exhaled softly in admiration for the first time, raising the branch to meet my attack.

The crimson lightning erupting from the branch’s center collided head-on with the flow of the Azure-Crimson Undefeated Sword.

Crash!

Terrifying thunder, flames, and frost clashed violently, shaking the very earth, yet the ground beneath Glen’s feet remained perfectly still.

Only a single leaf fluttered from the branch he held, drifting down to the ground.

“Ha….”

I let out a hollow laugh and collapsed to my knees.

‘Just a single leaf.’

The result of my utmost effort was merely one leaf clinging to the branch—I couldn’t help but laugh.

-It is not merely a single leaf.
‘What do you mean?’
-It means you accomplished it in your own way.
‘Huh?’

Wrath muttered words of unclear meaning without his usual mockery.

“Hmm….”

Glen gazed intently at the fallen leaf, then made his way toward the thicket. He carried the branch he had broken back to its original location, and as he rubbed his fingers together, it reattached seamlessly as if it had never been severed.

“That, that’s….”

I hadn’t imagined the broken branch could be restored, so my mouth fell open involuntarily.

“If there exists a sword that can kill, there must exist a sword that can heal. I have only recently awakened to this principle myself, so there is nothing remarkable about it.”

Glen lightly tapped the branch now restored to its original state and turned his gaze toward me.

“Well then. Has your frustration eased somewhat?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes….”

I nodded blankly.

‘I’d completely forgotten about it.’

During my sparring match with Glen, I had forgotten everything about Lectar, and the tightness in my chest had dissipated, leaving me feeling refreshed as if returning to my normal state.

“You think too much. Sometimes you need to clear your mind.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Now that things are settled, I mean.”

He clicked his tongue briefly and gazed up at the night sky.

“From what I can see, Lectar doesn’t strike me as the type to commit betrayal.”

Glen shook his head with a hint of regret.

“Um…”

I raised my hand briefly toward Glen.

“There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Actually…”

I explained the things Lectar had done and the circumstances surrounding them.

“I see.”

Glen didn’t dismiss it as nonsense, but nodded calmly.

“I’ll keep that in mind. But the fact that he’s our enemy doesn’t change.”
“I understand.”
“Then that settles it.”

He nodded and turned to leave.

“I’ll be going now.”
“Ah, thank you for today.”

Raon bowed deeply to Glen, his sincerity evident in every gesture.

“It’s merely a reward for what you’ve accomplished in this mission.”

Glen’s voice carried a certain coldness as he turned toward the Main Mansion and departed.

“Ahhhh….”

The moment Glen’s figure vanished from sight, I collapsed onto the ground and exhaled a long, refreshing breath. The earth was harder than my bed, yet my heart felt at ease.

“This is nice.”

*

*

*

Glen did not return directly to the Patriarch’s Hall. Instead, he remained leaning against a tree halfway up Bekmang Mountain, watching over Raon.

“It must be difficult.”

Raon himself didn’t fully understand why he was struggling and suffering.

Though the boy appeared indifferent on the surface, he had grown up sharing affection with many people, so the sense of betrayal from Lectar struck him far deeper and more profoundly than it might others.

‘Not all people are virtuous. Yet neither are all people wicked.’

Glen had orchestrated this moment because he feared Raon might distance himself from others due to that betrayal, and it seemed the boy had processed it reasonably well.

‘You’ll be able to overcome this.’

Glen’s eyes narrowed as he observed a single fallen leaf beneath Raon’s feet.

‘But that aside….’

He’s created a remarkable Sword Realm.

The Sword Realm Raon had demonstrated exceeded even his expectations.

Its power, durability, and sustainability were exceptional, and its greatest advantage was that it remained incomplete.

‘No, rather than incomplete, I should say it grows.’

Raon’s Sword Realm embodied his mental world perfectly. As his dantian grew, so too would his Sword Realm—meaning Raon’s Sword Realm possessed boundless potential.

Indeed, Raon’s Sword Realm had grown even during our sparring match.
The proof lay in a single leaf that had fallen from the branch—a leaf I had maintained in its original form through appropriate will, predicting Raon’s strength.

‘And….’

Glen’s eyes closed slowly.

‘That golden flame.’

The flame reflected in Raon’s sword held a pale golden hue within the crimson. The golden flame that had appeared only once throughout the long history the Zigheart had walked. The fire of the first Head of House had seeped into Raon’s soul.

“The path that suits you is not the way of the tyrant.”

Glen slowly lifted his eyelids.

“I will carry the world’s malice and its corruption. Raon. You….”

He held Raon within his tender crimson gaze and smiled.

“Walk the righteous path.”

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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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