The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 590

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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 590

I furrowed my brow as I observed Hongryeom-gwi, whose crimson eyes blazed with an intense, searing light.

‘How much of the World Tree’s essence has he consumed?’

The Hongryeom-gwi standing before me had become an entirely different existence compared to the one I had faced in the Grand Forest.
If I had confronted him without opening the Sword Realm, my skin would have melted away from the overwhelming heat radiating from him.

‘I can’t defeat him.’

The Hongryeom-gwi I had encountered in the Grand Forest would have been a worthy opponent using Sword Realm Manifestation and Wrath’s release, but this creature, having consumed the World Tree’s essence, was absolutely unbeatable.

That was why I needed help.

-Excellent! The True Demon King shall aid you!

Wrath nodded eagerly.

-The True Demon King must consume the World Tree, yet this fire-wretched fool is burning it! Descend me into your body at once! I shall turn that creature into shards of ice!

He snapped his fingers, demanding I surrender my body immediately.

‘Not you.’

I ignored Wrath and turned around. Observing Rimer’s pallid complexion, I asked once more.

“Can you do this?”
“Ha….”

Rimer let out a hollow laugh as he met my steady gaze.

‘Not offering help, but asking for it?’

The reason I had asked for help rather than offered it was simple. It meant I considered this battle my own. There was no need for apologies, no intention to back down.

‘And besides….’

That statement was also a threat.

It was essentially a warning that while humans fought, the true masters of this land—the Elves—could not afford to remain idle.

‘This one is truly….’

The more I observed Raon, the more admiration he inspired. He was no longer merely a subordinate or disciple—facing him felt like encountering a being of far greater stature than myself.

“Of course!”

Rimer nodded while suppressing the sharp pain that radiated through his abdomen.

“But if we don’t finish this quickly, both you and I will die. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Naturally.”

Raon bit his lip as he gazed upon the World Tree, whose roots had begun to burn.

“I shall handle the offense. Please focus on blocking his flames.”
“Leave it to me.”

Rimer tightened his grip on the leaf-shaped blade, determined to manage somehow.

“Two insects combined are still nothing but insects.”

Hongryeom-gwi looked down upon Raon and Rimer with a contemptuous sneer.

“You should be careful. Even insects can carry deadly venom.”
“Filthy vermin!”

He furrowed his brow and unleashed torrents of flame. The moment the whip-like inferno descended, I activated Taewhabo and struck the ground.

“I’m quite confident with fire myself.”

I resonated intensely with the rings of fire. Evading the relentless flaming whips through footwork alone, I stepped into Hongryeom-gwi’s space.

“Let’s see who burns brighter.”

I thrust the azure demonic sword gripped in my left hand forward. The silvery-gleaming blade of frost pierced through the wall of flame and extended toward Hongryeom-gwi’s shoulder.

“So it’s fire, huh.”

Hongryeom-gwi let out a scoff and raised his hand. The flames that had split across the Demon Sword reunited, creating a powerful wave.

Heat intense enough to pierce through my six-star fire resistance and the protection of the Black Dragon Robe spread across my entire body.
As I furrowed my brow from the searing pain, a deep green wind blew from behind.

Whoooooosh!

It was Rimer. The wind he conjured pushed back Hongryeom-gwi’s heat and created space for my blade to pierce through.

‘He really is reliable.’

While I couldn’t trust him at the gambling den, in combat he was someone I could depend on more than anyone.

A clear resonance rang from my right hand’s Divine Sword. Golden flames stretched forth with brilliant vitality, as if the sun itself dwelled within them, roughly pushing back the crimson blaze.

The moment Hongryeom-gwi’s pupils trembled slightly, I brought down my left hand’s Demon Sword. A blade of frost fell as gracefully as moonlight, grazing across his shoulder.

Screeeech!

Since he was a human imbued with spirit power rather than a true spirit, his shoulder split open lengthwise and crimson blood poured forth.

“I told you.”

I flicked my finger at Hongryeom-gwi.

“Be careful of the deadly poison.”
“You dare be arrogant over such a trivial wound!”

Hongryeom-gwi twisted his mouth and wiped away the blood from his shoulder. Intense flames flickered, and the sword mark began to slowly heal.

“Your blades cannot touch me!”
“But they already did.”

Rimer tilted his head, pointing to the wound that still remained.

“You’re dumber than I thought. When you say something like that, you’re supposed to say you can’t be killed.”
“Right. He’s all bluster.”

I curled up the corners of my mouth as I accepted Rimer’s words.

“Taking off your clothes first—that’s insane.”
“But why are you still wearing pants?”
“Guess he’s not confident.”

Rimer chuckled, his sword held backward.

“You bastards!”

Hongryeom-gwi glanced down at his own pants before unleashing a bestial roar.
The heat surging up his torso caused the black dragon robe to curl and warp as if melting.

“Perfect—he’s fired up now!”

Rimer conjured a powerful wind, urging me forward without fear of the flames.

Boom!

I suppressed the heat and rode Rimer’s wind toward Hongryeom-gwi in a devastating charge.

“Disappear!”

As Hongryeom-gwi extended his thick hand, the inferno wrapped around him erupted into a colossal fiery vortex.

Trusting Rimer behind me, I plunged into the maelstrom of flames.

Crash!

My blade, imbued with flames and frost, collided with Hongryeom-gwi’s inferno, unleashing a terrifying shockwave—violent enough to shake the World Tree, whose roots ran deep into the earth.

‘Is this still not enough…?’

The divine and demonic blades were pushed back by Hongryeom-gwi’s flames. As the edges of the black dragon robe turned to ash and burned, a crystalline wind swept through.

The wind, as if shattered into countless fragments of a tempest, danced with life—nurturing the flames of my divine blade and the frost of my demonic blade while suppressing Hongryeom-gwi’s inferno.

“Don’t interfere!”

Hongryeom-gwi shot a spear made of flames toward Rimer, as if irritated.

‘Now is the moment.’

That monster continued to grow stronger by devouring the World Tree’s essence even now. I had to finish this decisively while its attention was on Rimer.

Raon thrust forward, condensing frost along the Demon Sword’s blade.

Lord of Wrath’s decisive technique.
Seolhwa Demon Sword.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

The sword strike wielding the Seolhwa Demon Domain froze solid the shield of flames protecting Hongryeom-gwi.

As silver brilliance flooded the vision and melted the inferno, I flicked my right hand’s Divine Sword.

Manhwagong Heavenly Flame.
Mugeumhyang.

The Divine Sword’s blade split like bamboo stalks, creating a prison of golden flames.

Kwaaaaaaah!

Even as Hongryeom-gwi watched the flame bars converging, he showed no sign of losing composure.

“Such trivial flames are useless against me!”

He laughed mockingly and tore apart the Mugeumhyang flames with his bare hands.

Raon showed no panic at the sight, a smile playing at his lips. He had been aiming for this moment from the start.

Kuuuuung!

I released Wrath. Swirling the ring of fire to its extreme, I unleashed the most powerful sword force I could muster at this moment.

Raon Zigheart School sword technique.
Sixth Form, Divine Demon Harmony Resonance Linked Technique, Azure-Crimson Undefeated Sword.

The Sacred Blade’s flames and the Demonic Blade’s frost ignited together, blazing with a magnificent western radiance.
The two blades, imbued with conviction, cleaved through the flames Hongryeom-gwi had conjured and pierced into his chest.

“Krraaaaaaah!”

Yet Hongryeom-gwi refused to yield so easily. Fire erupted from his torn body, pushing back the blades of the Sacred and Demonic Swords.

“It’s working! Keep pushing forward!”

Despite having his waist sliced by Hongryeom-gwi’s spear, Rimer sent a gust of wind to sustain the Sacred and Demonic Blades’ assault.

Yet even as I received Rimer’s energy, my expression grew increasingly rigid.

‘This bastard….’

He was transforming.

Even with the blades embedded in Hongryeom-gwi’s body, I felt no sensation of cutting through flesh and blood.
It was the same feeling I’d had when severing the shadow spirit Cassandra had summoned. Hongryeom-gwi was becoming increasingly spirit-like.

‘I have to finish this before he transforms any further.’

I gritted my teeth so hard they nearly cracked, summoning even deeper wrath. No matter the cost, I had to break him now, decisively.

“Krraaaaaaaaaah!”

Pouring strength into my wrists that felt ready to snap, I drove the Sacred and Demonic Blades downward with all my might.

Szzzzzzzzzt!

Flames and frost erupted like lightning, tearing through Hongryeom-gwi’s inferno and rending his body asunder.

“That’s it!”

I heard Rimer’s excited cry from behind, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile.

“Damn it….”

I had cut, yet I had not truly cut.

Hongryeom-gwi completed his spiritualization by absorbing the aura emanating from the roots of the World Tree.
From his body flowed not blood, but flames alone. He had certainly sustained a tremendous impact, but unlike a physical body, it was far from a fatal wound.

“Damn it….”

Rimer’s lips trembled as he too recognized Hongryeom-gwi’s transformed state.

I swallowed hard, watching Hongryeom-gwi regenerate his body with flames.

‘The problem isn’t him—it’s us.’

I had expended considerable amounts of willpower and aura moments ago while wielding the Azure-Crimson Undefeated Sword and unleashing Wrath.
The time I could maintain the Sword Realm was rapidly dwindling.

‘And beyond that….’

Rimer behind me had also reached his limit. To be honest, this was a battle where the outcome was already visible.

“It’s over.”

Hongryeom-gwi’s eyes gleamed with arrogance as he twisted his jaw to the side.

“You’ve exhausted your strength, while I continue to grow stronger.”

He brushed his chest, where the sword marks had completely vanished, and curled his lips into a smile.

“All that remains for you is despair.”
“You’re gravely mistaken.”

I drew the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword, my lips curving into a bloodless smile.

“I’m only just beginning.”
“Such bluster….”
“You’ll find out soon enough whether it’s bluster or not.”

*

*

*

Siyan clenched her fists as she watched Raon and Rimer’s backs facing the colossal inferno.

‘Are they… winning?’

Though the details remained obscured, she could discern that Raon was pressing Hongryeom-gwi into a corner. At this rate, victory seemed inevitable.

She turned her gaze toward the rear.
The Guardians and Elves were locked in desperate combat against the Eden Ghosts and Gray Elves assailing the World Tree, their brows furrowed with strain. The enemy’s relentless assault grew fiercer by the moment, and more Elves fell with each passing second.

‘Just hold on a little longer.’

With Raon and Rimer, that monster would fall swiftly, and they would return. Once they did, this battle would be as good as won.

“Aaaaaaaaa!”

Hearing the crystalline melody, Siyan’s eyes shifted rightward. A child with twin-tailed hair was dashing across the battlefield, her melodious voice weaving through the chaos.

Her song infused their allies with vitality while sowing confusion in the enemy’s senses.
Though her raw power was unremarkable, her influence was extraordinary.

The green-haired human fighting to protect the child was equally striking. He drew healing potions and arrows from the pouch at his waist while wielding an exquisite swordsmanship that carved through enemies.
Despite his formidable skill, his trembling eyes betrayed his fear, yet his blade and legs never faltered.

‘Those two are…’

Dorian and Yua. Both humans who had followed Raon.
In the annals of Raon Zigheart, they were barely mentioned—names that scarcely warranted a footnote—yet here they fought with unparalleled valor, carving their path through the battlefield.

‘I… I should too…’

She possessed no aura, could summon no spirits, but her bow—her bow she trusted.

Siyan picked up a wooden bow that had fallen to the ground, intending to contribute however modestly she could, when the Grand Elder beside her stayed her hand.

“G-Grand Elder.”
“Siyan…”

The Grand Elder’s pupils gleamed with fierce intensity. Though he squeezed his eyes shut, convinced he would be scolded, his voice emerged low and utterly devoid of strength.

“F-flee this place.”
“Pardon?”

The sudden command to escape left my mind reeling, and I blinked rapidly in confusion.

“W-what do you mean….”
“I’m telling you to escape from here immediately.”

The Grand Elder coughed blood from his mouth—likely from internal injuries—as he waved his hand.

“B-but everyone is still fighting! Raon will arrive soon….”
“We cannot win.”

He raised his trembling fingers and pointed toward the battlefield where Raon, Rimer, and Hongryeom-gwi clashed.

“That monster has already absorbed enough of the World Tree’s power. It’s only a matter of time before it transcends the wall of transcendence….”
“B-but if it’s Raon….”
“The moment to end this was missed. Raon is certainly remarkable, but that creature has already transcended its former tier….”

The Grand Elder spoke of the hopelessness of their situation and exhaled deeply.

“Fire has already reached the base of the World Tree. There is no time left. If this drags on any longer, all escape routes will be sealed….”
“Th-then it’s not me—you must leave, Grand Elder!”

Siyan shook her head as she threw off the blanket.

“I am already beyond saving. And….”

The Grand Elder regarded Siyan with a serene gaze.

“Only you, the High Elf Siyan, can secure a future for us.”
“I-I’m incompetent! I’m a High Elf who can do nothing….”
“Not a High Elf who knows nothing, but a High Elf who has strived harder than anyone else—that is why you must go.”
“G-Grand Elder?”

Hearing the Grand Elder’s gentle voice for the first time, Siyan relaxed the frown that had creased her brow.

“Effort? Grand Elder, how could you possibly…”
“Because I’ve been watching.”
“You… you didn’t hate me?”
“Why would I hate you, Siyan?”
“Then why did you…”
“Ignore me?”

The Grand Elder gazed at Siyan with a faint smile. The deepening demonic flames cast his face in a crimson glow.

“Did you wish for me to approach and offer encouragement? You’ve read far too many human books, Siyan. We are not human.”

He shook his head with quiet resolve.

“And I believe such words of encouragement are irresponsible. Anyone can speak them, regardless of understanding the circumstances. They hold no special meaning, no true value. All we Elves can offer our kin is to bear witness.”
“Ah…”

Siyan’s lips trembled as she looked upon the Grand Elder.

‘Now that I think about it…’

The Grand Elder had always been stern. He would rage if a blanket was turned the wrong way, or if one’s tone seemed amiss.
Yet he was always watching me, never finding fault in trivial matters. Unlike the others, he never once called me incompetent.

“S-Siyan. Please, leave at once.”
“You must not perish here.”
“Only you can restore the World Tree.”

The other Elders staggered to their feet, their words laden with sincerity.
They bled as though prepared to sacrifice their very lives to carve a path, rushing toward the battlefield.

“Open the way!”
“Hold the line!”

It was not only them. The wounded Elves and Guardians followed in the Elders’ wake, immolating themselves even as they slew the enemy and forged a passage.

“Aah…”

Siyan trembled violently, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

‘What have I been doing all this time?’

I had believed that every Elf except Grandfather despised and ignored me.

But now, looking back, it was I myself who had shunned the Elves and locked myself away in my chamber.

There were certainly those who truly hated me, but so many of my kindred had quietly waited for me to rise again.

“Leiran!”
“Yes, Grand Elder.”

Leiran, her shoulders scorched with burns, rushed toward the Grand Elder.

“Take Siyan and the humans and escape to the West Side.”
“…Understood.”

Leiran gazed intently into the Grand Elder’s eyes before nodding.

“Siyan. No—Siyan. Survive.”

The Grand Elder gently brushed Siyan’s hair and moved westward. The waves he unleashed, coughing blood violently, extinguished the flames consuming the Battlefield and drove back Hongryeom-gwi and the Gray Elves.

“There’s no time, so forgive me.”

Leiran ran westward with Siyan, who seemed to have lost her soul, draped across her shoulder.

Siyan bit her lip as she watched Sterin resonating with the World Tree.

‘Grandfather.’

You were right, Grandfather.

He had always shown only kind smiles, saying there was no need to fear the world so much.

I wanted to protect him. And all the Elves who had believed in me until now. I never wanted to witness another death.

“Both of you, come this way!”

Leiran gestured to Dorian and Yua, calling for them to follow.

Siyan closed her eyes, watching the distant Elves fade from her blurring vision.

‘I cannot survive alone like this.’

She clenched her lips together, her hands clasped before her.

‘Please! Please!’

If I truly am a High Elf, grant me even the smallest miracle!

Siyan’s sincere cry and desperate plea resonated with the world, and azure-tinged fragments began to coalesce near her chest.

*

*

*

“Hah.”

Raon swatted away the flames that surged toward him and let out a long breath.

‘This is dire.’

The more the flames spread across the World Tree, the stronger Hongryeom-gwi’s aura became, and the heat grew so intense it was nearly unbearable. Though I hadn’t reached transcendence and my martial prowess hadn’t surged dramatically, the sheer firepower was overwhelming—my sword strikes couldn’t even land.
He didn’t reach transcendence, and his martial skill didn’t increase dramatically either, but his firepower was so overwhelming that sword strikes couldn’t get through.

“The Sword Realm doesn’t have much time left either…”

Using up too much energy to wield the Azure-Red Undefeated Sword, there isn’t much time left to maintain the Sword Realm. Once the Sword Realm ends, I won’t be able to fight head-on like this anymore.

“On top of that…”

Rimer’s sword strikes no longer carried the scent of wind. He was barely maintaining the Sword Realm and was in no condition to fight properly.

“What an amusing sight, thrashing about like that.”

Hongryeom-gwi let out a scornful laugh and stretched out his hand. Spheres of flame with River-class power poured down like a downpour.

“Grrgh….”

I spread the Divine Sword and Demonic Sword to my left and right, channeling Hellfire. A tree shimmering with silver light bloomed with pristine flowers, blocking the rain of flames from Hongryeom-gwi.

Kwaaaaaang!

Thousands of frost shards and fireballs collided, sending tremendous vibrations across the heavens and earth. Dense steam rose up, forming a wall of mist.

“You don’t think this is the end, do you?”

Hongryeom-gwi flicked his fingers with ease, and eight pillars of flame erupted, engulfing the surroundings. Perhaps due to the World Tree, there was no lag in his attacks.

Zzzzzzzt!

I bit my lip until it bled, raising a sword barrier with both blades. While blocking the storm of flames, I turned my gaze backward.

“Lord Rimer. Get out of here first!”
“That’s….”

Rimer’s words trailed off as he fell to his knees helplessly. The Sword Realm he had been maintaining vanished without a trace, and the heat radiating from all directions intensified sharply.

‘Damn it….’

He had reached his limit from holding back Hongryeom-gwi alone until I arrived. Honestly, it was remarkable that he had endured this long.

-Hmph!

Wrath approached, stroking the tip of his nose with a bloody smile.

-Now you have no choice left!

He flicked his thick fingers.

-Summon the True Demon King. I’ll snuff out that pathetic flame user in an instant.

Wrath shouted that it was something I had to do anyway, urging me to plunge the blade into my belly already.

“Huff….”

I was pushed back by the advancing inferno, my feet digging into the ground. I couldn’t think of a way to overcome this situation.

‘There’s no other choice….’

To save Rimer, Dorian, and Yua while leaving Sepia behind, I had to kill this creature no matter what.

‘In the end, it comes down to descent.’

According to Wrath, the possibility of a Demon King’s descent was low, but even if it happened, the side effects would grow progressively worse.
If the side effects were more severe than before, I might fall back to Master rank. Or suffer permanent damage.

‘Regardless, I have no choice.’

I flipped the blade of the Demonic Sword. It was the moment I tried to use my own body as a barrier.

Kuwaaaaaaaang!

A tremendous storm of mana erupted from the Center of World Tree.

Azure light. A brilliance so radiant that it pierced the sky. Pure water came alive as if blessed with consciousness, transforming into the form of a colossal woman.

Her long hair cascaded like the sea, and skin as transparent as water droplets gleamed with an elegant luminescence under the moonlight.
As the blue goddess, who seemed to embody the very concept of beauty, extended her hand, azure rain poured down from the parched sky that had been filled only with smoke.

Kwaaaaaaaa!

The sweet rainfall, like the spring of life itself, revived the dying Elves and extinguished the flames that had been scorching the earth.

“That, that woman! Why is she—!”

Hongryeom-gwi’s jaw trembled as he stared at the woman of water hovering in the air.

-Aaaaagh!

Wrath also let out a scream upon seeing the woman made of water.

-Why is that water witch appearing now!
‘Water witch, then….’

Raon’s lips trembled as he beheld the Water Spirit King, her countenance radiating maternal compassion.

‘Could it be… the Water Spirit King?’

Raon swallowed hard and gazed upon the Spirit King once more, only to notice someone cradled within her grasp.
A golden-haired elf suffused with an ethereal glow. Though I had never seen her face before, her essence was unmistakable—it was Siyan.

‘Did Siyan summon the Spirit King?’

Yet before I could complete that thought, a crimson inferno erupted from the region near her chest.

Kwaaaaaaah!

The exuberant yet ferocious flames, unlike those of the Water Spirit King, did not ascend toward the heavens—they cascaded directly toward Raon.

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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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