The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 601
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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 601
“This one is my guest, so Lord Rimer, please watch our rear.”
I pointed with a finger toward the ferry boat carrying Dorian and the Red-haired Elf.
“Got it!”
Rimer nodded lightly and immediately rushed toward the ferry boat.
-…Is that really your master, you think?
‘I’m not sure….’
I expected him to hesitate at least once, but he withdrew without the slightest doubt. Every time I witnessed it, I was reminded of how truly remarkable he was.
‘Still, this is better than stubbornly insisting on fighting together.’
Rimer wasn’t accustomed to wielding his sword with his left arm, and his wounds from the battle with Hongryeom-gwi hadn’t fully healed.
Recognizing his own limitations and stepping back was far better than stubbornly demanding to fight alongside me.
“You….”
I turned my gaze upon hearing Siran’s fractured voice.
“What did you just say!”
“If you miss your grandson so much, I’ll send you to his side.”
I twisted my lips as I watched Siran exhale killing intent like a tangible breath.
‘They’re alike.’
Siran and Tiller resembled each other not only in appearance but in their contemptible nature as well.
It was amusing that she’d boldly charged forward seeking revenge, despite surely knowing of the atrocities her grandson had committed.
‘Though I mustn’t underestimate her abilities because of it.’
I calmed my racing heart, which pounded fiercely with tension.
Siran had ascended to Grand Master long ago and was a formidable master, and the weapon he wielded was a fishing rod. Since it was the first time facing such a weapon, I had to approach with caution.
-Pathetic.
Wrath frowned at me.
-You could crush such trash with a single finger.
‘That’s only possible for you.’
-Then dispose of him quickly no matter what. I’m starving!
‘….’
Ignoring his words, I focused on Siran’s movements.
“Huuuu….”
Siran exhaled a dry breath, revealing eyes that had turned a vivid crimson.
“I’ll erase you without leaving a single bone fragment!”
He roared and charged forward. His form running across the water was wolf-like—ethereal yet nimble. It resembled a footwork technique designed specifically for traversing the river’s surface.
Zzzing!
Siran hurled the gray fishing rod he held in one hand as though genuinely casting a line.
Before I could even exhale once, the fishing float he had thrown reached my eyes. The strong current wrapped around the float spun rapidly, boring into my left chest.
I held my breath and bent my knees. With the blade tip of the Heavenly Sword, still radiating heat, I unleashed a flame-infused current.
Crash!
The currents collided with each other, carving the thick Feren River into a semicircular shape. An enormous column of water surged up and then fell like a downpour.
A silver glimmer shines through the transparent raindrops. It was a fishing hook shot by Siran. At the tip of the needle was a ring, sharp to an eerie degree.
Raon unfurled Soryeon toward the fishing hook that was cutting through the air itself. The Heavenly Sword’s blade knocked the fishing hook away, and the frost sword energy that followed aimed at Siran’s neck.
Wow!
Siran, befitting a Grand Master, calmly raised his fishing rod and shattered the blade of frost.
‘He seems to know about Frost Chain.’
He immediately assumed a defensive stance with his fishing rod, as if aware that Frost Chain possessed a second blade. It appeared he had investigated my martial techniques.
‘Well, he did say he’d drawn my face thousands of times.’
While my opponent possessed information about me, I knew almost nothing of his, and he wielded an unfamiliar weapon in a fishing rod. This was not a battle I could win easily.
Tiiiiing!
Siran whirled his fishing rod using his entire body. The fishing float and hook spinning above his head stirred the currents of the Feren River.
The river that had flowed majestically now reversed its course, emanating a terrifying killing intent. He had infused his aura into the water itself.
Gooooooo!
I activated the Rings of Fire. The eight rings encircling my heart resonated, opening the gate of the upper dantian.
Water droplets suspended in the air descended with tedious slowness, and the moisture touching my skin felt bitingly cold. Ultimate concentration. Within the realm of transcendent ascension, I advanced toward Siran.
“Not so fast!”
Siran stepped with his footwork to maintain the advantageous distance of his fishing rod, flicking the fishing line toward me.
I activated Taewhabo and struck the descending fishing line away with my shoulder.
Zzzzzzang!
The fishing line and blade collided, producing a thunderous sound as if boulders had crashed together.
I narrowed my eyes as I observed the taut fishing line.
‘He’s woven not just aura into the fishing line, but intention as well.’
It was an emotion so blatant I could not help but recognize it.
‘Murderous intent.’
Nothing but murderous intent to kill me.
Martial artists typically cultivate their own philosophy based on the path they’ve walked.
But Siran had abandoned the martial philosophy she’d built up until now, filling herself instead with only the burning desire for vengeance—to kill me even at the cost of her own life. It was a curse incarnate.
Whoooosh!
I gritted my teeth as I pushed back Siran’s fishing line with the flames of Manhwagong.
‘My philosophy is unbreakable.’
If I could clash with her murderous intent and emerge victorious, I would grow even stronger.
“Hmph!”
Before the line could snap, Siran released the tension herself. She loosened her grip and flicked the fishing hook toward the tendons of my right arm.
Instead of the Heavenly Sword that had descended, I drew the Soul Reaper Sword with my left hand. I struck the fishing hook roughly with the blade, frost-laden and sharp, then charged toward Siran.
Crash!
Siran stepped into a footwork that flowed like water, maintaining the distance advantageous to her.
‘Fast, but…’
I’m faster.
I shattered the churning water and stepped into Taewhaibu.
Before the spray could fall, I planted my second step forward. The sudden acceleration made my vision darken.
Taewhaibu was connected to the Ten Thousand Swords, so the footwork grew more mysterious as swordsmanship advanced. The change in Taewhaibu’s speed since becoming a Grand Master could only be called evolution.
“Grrrrgh!”
Realizing she couldn’t escape, Siran poured a tremendous amount of aura into her fishing rod and brought it down.
I raised the Rosary Wall against the fishing rod descending as if to split the heavens.
Kuwaaaaaaaang!
Tremendous forces collided, unleashing a shockwave of such magnitude that it swept across the surroundings. What had been a river transformed into a sea—a colossal tidal wave surged upward.
Chiiiiing!
Siran wrapped her aura around the tidal wave and pressed her assault forward. My vision filled entirely with a wall of dark water.
I drew the Red Lotus Slash toward the tidal wave extending like the grip of a giant.
Scheeeeerk!
A crimson heat line, condensed through aura, cleaved through the heart of the wave. Within the dreamlike split waters, I glimpsed Siran’s wavering gaze.
Yet like a seasoned warrior, she created distance once more and swung the fishing rod she’d tilted to her left.
Following the line of the splitting river, the fishing hook extended forward with a ferocity that seemed capable of shattering my heart.
Chiiing!
I immediately thrust the Soul Reaper Sword to pierce the fishing hook, then detonated the Manhwagong aura I’d gathered into my palm’s mana circuit.
Manhwagong Heavenly Flame.
Flame Dragon Seal.
A flame dragon born from the inferno unleashed a magnificent roar. The breath of flames evaporated the river water as it surged outward.
Kuoaaaaaaaaa!
The Flame Dragon Seal and the water wave Siran had conjured collided, causing the entire river to convulse. The water surged outward as if a flood had broken through.
“Keuuuuk!”
Siran’s grip on the fishing rod trembled as she revealed an even colder and more vicious killing intent.
I met Siran’s contorted gaze and bit my lip thinly.
‘I will break even that killing intent.’
*
*
*
Whoooosh!
The Nambuk Alliance warriors approaching by boat couldn’t withstand Rimer’s blade strike and sank into the river, spraying blood in their wake.
Those approaching from the right never even reached the boat—Siyan’s supreme-tier water spirit capsized their vessel before they could get close.
Leiran nocked five arrows at once and fired them into the water.
The Nambuk Alliance warriors who had been diving to approach surfaced with arrows embedded in their skulls.
Meanwhile, Dorian rowed with fin-shaped oars, rescuing all the elves who had fallen into the water.
Because they had coordinated their movements against Hongryeom-gwi, they moved in perfect synchronization without needing to exchange a single word.
“That’s everyone, right?”
Rimer surveyed the elves aboard the boat, his eyes narrowing sharply.
“Yes. We’ve rescued them all.”
Leiran counted the elves and nodded in confirmation.
“I thought we were finished, but fortunately we made it.”
Rimer exhaled in relief and turned his gaze upstream.
Raon and Siran were leaping across the churning river waters as if it were solid ground, locked in an intense battle.
‘What a shame…’
Masters who wielded fishing rods were rare to encounter, and it was frustrating to leave the fight entirely to Raon because of my internal injuries.
‘Wait—did I just think that was a shame?’
Recalling the thought I’d just had, my eyes widened in surprise.
‘When was it that I harbored such thoughts?’
Even when my dantian shattered, I never lamented my inability to face masters in combat.
Now, regretting that I couldn’t fight the strong—that was a sentiment from childhood. I couldn’t fathom why such a feeling had suddenly resurfaced.
‘Could it be….’
Rimer watched Raon’s back as he systematically dismantled Siran’s intricate assault, his lips curling slightly.
‘Is it because of that man’s combat?’
Witnessing Raon’s battles—where he never retreated regardless of his opponent or their strength, always meeting them head-on—set my blood ablaze.
I lifted my left hand and gently touched my right shoulder.
To be honest, I had never seriously considered using a prosthetic arm.
I had practiced wielding a sword with my left arm, but I hadn’t trained with any real urgency. My revenge was complete; I believed my life as a swordsman had ended.
Yet, fighting alongside Raon against Hongryeom-gwi, and watching Siran and Raon clash today, the embers I thought long extinguished began to reignite within my chest.
‘There was a saying like that….’
Those who stand above others lead people through their very presence.
Raon had never once told me to rise again.
Yet through his actions alone, he seemed to command me to grasp the sword once more.
‘Is he truly becoming a vessel worthy of kingship now?’
Rimer settled comfortably into the small boat, a smile spreading across his face.
‘It’s time to step back. But….’
I won’t live out my days as an old man in the shadows.
*
*
*
Siran channeled her aura into the river’s waves, amplifying the power of her river technique. The aura’s undulation, flowing as relentlessly as the water itself, surged forth with savage intensity.
Shiiiiing!
I released the tension in my right hand, which gripped the Heavenly Sword. I carved through the turbulent waters along their current, severing the river technique Siran had unleashed. It was a maneuver that borrowed the opponent’s own force against them.
“Insolent wretch!”
Siran gnashed her teeth and dropped the fishing rod sharply. From the gently bending rod and line, a fierce killing intent radiated.
As the fishing rod plummeted toward my shoulder, I concentrated Manhwagong into the mana circuits of my legs, which were planted in the river water.
I burst through the water and leaped into Siran’s space.
Aura surged from my lower dantian, flowing through my middle and upper centers, awakening a vast spiritual will. My unwavering resolve stood against the fishing rod, brimming with lethal intent.
Claaaaaang!
The fishing rod and line snapped back violently, but Siran’s assault was far from over. With merely a flick of her fingers, she manipulated the bobber and hook, targeting my back.
‘I’m accustomed to this now.’
Through my continued exchanges with Siran, I had come to understand his breathing pattern and movements. Now, I could sense his aura manipulation simply by reading his gaze.
I folded my shoulder inward toward my chest, letting the fishing hook slip past, then stepped closer to Siran. Thick river water surged up to block my path, but I tore through it with the Soul Reaper Sword’s spectral force.
Claaaaaagh!
For the first time, the Heavenly Sword’s blade cut across Siran’s chest. Though shallow, the heat from the strike blackened the wound’s edges.
“Krrrrgh!”
Siran gnashed his teeth with an audible crunch, clearly experiencing intense pain.
“You!”
He retreated to his left and pulled the fishing rod, which had been trailing behind him.
I used the Soul Reaper Sword to deflect the fishing line, then brought down the Heavenly Sword, which contained the essence of the Gwang-a technique.
Claaaaaang!
Siran’s fishing rod trembled as though it might snap, unable to properly receive the force.
I pushed back with the Soul Reaper Sword against the fishing line and the Heavenly Sword against the rod, overwhelming Siran with raw power.
“Krkrkr.”
When we drew close enough to hear each other’s heartbeats, Siran twisted his lips into a smile.
“You’ve given me what I wanted.”
“What?”
“Now it ends!”
Siran let out a primal roar and forcibly severed the fishing line. As the taut line snapped cleanly, the Soul Reaper Sword carved sharply across Siran’s waist and passed through.
‘He abandoned his weapon!’
As I narrowed my eyes, Siran grinned wickedly and stirred the river water with his fishing rod. In his cunning gaze, a dense killing intent surged once more.
Kuwaaaaaaaah!
The entire vast expanse of the Feren River rose up, forming the shape of a colossal dragon. A water dragon—a dragon of liquid ascending toward the heavens, its pitch-black maw gaping wide.
The water dragon descended with such tremendous pressure it seemed to erase the river itself.
Each scale was imbued with such vicious killing intent that even the slightest contact would shred flesh and bone without a trace.
‘So this is what he was waiting for.’
I had mistaken his excitement for genuine emotion. He had laid a snare and simply waited for me to take the bait.
‘Impressive.’
To feign composure while standing before the enemy of his grandson—such patience was astonishing. It was no accident that he had become an Elder Council member of the Nambuk Alliance.
‘But you’ve revealed far too much.’
Siran’s combat provided me with profound inspiration. Having ascended to Grand Master and reached the eighth star through the Ring of Fire, his martial techniques had been thoroughly dissected and understood.
A sharp metallic ring pierced the air.
I gripped the Heavenly Sword firmly, watching Siran’s water dragon eclipse even the sky itself.
Envisioning the blade needed to shatter the water dragon—the very manifestation of Siran’s will—I held my breath. Pressing my left foot against the river’s surface, I drew the Heavenly Sword upward from my waist.
‘A grandson, then…’
Gazing at the water dragon’s eyes, twisted in a manner eerily similar to Siran’s own, Glen Zigheart unexpectedly crossed my mind.
‘If I were to fall, would he seek vengeance?’
Likely not.
Despite the abruptness of this clash, it remained a one-on-one duel. Glen, a warrior born to the blade, would not pursue revenge—he would accept the outcome.
I believe that is the proper way.
The one who truly suits me is not Siran, but Glen Zigheart.
Summoning Manhwagong and Glaccia with fervent intent, I called upon the image of Glen—the sky itself, the very embodiment of my goal.
“A river cannot reach the heavens.”
Spear Sky Sword, Third Form: Spear Sky Piercing Steel.
A magnificent beam of light bloomed along the blade’s trajectory, piercing through the water dragon’s head that obscured the sky. The radiant sword touched the heavens, scattering golden brilliance across the world.
As a vast azure light descended upon the world once more, a pitch-black axe came hurtling through the void.
‘That is—!’
I raised the Soul Reaper Sword in defense, but the axe descended toward Siran’s head instead.
A deafening explosion erupted.
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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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