The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 62

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

Chapter 62

Thirty minutes before the battle began.
All forty-two trainees of the 5th Training Ground, excluding Raon, had gathered at the Western Base.

“Raon isn’t here.”

Burren Zigheart furrowed his brow and turned his head.

“Lunan. Where is Raon?”
“Don’t know.”

Lunan Slion, seated at the base of a tree, tilted his head slightly. It wasn’t indifference to his absence—it was the gaze of someone who believed without question that he would come.

Tsk.

Burren Zigheart clicked his tongue. Anxiety gnawed at him as the one who should arrive soon to command their strategy remained absent.

“Gather around. Let’s at least familiarize ourselves with the terrain before he arrives.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”

Most of the trainees congregated around the spread map, but Martha sat in the branches of a tree eating fruit, while Lunan Slion remained motionless where he sat.

“You two, pay attention. Now, this area here….”

Burren Zigheart outlined to the trainees the locations where enemies might launch ambushes or where danger could lurk.

Yet he did not examine the map and terrain with such earnest focus.

‘We can win regardless of what we do.’

Even if a few elites from the 6th Martial Grounds had joined, most were those who had failed the 5th Training Ground examination.

Having trained with utmost dedication thus far and accumulated considerable sparring experience, victory was inevitable—defeat was simply not an option.

Once the trainees had adequately familiarized themselves with the geography and warmed up their bodies, Raon ascended toward the Western Base.

“Raon.”
“The top student is late. How pathetic.”

Lunan Slion rushed forward first, while Martha cast a sidelong glance.

“Get over here and let’s plan our strategy! What were you doing?”

Burren Zigheart stamped his foot and narrowed his eyes, but I walked toward the flag without much reaction.

“There’s no need to be so tense. Do you really think you’ll lose to the 6th Martial Grounds?”

I sat beneath a freshly cut tree stump and let out a soft chuckle. It seemed to radiate confidence, yet there was something mocking about it.

“Hmm, well.”
“That’s true, actually.”
“Honestly, our opponents are weak.”
“If it weren’t for Cain, we could sweep them away in an instant.”

The trainees, however, failed to sense the underlying tone and nodded with even greater confidence.

“I’m glad you understand. Then each of you, fight as you see fit.”
“Wait, you’re just telling us to fight?”
“Without a strategy?”
“You said we could just win. Why bother with some ridiculous plan?”
“Good thinking. I like it!”

Martha leaped forward from among the slightly bewildered trainees.

“You don’t even need to step in. I’ll crush them all by myself and come back. Just wait here!”

With those words, she drew up her aura.

“Are you serious?”

Burren Zigheart narrowed his eyes and approached me.

“You think the same way, don’t you?”
“Well….”

Raon posed the question, and Burren smacked his lips. Honestly, he wasn’t wrong.

If Raon and Lunan contained Cain while Martha and he moved to both flanks, the 6th Martial Grounds’ defensive line would be utterly devastated.

“You move with the Branch Family members who follow you. I’ll handle the rest.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Cain might attempt a surprise attack, so I need to guard the flag here.”
“I’ll be here too.”

As Raon pointed to the crimson flag behind him, Lunan collapsed onto the ground beneath it.

“Good. The two of you should be enough.”

Burren nodded and retreated. He instructed the Branch Family trainees who normally followed him to head upward.

“We’re going down.”
“They’re just kids who failed the preliminary exam. Easy prey.”
“Have they even held a real sword before?”

The Vassal Family trainees and recommended candidates chuckled as they headed downward.

Shrieeek!

When everyone finished their preparations, the signal to begin combat rang out from the Mountain Peak.

Now the battle wouldn’t end unless one side’s flag was torn down.

“Wait.”

As the trainees rushed forward, Raon’s voice called out from behind. Everyone turned around.

“As the top student, I’m issuing final tactical orders. Do as you see fit, but if I command a retreat because the situation turns unfavorable, you must return without question.”
“Sorry, but that won’t happen!”

Martha shattered the ground beneath her feet and charged toward the center.

“Same here. Let’s go!”

Burren led the Branch Family trainees upward, while the recommended candidates and Vassal Family trainees rushed downward.

“Raon. Can you win?”

Lunan Slion tapped the flag and asked.

“It’ll be difficult at this rate.”

I shook my head. I closed my eyes as I watched the trainees rushing off in three directions.

They’ll come back thoroughly beaten.

*

*

*

Boom!

Martha charged straight ahead like a bull seeing red cloth.

‘I’ll handle them all myself.’

The other trainees didn’t need to lift a finger. Alone, I could sweep away every last one of the 6th Martial Grounds’ rabble.

About five minutes after tearing through the dense undergrowth and charging forward, nine trainees came into view. The number 6 emblazoned on their leather armor. They were trainees from the 6th Martial Grounds.

“Perfect timing!”

Martha licked her lips and stomped the ground. Suspended in mid-air, she wrapped her fist in the Titan’s aura and drove it downward.

Crash!

As the meteor-like fist pulverized the earth, the 6th Martial Grounds trainees scattered in all directions.

“Martha Zigheart.”

A burly trainee in the center raised his sword and called out Martha’s name.

“Are you the vanguard?”

Martha rotated her wrist before drawing the sword from her waist.

“This is tedious. Come at me all at once.”
“I am Dun Zigheart. I belong to the Branch Family….”
“I don’t need the name of someone about to fall!”
“Hmm….”

The trainee who introduced himself as Dun didn’t take the bait. With a composed expression, he positioned his sword at the center guard.

“So you do have some skill!”

Martha smirked and charged toward Dun, bringing her blade down in a devastating arc.

Crash!

Steel collided with steel, producing a thunderous explosion of sound. While Martha remained rooted in place, Dun was driven back five full steps, his hands trembling from the impact.

“Tsk.”

Martha clicked her tongue as she watched Dun recoil from the blow.

‘I intended to end this in one strike.’

She had meant to finish him with that single attack, yet this Dun had managed to withstand her sword strike by retreating several steps. He was not an opponent to dismiss lightly.

‘Though he’s hardly worth taking seriously either.’

Martha drew upon the Titan’s aura, fortifying her body. Her momentum surged explosively.

“Ugh!”
“Kgh….”

Dun and the other trainees in the 6th Martial Grounds groaned under the pressure of her aura.

“Don’t make this difficult. Go down gracefully!”

Martha’s eyes gleamed like black pearls as she raised her sword and struck. The immense aura contained within the blade erupted like a volcano.

“Third Form!”

Dun lowered his sword to the center and issued some unspoken command. The four trainees who had been positioned behind him immediately moved to his side, their blades converging into a unified formation.

Crash!

Martha’s blade collided with the five swords, and brilliant crimson sparks erupted from the impact.

“Ugh!”
“Hold the line!”

Even under the intense pressure, the trainees gritted their teeth and refused to yield.

“A swarm of ants is still just ants!”

Martha let out a derisive laugh and thrust her blade forward with renewed force. A surge of power far greater than before enveloped her sword edge.

Boom!

The sound of the earth itself exploding rang out, and the trainees’ bodies staggered violently backward.

“Huff.”
“Gah.”

Yet they did not fall. Groaning through the strain, they held their ground to the bitter end.

“Fine then. Let’s see who emerges victorious!”

Martha bit her lip and unleashed a relentless barrage of downward strikes.

“Second brother! Fifth brother!”

Dun rotated through defensive positions and shifted between defenders, continuously parrying Martha’s onslaught.

“Tch, I’ll deal with someone else first!”
“We’ve already accounted for that possibility!”

Martha attempted to bypass Dun, who stood at the center, and target the short-haired woman positioned to the right.

But Dun and the trainees rotated smoothly like the hands of a clock, their blades intercepting her strike.

“Tch….”

Martha bit her lip. The moment she tried to attack the other side as that bastard had anticipated, the trainee retreated and Dun stepped forward. She couldn’t penetrate their formation.

‘Have they only practiced defense?’

Their defense was solid as stone, as if they’d drilled nothing but blocking techniques. Any clumsy attack would only dull her aura.

“Tch, how irritating.”

Martha stepped back and drew her Titan’s aura to its maximum. The sword in her hand trembled violently, radiating a pale golden light.

“I’ll give you credit for putting up a decent fight. But this is where it ends.”
“10th formation!”

Dun didn’t respond and instead called out a number he hadn’t used until now. All eight trainees moved into position behind him.

“Pointless!”

Martha pushed off the ground and unleashed the full force of her Titan’s aura through her blade in a vertical strike.

“Die!”
“Hold firm!”

At Dun’s command, the trainees’ bodies flared with the same radiant light.

Kwaaaang!

A deafening roar shattered the mountain, and dust and sand erupted like a fountain from the ground.

“Hah!”

Martha’s eyes widened as she emerged from the cascading spray of sand.

“They held?”

Dun and the trainees breathed heavily, driven back relentlessly, yet not a single one broke formation—they had withstood her full power.

“These insane bastards!”
“Haaah!”

Martha’s eyes blazed with madness as she unleashed a relentless barrage of sword strikes. Dun and the trainees staggered under the assault, yet refused to relinquish their blades.

“These wretches….”
“You are not the only protagonist of this world.”
“What?”
“We have bled and sweated through our efforts. Do not expect an easy victory!”

Veins bulged across Martha’s forehead.

“Silence!”

She roared and swung her blade with renewed fury, drawing upon her remaining aura. Yet she could not pierce through Dun’s defense.
If anything, his guard grew increasingly impenetrable.

“Tch!”
“We have continuously synchronized our movements to counter your aura and swordsmanship. As long as our formation holds, we will never fall.”
“Formation….”

I had naturally known they had established a formation. I had attempted to shatter it through sheer force, but I never anticipated such unyielding resistance.

‘This is dangerous….’

I withdrew my blade to the side, narrowing my gaze. My aura was depleting rapidly from the excessive expenditure moments before.

Conversely, because the nine had unified their strength, the 6th Martial Grounds trainees recovered their aura at an accelerated pace.

‘I need to buy time.’

It was a method I despised, but circumstances left me no choice.

“My strength is waning. Disperse!”

As I retreated slightly to recover my aura, Dun surged forward with his blade raised. The man’s instincts were infuriatingly sharp.

“How dare you!”

Martha swung her sword down in a wide arc, bringing it crashing toward Dun’s head.

Clang!

Dun gritted his teeth and weathered the impact. His hands trembled, but he held his ground.

“Now!”

At his command, four trainees unleashed their blades from above, below, left, and right.

Tch!

Martha twisted her blade and deflected every strike, yet the assault continued relentlessly, wave after wave.

No openings.

Every time I swing, Dun blocks, and the others attack again. The coordinated rhythm left no room to breathe—like gears grinding in perfect synchronization.

Damn it! I can’t falter here!

I underestimated them. I thought they were mere rabble, but they’d prepared far more thoroughly than I’d anticipated.

Crash!

A thrust aimed at an opening was deflected once more by that bastard Dun.

Huff…

Martha exhaled heavily, dodging the incoming blades.

Damn it all!

Perhaps because the situation was deteriorating, Raon’s words echoed in my mind. That I could absolutely win if I tried.

That bastard must have known all along.

He’d definitely been mocking me, knowing I’d struggle like this.

So I have no choice but to win.

Martha clenched her fists. She desperately wanted to find a way through his defense and flatten Raon’s nose, but no opening presented itself.

To be honest, she had a sinking feeling that defeat was inevitable at this rate.

‘What should I do?’

“You’re thinking about something else during combat!”

Just as I was contemplating how to break my opponent, Dun—who had been doing nothing but defending—charged forward like a raging buffalo.

Crash!

The violent shoulder tackle sent Martha flying backward.

“Now!”

At Dun’s command, the trainees thrust their blades toward Martha, who had lost her footing.

“Good! Even if you fall here, you’ll all be beaten!”

As Martha gripped her sword upside down and prepared to charge forward like a wild beast, a silvery chill bloomed from the ground.

“Wh-what is this!”

Lunan burst from behind the bushes, her violet eyes gleaming.

“Y-you… why are you here…?”
“Raon said to fall back.”

As Lunan drew a semicircle with her blade, the chill traced upon the ground shimmered like heat waves.

“No!”
“That’s an order.”
“I haven’t lost yet…!”
“That’s an order.”
“Damn it!”

Martha lowered her hand upon meeting Lunan’s transparent gaze. She bit her lip and withdrew.

Lunan watched Dun and the trainees separated by frost for a moment before pursuing Martha.

“Martha actually retreated!”
“We won! We actually won!”
“Waaaaah!”

The trainees cheered triumphantly, their voices ringing out as they celebrated enduring the hellish ordeal.

The cheers from the 6th Martial Grounds trainees echoed not only from the center but also from above where Burren stood and below where the Branch Family trainees had moved.

Thud!

As the trainees erupted in victory, Cain Zigheart leaped down from a tree.

“Cain!”

Dun ran toward Cain with a beaming smile.

“You did well.”
“Did we win the other locations too?”
“Yes. As expected, Raon and Lunan didn’t move, and we won all three fronts.”
“Yesssss!”
“We actually won!”
“I still can’t believe it.”

The trainees embraced one another, their faces radiant with joy.

“Don’t celebrate just yet.”

Cain raised his hand, and the trainees’ laughter ceased abruptly.

“We cannot afford complacency until we seize the enemy’s flag.”

His azure eyes gleamed like starlight.

“We execute the plan to the very end.”

*

*

*

I surveyed the 5th Training Ground trainees standing before me, my gaze sweeping across each one in turn.

They were caked in sweat and dirt, their muscles trembling, their eyes wide with shock. They looked like defeated soldiers retreating from a lost battle.

Burren and the Branch Family trainees who arrived late were no different.

Burren, trained in systematic swordplay, must have been completely overwhelmed by the trainees who had mastered intuitive sword techniques, unable to display his true abilities and continuously pushed back.

“How was it? As easy as you expected?”

No one answered. Burren bit his lip, and Martha glared daggers at me.

The other trainees couldn’t find words either, their eyes fixed on the ground.

“Want to know what you’ve all been mistaken about?”

My crimson eyes narrowed like the waning moon.

“You think the world stands still while only you change. ‘If we beat them once, we can beat them again. Most of those people failed the examination. They were disrespected by the Owen Kingdom. No matter what we do, we’ll win.’ Isn’t that what you’re all thinking?”
“….”

Again, the trainees couldn’t respond. Because I had spoken the exact truth.

“The world changes far faster than you think. You can lose tomorrow to someone you beat today, and the day after, they might not even be worth fighting. But….”

My voice sank deeper, resonating like something rising from the depths of the earth—a tone that sent chills down their spines.

“You charge in without understanding your place, convinced you’ll win unconditionally? You think you can crush opponents without knowing their strategies? That you can go alone and make them all kneel? Instead of winning, you’ve squandered your aura and stamina in arrogance, revealing all your techniques in the process. Truly impressive.”

My gaze pierced through Burren and Martha, fixing upon each trainee individually. Their bodies trembled visibly.

“A lion exerts its full strength even when hunting a rabbit. But you are no lion, and they are no rabbits. Those trainees are swordsmen who have honed their blades by grinding away at life itself, day after day. They are not beings to be dismissed simply because you hold a slight advantage.”
“Ugh….”
“Hnngh….”

Burren and the trainees hung their heads low, their faces flushed with embarrassment. Martha merely furrowed her brow, unable to speak.

“So we’re losing?”

Lunan Slion, who had been standing behind us, stepped forward to my side.

“Perhaps. Or perhaps not.”

At my calm words, the trainees slowly lifted their heads.

“But sir, haven’t we already expended considerable stamina and aura?”
“Four of us have already been eliminated.”
“This isn’t a one-on-one duel—it’s a team battle. If you regain your focus now, there’s still a chance.”
“Truly?”
“If we can crush that rock of a man, we’ll do whatever it takes!”

Burren and Martha clenched their fists with a sharp sound. The trainees’ eyes began to gleam with renewed light.

“There’s still fire in those eyes.”

I observed the burning determination in the trainees’ gazes and nodded.

“Then I’ll show you how to win.”

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