The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 636

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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 636

Delphos withdrew his hand from the crystal sphere the moment Raon severed the Doppelgänger Lord. Drained of mana, the sphere lost its luminescence and sank into darkness.

“H-how is this possible?”

The Sabi Commander’s legs gave way beneath him, and he collapsed backward onto the ground.

“Over thirty barriers were deployed….”

Despite having witnessed Raon confront the Doppelgänger Lord directly, his lips trembled with disbelief.

“This makes no sense!”

Unable to contain his fury, the Sabi Commander brought his fist crashing down against the floor. Since he was not a martial artist, the skin on the back of his hand split open, blood trickling down.

“Sigh….”

Delphos exhaled a short breath while gazing at the darkened crystal sphere.

“Ah….”

The Sabi Commander regained his composure at the sound of Delphos’s sigh and forced himself to his feet, bowing his head.

“I-I apologize. I acted rashly….”
“Your plan was not flawed.”

Delphos shook his head calmly.

“The problem was simply that Raon Zigheart proved to be a monster beyond the scope of your strategy.”

The Doppelgänger Lord that the Sabi Commander had fortified possessed formidable power.
While maintaining it for an extended duration would prove difficult, it possessed the strength to kill most humans who entered this tomb.

The failure of this endeavor stemmed entirely from Raon Zigheart’s absurd talent.

‘Stronger than anticipated. No, more than that….’

He’s growing stronger at a remarkable pace.

The Sabi Commander might not realize it, but Raon Zigheart is honing his martial prowess by facing the Doppelgänger Lord.
In this brief span of time, he’s compensated for his shortcomings and amplified his strengths.

‘Truly a monster.’

Now I understand precisely why he took notice of a mere whelp like Raon Zigheart.

“Perhaps we should block his path now, sir. While we cannot hold him indefinitely, we could at least delay him until the task is complete….”
“No.”

Delphos shook his head with resolute finality.

“It would be meaningless.”

Raon Zigheart has shattered the rules of each floor and descended to the 4th Floor. It was far better to maintain direct control than to allow events to unfold beyond my sight.

“Since this is the final floor anyway, I shall end this myself.”

From beneath Delphos’s feet, a formidable yet weighty aura bloomed in droplet-like formations.

“And….”

He paused mid-stride and turned his gaze toward the right corner. His brow lowered as he observed black eyes flickering within the gray mist.

“When the time comes, send that down as well.”
“Understood.”

The Sabi Commander bowed his head in silent assent.

“The moment has arrived to end all things and forge a new beginning.”

Delphos smiled with the scent of blood lingering in the air, then vanished into the darkness.

*

*

*

I opened my eyes as I arrived at the 5th Floor.

‘What is this place….’

A strange space.

Light poured down only onto the ground as if cast from a circular lamp in the sky, while everything around me was shrouded in darkness with no visible path forward.

The space itself wasn’t particularly vast, giving it the suffocating feel of a sealed container.
At least there weren’t many people here—any narrower and I would have struggled to breathe.

I gazed at the fine sand covering the ground, reminiscent of the Training Ground, and smacked my lips.

‘The scent of Manhwagong has grown stronger.’

The aura of the First Patriarch of Zigheart who created this training ground felt remarkably close.

If I could interpret the barriers inscribed by the First Patriarch in greater detail, I might even be able to remove the dark energy that Derus Robert had embedded.

I resonated the Ring of Fire to heighten my concentration, interpreting the barriers deeply embedded in the ground while observing the people on the 5th Floor.

‘The numbers aren’t that high.’

Despite the confined space, there were fewer than thirty people on the 5th Floor.

“….”

Most of the warriors bore injuries both large and small, and unlike the 1st Floor where they maintained moderate restraint, they displayed an exceptionally sharp killing intent as if ready to clash at any moment.

Yet strangely, I could see quite a few corpses whose breath had already ceased. I examined them just to be sure, but they had died long ago.

‘Fortunately, none of my people are among them.’

Seeing the bodies made me worry about the Gwangpung Corps. I was about to move first to search for the swordsmen when—

“Organization Master!”

Dorian’s voice came from inside, and I turned my gaze toward the sound to see him rushing over while shaking a pouch at his waist.

-Excellent! The True Demon King’s wallet is safe!

Wrath waved his round hands cheerfully.

“Dorian.”

I smiled faintly as I looked at him. Fortunately, he didn’t appear to have sustained any injuries.

“M-Master, is that really you?”

Dorian glanced at me cautiously, his lips trembling slightly.

‘As I thought….’

It seemed Dorian had also been attacked by the doppelgänger.

“I wandered through the Snowy Plain all day, and I finally met someone—and it was you, Master! I was so delighted! So I greeted him, but….”
“But?”
“He welcomed me warmly! Isn’t that strange?”

Is that strange? What have I been doing normally?

I tilted my head and waved my hand for him to continue.

“It was strange, but I just let it slide. The fake Master told me to move forward anyway.”

Dorian smacked his lips.

“Just to be safe, I jokingly asked if I didn’t have to train here.”

He furrowed his brow and spoke rapidly.

“And he said, ‘That’s right. It could be dangerous, so let’s take a break from training here.’ So without thinking, I slapped him!”
“….”

I swallowed dryly.

“The guy who got slapped panicked and suddenly bolted! I tried to catch him, but he was too fast and got away!”
“…You figured it out from that?”
“The Organization Master would never spout nonsense about not training! It had to be a fake!”

Dorian shook his head, insisting such a thing was absolutely impossible.

“Ha….”

What does this guy think of me?

As I shook my head in exasperation, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Turning around, I saw Crain walking toward me with wide, round eyes.

“Organization Master! It really was you, wasn’t it?”
“….”
“No, I noticed the Organization Master wasn’t training while walking! When I asked why, he spouted some nonsense about being worried for the kids and needing to hurry. I immediately knew it was fake and smacked the back of his head!”

Crain grinned, pleased despite the fake being exposed.

“You too?”
“Yeah, me too!”

Dorian and Crain suddenly high-fived above my head.

Crack!

I grabbed my temples as the sharp sound echoed clearly.

-Puhehehehe!

Wrath burst into laughter, clutching his belly.

-I told you, didn’t I? That fool and you have no difference in image!
‘Shut up….’

I pushed away the mocking Wrath and bit my lip.

‘What’s happened to my reputation?’

As I was sighing, new people entered the space. Among them was a familiar face—Martha, who would be a stunning beauty if only she’d keep her mouth shut.

“Martha.”
“….”

Martha didn’t approach immediately, instead narrowing her eyes and flicking her fingers. From her reaction, it seemed she had also encountered the doppelgänger.

“Did you see me too?”
“It was a very strange one.”

Martha nodded while biting her lip. She seemed so startled that she’d even forgotten to use formal speech.

“I was walking through the Snowy Plain when you suddenly appeared. But….”
“But?”
“As soon as we met, you were worried about the kids. It was a bit strange, but I thought it was possible, so I followed along. But you were just walking. No sword training, no footwork practice, just walking!”
“…Why is that strange?”
“You always practice footwork or sword techniques while walking!”

She exclaimed that it made no sense, baring her white teeth.

“It was so strange that I asked you. I said, aren’t you training? And do you know what you said?”
“What did you say?”
“That the kids are more important right now! Does that make sense?! You, the training fanatic!”

Martha twisted her lips as she explained how she’d immediately realized it was an enemy.

“So what did you do?”
“I stabbed it from behind with my sword!”
“Y-you stabbed it?”

I swallowed hard. The doppelgänger had been worried about the kids and then got stabbed—I suddenly felt a bit sorry for it.

“Once I defeated it, a path to here opened up.”

Martha brushed off her hands, saying she’d waited a few hours before descending through the gate.

“You really do know the Organization Master well!”
“How could I not? Honestly, he’s a madman!”

I closed my eyes tightly as I listened to the three of them talk.

What on earth do they see when they look at me?
-Why ask.

Wrath scratched his belly and shook his head.

-A madman.
‘….’

*

*

*

After Martha, two more swordsmen from the Gwangpung Corps descended, but no others followed.

“Do you think something’s wrong?”

Dorian bit his lip anxiously.

“There’s no way the Gwangpung Corps would fall for a fake commander….”

Crain shook his head, saying it made no sense for members of the Gwangpung Corps to be deceived by the false Raon.

“Hmm….”

I leaned my back against the black wall, arms crossed.

‘The numbers are too few, not just for us.’

Not only the Gwangpung Corps, but the numbers of the Six Emperors Five Demons and the Neutral Factions were noticeably sparse.

Since there was no way the Ghost Demon Sword Master or the Six Apostles could have failed to descend here, it seemed the space must be divided somehow.

“Let’s wait for now. Something must be….”

As I tried to reassure the anxious swordsmen, a sharp sound echoed through the ceiling and new lights flickered on.

Clatter-clatter-clatter!

The magical lamps flickered to life in succession, and the darkened space gradually revealed itself, chamber by chamber.

“Huh?”
“Organization Master!”
“Burren?”
“Vice Commander!”
“There are people over there too!”

Dozens of chambers identical to the one we occupied illuminated simultaneously, forming one colossal cavern.
It was larger than Zigheart’s Grand Training Grounds, yet with so many people gathered, it felt somewhat cramped.

“Organization Master!”
“You’re alive!”
“Organization Master! We saw that fake you!”

The Gwangpung Corps approached with relieved expressions. Most of them squinted their eyes, saying they’d seen the strange version of me.

“Me too!”

Rimer nodded, his eyes wide with surprise.

“No, that fake asked to borrow gambling money, and he immediately said yes! The bastard was insane! It’s a shame, but I knew he was a fake.”

He sighed, lamenting that he should have taken the money before killing him.

“Me too. That fake Raon said he hated mint chocolate.”

Lunan smacked his lips, satisfied that he’d cut down the fake who disliked mint chocolate.

“….”

I had plenty to say, but given the circumstances, I simply kept my mouth shut.

-Still, isn’t this fortunate?

Wrath shook his head, his cheeks puffed out as he struggled to contain his laughter.

-Thanks to your insane personality, we have fewer casualties!
‘…That’s true, I suppose.’

Most factions had corpses or the critically wounded, but the Gwangpung Corps had only lightly injured soldiers—no one with severe wounds. Even if combat erupted, it wouldn’t pose a significant problem.

‘Both of the Oma remain unscathed.’

Unlike the Black Tower they’d encountered in the 3rd Floor Maze, the Gwimma Swordmaster and the 6th Apostle bore no injuries. The doppelgänger’s assault hadn’t worked against them either.

Yet the two who had been allies now glared at each other as if ready to kill.

‘Then what about the Gonggeom Unit?’

Raon’s eyes narrowed as he observed the Gonggeom Unit gathering from the northwest. Serena’s waist was drenched in blood. She’d taken a severe blow.

“Damn!”

Raon rushed toward Serena.

“Commander of the Gonggeom Unit!”
“Do not approach!”

The Gonggeom Unit’s vice commander, who appeared to have been with Serena from the start, blocked the way with his hand on his sword hilt.

“….”

Serena said nothing, merely narrowing her eyes as she gazed at him.

“Hmm….”

Raon exhaled sharply, meeting Serena’s cold gaze.

‘Could it be…’

Did the doppelgänger attack them while wearing my face?

There was no other explanation for why Serena and the Gonggeom Unit’s vice commander would react so coldly.

“Master of the Gwangpung Corps! Stand down!”

The Gonggeom Unit’s vice commander clenched his teeth, clearly prepared for combat.

“Enough.”

Serena stepped forward and stopped the Gonggeom Unit commander.

“Commander!”
“It’s not him.”

She shook her head with a sigh.

“Looking at the eyes, I understand now. That wasn’t you.”
“You met me before?”

I narrowed my eyes as I examined Serena’s wounds.

“Yes. I encountered someone identical to you in appearance, temperament, and voice.”

Serena exhaled softly, her eyes lifting slightly.

“I was moving to find an exit when you ambushed me from behind.”
“….”
“I barely avoided the vital points and tried to counterattack, but you vanished immediately.”

She shook her head with a composed expression, as if unharmed.

“No matter how much I pondered your intentions, I couldn’t find an answer. But now I see it clearly. It wasn’t you.”

Serena’s eyes gleamed with certainty as she offered a faint smile.

“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I’ve watched you since childhood.”

She smiled gently.

“I told you—I intended to bring you to the Gonggeom Unit from the beginning.”
“Hmm….”
“And look there.”

Serena pointed to the opposite wall. The mages of the Valkar Kingdom were glaring at us with murderous intent.

“Ever since we arrived here, they’ve been glaring at us like we’re their enemies. I thought it was strange, but now I’m starting to see the answer.”
“Hmm….”
“It’s the same thing. They must have been attacked by creatures wearing our faces.”

After hearing her words, I surveyed the entire area once more.

“These ungrateful bastards!”
“Who are you to talk! How dare you stab us in the back?”
“Who stabbed anyone in the back!”
“Look at the sword wound left on our commander’s corpse! That’s the swordsmanship of your Parang Dojo!”
“Launching a sneak attack! You cowardly dogs!”

Those who had originally formed alliances or maintained cooperative relationships now displayed a thick killing intent as if they were about to wage war against each other.

Some people, like Serena, sensed that something was amiss with the situation, but most were swept up in the atmosphere and let their emotions run unchecked.

I bit my lip as I read the increasingly frigid atmosphere of the 5th Floor.

‘Was this their goal all along.’

I had thought the doppelgängers’ purpose was simply to kill people, but now it seemed their true intention was to sow division among the factions.

‘So that’s why there was a corpse….’

I had found it strange that a corpse lay in a place where only the living could descend, but now there was a reason for it.

‘Masters can tell who killed someone just by examining the body.’

The plan was clearly to use the marks left on the corpse to drive a wedge between allied factions even faster.

To incite division in such a manner—I had to admire Derus Robert’s ruthlessness.

I clenched my fists as the people’s momentum stretched tighter and tighter like a rubber band.

‘But the division here won’t be his ultimate goal. What Derus Robert truly desires is….’

War.

If the corpses of everyone who entered this place were manipulated and sent back out, the entire Six Emperors, the Five Demons, and all the Neutral Factions would be engulfed in the flames of war.

Derus Robert’s objective appeared to be a continental war.

“Yes! Good! I’ll kill you all right now!”
“Who do you think you are!”

The neutral factions—the Baekgan Sword Family and Parang Dojo—leveled their weapons at each other.

“Kill them!”
“Slaughter them all!”
“Wait.”

I stepped between the two forces as they rushed toward each other. Only I, who had directly captured the doppelgänger, could stop this situation.

“Please hear me out.”
“Who are you!”
“Walking around with your eyes closed! It’s the Dragon Slayer Raon Zigheart!”

The middle-aged man who appeared to be the Baekgan Sword Family Lord hurled insults at the Parang Dojo Master.

“Hmm, I’ve heard much of the Gwangpung Corps Master’s reputation. I’d like to exchange greetings, but the timing is poor.”

The Baekgan Sword Family Lord shook his head and gripped his blade, which blazed with crimson fire.

“Indeed. We must sever the necks of those scheming bastards, so step aside!”

The Parang Dojo Master bared his teeth and summoned a cyan aura to his blade.

“That is precisely why.”

I infused my voice with aura so all could hear. My final words pierced through the chilling momentum and resonated throughout the entire cavern.

“On the 4th Floor’s Snowy Plain, I…”

Just as I was about to explain everything that had transpired, magical lights ignited in the darkness to the north, and space itself tore open.

Upon a golden throne that rose like the Jade Throne where emperors sat, a middle-aged man in white ceremonial robes materialized. His short blonde hair emanated both nobility and the discipline of a soldier.

‘That bastard…’

I bit my lip as I watched the middle-aged man elegantly lift his teacup.

‘Is that Delphos?’

His face had aged somewhat, but that aristocratic bearing remained unchanged.

Unlike Shadow, which handled assassination, intelligence gathering, and theft, he was unmistakably Delphos, one of the assault commanders under Derus Robert who wielded direct force.

‘So that bastard was overseeing this place.’

As I observed Delphos, he turned his gaze toward me and narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you!”
“What are you doing!”
“Come down at once!”

The warriors and mages, sensing the pressure emanating from Delphos, raised their voices first.

“I am the master of this tomb.”

Delphos nodded lightly.

“M-master of the tomb?”
“Then you’re saying you’re the Sword Master?”
“That’s absurd….”
“Ah, let me clarify. I mean the master who discovered the Sword Master’s Tomb first.”

A faint smile crossed his face.

“You expect us to believe that….”
“Will this convince you?”

Delphos drew two thick tomes from thin air.
The tome with a reddish glow bore the title “Demonic Soldier’s Technique,” while the tome gleaming with blue light was inscribed with “True Demon Sword Scripture.”
Both were written in a script so vivid it seemed ready to leap from the page.

“T-the Demon Horse Blade and the True Demon Sword…”
“The martial arts of the Sword Master’s Tomb!”
“S-so it really was the Sword Master’s Tomb…”
“With just that…”

The martial artists who had been displaying hostility toward one another swallowed hard as they gazed upon the martial arts manual held in Delphos’s hands.

“Do you want this?”

No one answered Delphos’s question, yet the eyes of all present gleamed with greed and longing—a deep, consuming desire that with this alone, they too could ascend to the same realm as the Sword Master.

“Very well. I shall give it to you.”

He chuckled softly, waving the tome.

“Y-you’ll give it?”
“That martial arts manual?”
“But there is one condition.”

Delphos’s chilling gaze descended upon Raon, fixing upon him.

“I shall surrender both volumes to whoever slays that wretch.”

In that instant, hundreds of eyes on the 5th Floor turned toward Raon. It was as though a swarm of fireflies hovering above a darkened lakeside had suddenly taken flight in unison.

“H-how can we know if that’s truly genuine!”
“That’s right! Your scheming is transparent just by summoning us here!”

The Baekgan Sword Family Lord and the Parang Dojo Master shouted simultaneously, their earlier conflict forgotten.

“You there.”

Delphos gestured toward the middle-aged man in scholarly robes standing at the far left—a martial artist who had arrived late, belonging to the Owen Knights.

“You are Crasel, the Ten Thousand Strikes Swordsman, are you not?”
“…That is correct.”

Crasel lifted his gaze and nodded.

“You, who claim to be unmatched in the history and interpretation of the Demonic Blade Technique, shall witness it yourself.”
“….”

Crasel glanced at his colleagues’ expressions before slowly ascending the platform where Delphos stood.

“Take it.”

Delphos tossed the Demonic Blade Technique with confidence.

“Hmm….”

Crasel unfolded the Demonic Blade Technique right there and rapidly scanned its pages. Gradually, his complexion hardened, and beads of cold sweat began trickling down his cheeks.

“It’s… really it….”

Crasel nodded, unable to tear his eyes from the Demonic Blade Technique.

“The book itself dates back hundreds of years, and there’s not a single correction anywhere. The content shows no signs of irregularities!”

Though he hadn’t finished reading it all, his lips trembled as he affirmed that this was indeed the genuine Demonic Blade Technique.

“That should suffice as proof.”

As Delphos flicked his finger, the Demonic Blade Technique held in Crasel’s hands was drawn back into his grasp.

“Whoever kills that man becomes the new Sword Master!”

As Delphos hurled the Demonic Blade Technique and the True Demon Sword Scripture, a circular aura barrier formed, suspending both texts in mid-air.

“Hmm….”
“Ahem!”

The Baekgan Sword Family Lord and the Parang Dojo Master subtly retreated, tightening their grip on their weapons. Their eyes gleamed with a chilling readiness to strike at the slightest opening.

“Hah….”

I caressed the blade of the Heavenly Sword while surveying my surroundings.

‘I’ve never received such attention before.’

The momentum of hundreds of people ensnared by the demon of greed tightened around my heart.
The tension that flooded my entire body surpassed even when I was surrounded by the Oma.

Yet I felt no fear. This was Zigheart’s Land, and the will of my ancestors who built this earth stood with me.

“They say a dog acts like its master when there’s no master around.”

Raon curled up the corners of his mouth and tilted his chin to the side.

“I’ll need to tie the leash again.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Delphos leaned forward and furrowed his brow.

“Don’t act like the master on my land, you mongrel.”
“Your land?”

He burst into wild laughter, his hand pressed against his forehead.

“Since when did this place become Zigheart’s Land! Here is….”
“From the moment I arrived.”

Raon stamped his left foot firmly. The ground cracked with a thunderous boom.
Golden flames as if holding starlight spread outward, drawing an elegant arc.

Whoooosh!

The blazing inferno, accompanied by thick heat shimmer, erected a sword of flame on the yellow earth, resembling the very crest of Zigheart.

“W-what is this!”
“What kind of flame!”
“Ugh! T-the aura is burning!”
“Fall back!”

The slaves of greed, who seemed ready to charge forward at any moment, recoiled in terror.

“Gwangpung Corps. Clear the path.”
“We obey your command!”

The Gwangpung Corps stood in silent affirmation, taking positions to Raon’s left and right.
The warriors swallowed hard at the frost-like aura they emanated, their weapons lowering instinctively.

“Come down here. You mangy cur.”

Crimson light blazed in my eyes. Standing on the ground, consumed by desire, I glared up at the Jade Throne and snarled.

“That seat doesn’t belong to you.”

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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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