The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 644

—————

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

—————

Chapter 644

The swordmaster who had torn through space was Aris Zigheart, and it was Lectar who had planted the azure blade in the heavens.

The formidable sword strike unleashed by the two transcendents transformed into radiant light and collided with the death-laden blade.

Boom!

Yet because they had moved with such desperate urgency, Aris and Lectar’s sword strike failed to completely erase the flow of death.

Crack!

I clenched my teeth. I could feel death shattering my ribs as it bored through me.
Just when I thought it was all over, the spear’s flow suddenly severed. It was but an instant, yet it felt as though time itself had frozen.

Crash!

Aris, who had torn through space itself to reach me, and Lectar, who had descended like lightning from the void, shattered the now-motionless black blade.

Whoosh!

The deathly aura melted away into dim light as if it had never existed from the beginning.

Screech!

The moment the black aura began to sink toward the ground, I hurled the floating scabbard fragment down to the earth.
The diamond-shaped scabbard fragment darkened as though it had been painted with ink.

“Raon!”

The instant I picked up the fallen scabbard fragment, Aris embraced me tightly and threw us both backward.

“It might come again! Everyone, duck!”

She bit her lip as she raised a thick sword barrier. The desperate expression on her face was unlike anything I had witnessed before—an urgency I had never seen even when she faced Kaibar.

“Ah, Aris Zigheart?”
“What on earth is happening….”
“Huh?”

Burren Zigheart, Martha, and Lunan Slion widened their eyes in bewilderment. Even those at Master rank couldn’t comprehend what was unfolding.

“Everyone, fall back!”
“Lower your heads and hide behind trees and rocks!”

Only Rimer and Serena, both Grand Masters, grasped the gravity of the situation and withdrew the Gwangpung Corps and Gonggeom Unit to safety.

“….”

Lectar didn’t even glance backward. Standing in his original position, he radiated an aura so chilling it sent shivers down the spine.

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you all, even if it costs me my life.”

Aris Zigheart bit her lip firmly. Her embrace remained warm and unwavering, as if dispelling anxiety itself. It conveyed an absolute will to shield them from anything that might come.

-Uuughhhh….

Wrath groaned deeply, clutching his head.

‘You were the one who stopped the black blade?’
-Y-yes, that is so.

He nodded weakly.

‘But why?’

Since Wrath now existed as a spiritual entity parasitic within me, using physical force would require him to violate causality itself.

Though we’d grown somewhat close, there was no reason for him to save me at the cost of grievous damage to both his original form and spiritual body.

-I was irritated.
‘What?’
-Even in spiritual form, that insolent wretch evaded the True Demon King’s perception! Had I possessed only a body, I would have beaten him to death on the spot!

Wrath clicked his tongue in frustration. It seemed he was enraged that someone had managed to escape his omniscient senses.

-Don’t even think about hunting him down. He’s a formidable opponent.
‘I know.’

I nodded calmly.

-You know? Could it be you’re acquainted with him?
‘Yes. There’s no way I wouldn’t be.’

I twisted my lips upward while gazing at the blackened scabbard fragment.

‘Only Derus Robert can wield Dark Flow.’

The black blade that carried death within it was an aura called Dark Flow—one of Derus Robert’s true powers.
In truth, even without Dark Flow, I could have deduced it was Derus. He’s the only transcendent capable of launching a lethal attack from a place I cannot even perceive.

‘But….’

His actions defied my expectations.

I had believed Derus would rarely come to this place, and even if he did, there would be absolutely no reason for him to attack.

Yet Derus appeared here and unleashed Dark Flow upon me. It meant that even someone I thought would be coldly mechanical was, after all, human.

‘Derus Robert.’

I twisted my lips while gazing toward the direction where Derus was likely positioned.

‘At last, you’re beginning to show your true colors.’

*

*

*

Kubara watched Raon vanish into the fissure of space, her parched lips trembling. She swallowed hard and turned her gaze toward Derus Robert.

“Why are Aris Zigheart and the Sword Ghost here….”
“Quite the coincidence, indeed.”

Derus Robert showed no anger; instead, a faint smile crossed his face.

“I knew that Aris Zigheart and the Sword Ghost were hiding. I thought I could kill Raon Zigheart before they arrived. However….”

He continued, watching Raon cradled in Aris’s arms.

“Raon Zigheart’s survival was purely thanks to his own power. By destroying the sword sheath, he bought himself a fleeting moment.”
“Ah….”
“That brief instant saved his life. However, there are several peculiar aspects to this.”
“Peculiar aspects? Ah!”

Kubara’s gaze shifted from the Sword Master’s Tomb, her eyes widening. Indeed, there was something odd about the situation, just as Derus had said.

“You’re referring to Lectar, aren’t you?”
“It’s entirely plausible that Aris Zigheart cares for Raon Zigheart. Risking her life as she did now is unexpected, but understandable.”

Derus narrowed his eyes as he regarded Lectar.

“But the Sword Ghost’s reaction is strange. Even if he gave Raon minor instruction, he’s clearly an enemy—yet he seemed more desperate than Aris Zigheart.”

He stroked his chin and shook his head.

“There may be a relationship between Raon Zigheart and Lectar beyond the Six Emperors Five Demons.”
“I’ll investigate.”

Kubara understood his implication immediately and nodded without hesitation.

“One more thing.”

Derus gestured with his finger toward Kubara.

“At the end, there was an unusual reaction from Raon’s body as well. Reinvestigate everything regarding Raon Zigheart’s entire life.”
“Understood.”

Despite already having mountains of information about Raon, Kubara nodded without hesitation.

“Go now. The direction should already be clear.”
“Yes.”

She answered without hesitation and sank into Derus Robert’s shadow.

“When she said someone would stand in my way, I naturally thought of Glen Zigheart. But….”

Derus Robert stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his eyes narrowing as he gazed down at me with a gaze that held both fury and exhilaration. A dry smile played across his lips.

“It might be you.”

Before his quiet voice could fully fade, only a cold wind remained on the Mountain Slope where the two had stood.

*

*

*

-He’s truly gone now.

Wrath gripped his temples, his brow furrowed.

-Damn it! My pride is wounded.

He repeated the same words, saying that if his body had been intact, he would have rushed after him immediately.

‘Yes. That would have been the case.’

I nodded while patting Wrath’s reddened head.

‘Derus Robert.’

How much stronger have you become?

Even though Wrath said that wasn’t his true form, his senses far surpassed my perception of energy.

Even Wrath couldn’t detect Derus Robert’s presence until he launched his attack. It seemed Derus Robert had grown far beyond my imagination.

“It should be fine now, Aunt.”

I exhaled softly and placed my hand on Aris Zigheart’s shoulder.

“Hm?”

Aris Zigheart’s eyes widened in confusion at my words.

“Given that they attacked from a distance without revealing themselves, they clearly don’t want their identity exposed. They won’t be coming back.”
“I suspected as much….”

She nodded briefly, as if she’d already anticipated this.

“They’ve already fled. You can stand down now.”

I rose to my feet with a slight smile.

“W-what on earth happened?”
“What’s going on?!”
“An enemy?”

Burren Zigheart, Martha, and Lunan Slion rushed over, having realized the situation had ended. Not just them—the entire Gwangpung Corps bore expressions of bewilderment.

“There was an attack.”

Serena furrowed her brow, staring in the direction the black blade had come from.

“A-an attack?”

Dorian emerged from behind the sofa where he’d been hiding, his eyes wide with shock.

“Yes. I don’t know who it was, but they were targeting me.”

Rimer stared at me, biting his lip. He looked frustrated that he hadn’t been able to intercept the attack himself.

“I-I didn’t sense anything at all.”
“Damn it!”
“Tch….”

Burren Zigheart, Martha, and Lunan Slion clenched their fists in frustration, clearly angered by their helplessness.

“The attacker was skilled enough that I barely sensed them. If I hadn’t been prepared, I would have missed them entirely.”

Aris shook her head at the three unit leaders, telling them not to blame themselves.

“Among transcendents, this one is formidable. Perhaps even capable of reaching Father….”
“Reaching the Head of House?”
“Yes.”

She exhaled heavily, acknowledging that while it seemed unlikely, such a possibility existed.

“I have no idea what manner of being this is. The aura was unlike anything I’ve encountered before.”

Rimer furrowed his brow, clearly troubled by an opponent he couldn’t predict.

“A transcendent?”
“Why would a transcendent target Raon….”

Cold sweat beaded on Burren and Martha’s foreheads.

“It’s because I ruined their plan.”

I gestured toward the entrance of the tomb, which rippled with darkness, and let out a dry chuckle.

“Ruined their plan?”

Aris turned her gaze sharply toward me, seeking clarification.

“That place was never a tomb. It was filled with countless mechanisms designed to provoke war between the Six Emperors Five Demons and the Neutral Factions. Within it….”

I gave Aris a brief explanation of what the tomb truly was.

“…A plan that consumed astronomical amounts of manpower and resources has been destroyed. It seems the mastermind behind it sought to kill me for that.”
“Hmm, that certainly makes sense….”
“That would be it.”

Serena and Rimer nodded in agreement.

“So who exactly is the one who devised this plan?”

Aris swept her hair back, her eyes fixed on the direction from which the blade had come.

“Even among the Six Emperors Five Demons, there’s no one like that. Well, even if there were, their names would all be known.”

She had seen all the masters of the Six Emperors Five Demons, yet frowned as she insisted no such being existed among them.

“I’m not certain either. However….”

Raon gazed at the fragment of scabbard infused with Derus Robert’s dark aura and offered a faint smile.

“He won’t be able to hide until the end.”

Derus Robert’s deviation from my predictions wasn’t necessarily a calamity.
Since his aura had been exposed, it would no longer be impossible to connect the Derus Robert of Cheongeomseong with the villain Derus Robert who committed countless atrocities in the shadows—proving them one and the same.

Perhaps the greatest harvest from today wasn’t the Sword Saint’s martial arts, but rather the revelation of Derus Robert’s dark aura.

“In any case, it truly seems to be over.”

Aris Zigheart nodded as she gazed upon the now-silent forest.

“We should leave this place swiftly to be safe, but before that….”

She smacked her lips briefly and turned her gaze toward Lectar.

“Why did you come here? And why did you stop him?”

Aris stared at the Sword Ghost with eyes that betrayed her confusion.

“So then….”

Lectar slowly turned around. His gaze was composed, yet emanated a chilling coldness.

“Are you dissatisfied?”
“No.”

Aris Zigheart shook her head calmly.

“I’m grateful. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to save Raon. You moved too quickly for me to contribute my own strength.”

True to her nature, she honestly acknowledged her own shortcomings.

“I’m grateful, but I don’t understand. Why did you save Raon? What’s your real agenda?”
“….”

I nodded briefly as I observed Lectar’s parched expression.

‘She has a point.’

Unlike Aris, Lectar had no reason to save me, even at the cost of sustaining injuries himself.

“If that child were to die, the legacy within the tomb would vanish as well. I merely acted to prevent that.”

Lectar’s gaze turned glacial, sharp as frozen steel.

“How did you know that?”
“Those fools wouldn’t stop prattling about it. It would be strange not to know.”

He gestured toward the warriors of the Neutral Factions who had come with the Gwangpung Corps. It seemed he’d gleaned the details of the situation from their incessant chatter.

“Hmm….”
“We… we apologize.”

The warriors of the Neutral Factions bowed their heads, rendered speechless.

“That was the sole reason.”

Lectar’s blade trembled with a thin, eager vibration, as though thirsting for blood.

“Hmm….”

I exhaled softly, studying the desiccated intensity in Lectar’s eyes.

‘It’s not entirely implausible.’

The Holy Sword Association was a faction obsessed with swords and swordsmanship, and the Sword Ghost was no different—so it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Yet the urgency I’d witnessed in the Sword Ghost’s gaze today transcended that explanation. He seemed to be lying.

“I don’t believe it, but….”

Aris tilted her head, finding something odd.

“There’s no need to interrogate him.”
“….”

Lectar maintained his cold expression, as if the matter was beneath his concern.

“So you’re suggesting we settle this with a duel to claim the Sword Saint’s legacy?”
“Of course.”

He immediately drew his blade, his eyes gleaming with lethal intent. He had become one with the sword itself.

“Crazy old bastard.”

Aris furrowed her brow and planted her sword at the center. The essence of her spatial blade flowed forth, causing the space around her to shimmer like heat waves.

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

Just as Aris and Lectar were about to thrust their blades toward each other’s hearts—

Screech!

The teeth of both their blades twisted simultaneously. It was the exact section that had blocked Derus’s attack.

“….”
“….”

Aris and Lectar exchanged glances at their damaged blades, then lowered their guards.

“There’s an unknown transcendent at play here, so it seems this isn’t the right time.”
“I concur.”

As Lectar nodded, the Holy Sword Association warriors who had been hiding behind him stepped forward.

“Raon Zigheart. Before I leave, I have two questions.”
“Please, ask away.”

Raon nodded toward Lectar, who regarded him with a penetrating gaze.

“Is the Ghost Demon Sword Master dead?”
“Yes.”
“One more thing—you truly obtained the Sword Saint’s techniques yourself?”
“Yes.”
“So shattering the scabbard was one of the Sword Saint’s skills.”
“That is correct.”

There was no point in lying, so I nodded in affirmation.

“I see.”

Lectar nodded calmly with an unreadable expression, then turned away without hesitation.

“I won’t see you off.”

Aris Zigheart waved her hand dismissively, urging him to leave.

I watched Lectar retreat slowly, then my eyes widened. A familiar face appeared behind him.

“Mustan!”

It was Mustan, Lectar’s disciple.

“….”

At the sound of his name, Mustan’s shoulders flinched, and he turned away.

“Come here!”

Mustan’s soul was bound to me through the emotion of Jealousy. If I questioned him, I might be able to learn Lectar’s true intentions.

“That is impossible.”

Yet Mustan refused my command. He gazed at me with serene eyes before following in Lectar’s footsteps.

‘What is this?’

Mustan’s eyes were transparent, and the aura of Jealousy that bound him still lingered. I couldn’t comprehend why a soul-bound being would defy my words.

-The reason is simple.

Wrath snorted dismissively.

-When a subordinate whose soul you’ve mortgaged refuses to obey your commands, it means they believe their current actions benefit you.
‘Then could it be….’

I swallowed hard, my eyes fixed on Lectar’s back as he stood before Mustan.

—————

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

—————