The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 672
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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 672
I climbed the darkened staircase, feeling the formidable resonance emanating from the lower floors.
‘Those two should be able to win.’
Saint Olga was merely concealing her true strength—she had already far surpassed Pirn’s martial prowess—and Rimer’s swordsmanship was at a level that could easily suppress Guard Commander Danieff.
Moreover, both Pirn and Danieff harbored hesitation and guilt in their hearts, so I couldn’t envision a scenario where Olga and Rimer would suffer defeat.
-The scent of demonic energy grows thicker.
Wrath narrowed his eyes as he gazed up at the ceiling woven from demonic energy.
-We’re nearly there.
‘Right.’
I nodded calmly. Just as Wrath said, the stench of demonic energy intensified. King Baurn, who had made a pact with the Demon Race, was undoubtedly just above us.
‘What’s the power level of the demon who contracted with the King?’
-Weak.
Wrath answered without the slightest hesitation.
-One flick of my finger and that bastard would burst and die.
He shook his head, saying the creature didn’t even deserve the word “power.”
“Sigh….”
I tapped Wrath’s cotton candy-like head and exhaled.
‘Not by your standards—by mine.’
Though I hated to admit it, Wrath’s power was exceptional even among transcendents.
He had reduced the Flame Demon Army—fellow transcendents—to the brink of death with a single strike, so his assessment of “weak” was hardly reliable.
-At your level, it won’t be easy to win.
Wrath looked down at me and nodded his chin.
-One small mistake and your head will fly right off.
He scoffed, as if I were beneath contempt.
‘Is that so.’
King Baurn had displayed a demonic aura of tremendous magnitude, so it was only natural that the Demon Race possessed formidable power.
Still, I wasn’t particularly concerned. If my calculations were correct, facing the Demon Race would be far easier than dealing with King Baurn.
-There’s no need to worry. What’s up there isn’t the Demon Race yet—it’s just that fool of a king.
Wrath waved his thick hand dismissively, as if I were mistaken to be worried.
‘I know. But just in case.’
I chuckled softly and ascended the grotesque staircase, its veins pulsing like exposed blood vessels.
As I reached the final level, wreathed in demonic energy, an unexpected sight greeted my eyes.
Gooooooooo!
A black cocoon of demonic energy, woven together like gossamer threads, floated in the void, while four high priests stood at the cardinal directions, channeling holy power into it.
Not merely the priests’ own aura, but the sacred and demonic energy permeating the entire kingdom seeped into the cocoon.
‘Baurn is inside that.’
I sensed his presence within the black cocoon, which pulsed like a living heart. He appeared to be accumulating power within.
“W-What is this!”
“Why is the Sword Slayer here!”
“C-Could it be that Pirn and Commander Danieff have already…”
The high priests trembled, their lips quivering as if they couldn’t believe I was here.
“This is insane.”
I spat out a curse that Saint Olga often used, advancing toward the cocoon of demonic energy where Baurn had hidden himself.
“W-Wait!”
“Stop!”
“If you attack now, the cocoon might burst! Then this entire kingdom will be blown away…!”
“That’s not your concern.”
Whether a Demon Race emerged from that cocoon instead of Baurn, I could handle it—so I pressed forward without hesitation.
*Shing!*
I placed my hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Sword. The moment I resolved to cut, the blade transformed into the scythe of death itself, descending toward the priests’ necks.
“B-Block it!”
“Ugh!”
The priests standing to the north and east, despite their panic, raised shields infused with demonic energy.
*Crash!*
But the blade, carrying the flames of Manhwagong, shattered through the demonic barrier and tore across the priests’ throats.
“Ugh…!”
“What…?”
The two priests collapsed, their eyes wide with shock that a shield forged from demonic energy could be cleaved so easily.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
“This is truly dangerous! If he goes berserk, we’ll all die!”
The high priests standing to the south and west flailed their hands desperately.
“You’ve reduced the kingdom to this state, and you still dare speak such nonsense.”
I smiled coldly, aiming the Heavenly Sword at the two priests.
“Attack!”
“Grraaahhh!”
The Priests realized words were useless and switched from defense to offense.
Condensed demonic energy crystallized in the grip of two Priests, sharpened like spear blades, and shot toward me.
The demonic blades rained down like arrows, but I had already vacated the position.
Boom!
I thrust the ground roughly with Taehwa Technique and appeared behind the Priests.
“Behind, behind us!”
“Gasp!”
The Priests sensed my presence and spun around, but they were far too late.
Shhwiiiiing!
A silvery-white blade, frost shattering at its edge, sliced across the corrupted ones’ necks.
“Ugh…”
“Gack…”
Crimson lines bloomed across the Priests’ necks, thickening as they spewed scarlet blood.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!
But it wasn’t over. The Priests’ bodies, consumed by demonic energy, were already regenerating even with their heads severed.
‘Such regenerative power…’
Because they had received power from King Baurn, who had made a direct pact with the Demon Race, the stench of demonic energy seeping into the Priests was unbearable.
‘But it’s still meaningless.’
I drove the Heavenly Sword into the ground and pulled forth the flames of Manhwagong with full force.
Roooaaahhhhh!
From the wound where the blade had embedded itself, pale golden flames erupted, obliterating the priests’ bodies and every fragment of demonic energy.
All that remained was pitch-black smoke and the demonic cocoon still suspended in the air, pulsing with increasing intensity.
Crack.
I stepped across the steel framework of the tower reduced to its skeletal remains, advancing toward the demonic cocoon that throbbed with ever-mounting ferocity.
I brought the Heavenly Sword, wreathed in Manhwagong’s flames, down upon the cocoon’s center.
Screeeeeech!
The black cocoon shattered like an eggshell, its interior carved out in deep, jagged furrows.
King Baurn lay curled like an unborn child in the womb, his limbs folded inward, his eyes shut.
Just as I raised the Heavenly Sword to strike downward, King Baurn’s eyelids fluttered open.
Boom!
His eyes—black pupils holding a darkness deeper than demonic energy itself—gleamed with malevolent light.
“You….”
“Have you come to bless my rebirth?”
A thin smile bloomed at King Baurn’s lips as darkness surged forth.
Roooaaarrr!
*
*
*
Shrieeeek!
A demon beast with a lion’s head and a bull’s body charged forward, pulverizing the ground beneath it.
Grunt!
Hofen did not retreat. Instead, he charged forward and brought down his sword, blazing with pure white light.
Shhwaaaack!
The blade of holy power pushed back the demonic energy and split the monster’s torso in two.
Keeee!
Even with its body severed in half, the demon beast did not die, instead baring its sharp fangs in a final assault.
Splurt!
When Hofen crushed its head with his sword, the demon beast melted away into putrid slime.
“There are five more inside! Eliminate them all before they escape!”
As he pointed deeper into the Alley, the Priests and Holy Knights waiting behind rushed in and purified the smaller demons within.
“Phew….”
Hofen wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead and walked out onto the Main Street.
‘I’m exhausted.’
Using the Paladin’s mark that Kinier had given me, I had dealt with most of the demons, but their sheer numbers left me so drained that I could barely stand.
Yet there was no time to collapse and rest. Mountains of tasks still awaited me.
‘The most dangerous situation right now….’
The Gwangpung Corps.
I was most concerned about the Gwangpung Corps, who had to protect Kinier while battling the Demon Race.
Since I had dealt with all the large-scale demons, I entrusted the cleanup to my deputy and rushed toward the Spire.
The moment I arrived, what caught my eye was a single gust of wind created by the Gwangpung Corps.
Roooaaaaar!
The blade of blue wind tore through the massive demonic energy and shredded the Demon Race’s body without mercy. The demon vanished without leaving a single fragment of its essence.
“Hah….”
Hofen exhaled softly as he watched the Gwangpung Corps’ retreating silhouette, having erased the demon.
‘They actually won….’
The Demon Race possessed an inherent quality that crushed human spirits.
It was unbelievable that swordsmen still young enough to be called youths had shattered the natural disadvantage and toppled a demon.
Most astounding was that not a single one had fallen. There were the severely wounded, but none bore mortal wounds.
“….”
Even after crushing the demon, the Gwangpung Corps didn’t fully release their tension. Only after confirming the demonic energy had completely dissipated did they collapse one by one.
‘They’re on an entirely different level….’
What kind of training and combat experience had forged such overwhelming power and mental fortitude? Rather than envy, I felt reverence.
“Mm….”
Hofen lifted his gaze, following the Gwangpung Corps’ line of sight toward the Spire where Raon awaited.
‘Only that place remains.’
With the Demon Race and monsters dealt with, what remained was only Pirn, Knight Danieff, and his father in that tower.
‘Please….’
He was clasping his hands in prayer, hoping this would end without anyone else dying.
Kuuuuuuung!
The Spire—no, the entire kingdom trembled as a colossal shockwave erupted, and the demonic energy enveloping the tower surged upward, consuming the sky.
A man with two pairs of wings spread wide floated above the night sky, so dark it could only be described as pitch-black.
His body was lean and sculpted without an ounce of excess flesh, his skin pale as a child’s, and his face was that of a handsome man with sharp, angular features—a prominent nose and a defined jawline.
A black crown sat upon his head, and the demonic energy radiating from him shimmered like heat waves in the air around him.
“No… surely not…?”
Hofen’s jaw trembled as he gazed upon the man wearing that cold smile.
“Father?”
The resemblance was unmistakable. This young man’s face was identical to the portrait of his father painted twenty years ago—no, long before he was even born.
Setting everything else aside, the black crown he wore had the exact same form as the white sacred crown that was both the national treasure and symbol of Sufer’s kingship. There was no mistaking it.
“Ugh…”
Hofen felt a chill run down his spine as he watched Baurn gaze down upon the entire kingdom, his lips curling upward in a smile.
His father, who had touched upon the forbidden, had become a monster consumed by demonic energy. What emanated from him was not benevolence and holiness, but only foul demonic energy and malevolence.
Yet the vile demonic energy blooming from him did not reach all the way down to the ground.
Whoooosh!
Raon’s flames, burning from atop the tower, were incinerating all of the demonic energy.
‘Please…’
Hofen clasped his hands together as he looked toward Raon, his lips trembling as he fell to his knees.
‘Please stop my father!’
*
*
*
“How liberating.”
King Baurn spread both arms wide and drew in a deep breath. The demonic energy flowing from his breath added saturation to the black sky.
“I feel an omnipotence… as if I can do anything.”
“You’ve regained your youth?”
I tilted my head lightly as I observed King Baurn floating in the sky.
Whether from accepting the demonic energy or not, King Baurn’s appearance and physique had become as robust as a man in his twenties.
However, his blue hair and eyes, along with the white crown upon his head, had been stained black. He looked like an entirely different person.
Of course, the greatest change was the demonic energy itself. The divine power that had permeated the entire kingdom had transformed into demonic energy, and an incomprehensible magnitude of it emanated from him.
‘I cannot win through aura alone.’
I had always believed I possessed more aura than martial artists or mages of equal rank, but it was incomparable to the demonic energy King Baurn now wielded.
“Raon Zigheart.”
King Baurn looked down from above and stroked his chin. Even transformed like this, his habits remained unchanged.
“I have now understood what a true king truly is.”
He pointed to the crown stained black as he spoke.
-This wretch dares use the royal “we”!
Wrath cried out in displeasure and shook his fist.
“How presumptuous. Have you stopped using formal speech?”
“I am the king. Why should I speak formally to anyone?”
Whether it was his true nature hidden all along or his personality had reversed upon accepting the demonic energy, King Baurn’s tone had become irritatingly arrogant.
“What is a true king, then?”
I looked up at King Baurn and curled the corners of my mouth upward.
“Power. This very force is what makes a true king.”
King Baurn clenched both fists tightly.
“Only one who possesses the strength to protect the kingdom and annihilate enemies can become a true king!”
“Power? How predictable.”
I shook my head with a scornful smile.
“Does a true king gain strength by sacrificing his own people? That’s not a king—that’s a butcher. Worse than a fool of a monarch too incompetent to share his wealth with others.”
King Baurn claimed he had finally grasped what a true king was, but to me, he looked not like a king, but a murderer.
-A monarch who gives freely? Such an idiot exists! Who in the world is that!
‘….’
Wrath shook his head, declaring that a ruler who only gives away has no right to be a monarch.
“My blood and flesh becoming his is a blessing. The fallen people will rejoice.”
King Baurn, already lost to madness, ran his hands over his rejuvenated body and smiled warmly.
“You won’t do.”
I beckoned to King Baurn with a finger.
“Let me show you how worthless that vaunted power truly is.”
“Very well. A dragon slayer makes a fitting first opponent to announce my name.”
King Baurn raised his right hand. Demonic energy blazed in his grasp, transforming into black rays of light that shot toward me.
There was almost no delay. The instant light flashed, the demonic energy was already upon me.
Whoooosh!
I lowered my stance deeply. With the Heavenly Sword angled downward, I drew a sharp line upward against the incoming sphere of demonic energy. It was quite heavy, but not beyond my ability to cleave.
Shrieeeeek!
Crimson heat split the demonic energy, leaving a hazy trail across the empty air.
“Is that all?”
I swung the Heavenly Sword, its blade glowing crimson, and nodded slightly.
“Impossible.”
King Baurn smiled faintly and raised his hand again. Countless spheres of demonic energy, which he had drawn across the red earth moments before, materialized in the air.
“I merely wished to play a little.”
As he flicked his fingers, the sky filled with demonic spheres cascaded down like a torrential downpour.
Whoooosh!
I drew undulating waves with the Heavenly Sword.
Crimson-hued petals bloomed along the sword’s trajectory. Fragments of blossoms, as though scattered across all four seasons, filled the void with their dance.
Manhwagong Celestial Flame.
Fire Spirit.
Shards of the resonance barrier intercepted the demonic downpour, and countless explosions erupted across the sky.
Boom!
As black smoke engulfed heaven and earth, a dark shadow surged from the right with overwhelming speed—so fast that reaction seemed nearly impossible.
Yet precisely because the movement was so swift, predicting its trajectory proved simple.
Thud!
The instant I planted my feet upon the slightly bent iron rebar, executing the Taehwa Tripod Stance, King Baurn extended a blackened fist with such overwhelming force that the surroundings seemed to warp.
I flowed with the Taehwa Tripod Stance like drifting through clouds, deflecting King Baurn’s punch before drawing the Frost Blade with the Heavenly Sword.
Whoooosh!
Both the true blade and the frost blade extended in succession.
Yet King Baurn’s reaction speed had grown sharper still. He arched his back, effortlessly evading both strikes, and launched a counterattack with his left fist.
I tilted my head to the right, dodging King Baurn’s punch. Blood burst from my cheek from the force of the wind, but I paid it no mind.
‘They all saw it coming anyway.’
I bit my lip lightly and drew the Soul Reaper Sword, which trembled with fury at Baurn’s demonic energy. The golden aura blazing from the crimson blade tore through the demonic energy he was releasing.
Screeeech!
Baurn’s forehead split slightly, but he withdrew backward with ease.
“Impressive indeed.”
He nodded with satisfaction.
“You said I was a true king, didn’t you?”
I glanced at Baurn and tilted my chin.
“Indeed. I am the true king capable of protecting the Sufer Kingdom.”
“Can a king exist without a crown?”
“What do you—”
As Baurn began to furrow his brow, the black crown that had been gleaming above his head split in half and fell to the ground.
“It was bothering me.”
I tossed the Soul Reaper Sword and caught it again, smiling faintly.
“A butcher deserves a noose around his neck, not a crown.”
“You bastard!”
An inhuman shriek erupted from Baurn’s throat. His wings spread wide as a suffocating wave of demonic energy erupted around him.
“I’ll kill you!”
“Try if you can.”
I drove both the Heavenly Sword and the Soul Reaper Sword into the ground.
“Sword Realm Incarnation—Divine Demon Harmony Union.”
A crystalline resonance shattered the world. Above the dark night sky saturated with demonic energy, a golden sun and silver moon rose into being.
The viscous demonic energy recoiled as if frightened by the noble radiance, retreating into the shadows.
“From you….”
I stood with the divine and demonic blades I had forged from the sun and moon, my eyes blazing with a piercing coldness.
“I will take the title of King.”
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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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