The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 758

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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 758
“A sparring match?”
Karun’s eyes narrowed as he regarded Raon.
“Why are you asking me for a match?”
He seemed inclined to consider it, asking for his reasoning first rather than outright refusing.
“I want to see how effective my power is against a Transcendent.”
I met Karun’s gaze—steady and fathomless as a vast lake—and straightened my posture.
“I couldn’t fully demonstrate my abilities during the missions.”
I had ambushed Marang out of fear he might flee, so I never saw his full strength. Togui and the White Ghost Sword Master weren’t at the pinnacle of Grand Master power, so I’d cut them down without much difficulty.
I had broadened my perception through their swordplay and accumulated dueling experience, but since I hadn’t unleashed my full power, it felt like incomplete combustion.
To fill that gap, I had been planning to request a sparring match with Karun even before returning to Zigheart.
‘Karun would be more than sufficient.’
My instincts, honed through countless experiences, told me I couldn’t defeat him, so I wanted to test how much of my power would actually work against a Transcendent.
‘I’ll face many Transcendents in the future.’
I needed to prepare myself in advance.
The upper echelon of Oma would be difficult to engage, but there was a high chance I’d encounter lower-tier Transcendents.
If I clashed with them beforehand and understood my own capabilities, it would prove invaluable in future battles.
“….”
“Hmm.”
Karun fell silent, contemplating the proposal, while Glen let out a murky groan, clearly displeased with the situation.
“Cousin!”
Valdemar called out to me loudly, stamping his feet.
“I can fight all day long. Come at me now if you want!”
He flexed his hands eagerly, as if ready to spar right there in the Audience Chamber.
“…I’ll have to ask another time.”
I regarded Valdemar with a blank stare before offering a polite smile of refusal.
‘Valdemar isn’t bad either, but Karun comes first.’
Valdemar was certainly a master swordsman, and if we fought, I’d need to go all out. But I didn’t think I’d lose.
Right now, I wanted to face Karun, a Transcendent who could teach me defeat, and glimpse something higher.
“Your cousin has particular tastes, doesn’t he?”
Valdemar clicked his tongue briefly and turned his gaze toward Karun.
“Just do it for him. It’s not that difficult, is it?”
He asked Karun to spar with me, shrugging his shoulders.
“Father….”
Burren also bowed his head toward Karun in supplication.
“Raon Zigheart. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but….”
Karun finished his deliberation and spoke slowly.
“I believe I owe you a debt.”
He looked at Burren before turning his gaze toward me.
“A debt? What do you mean by that…?”
I narrowed my eyes, confused. I had assumed he was plotting revenge, yet suddenly he spoke of owing me a debt.
“When my planned misdeeds were exposed and I received permanent punishment, I spent considerable time staring at the ceiling of the Medical Office, contemplating many things.”
Karun brought up his shameful past first, closing his eyes gently.
“I believed the staircase leading to the Family Head had crumbled. At first, I cursed you, resented my father, and raged at my subordinates. I tormented myself, crying out that none of it was my fault, but as time passed, I finally came to understand. All the causes stemmed from me, and all the consequences were of my own making. Only then did it become clear.”
He tapped his chest lightly with a loosely clenched fist.
“What I lost was merely trivial, and the true treasure still remains within my soul.”
“A treasure, you say…?”
“Zigheart.”
Karun raised his gaze calmly, looking toward Glen and his Jade Throne.
“Once I shed the ugly facade I had built, I could see the Zigheart I had dreamed of since childhood. Only then did I realize how repugnant and vile the path I had walked truly was. Had I become the Family Head as I was, I would have regretted it even in death.”
He turned his eyes back to me.
“It is thanks to you for stopping me.”
A faint warmth kindled in Karun’s sharp gaze.
“Thank you.”
“Hmm…?”
I swallowed hard, meeting Karun’s serene eyes.
‘Has he changed to this extent?’
I had believed Karun ascended to transcendence because he had already reached the pinnacle of a Grand Master’s power, but that was a grave misconception.
Karun had achieved tremendous spiritual growth, not through martial prowess alone. It seemed his limits extended far beyond mere transcendence.
“L-Lord Karun, Lord of the Central Intelligence Agency…?”
“The Lord is saying such things…?”
“Is that really my older brother? Not a doppelgänger?”
The Direct Line members and Valdemar widened their eyes in astonishment at Karun’s words.
“Father!”
Burren’s eyes blazed with sparkling fervor. It seemed he had returned to his days as a trainee who admired Karun.
“I shall repay that debt this time.”
Karun nodded peacefully, then looked up at Glen.
“I accept the sparring request from the Gwangpung Corps Master.”
He spoke asking for permission while bowing his head.
“…”
Glen silently regarded his son and grandson in turn. Without knowing what expression he wore, he slowly nodded.
“Permission granted.”
“Thank you.”
Karun bowed once more to Glen, then turned to leave.
“I may depart immediately, then?”
He flicked his chin and exited the Audience Chamber first.
“Of course.”
I nodded heavily and left the Audience Chamber. This sparring match seemed far more grueling than I had anticipated.
“L-Lord Karun, Lord of the Central Intelligence Agency!”
“Organization Master!”
“Raon!”
“Can we watch too?”
The executives and the Gwangpung Corps followed them out of the Audience Chamber.
“Will it be alright?”
Rimer’s brow furrowed with concern about Karun’s transformation.
“….”
Glen descended from the platform and lowered his eyelids. He recalled Karun’s eyes—those of a child returned to his youth—and slowly opened them again.
“There is no need to worry.”
*
*

*
I stood facing Karun in the Family Head’s Training Ground, breathing steadily.
‘I never thought this would actually happen.’
There was no reason for Karun to spar with me, so I hadn’t expected an actual fight.
When he spoke his true feelings and offered to repay his debt, it only burdened me further.
“Cousin, don’t be so tense!”
Valdemar swung his arm widely.
“Surely he won’t kill you!”
He nodded as if urging me to trust my family.
“Raon.”
Burren also nodded, as if telling me to trust Karun.
-From what this king sees, that gaze suggests the commander intends to kill you.
Meanwhile, Wrath chuckled, saying Karun was simply trying to kill me legally.
‘I can’t tell.’
I exhaled briefly. Unlike before, I couldn’t read Karun’s psychology at all.
“Begin.”
Glen announced the start of the match and crossed his arms. It seemed he wouldn’t intervene regardless of how the duel progressed.
“Raon Zigheart.”
Karun drew his sword, revealing eyes as sharp as a veil being torn.
“What you seek isn’t merely a sparring match, but a thread leading to transcendence.”
“That is correct.”
There was no reason to lie, so I nodded.
“Then a single exchange should suffice.”
Karun stepped forward and tilted his sword downward.
“A single exchange?”
My eyes widened.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“The gap between your swordsmanship and mine is not so great.”
Karun nodded, acknowledging Raon’s swordsmanship.
“But if I fight you, I will never lose.”
“I’m sure you won’t.”
My eyes remained sharp despite the words of defeat escaping my lips.
“Let me show you why.”
Karun raised his sword to the upper stance as if a single strike would suffice.
It was a basic overhead slash posture, yet a magnificent aura began to flow from him as if he could cleave the world itself in two.
“Ugh….”
“W-what is this….”
“I can barely breathe….”
The executives retreated from Karun, swallowing hard.
“I-it’s hard to open my eyes.”
“I can’t straighten my back….”
“Force yourself to watch! You’ll regret it for the rest of your life if you miss this!”
The Gwangpung Corps struggled even more than the executives, but they leaned on each other and refused to close their eyes until the very end.
“Raon Zigheart. Show me everything you have.”
Karun nodded, indicating that I should pour all my power into this single strike. It seemed he was saying he would accept it all.
“Understood.”
I exhaled calmly and drew the Heavenly Sword. Pointing the blade toward the sky, I opened my Mental World.
Sword Realm Incarnation—Genesis.
The swords that filled my consciousness descended upon the Heavenly Sword’s blade, unleashing a magnificent will.
Roooooar!
The sword techniques that had taken root in my mind bloomed in countless colors across the thin blade.
The mysteries of countless sword techniques merged into one, igniting golden flames.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Karun watched my sword strike approach, then slowly brought his blade down.
“Sword Realm Incarnation—Sovereign.”
The tyrannical aura embedded in his sword began to shatter heaven and earth. A thrilling momentum and overwhelming confidence in himself—I felt the noble and elegant bearing of one who had truly ascended to the throne of a sovereign.
‘This is….’
My jaw trembled.
‘Transcendence.’
The will emanating from him was on an entirely different level from a Grand Master. There was a stark difference in the completeness of a warrior’s path.
‘I’m absolutely outmatched….’
But I had to go forward!
Even under Karun’s relentless pressure that wouldn’t release my hands and feet, I refused to yield and brought Genesis down to the very end.
Screeeech!
But Karun’s blade didn’t waver. Without even a slight tremor, as if a massive pillar stood behind it, he crushed Genesis.
Booooom!
A tremendous explosion erupted, and the entire Training Ground collapsed. From the collision of such immense power, brown dust devils rose from all directions.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
As Glen waved his hand, the surging aura that had been about to engulf the executives and the Gwangpung Corps subsided as if nothing had happened, revealing the Training Ground once more.
A low rumble echoed through the air.
Raon knelt on one knee with the Heavenly Sword planted in the ground, while Karun stood motionless with his blade pressed against Raon’s forehead.
A soft drip sounded.
A single drop of blood fell from Raon’s forehead onto the devastated floor of the Training Ground.
“Did you see?”
Karun withdrew his sword while looking down at Raon.
“I did.”
Raon met Karun’s serene gaze and exhaled a turbid breath.
“Then that’s enough.”
Karun nodded and turned away. It seemed he was leaving now that he had accomplished what he came to do.
‘What was that…?’
Though it was merely a feeling, Karun seemed stronger than the Black Tower’s transcendent Flame Demon Army commander I had encountered before.
He didn’t even need to use the Sword Realm, yet he had demonstrated his enlightenment by wielding it anyway. Honestly, I couldn’t understand it.
“Organization Master.”
Raon forced strength into his legs and rose to his feet.
“What is it?”
“Why have you done this much for me?”
“Didn’t I say I owed you a debt?”
“But you were certain before that we would fight over the position of Head of House. Why would you show me everything when I could become your enemy?”
Though I had no interest in the position now, my thoughts could change.
I couldn’t understand why he had revealed everything to someone who might become his rival.
“Because we are Zigheart.”
Karun gave a slight nod as if that settled the matter and left the Training Ground.
“…”
Raon stared at Karun’s retreating back with wide eyes. He hadn’t expected such words from that man, so he couldn’t muster any response.
-Huh…
Wrath also exhaled in surprise.
-I’ve often seen young ones like eyeballs change, but this is the first time the True Demon King has seen an aged human transform so drastically.
He stroked his chin, remarking how fascinating humans truly were.
‘I feel the same.’
I too had never witnessed someone with such age, power, and status undergo such a dramatic transformation. The astonishment still hadn’t faded.
“Father!”
Burren followed Karun with eyes more ablaze than ever before.
The Direct Line executives also rushed out of the Training Ground, moved by emotion.
“I never thought Karun would change like this.”
Rimer laughed, clasping his hands together and holding his head.
“Though it seems your training time with your grandson has gone down the river.”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Glen snorted and turned away. Despite losing his time with Raon, a soft smile played at the corners of his mouth.
“It feels like my wayward son has finally grown up and come home.”
*
*

*
I made my way back to the Annex Building, reflecting on Karun’s sword.
‘It was strong yet noble.’
Karun’s blade carried an aristocratic elegance that Burren had never abandoned.
Seeing an element I’d deemed unnecessary for actual combat transform into absolute power in the realm of transcendence was utterly bewildering.
It seemed transcendence harbored something unimaginable from the levels below it.
‘It must be connected to his transformation.’
The Karun’s sword I’d witnessed before was merely strong, but now that he’d awakened to his own faults, his original elegance and nobility clearly resonated through his blade.
‘Do I need to find such a clue as well?’
I’d witnessed Karun’s enlightenment, but I still didn’t know what I needed to find. Finding that would come first.
-First comes food, not transcendence!
Wrath swung his paws eagerly, urging me to eat.
‘Right. That’s true.’
I chuckled and nodded. Rushing about would yield nothing.
The mission was complete, so it was time to rest.
“Hmm…?”
I stopped abruptly as I passed through the Garden toward the Annex Building.
Behind the Lake, something large that hadn’t been there before came into view.
“There was a rock there… Gasp!”
The object I’d taken for a boulder suddenly rose and stretched languidly. A bear. An enormous Fire Bear, no less.
I’d considered that animals like bears might exist given the Mountain behind us, but this was my first time actually seeing one.
-A bear! A delicious bear!
Wrath wagged his tail at the prospect of a new menu item.
Growl.
The bear, as if spotting the light from the Annex Building, began charging rapidly across the Lake.
“Oh no.”
I stepped into a movement technique to intercept it. But the bear changed direction and lunged straight at me, as if it had never aimed for the Annex Building in the first place.
“What…?”
“Raon!”
As I blinked in surprise, the bear’s mouth opened and human speech tumbled out.
“Gasp!”
-Ugh!
The moment Wrath and I saw the talking bear, we bolted in the opposite direction.

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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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