The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 8

—————

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

—————

Chapter 8

‘Wrath?’

I swallowed hard and surveyed my surroundings.

‘Someone is here….’

Though invisible and inaudible, a palpable presence descended upon the room that had been mine alone. It felt like that entity called Wrath from the message.

Whoooosh.

As I tensed every nerve and remained vigilant in all directions, azure flames erupted before my eyes.

From the fist-sized inferno surged a terrifying aura. It felt like witnessing a volcanic eruption unfold directly before me.

-Finally.

From within the azure flames came a chilling voice that sent shivers down my spine. It was a tone brimming with madness ready to burst forth at any moment.

“What is this….”

Though I possessed vast knowledge from my previous life, I had never encountered nor heard of this speaking flame.

-The wrath you awakened has reached me. By the name of Wrath, the Second Lord of the Demon Realm, I shall fulfill your vengeance. With soul and body sacrificed…hm?

The blue flame that introduced itself as Wrath, the lord of the Demon Realm, swept its gaze up and down before its mouth fell open in astonishment.

-A child? Why is there a child…?

“What are you?”

-You dare ask who I am? The wrath transmitted to me was no emotion that a mere greenhorn like you could ever comprehend.

Wrath’s voice sank low, yet a suffocating intensity of emotion surged forth.

“Wrath?”

I furrowed my brow. In this lifetime, I had never experienced such profound anger—though perhaps in my past life it was different.

‘Wait, past life?’

Now that I thought about it, I had been reincarnated with my memories intact, and I had gained this strange ability called the Status Window. All of it had occurred after my death.

It occurred to me that this being called Wrath might be the one who had granted me such a remarkable power.

“Then was it you who gave me the Status Window?”

-Status Window? You can actually use it?

“Yes.”

-Impossible! Hm?

The blue flame enveloping Wrath trembled violently.

—The connection’s been cut off! How could this….

“Who are you, and why have you appeared here?”

—You summoned me.

“I summoned you?”

—Did you not kindle a fury so consuming that you would sacrifice everything to kill someone? I have descended to fulfill your desire.

“Ah….”

I recalled my vow—that before death claimed me, I would kill Derus Robert by any means necessary. Listening to this flame speak, it seemed to have manifested before me in response to that ancient rage.

‘But it’s far too late for that.’

Two years had passed between my past life and this one, and twelve years had elapsed since my birth in this world. Fourteen years had gone by—what could this entity possibly accomplish now?

“You’ll fulfill my revenge?”

—I will.

“And the price?”

Intense heat blazed within my eyes.

“Nothing in this world is free. Based on what you said earlier—are you taking my soul and body?”

—To grant such desperate vengeance, offering your trivial soul and flesh is only fitting.

“….”

I gazed down at Wrath, observing something trapped within the azure flames—a being that was no longer human, wearing a sinister smile.

‘Did I die and get reincarnated only for this to happen?’

Based on my conjecture, it seemed that in my previous life, I had died before that creature could seize my body, which led to this situation.

“Revenge only holds meaning when delivered by one’s own hand.”

I had been toyed with by Derus Robert my entire life, died, and now a new opportunity had arrived—yet to take revenge through another’s hand? Absolutely unacceptable.

‘I must take my revenge with my own hands.’

I had no intention of leaving my vengeance to another. No matter what hardships lay ahead, I would sever Derus Robert’s neck with my own hands.

-So it is you, after all.

Wrath’s eyes, hidden within the azure flames, fixed their gaze upon me.

-You harbor a deep and profound rage in the depths of your heart.

He bared his teeth in a grin.

-I care not what transpired. I have already made my choice, so you need only surrender your body.

As fury blazed through Wrath’s voice, the azure flames engulfed me.

“Ugh!”

I doubled over, clutching my chest.

So cold.

Not just my body—my very mind was freezing. Wrath’s attribute wasn’t fire, but ice.

-Think of that bastard and channel your rage. Even if he were a god, I would slay him.

Wrath’s chilling voice made my chest heave. It felt as though my heart were being pierced by frozen icicles.

[Water Attribute Resistance (3-Star) activates.]

‘Water Attribute Resistance!’

The water attribute resistance I’d gained from absorbing the frigid energy was mitigating the pain from the cold Wrath was unleashing.

But Wrath’s assault wasn’t merely cold.

“Krrgh…”

I let out a heavy groan. Derus Robert’s face flashed before my eyes. The suffocating sensation of his contemptuous sneer, the way he’d looked down on me like an insect.

-Surrender your body to me. I will shatter his skull and devour his flesh.

“Hah…”

I wanted to unleash my fury at Derus in response to Wrath’s emotionally provocative voice.

‘Absolutely not….’

I clenched my teeth so hard they ached. If I surrendered my body to this creature called Wrath, there was no telling what he might do to Sylvia and the maids in the other room.

Even if I died here, I could not yield my body.

‘Endure.’

I clenched my fists until they bled. I was an assassin—the greatest assassin.

When it came to the virtues an assassin must possess—patience and emotional suppression—I was more confident than anyone.

-You endure better than expected, but how long can you truly last? None have ever withstood the King’s frigid power.

Wrath unleashed a bone-chilling cold that froze both body and spirit, his mockery evident in every wave of it.

“Haaah….”

It was fortunate. Had he continued to provoke my emotions, I would have broken. Instead, he chose to intensify the cold. I steadied my breathing and endured the frigid power that penetrated to my very bones.

-A worthless human, persisting to the end!

Irritation and rage burned in Wrath’s seething voice.

-I wished to minimize damage to the vessel I shall inhabit, but it seems unavoidable. I shall simply consume you as you are.

It was no bluff. As his flames grew, the intensity of the cold that assaulted both body and spirit became incomparably fierce.

“Ugh!”

Raon couldn’t help but groan. My skin felt as though it were being torn apart, my organs split asunder—the pain forced my mouth open involuntarily.

—Stir up your wrath and accept me. Do you intend to simply die like this?

“I would rather die than surrender my body to the likes of you.”

I bit my tongue to regain clarity. As I resolved that death was preferable to yielding my body, a thought emerged.

‘Wait—if water-attribute resistance could shield against this creature’s cold…
….’

The Ring of Flames might diminish all the suffering of body and spirit.

Even if it couldn’t, there was no choice but to try now.

Whoooosh!

I forcibly steadied my mind and rotated the Ring of Flames. The three rings encircling my heart began to spin with ferocious intensity.

[The Ring of Flames (3-Star) significantly reduces impact damage to body and spirit.]

My prediction was correct.

The Ring of Flames was a cultivation method that nurtured and protected both body and spirit. It proved effective even when enduring external stimuli that invaded from without.

The ring of fire spun rapidly, breathing vitality into both spirit and body. The embers of emotion that had threatened to burst into flame began to subside.

Goooooh!

As the mental fortitude I’d cultivated in my past life harmonized with the ring of fire and my water-attribute resistance, the pain and stimulation that Wrath inflicted grew far more bearable.

-W-what in blazes are you…?

Shock permeated Wrath’s voice.

Whoooosh.

The frigid flames he conjured grew progressively weaker. It seemed he could not cling to me unless I surrendered to rage.

-How could a mere child possibly—!

“I’m human, yes. But I’m hardly a child.”

I answered calmly, pushing back the waning chill that surrounded me.

-This… this is impossible! It cannot be!

Wrath tore himself from my body with a violent shriek. His eyes trembled like those of a frightened colt.

-No matter how recently I awakened, I cannot be losing to a mere human!

“Hah…”

Raon exhaled lightly and glared at Wrath. His flames flickered like a candle before the wind.

“My vengeance is mine alone to claim. I won’t entrust myself to some petty spirit.”

-Petty spirit? You dare call the Lord of the Demon Realm a petty spirit!

“A lord who can’t handle one man? Are all the lords of the Demon Realm dead?”

-You truly….

Wrath expanded his flames once more, but they were merely larger in size. The intensity of the cold fire had diminished significantly compared to before.

‘He said he’d just awakened.’

It seemed he hadn’t yet regained his full power, whether from having just woken or from his seal being recently broken.

Whoosh!

As I swept my hand roughly, Wrath’s flames scattered like paper, dispersing into the air.

Crack!

A grinding sound echoed from within the blue flames.

-This is impossible. How are you controlling your emotions like this!

“There’s no need to explain. Just disappear.”

-You’ve taken this king’s power, and now you tell me to leave!

Wrath glared at me with eyes brimming with fury.

-Besides, I’ve already made my choice. I can’t separate from you even if I wanted to, not until you die! Gasp!

I threw a punch at the muttering Wrath. The flames scattered, but there was no impact. It felt like striking empty air.

“Then….”

I drew mana and concentrated it at my fingertips. The quality was far inferior to refined aura, but it was better than nothing.

Whoosh!

I slashed Wrath with a mana-infused hand blade, but he revived like a candle flame that had endured the wind.

-What, what are you doing?!

“Tsk, this doesn’t work either.”

Wrath was incorporeal like a spirit, lacking any physical substance. At this rate, even using aura wouldn’t make him disappear.

‘Come to think of it….’

Despite Wrath’s overwhelming aura radiating around me, the knights guarding the Annex Building hadn’t appeared.

It seemed he was visible and perceptible only to me.

“How do I make it disappear?”

-Surrender your body to me. Then….

“That’s insane.”

As I let out a scoff, a message materialized before me.

Ding!

[An additional ability has been unlocked.]

“An additional ability?”

I immediately summoned my status window.

【Status Window】

Name: Raon Zigheart.

Title: None.

Condition: Curse of Bitter Cold (Eight Strands), Poor Constitution, Reduced Physical Ability, Reduced Mana Sensitivity.

Traits: Wrath, Ring of Fire (3-Star), Water Attribute Resistance (3-Star)

The question mark that had occupied the first position among my traits had transformed into Wrath.

But that wasn’t what mattered. New information had appeared below the status window.

Strength: 13

Agility: 13

Stamina: 12

Vitality: 12

Perception: 40

Abilities like strength and agility were displayed as numerical values.

-I, I can’t believe the status window actually transferred!

Frost spread from Wrath’s lips. He muttered that he could only see a silhouette-like form, unable to discern the status window’s contents.

“What are this status window and these messages?”

-…This is a system I created.

“A system? For what purpose?”

-I have no reason to tell you.

“Accelerated growth?”

-H, how did you….

“As expected.”

Not even an automatic reflex—he reacted immediately to my probing. Wrath lived up to his name, unable to conceal his emotions.

‘Everything is proceeding as anticipated.’

Raon nodded. He’d found it strange that the Ring of Fire’s effect was superior to his previous life, but it was clearly thanks to this system.

-Hand it over. Your body or my power—give it to me!

Wrath had begun throwing a tantrum. It felt like watching a child sitting atop an enormous throne.

“I don’t know how to give it, and I have no intention of handing it over.”

I’d gained the ability to move faster and climb higher—there was no reason to return it to a madman who’d tried to steal my body.

-It’s not even yours!

“And you weren’t trying to take my body, which isn’t yours either?”

-I, I was merely listening to your desires….

“I do want revenge, but that’s something I must accomplish with my own hands. There’s no meaning in handing my body over to someone I don’t even understand.”

-Ugh….

Having nothing to say, Wrath could only grind his teeth and fell silent.

“Leave now.”

I ended the conversation and turned away.

-I can’t leave. I won’t separate until you return my power!

Wrath let out a roar and lunged at me. Bracing myself to endure whatever came, I clenched my fist—but his body blazed with azure light.

Whoooosh.

Blue flames cascaded like water, coiling around my wrist. I had steeled myself for pain, yet felt nothing.

Hummmmm.

As the blue flames enveloping my wrist faded, a bracelet materialized in their place—a delicate floral bracelet carved from ice itself.

-I shall remain here until the very breath leaves your body!

Wrath cackled, dangling the flower hanging from the bracelet.

-My seal has only recently been broken, but soon my true power shall return. When that day comes, there is nothing you can do to stop me.

“We’ll see about that.”

I tried to remove the bracelet, but just as when I had touched the flames, my hand passed through it harmlessly, scattering it into wisps.

-Hmm….

Yet the impact was not entirely absent—each time I grasped at it, the bracelet trembled violently, and Wrath’s voice faltered.

-Grrgh, it’s useless! I shall never detach!

“Let’s find out.”

I scratched the bracelet, yanked at it, rubbed it against the wall, and trampled it, but Wrath refused to disappear. This demon was just as stubborn as they came.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue. Just as he’d said, the flower bracelet wouldn’t vanish no matter what I did to it.

‘I do want to remove it.’

But leaving it alone seemed like the better choice.

If I forcibly tore it off, the system itself might disappear, and there was a real possibility that this demon Wrath could transfer to Sylvia or Helen instead.

Better to keep him close at hand than let him scheme from the shadows—the saying went that friends should be near and enemies even nearer, after all.

I decided to place my faith in my endlessly growing Ring of Fire and my water-attribute resistance, and resolved to control Wrath directly myself.

“If you won’t come off, then at least change into something else. A flower bracelet doesn’t suit me at all.”

I frowned. I could understand a skull, at least, but I hated the idea of walking around wearing this ridiculous flower bracelet.

-It’s a matter of taste. Respect it.

“Hah….”

A wild boar of a demon with a taste for flower bracelets—it was utterly absurd.

-This King has never released prey once I’ve set my sights on it. Your body and soul will eventually belong to me.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop complaining.”

-Tch! You brat!

I blocked out the noise and lay down on the bed. Wrath whined, but I ignored him.

‘But if Wrath, the system’s master, doesn’t know about my reincarnation, then who brought me back to life?’

I closed my eyes, muttering over this new question.

*

*

*

Grind, grind.

Wrath glared at me with my eyes closed, grinding his teeth.

‘How can such a human exist?’

Even if he couldn’t use his full power, he never expected a human who could block his possession to exist. And a mere child who couldn’t be more than ten years old at that.

‘It doesn’t make sense….’

Though it was a different era from now, he had witnessed countless humans. Heroes who built nations with their swords, villains who struck terror across the Continent.

But I’ve never encountered a human like this before. An irritation welled up within me, as though I were facing ‘that one’ all over again.

—Wait for it. The day my power returns. I will grind your soul to dust and devour it.

Wrath could not contain the seething fury that boiled within him, and his voice emerged rough and jagged.

“That won’t happen. Wake up.”

The young human waved his hand dismissively, as though swatting away a fly.

—I will never give up….

“I said no.”

—————

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

—————