The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 880
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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 880
I bit my lip as I stared at the dimension split black with cracks.
‘Wrath was right….’
A colossal presence that forced one to kneel and constricted the chest. The Balrog standing within that dimension possessed an aura that rivaled any of the Demon Lords I had encountered thus far.
[It seems I came to retrieve you from the trap set for me, only to find I’m already too late.]
A dull voice echoed from within the dimension that rippled with darkness. Despite the emotionless tone, my heart sank with a heavy thud.
Yet hearing those words, it appeared that the Black Tower’s true target from the beginning was not the Balrog I had killed, but Ascara, the Balrog’s king.
[Was it you who sought to draw me out?]
Ascara’s gaze, gleaming with crimson light, turned toward my eyes. A pain as if my eyeballs were being seared upon a hot iron plate washed over me.
‘His strength aside, his temperament differs from other Demon Lords.’
Unlike the other Demon Lords, Ascara unleashed his formidable aura without restraint.
Merely standing before him was rapidly depleting my mental fortitude.
“….”
I remained silent, my expression composed and serene.
Thanks to the Mirror of Clarity, I could maintain my composure even within the tempestuous storm of overwhelming energy that Ascara unleashed.
-What are you thinking?
Wrath furrowed his brow, finding my behavior strange.
-In the past, you would have mocked me by imitating the True Demon King.
‘This time is too dangerous.’
I answered him while calming my rapidly racing heart.
‘I need to think carefully about this.’
That creature wasn’t a Demon Lord.
Ascara had the opportunity to sit upon the Jade Throne of the Demon Lords, yet he was an eccentric who abandoned that position to live fighting.
If I acted out Wrath’s persona as I had with the other Demon Lords, he might immediately tear through this dimension and wring my neck, so I needed to hold my tongue for now.
-In any case, that bastard’s mind works in remarkably unconventional ways.
Wrath clicked his tongue as if it was a shame.
-That’s right. If you had acted as the True Demon King, that Togui would have burst out immediately and attacked you. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to use his full power.
He snorted, saying he was like a loach.
‘Did you fight him too?’
-Indeed. He attacked me without hesitation the moment we met.
Wrath’s eyes narrowed as if recalling old memories.
‘Did you win?’
-Of course I did!
Wrath frowned as if questioning why I would ask something so obvious.
-I froze that Togui bastard and threw him into the Deep Sea of the Demon Realm. He was so damnably durable that he eventually climbed back out.
He shook his head, calling it a terrifying physique.
‘So you didn’t kill him.’
-He somewhat pleased me. There aren’t many like him even in the Demon Realm.
Wrath chuckled, appreciating the audacity of one who would abandon a lord’s throne.
‘I see….’
I let out a short breath. Hearing Wrath’s words made it all the more certain.
Ascara, the King of Balrogs, was exactly the battle-crazed monster I had thought him to be.
‘Then I should just stay still and do nothing.’
Even if I were a transcendent being, I fell far short of satisfying that Togui’s eyes.
Since there was no sign of vengeance toward his own kind, there was a high probability he would simply withdraw if I remained quiet.
[So you won’t answer. Well, fine. I have no interest in battles already decided… Hmm?]
Ascara, who had been turning his body as if to leave, drew in a sharp breath.
His crimson eyes froze upon the silver chill rising above Balrog’s corpse.
[The platinum aurora… Could it be Glacial?]
Ascara’s eyes blazed a vivid crimson as the aura he radiated suddenly intensified.
[Wrath? Is that you!]
His voice overflowed with joy and delight. It felt as though my ears might burst from the sheer force of it.
‘This is bad…’
I bit the inside of my lip deeply.
‘He recognized Glacial.’
It seemed he had identified Glacial and the platinum aurora from his experience fighting Wrath.
This was the worst possible situation—like a hornet’s nest flying straight at me of its own accord.
-Hoho?
Wrath’s blue eyes began to gleam.
-At last, an opportunity has come for the True Demon King!
He licked his lips as if anticipating what was to come.
-That Togui bastard won’t listen to reason! If he bursts out like this, the True Demon King will have no choice but to face him directly!
Wrath said he was now at full strength and snapped his fingers.
-Surrender that body to the True Demon King at once!
‘He’s missing.’
I swatted away Wrath as he approached with his tail swishing, exhaling heavily.
‘The situation has changed far too much.’
A single misspoken word would mean not only my death, but the death of everyone present here. Cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck from the tension.
‘Think. As quickly as possible.’
I blended Wrath’s descriptions of Ascara’s personality with my accumulated experiences, sketching and erasing countless scenarios in my mind.
After selecting the most promising answer from hundreds of possibilities, I nodded.
[Wrath! Answer me!]
Ascara unleashed a ferocious aura as if he would tear through the dimension itself if he didn’t receive a response. My fingers trembled, and my hair stood on end.
“Sigh, what a troublesome fellow.”
I mimicked Wrath’s manner of speech and let out a short sigh.
From hearing Wrath’s chatter so often, I had naturally begun to adopt a similar tone without even trying.
[So it really was you! Wrath!]
Ascara nodded vigorously as if he had known all along.
[There’s no other Demon Race who uses such cold energy!]
His eyes sparkled with the fervor of someone meeting a beloved, burning with passion.
-Ehehehehehe!
Wrath burst into laughter watching the trembling Ascara.
-Acting as the True Demon King, I made a mistake in my haste! Now there’s no stopping that bastard!
He rubbed his plump hands together, muttering that Ascara would burst out any moment now.
‘It wasn’t a mistake—I wanted to break through, just as you said.’
-Huh? W-what do you mean…?
Wrath’s eyes widened in confusion at my words.
‘Of course, not without reason.’
I shook my head briefly and gazed down at the dimension where Ascara stood.
[Yes. That aura. That energy signature—only the Lord of Wrath could possess it! But…]
Ascara’s crimson eyes narrowed to slits.
[Why have you grown so weak! Using a decisive technique against such a creature!]
As he stamped his foot in disappointment, the shockwave reverberated through this Underground Space beyond the dimension. It was an overwhelming force and momentum that transcended dimensional interference.
“Still spouting nonsense, I see.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“Does this weakened body seem like the True Demon King’s?”
[Then…?]
“My subordinates were in danger, so I merely lent them a hand for a moment.”
I explained that I had sent only a spiritual form imbued with minimal power, and waved my hand dismissively.
“Even if I exhausted myself tearing through the dimension so abruptly, obliterating a foolish Balrog would be child’s play.”
I spoke casually and crushed the frozen Balrog’s corpse beneath my foot, pulverizing it.
[A spiritual form that forcefully tore through dimensions, and that’s all?]
Ascara let out an incredulous laugh.
“There is nothing impossible for the True Demon King.”
I lifted my chin with an arrogant gaze, as if asking whether he could do the same.
[How entertaining!]
Ascara cried out in delight, clashing his two fists together. The violent shockwave sent the black dimension undulating like ocean waves.
[Fighting in such a manner has its own unique flavor.]
Without hesitation, he grasped the space with both hands and tore it apart left and right.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
A pristine white arm, flawless and unblemished, burst forth from the fractured space.
Ascara, with slender fingers that seemed incongruous with his overwhelming aura, ignited black flames and let them cascade down upon Balrog’s corpse.
Boom!
Balrog’s body, engulfed in the black flames, rose into the air of its own accord, rapidly regenerating the torn flesh and shattered bone. A recovery that surpassed even that of trolls—it was like watching the Phoenix rise from the ashes once more.
Rumble!
Balrog, resurrected by the black flames, stood on his own feet and clenched both fists.
In his now-opened eyes burned the same formidable radiance that Ascara had displayed.
“How is this?”
Balrog’s voice carried immense weight—it was Ascara’s voice emanating from within the black dimension.
“With this, our conditions should be roughly equal, yes?”
He spoke of fighting in this state, raising his aura now tainted black. Behind him, it seemed as though black lava churned and roiled.
-You fool! That Togui bastard doesn’t listen to reason!
Wrath bellowed in protest.
-Even if you defeat Ascara in this state, he’ll immediately push forward with his true body.
He urged me to handle this quickly and surrender my body to him.
‘Just wait and watch.’
I gestured for Wrath to fall back and smacked my lips.
‘Things are proceeding as planned, at least.’
Ascara wasn’t using his true body—he was inhabiting the corpse of the dead Balrog, and crossing dimensions by force had consumed considerable power.
With his strength diminished across two stages, I could at least hold my ground now.
‘The problem is that I’ll need to use the sword.’
Of course, I’d already accounted for that, so I cast out my final bait.
“Even your avatar is weak.”
I clicked my tongue regretfully.
“I won’t even need to use the True Demon King’s power.”
I tilted my chin to the side, saying I’d fight using only my subordinate’s strength.
“Yes. Wrath, that arrogance suits you well. However….”
Ascara’s lips split into a long grin as he ignited black flames.
“This time will be different!”
He vanished, leaving only afterimages of black fire, then reappeared above my right side.
‘Fast.’
As befitted the Balrog King, Ascara wielded the stolen body’s power with far greater mastery than the Balrog I’d slain moments before.
Despite using less demonic energy, his movements were swifter and more exquisite.
‘Then….’
I drove the Heavenly Sword and Soul Reaper Sword into the ground.
Sword Realm Incarnation Divine Demon Harmony Union.
I drew the divine and demonic blades and thrust them toward Ascara’s fist as he surged forward with black flames.
Claaaaaang!
Fist and blade collided, yet the impact erupted with a deafening roar as though colossal ingots of metal had crashed together, sending powerful tremors throughout the entire Underground Space.
“A sword?”
Ascara’s eyes narrowed with utter disbelief.
“You truly believe you can overcome me with a mere sword?”
“What’s so special about a sword? It’s nothing but a tool to swing around.”
I uttered words no swordsman could speak while maintaining my guise as Wrath, letting a mocking laugh escape my lips.
“Even if you are who you claim, I cannot accept such words.”
Ascara furrowed his brow deeply and extended his hand into the void.
“Emerge. Bastar!”
His cry tore through dimensions, splitting open a darkened space.
From the depths of Hell, where scarlet lava churned and boiled, a massive black greatsword materialized as though honed from darkness itself.
The black greatsword radiated an oppressive heat as if it contained hellfire, causing the air throughout the entire Underground Space to roil and surge.
-He’s made his resolve.
Wrath’s lips twisted as he gazed upon the sword named Bastar.
-His body is false, but that blade is genuine.
He furrowed his nose, acknowledging that this sword was Ascara’s true weapon.
“I shall tear you asunder with a single stroke, so you’ll never again dare speak such contempt of the blade!”
Ascara roared that he would force me to exert my full power, bringing Bastar down in a devastating strike.
Black flames stretched endlessly, engulfing the entire Underground Space. It felt as though the entire world was being buried beneath ash.
“….”
I bit my lip as I watched the storm of black flames rushing toward me.
‘This is the only chance I’ll ever have to defeat Balrog’s king.’
No matter how much Ascara had restrained his power, the fundamental gap in our realms was too vast. Victory was only possible now, while he remained careless.
Boom!
I sent Rimer’s sword soaring behind my back and advanced toward Ascara’s black flames.
Whoooooosh!
There was only one way to block the black flame sword pushing forward with such overwhelming force—I awakened Manhwagong and Glacia to their utmost potential.
Divine Demon Harmony Chain Technique.
Azure-Crimson Undefeated Sword.
The black flames infused with Ascara’s fighting spirit collided with the azure-crimson aura, unleashing a catastrophic shockwave.
The lava that had filled the battlefield evaporated into misty smoke, and the solid underground walls and ceiling crumbled like earth being gouged out.
If not for the rifts created when Ascara tore through dimensions, everything would have collapsed long ago.
“So you dared mock the sword with merely this much?”
Ascara twisted his lips dismissively, pouring even denser fighting spirit into his black greatsword.
Crackle crackle crackle!
Black waves surged forward, erasing the azure-crimson light. Both the divine and demonic blades seemed on the verge of shattering under such overwhelming force.
“Still relying on brute force, I see. Then let me show you what comes next.”
Raon forced a smile and unfolded a spatial sword with Rimer’s sword that he had positioned behind his back.
After moving the sword blade right in front of Ascara’s face, he drew out his final weapon.
The Sword Realm’s divine manifestation. A new beginning.
A golden radiance announcing a new beginning rises above the sword of a leaf that has burst through space.
Since ancient times, the harmony of Cheonghongmujeok and Gaebyeok that I had only imagined in my mind. A new sword path was drawn as golden radiance blended with the red and blue pigments of Water.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Ascara’s black flames split apart, and the massive black sword was sent flying. Three blades simultaneously pierced through the exposed gap in his chest.
A deafening boom echoed through the space.
Since Ascara was merely a fragment and not his true form, he couldn’t withstand Raon’s transcendent sword strike, crashing into the hardened lava-covered battlefield.
“Cough!”
He had exhausted all the energy he’d poured into this fragment, unable to move even a finger as he exhaled a turbid breath.
“When… when did you learn the sword…?”
“Learn?”
I shook my head calmly, suppressing the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm me.
“I never learned it.”
“Impossible! Your sword clearly carried a distinct will!”
“I merely…”
A faint smile crossed my lips as I lowered my hand.
“Mimicked what the True Demon King’s subordinate experienced.”
Wrath had once spoken of observing the path he’d walked through countless battles and creating the Demonic Incarnation based on those observations.
It was entirely plausible, so I tilted my chin with a hint of arrogance.
“Kahahaha!”
Ascara burst into wild laughter, clutching his head.
“As expected of the Lord of Wrath! In the Demon Realm, only you and those three can satisfy me!”
He rose to his feet, emanating an even denser aura of power.
“Let us begin anew! This time, both of us at full strength!”
The Balrog’s body, which had been housing Ascara’s soul, crumbled, and the dimension warped once more. He seemed intent on tearing through the dimensional barrier with his true form.
“No.”
I snorted and shook my head.
“I don’t fight weaklings.”
Saying it was no fun, I sheathed my sword.
“Don’t spout nonsense! No matter who you are, you can’t call the true me weak!”
Ascara stomped his feet, demanding we fight immediately.
“Reveal your true form! If you don’t, I’ll kill you as you are!”
He raised his hand wreathed in flames, his sincerity unmistakable.
“So be it.”
I nodded with my arms spread wide.
“The True Demon King does not go back on his word.”
I told him to do as he wished and closed my eyes.
“Ugh….”
Ascara felt the sincerity in my words and froze in place, unable to extend his hand any further.
-What, what is this?
Wrath blinked rapidly.
-This can’t be right! Ascara! You idiot! Attack him now!
He shook his massive head left and right, bewildered by the turn of events.
‘Why, you ask.’
I smiled faintly, watching the confused Ascara and Wrath.
‘It’s unfolding exactly as I intended.’
As he spoke, he snapped his fingers lightly.
‘Go ahead and greet him.’
-Greet him? What kind of greeting!
‘A welcoming greeting for our new sucker.’
The moment Raon’s laughter rang out, Wrath’s face shriveled like a withered leaf.
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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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