The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 919

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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 919

“….”

I narrowed my eyes as I observed Karun entering through the entrance.

‘There are no Central Intelligence Agency inspectors.’

Karun appeared to have experienced something similar—the Central Intelligence Agency inspectors were nowhere to be seen. It seemed he was climbing the tower alone as well.

“So the Gale Wind Hall Master also left the others behind.”

Karun nodded briefly as he glanced at Jeina and the mages standing behind him.

“What happened?”

He tilted his chin, gesturing for me to recount what had transpired. It seemed he was curious about the situation, especially since Burren was nowhere to be seen.

“There was a floor that perfectly recreated the situation in Montiro. In that place….”

I gave Karun a brief explanation of everything that had happened so far.

“I entrusted it to them….”

Karun met my gaze, then pressed his lips together.

“It’s similar. We also had a floor where we had to enter each chamber and hunt down monsters. I left that to my subordinates and came up alone.”

He lowered his chin heavily, indicating that he too had entrusted his rear guard to his subordinates.

“What happened to Morel?”

Jeina clasped her hands together as she spoke Morel Kazan’s name.

“He took on the next floor. He’s a man more trustworthy than he appears.”

Karun rested his hand on his sword, noting that he had saved time thanks to Morel Kazan.

“You need not worry about the one who will lead everyone up to this place.”

He nodded toward Jeina, his trust in Morel Kazan evident.

“Ah, I see.”

Jeina released a relieved sigh, her anxiety eased by Karun’s certainty.

“But this place….”

Karun’s eyes narrowed as he surveyed the two entrances, the Sparring Arena at the center, and the exit affixed to the opposite wall.

“Hmm, now I understand why the Gale Wind Hall Master said he had such a vile temperament.”

He too seemed to have grasped the purpose of this layer, his brows furrowing.

“Yes. It appears that only one of the people emerging from the two entrances can ascend further.”

I clicked my tongue, calling the place sordid.

“Just as I thought.”

As Karun gazed at the Sparring Arena with irritation, an eerie sound like scraping metal echoed through the chamber.

[Only one entrance connects to the exit.]

It seemed a message from the Layer Master who governed this floor. As expected, he had no intention of allowing everyone to ascend.

“Have you tried destroying the walls and doors?”

Karun, seemingly indifferent to the Layer Master’s message, immediately posed the question to me.

“Yes. I struck them with full force, but they wouldn’t break.”

I exhaled a short breath and shook my head.

“They appear to be using condensed magical energy and artifacts, similar to the Dark Tower’s outer walls.”

My current combat power was arguably the strongest I had ever possessed. The fact that even with such condensed magical energy, I couldn’t leave a single mark suggested they were definitely employing a special artifact.

“I see.”

Karun slowly raised his sword and struck the exit leading to the next floor.

A deafening roar erupted.

An enormous shockwave exploded as if drawing upon the realm of transcendence itself, yet the door and walls bore not even the smallest scratch.

“Just as you said.”

Karun lowered his hand calmly, as though he had anticipated this outcome.

“Was there never a layer master here to begin with?”

He turned his gaze around the surroundings, now searching for the layer master.

“Yes. It appears to be hiding.”

I shook my head, noting that I couldn’t detect even a trace of its presence.

-The demonic energy is raging so wildly that even I find it difficult to locate, the True Demon King grumbled.

Wrath furrowed his brow, displeased with this space.

-However, it is certain that it watches over you.

I turned my eyes, sensing someone’s gaze upon us.

‘That would make sense.’

Every demon I had encountered thus far, despite their intent to buy time, had constantly sent piercing stares, seeking an opportunity to end my life.

“The layer masters have been willing to damage their own unique domains to block our path. It seems the Black Tower Master is preparing a weapon for reversal.”

Karun gazed upward at the ceiling, suggesting it would be best to ascend as quickly as possible.

“….”

I ran my eyes over Karun, who was enveloped in a serene sword energy, and licked my lips.

‘Is this person really Karun Zigheart?’

It was a question I’d harbored since the moment Karun first set foot on this layer. He could be the real Karun, but there was also the possibility that a Demon had assumed his form.

“Central Martial Hall Master.”

I gazed at Karun and placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

“May I ask you something?”
“…You’re doubting me?”

Karun turned his gaze away without any change in his expression, despite having read my thoughts.

“That’s not a bad judgment. Very well.”

Rather than growing angry, he actually approved and nodded.

‘A question that would disconcert him. Difficult to answer, yet one where I can discern the truth.’

After recalling a question that would unsettle Karun, I slowly parted my lips.

“Do you love Burren?”

To apply stronger pressure, I called him by his name rather than his title, and asked about his affection for Burren. It was a question I would never have asked before, but witnessing Karun’s behavior today had given me certainty.

“Hmm….”

Karun’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected a question about Burren.

“Answer me.”

I drew the Heavenly Sword, as if to say I would strike him down if he refused to answer.

“That question can only be answered differently depending on the time. But if you’re asking now….”

Karun’s eyes sharpened as if he’d made a decision in his heart, and he looked at me again.

“I love him. As much as I love the Zigheart.”

He nodded, saying he loved Zigheart and Burren—the two he cherished most—equally.

—Huh?!

Wrath stared at Karun with his mouth agape.

—That bastard’s a fake! Father’s eyes could never look like that!
‘No, he’s real.’

I smacked my lips briefly.

‘As he said himself, that man has changed a great deal.’

Karun had ascended to transcendence thanks to his genuine remorse for his past, when jealousy and greed had blinded him.

Now he spent entire nights training alongside Burren, and just moments ago, he had congratulated everyone present on Burren’s ascension to Grand Master. The current Karun would naturally offer such an affectionate response.

“May I ask a question as well?”

Karun tilted his chin with a cold gaze.

“Please do.”

I nodded without hesitation. It was only natural that Karun would have his own doubts about me, so receiving a question was expected.

“If you were to become the Head of House Zigheart, what would you do?”
“Head of House Zigheart….”

My eyes narrowed deeply. I hadn’t anticipated a question about the Head of House, so my mind went blank for a moment.

However, through previous conversations with Glen and Rimer, I had already recalled what I truly desired.

“Rather than elevating Zigheart to the highest position, I wish to make it a place where the people of the family can find happiness.”

I raised my gaze as I spoke, saying I wanted to give the family members comfortable and happy lives rather than become the strongest among the Five Emperors Five Demons.

“That’s a very you answer.”

Karun nodded calmly, and as he erased the coldness from his eyes and drew a small smile, it seemed my answer had been well-received.

“Shall we begin?”

He raised his sword toward me, saying there was no time for further conversation.

“Yes. I will fight with my full strength.”

I emphasized the words “full strength” and leveled the Heavenly Sword toward Karun’s neck.

“You’re… really going to fight…?”

Jeina shook her head in disbelief.

“There’s no other way.”
“Please step back.”

Karun and I, our blades locked, both told Jeina to withdraw.

“Ah…”

The moment Jeina descended from the Sparring Arena, overwhelmed by the transcendents’ overwhelming auras, Karun and I simultaneously kicked off the ground.

Clang!

Our eyes were identical crimson, yet we unleashed red and blue auras as our blades descended toward each other’s necks.

Crash!

The full-powered sword strikes of two transcendents collided, shaving away the Sparring Arena and sending tremors through the entire Dark Tower.

Crackle!

I twisted my expression as I watched Karun advance, cutting through the Manhwa Palace’s aura.

‘He’s serious.’

Karun was truly unleashing blade strikes thick with killing intent, as if determined to end my life. Had I been careless for even a moment, my neck would have been torn away on that first strike.

‘That’s right. This is the best option now.’

I nodded and amplified the flames of Manhwagong, incinerating Karun’s aura with the intense inferno.

“Hmph!”

Karun condensed his blue aura as expected, forging a blade that could even sever the flames themselves. As I watched Manhwagong’s aura being sliced apart, a chill ran down my spine.

‘The heart.’

I deflected Karun’s blade aimed at my heart and bit my lip.

‘His strikes are precise and devastating. But what’s truly dangerous is that elegant swordsmanship.’

Karun had honed the orthodox strike, the swift strike, and the crushing strike to their absolute limits, then placed them upon the platter of elegance. Elegance was normally a value recognized only in sword forms rather than actual combat, but as it transcended, it had created a power unlike any other swordsmanship.

Clang clang clang clang!

Karun was overcoming my superior physique and aura with elegant sword strikes. An unnecessary value he’d possessed since childhood had ascended to transcendence, granting his master extraordinary power—truly, the world of martial arts was profound.

‘I cannot yield here.’

I unleashed the Crimson Thirty-Six Strikes against Karun, who defended like an iron fortress against every blade.

“That swordsmanship.”

Karun, as if he already knew, drew a semicircle with his blue-gleaming blade, creating a sword path to block the thirty-six simultaneous strikes from all directions.

Clang clang clang clang clang!

The red and blue sword lights collided endlessly, and hundreds of sparks erupted simultaneously across the Sparring Arena.

Screeeech!

Raon unleashed a grand sword strike as if to end it all this time, with a crimson sky dwelling within it, while Karun infused the blade of his sword with the Hegemon’s energy, attempting to erase everything that existed before his eyes.

Boom!

A collision of forces. The tremendous wave of aura forced Jeina and Valcar’s mages to their knees, unable to open their eyes properly.

Thud thud!

Raon and Karun entered the space where sparks erupted in succession, swinging their blades toward each other.

Screech!

Karun’s shoulder split under Raon’s blade strike, and crimson blood sprayed forth.

Crash!

This time, Karun’s blade carved through Raon’s waist, tearing flesh and blood.

The two of them fought not as comrades but as mortal enemies, their killing intent growing thicker with each passing moment as they thrust their blades toward each other’s hearts.

Clang!

*

*

*

As Raon and Karun exchanged fierce blows, severing each other’s breathing, a single transparent eye materialized above their heads.

It was the detection magic of Treive, the supreme layer master who dominated the upper floors.

‘They’re fighting far more seriously than I expected.’

Treive curled his lips as he observed Raon and Karun targeting only each other’s vital points.

‘Their power consumption is immense, and their injuries are worsening.’

Normally, transcendents could draw mana from the atmosphere and fight for an entire day, but this upper floor of the Dark Tower was saturated with demonic energy rather than mana, so the power they expended could not be recovered in a short span of time.

On top of that, due to the bleeding flowing from numerous wounds, Raon and Karun’s complexions were gradually turning pale. Considering when they first came to the Facility, it was no exaggeration to say that the two of them’s combat power had been halved.

‘An opportunity.’

Originally, this floor was his exclusive domain, but the power of the artifact granted by the Black Tower Master had transformed it into a shared space. In reality, even if one of them survived, they could only ascend if they received his permission or if he died.

Initially, he had planned to send the survivor upward and ambush them from behind, but now it seemed he could kill both of them himself.

‘If I kill two Transcendents here…’

I might surpass the Sub-Tower Masters.

The current state of the Dark Tower was extraordinary. If I simultaneously killed two Transcendents in this space where demonic energy swirled endlessly, I would definitely ascend to transcendence—at a level surpassing the current Sub-Tower Masters.

‘No, no!’

Treive slowly shook his head.

‘If I break through here, it’s dangerous.’

Above this layer were the Sub-Tower Masters, and directly above them was the Top Layer where the Black Tower Master resided. If this place was breached because of my greed, I would suffer even in death, so I had to endure.

‘But an opportunity like this won’t come again easily…’

Because of the thick demonic energy, greed continued to gnaw at my mind.

‘Then when a good opportunity comes…’

I resolved to strike only when those two were truly trying to kill each other, not just performing, and subtly drew up my demonic energy.

Splash!

As the fight reached its peak, blood burst from near Raon’s collarbone, and black blood dripped from Karun’s mouth.

“Sword Realm Manifestation.”
“Sword Realm Manifestation!”

Raon and Karun chanted Sword Realm Manifestation as if determined to see this through to the end, raising their swords. The aura of both began to surge dramatically, powerful enough to push back the demonic energy.

‘Now!’

Treive burned the demonic energy he had condensed and revealed himself from the darkness where he had been hiding. It was such a perfect opportunity that the Black Tower Master’s orders had already vanished from his mind.

‘This is the only moment!’

The moment they faced each other while using Sword Realm Manifestation, they would inevitably be vulnerable to an attack from behind. Moreover, if I killed those two now while their aura was at its peak, the benefits I would gain would be equally immense.

Whoooooosh!

The moment Raon and Karun’s blades shone, Treive detonated the demonic energy he’d condensed behind their backs. It was impossible for even a transcendent to endure this moment.

Just as he was about to split his mouth wide with the thought that he’d ascended to transcendence, their eyes suddenly turned toward him. Contrary to his expectations, their gaze was far too serene.

‘What…?’

The moment Raon and Karun’s eyes met his, his body refused to move. The demonic energy that was supposed to explode scattered in fragments, and the world he’d been seeing was torn cleanly in half.

“What… what is…?”

Treive felt the strength drain from his hands and his thoughts dissolve as he tumbled backward.

“Gahhhhhhh!”

Excruciating pain followed in its wake. When he looked down, both his arms and legs had been severed.

“How… how is this possible…?”
“Your greed was excessive.”

I wiped the blood flowing from my mouth and shook my head.

“Of course, no fool would miss the chance to capture two transcendents.”

I let out a scornful laugh, my eyes gleaming with intellectual clarity as though I’d read everything.

“You… you knew I would come out?”

Treive shook his head, his jaw trembling.

“I’ve seen enough of what you’re capable of. You wanted to hide and buy time, but you couldn’t abandon your desire to grow stronger as a Demon King.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“That greed was your fatal mistake.”

Karun nodded calmly.

“Damn it all!”

As Treive cursed and began to sink toward the ground, blood erupted from his neck, and his head fell away.

“Ahhh….”

The Demon who had harbored dreams of transcendence, buried beneath that very ambition, breathed his last—and the door to the next layer opened.

“Are you alright?”

I approached Karun and handed him a healing potion and holy water. Though he bore deep wounds, none had struck vital points, so recovery would come swiftly.

“We were thinking the same thing.”

Karun narrowed his eyes, acknowledging that we shared the same intention.

“The hint about full power helped.”

I smiled gently and nodded.

“But you came in a bit too hard.”

I gestured toward the wound on my chest and clicked my tongue.

“…I thought you could endure it.”

Karun lowered his hand, as if to say he had faith in me.

“…I suppose so.”

I let out a soft laugh and gestured for us to ascend to the next layer.

“There’s not much left now. Two more layers, and we should reach the Top Layer.”

I spoke of fighting together from here on and stepped onto the staircase.

“Yes. Let’s go up.”

Karun poured holy water over the wounds on his abdomen and waist, then gazed at my back as I climbed the stairs. His gaze was quiet and gentle.

‘Someday, there will come a time when I fight with true conviction. But…’

Karun gazed at his own hand, his eyes narrowing with displeasure.

‘Why did I go overboard like that?’

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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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