The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 94

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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 94

“Gah!”

Rayden clutched his face and staggered backward. His tied-back hair came loose, strands whipping wildly about his head like a madman’s.

“Ugh….”

A groan escaped me from the excruciating pain.

I still couldn’t comprehend what had happened. How had he gotten his blade to my throat? Why did my face hurt so much? Nothing made sense.

“What did you just do to me!”

Rayden ground his teeth and lifted his head. Raon stood motionless in place, regarding me calmly.

“Simple. I dodged your sword and struck your face.”

He answered with the same tranquility one might use while eating.

“How could you possibly….”
“That was the first one.”

Raon raised his index finger as he spoke, his answer bearing no relation to the question.

“What?”
“I said you’d die eight times today. This one doesn’t count—it’s payment for the lie about sending a letter without actually sending it.”
“You bastard….”

Rayden’s eyes widened so fiercely they seemed ready to tear. He wanted nothing more than to rip Raon’s limbs from his body.

“Eight times? Stop spouting nonsense! You’ll spend the rest of your life regretting that you didn’t finish this duel!”

Rayden roared and brought his consecutive strikes down in a fury.

Crash!

A blade infused with aura swept forward like a typhoon, its destructive force consuming everything in its path. It was the Radiant Gale of the Crystalline Blade.

Crack, crack, crack!

The blade undulated like a kraken’s tentacle, but Raon evaded the cascading sword energy by executing the Garambo Technique in rapid succession.

‘Where do you think you’re going!’

Rayden clenched his fist and swept the blade in a wide arc. The sword energy coalescing along the blade rippled like waves, beginning to block Raon’s path forward.

‘I can’t afford to try capturing him in one go.’

I still don’t know exactly what happened. I cannot afford to be careless. I must pressure him like cornering an insect in a room—methodically, without haste.

I utilized not just my wrist, but my elbow and shoulder as well, employing the full length of the blade’s edge.

From Raon’s perspective, it would feel as though he were staring at a wall constructed entirely of blade and sword energy.

“Accept this strike!”

Rayden unleashed the tenth form of the Crystalline Blade—the Shattering Wall. A barrier of twisted blade, like thorned vines, surged toward Raon.

“Hmm….”

Raon, who had been deflecting the blade while executing the Garambo Technique, pivoted his body. He retreated backward to evade the Shattering Wall.

“Caught you!”

The further back he retreated, the more momentum the Shattering Wall gained. Now he was like a rat trapped in a poison jar.

Boom!

Raon, who had been retreating steadily, spun his body mid-air and drove his feet against the ground.

‘What is this madness!’

Charging directly into the wall of sword energy—he looked nothing short of insane.

“Gasp!”

Rayden exhaled sharply as the crimson wall collapsed entirely, and like a snuffed candle, his opponent vanished.

“What?!”

I spun my head urgently. Expecting Raon to materialize from the right as before, I drew my sword back.

‘Nothing?’

But the right side revealed nothing.

“It’s the left.”

Before those words even reached my ears, a terrible pain erupted across my left cheek.

“Gahhhhh!”

Rayden screamed as the impact slammed into his left cheekbone, rolling across the ground.

“Ughhhh….”

The pain wouldn’t subside. My cheekbone had definitely caved in.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

Rayden let out a primal scream, infusing aura into his sword and driving its blade into the earth to push himself upright.

“W-what did you just do…. You were clearly in front of me!”
“This is the price for spitting on the flowers my mother cultivated.”
“You insane bastard!”

My jaw trembled violently. Raon’s eyes remained utterly steady. That lunatic truly intended to repay all eight debts exactly as he’d said.

“Do you think this ends here?!”

Rayden stepped backward, drawing aura from his core. This was no longer a game. He decided in that moment to kill his opponent right here, right now.

Roooooar!

He unleashed the gathered aura through his entire mana circuit, raising his sword high. The aura rippled outward in waves, causing his clothes to flutter without a trace of wind.

“I’ll strip the flesh from your bones and kill you!”

Rayden thrust his sword forward with a sharp, rigid motion. The speed was nothing short of lightning. In the blink of an eye, the blade reached the space between Raon’s brows.

A low hum resonated through the air.

Just as Raon moved to lower his sword in defense, Rayden vibrated his entire right arm.

A deafening roar erupted.

The violent tremor transmitted through the entire blade, and the sword’s trajectory, which had been stretched taut, curved like a serpent coiling upon itself.

It was the Resonant Explosion Slash—a technique of the Crystalline Resonance Sword that tore the enemy’s entire body asunder like a kraken with eight tentacles trampling the sea.

Even as the air itself was cleaved by such sharpness, I did not retreat. I lowered my stance, my eyes blazing with intensity.

‘That bastard again!’

Rayden gritted his teeth. He had seen that same gleam in the opponent’s eyes before—right before the man vanished and reappeared from the left and right. He could not afford to miss it this time.

“Krraaah!”

Drawing upon his full aura, he unleashed the Resonant Explosion Slash. A condensed mass of sword energy, swollen like a balloon, crashed down upon me.

‘I cannot afford carelessness.’

I could not fall for the same trick three times like a fool. I honed my senses to their absolute limit, prepared for the possibility that I might pierce through the wall of resonance.

A thunderous crash echoed across the arena.

The powerful sword energy of the Resonant Explosion Slash scraped the ground away like tissue paper. Yet there was no sensation of cutting flesh. I had vanished once more.

“Where are you!”

Rayden spread his aura perception and blocked the surrounding space with his drawn sword. He positioned himself to defend against attacks from the left, right, or behind.

“In front.”

But my voice came from the front—not from the left, right, or behind. He tried to respond urgently, but my movements were faster.

Crack!

My fist, transformed into a beam of light, shattered Rayden’s jaw.

“Arghhhh!”

Rayden screamed, clutching his jaw. The pain was excruciating—worse than when I’d struck his cheek, worse than when his cheekbone had caved in. This was agony.

“Ugh….”

His jawbone splintered, his skin split open, and blood streamed down onto the ground in rivulets.

“That third blow is the price for trampling the flowers my mother cultivated.”

I stepped toward Rayden and shook the blood from my blade.

“I’ve analyzed every technique you possess. There’s no need to dodge anymore.”
“Bullshit….”

Rayden lurched to his feet, white breath misting from his mouth. Murderous rage exploded in his mind—the urge to kill me—but he bit his cheek and forced it down.

‘It’s provocation. Just provocation.’

His fingers trembled. If I landed another blow like that, he might lose consciousness. If he fell here, he’d lose everything. He couldn’t afford to lose.

“Haaahhh!”

He made his entire dantian vibrate, spreading aura throughout his body. It wouldn’t last long, but in this moment, he was stronger than ever.

Boom!

Despite the raging energy, he steadied his mind and calmly unleashed his Crystal Sword Technique. The sword aura that erupted was faster, sharper, and more brilliant than before, tearing through the space around him.

‘He can’t evade this.’

The most precise sword aura he’d ever unleashed came crashing toward me.

I stepped into the wave of sword aura using the Garam Footwork.

The Crystalline Whip Blade he faced now was on an entirely different level from what Raon had encountered before. He would pay the price for his arrogance.

‘Die.’

Just as the curved whip blade’s tip was about to pierce Raon’s heart, his sword rose diagonally to intercept.

Clang!

The impact from the whip blade colliding with Raon’s sword was so violent that my arm nearly buckled.

“What—what is this!”

I had clearly deflected Raon’s blade and aimed for his heart, but my technique had been interrupted mid-strike.

“Hah!”

Rayden unleashed the fourth form of the Crystalline Whip Blade, pressing his assault against Raon.

But.

Clang!

When Raon brought his sword down, the whip blade went limp like a snapped rubber band and bounced back.

“Haaaah!”

I released a battle cry and unleashed the Crystalline Whip Blade once more. But every time Raon swung his sword, my technique unraveled strand by strand, the flow of my swordsmanship breaking apart.

“This… this can’t be real…”

The fragile composure I had barely maintained shattered. He truly had grasped every aspect of my Crystalline Whip Blade and was dismantling my technique accordingly.

“I told you. I know all of your swordsmanship.”

Raon swept the whip blade aside with a long stroke and charged forward.

“G-get away!”

Rayden threw a left punch, but Raon evaded it effortlessly and swung his blade in a vicious arc.

Crack!

Rayden flew backward like a ball kicked by a foot, his forehead struck by the flat of my blade.

“Argh!”

The pain was severe, and Rayden writhed on the ground, clutching his forehead.

“This… this isn’t right!

The agony threatened to drag me into unconsciousness, but I bit my lip and forced myself up. Now was not the time to lie down.

“This is impossible!”

To grasp the Decisive Flowing Blade in such a short span—it defied all logic. No, it should have been impossible.

“That fourth strike was payment for hitting Helen.”

Raon walked toward me slowly, dismissing my outburst entirely.

‘This can’t be happening!’

I gripped the sword hilt so tightly it nearly snapped, then raised the blade.

“Haaah!”

I unleashed the Decisive Flowing Blade’s technique faster and sharper than before.

Zing!

My blade, infused with fierce resolve, traced a brilliant arc as it descended toward Raon. Speed, sharpness, power—everything surpassed what came before.

“….”

Whether he noticed or not, Raon’s pace remained unchanged. He walked as if taking a leisurely stroll, stepping directly into the tempest of my blade.

Clang!

Raon drew his sword. With a stroke as light as swatting a fly, Rayden’s consecutive blade technique wavered dramatically.
All the variations and flow he had built up until now vanished in that single moment.

“Tch!”

Rayden refused to yield. He spun his wavering consecutive blade and unfurled the cutting technique of the Crystalline Consecutive Blade once more.

Kwaaaaa!

The sword aura gathered on the consecutive blade poured down like rain.

Raon drew his blade in response, continuing his consecutive sword technique against the downpour of aura.

Ching!

It was an indescribably light upward strike, yet the cutting technique of the Crystalline Consecutive Blade shattered, and the consecutive blade was knocked back violently.

“What, what is this! What is happening!”

Rayden stumbled backward, his jaw trembling. Even having experienced it directly, he could not believe that a single swing had severed his technique.

“This is wrong. This cannot be!”

Gripping his trembling right hand with his left, he brought the consecutive blade down. The second cutting technique of the Crystalline Consecutive Blade—Fang Slash—unfolded.

Kyaaaaa!

A slash as sharp and fierce as a beast’s fang aimed at Raon’s heart and throat.

Raon stood still. There was no panic in his eyes. He simply brought his raised blade down.

Uuuung!

Like a master’s brushstroke, his blade descended without the slightest hesitation, and the Fang Slash melted away.

The sword aura dissipated, and the technique crumbled. All from a single stroke.

“Ah….”

Rayden exhaled sharply, watching me approach through the dissipating aura of my strike. His heart clenched painfully.

Flowing Sword Technique combined with Garam Footwork.
Any swordmaster on the Continent would recognize these sword arts and movement patterns, yet he found no way to penetrate my defense.
Though he knew the forms, he couldn’t see how to block them.

“Hah, hagh!”

His breathing grew ragged. Each movement of my blade sent a chilling shiver down his spine, as if he were thrusting his head into the jaws of a predator.

“Don’t come closer! Don’t!”

He drew his sword again in desperation, but my blade deflected it, sending his weapon tumbling to embed itself in the ground.

Crack!

Stripping away all his sword energy, I stepped forward and brought my blade across his cheek in a vicious slash.

“Ugh!”

The intensified pain stole his voice. His limbs convulsed from the impact.

“Kgh, ghhh!”

Rayden released an inhuman cry, clutching at his torn cheek as blood poured forth.

“Get up.”

The flames of fury still burned in my eyes, unextinguished.

“This is only the fifth strike.”

*

*

*

From beginning to end, the duel unfolded exactly as I intended.

Rayden fell for the provocation and unleashed the Crystalline Resonance Blade, which he had not yet mastered perfectly, while I employed the Resonance Swordsmanship that I had grown so accustomed to that I could unfold it with my eyes closed.

If a swordmaster who had learned an incomplete yet superior technique faced another who had perfected a common one, who would emerge victorious?
Most would assume the one who had mastered the superior technique.

But they would be wrong.
A swordmaster who had learned an advanced technique that remained unrefined was formidable and could unleash dazzling strikes, yet could not adapt their swordsmanship to the demands of each moment.

In contrast, a swordmaster who had perfected the fundamentals could, despite wielding simple forms, manifest the exact technique suited to each instant.

At first, the swordmaster wielding the superior technique would appear to hold the advantage, but as time elapsed, the gap would widen, and the one who had perfected the basics would gradually seize victory.

And most crucially, what mattered was not the technique itself, but who wielded it.

With me—someone who used basic swordsmanship, who had mastered the Ring of Fire, and who possessed Judith’s intelligence—overwhelming Rayden one-sidedly was inevitable.

I watched as Rayden rose to his feet, blood streaming down his body.

“No, not yet. It’s not over yet. I… I absolutely cannot lose….”

His eyes burned with a vicious killing intent—a malice that would destroy anything in its path.

“Krraaaagh!”

Rayden’s aura erupted violently. The space around him flooded with emerald light, and the ground trembled beneath us.

“Hm.”

I felt the murderous intent and blade energy sharp enough to tear flesh, yet I calmed my mind and raised my sword.

Middle guard. I assumed the most fundamental stance, blade held before my abdomen. Even against his overwhelming momentum, my sword remained perfectly steady.

“Die!”

Rayden channeled his explosive power into his Resonance Blade and brought it down. A single blade transformed into dozens in an instant, each streaking toward my vital points.

It was the final technique of the Crystalline Resonance Blade that Rayden had been saving—the Great Tempest.

I raised my sword within that barrage of blade energy, any single strike of which would have been fatal.

Unlike the Linked Sword that extended like rays of light, my movements were deliberately slow. Yet my eyes—Raon’s eyes—remained unwavering.

Whoooosh!

The moment the sword aura that tore through everything drew near, I brought my blade down.

It was neither slow nor fast, neither flashy nor ornate.
Yet within it lay the very essence of swordsmanship.

The Linked Star Swordsmanship. True to its name—connecting stars without the slightest discord—the seamless technique unfolded.

The Great Wind Aura that seemed ready to devour me split apart before the immense current of the Linked Star Swordsmanship.

“Aah….”

Within the waves of tearing sword aura, I could see Rayden’s bloodshot eyes. His face had crossed beyond mere bewilderment into sheer shock.

“Is that all you have?”
“I… I….”
“Surrendering now would be troublesome.”

I flicked my blade clean and advanced toward Rayden.

“You need to die three more times.”

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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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