The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 953

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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 953

Splatter.

I flicked the blood flowing through the Heavenly Sword before examining the fallen Parrel.

‘It’s over.’

Perhaps because Parrel was only a half-demon with inverted black and white in one eye, not a true Anima, he couldn’t move after his heart burst. He was breathing slowly, waiting for death.

‘So it’s time to move to the next stage?’

I was about to sheathe the Heavenly Sword while waiting for the First Patriarch’s third trial.

Whoooooosh!

As if time were rewinding, the Royal Palace floor and walls that had crumbled from the sword strike rose up again. The wound carved into Parrel’s chest, who stood on the brink of death, regenerated as if nothing had happened.

“What is this…?”

Parrel trembled his jaw as he looked at his chest where the sword mark had vanished, clearly not expecting his own resurrection.

“I don’t know what happened, but I won’t be caught off guard again. I’ll make sure to kill you this time!”

He charged forward, grinding his teeth as if refusing to miss this opportunity.

Clang!

I blocked Parrel’s jagged blade as it came crashing down violently, my eyes narrowing.

‘Seeing that Parrel himself doesn’t know why he was resurrected…’

Was this also the First Patriarch’s arrangement?

I thought the second trial had ended when I killed Parrel, but it seemed I still hadn’t satisfied the First Patriarch.

“You have no chances left!”

Parrel cried out that he would never be careless again as he unleashed the Flame Dragon Technique.

Kuaaaaaaah!

A colossal fire dragon rose above the jagged blade’s edge, surging toward me as if to devour me whole.

Crash!

I deflected Parrel’s Flame Dragon Technique using the seamless connection of Weightless Fragrance and Flame Jade Wall, then planted the Heavenly Sword at my center.

“No matter what you do, you cannot surpass my blade.”

Parrel’s eyes flashed with a chilling gleam, as if declaring he would receive and counter anything thrown at him.

“For someone who died once, your mouth certainly runs loose.”

I let out a contemptuous laugh and unfolded the Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique toward Parrel.

“I’ll kill you with the same swordsmanship.”

Parrel cried out that he would not lose this time, unleashing the Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique with even greater force.

Whoooosh!

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Parrel’s Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique descend faster than my own blade.

‘It’s the same again.’

I need to fill in the sword technique’s subtlety that matches the Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique.

The Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique is a swordsmanship that lightly refines the red thorn to pierce thirty-six directions simultaneously. It required a different sword technique’s subtlety than the orthodox technique I had imbued in the red thorn.

‘Should I try adding just the Flowing Technique?’

To attack all thirty-six directions simultaneously without a single error, I infused the subtlety of the Flowing Technique—which could connect strike to strike—into my blade.

Whoooosh!

My own Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique, now imbued with the Flowing Technique’s subtlety, collided with Parrel’s Red Thorn Thirty-Six Technique, which carried the power of Heavenly Destruction.

Clang clang clang!

Thirty-six sword strikes fired from all directions collided at the same point, and a deafening roar echoed as if thousands of steel bars were shattering.

“I told you it wouldn’t work, didn’t I?”

Parrel’s lips curled upward as he watched his Enemy Thirty-Six Formation being pushed back by my sword strike.

“This time, a hole will be torn through your chest… huh?”

But his laughter didn’t last long.

Crack crack crack!

Though I was pushed back at the start, my Enemy Thirty-Six Formation, which maintained all thirty-six sword paths until the very end, pierced through Parrel’s strike.

“Insane!”

I approached the panicked Parrel and unleashed the still-burning flames of the Enemy Thirty-Six Formation.

Boom!

The graceful blade of flame that clung to the Heavenly Sword’s edge cleanly swept across Parrel’s entire body.

“Ugh…”

Parrel fell backward, his vital points torn away in bright red. It was a far more gruesome death than the first.

“That should be the end of it.”

As I rested the still-hot Heavenly Sword on my shoulder, the cracks in the floor sealed themselves again, and Parrel’s mangled body began to rapidly regenerate.

“Damn it!”

Parrel’s hand trembled as he gripped his saw blade, his teeth grinding audibly, as if the memory of this death remained with him.

“What have you done to me!”

Unwilling to die again, he stepped with an exquisite footwork technique and struck toward my left side despite his panic.

Shiiiiing!

Parrel’s serrated blade descended like a dream, scattering into unpredictable trajectories. It was the Silver Dream Sword—Raon Zigheart’s swordsmanship that embodied the ultimate pinnacle of illusion and transformation.

Whoooosh!

Raon unfolded the identical Silver Dream Sword, unleashing the ultimate principle of swift strikes capable of severing an enemy’s lifeline in a single breath.

Craaaaaash!

The moment Parrel’s hazy, mist-like blade fell toward Raon’s neck, the Heavenly Sword that had been dormant surged forth like lightning, severing his throat. It was a new Silver Dream Sword—one that contained supreme speed within patience.

“Hah….”

Parrel collapsed with only the faintest gasp, as if he hadn’t even felt the blade cut through him.

Boooooom!

Yet he revived instantly as though he’d never died, grasping his serrated blade and charging forward once more.

Claaaaaang!

I gazed through the shattered ceiling of the ruined Kingdom toward the dim dawn sky. The moon, revealing its face between clouds and smoke, had descended ever so slightly.

‘Could it be….’

Does this dawn continue until I elevate every sword technique I’ve learned to the level of Ten Thousand Swords?

From the pattern so far, it seemed this battle would only end once every sword technique I was mastering had been strengthened.

‘Then….’

I’m not complaining.

To engage in life-and-death combat with a warrior as formidable as Parrel was an extraordinary opportunity. As this time continued on, laughter escaped me unbidden.

“Why, why are you laughing!”

Parrel twisted his expression in fury.

“Because I pity you.”
“What? What do you mean by that…?”

He furrowed his brow, clearly unable to comprehend my words.

“I counted how many times you’d have to die. It seemed a bit tragic.”

I pointed the Heavenly Sword at Parrel and tilted my chin arrogantly.

“Let’s just die exactly a thousand times.”

*

*

*
“Phew.”

Wrath stepped onto the ashen gray ground and exhaled a turbid breath.

‘That was long.’

I moved rather quickly, but like the sea itself, the distance seemed endless. By my sense of time, it felt as though I had walked for over a month to reach this land.

‘A tedious journey it was.’

When I turned back, the sea—stained black like ink—rippled with a blue light similar to my own hair, as if it had been purified.

‘I walked that sea quite well.’

For a human, my act of walking across that sea would be equivalent to continuously treading upon a stone slab heated by fire. It was quite a grueling ordeal, yet strangely, I never felt the urge to give up.

‘That’s only natural, I suppose.’

The True Demon King observed Raon’s life from the closest vantage point.

Raon is a stubborn creature who swings his blade at enemies with a smile, even with flesh torn and bones shattered. Having watched his battles all this time, such pain was nothing to me.

‘But what is this place?’

The landscape before me resembled the ashen terrain and mountains I had witnessed at the place where I first awakened—as if the earth and peaks themselves had been transmuted into ash.

‘It seems I must head toward that mountain.’

I traversed the faded, ash-grey path toward the grey mountain. The distance was not great, so I reached my destination after only a brief walk.

‘This is different from the Golden Sand Mountain.’

Wrath gazed at the Black Cave nestled on the Mountain Slope, his lips curling with anticipation. It was not the mountain itself that called to him—rather, something within that cavern was drawing his very soul toward it.

‘The scent of the Demon Realm. Could it be the fragrance of that deepest of lands?’

I narrowed my eyes as I ventured into the dim cave. Strangely, a repugnant odor emanated from within—one that stirred memories of my own sordid past.

Tsk.

Wrath clicked his tongue sharply and pressed deeper into the cavern. The path within was level, yet darkness consumed it so utterly that even my keen sight could pierce no distance. All that entered my vision were the tips of my own fingers and toes.

‘I have no choice but to advance, blind as I am.’

I was certain that what I sought lay somewhere within this cave. Whatever obstacles awaited, I would traverse this path.

Wrath cast aside all thought and pressed forward into the darkness.

*

*

*

“This is infuriating.”

Wrath pressed his fingers to his brow, gripping his forehead in frustration.

“When will this accursed path finally end?”

I had spent far longer traversing this cave than I had walking across the Sea itself, yet I could not reach its end. The darkness persisted endlessly, as if I were descending into the Bottomless Abyss.

‘It surely was not this far…’

When I first entered the Cave, I sensed my fate not far ahead. Yet despite what felt like months of walking, I could not reach the end.

“Sigh…”

I looked back at the path I had traveled. Though darkness obscured the details, I could instantly perceive its vast length.

‘Turning back is impossible. I have no choice but to continue forward.’

It was too late to turn back now. Even if I were to grow old and die within this Cave, I could only move ahead.

Thump!

As I advanced through the darkness, the face of one human came to mind.

‘Is that damned bastard doing well?’

Raon Zigheart. Though the time we spent together was not long, I had built more affection with him than with any subordinate, and I found myself curious about his circumstances.

‘That Mountain was surely a space prepared for him.’

If the previous Sea and this Cave were places prepared for me, then the Golden Sand Mountain had been created to foster Raon’s growth.

Because I was too far away to sense Raon’s presence, I wished to see what situation he faced.

‘In truth, there’s no need to look. It’s obvious.’

He’s probably thriving disgustingly well.

Raon was a cockroach with survival instincts stronger than anyone I knew. If I threw him into the Demon Realm with nothing but his body, he would devour the Demon Lords and survive—so his situation actually put my own mind at ease.

‘To avoid being mocked by that weasel, I must find strength in this place and escape.’

Raon might treat this as a jest, but my own power had diminished considerably.

‘I gave Raon his stats and traits, and I descended into the mortal realm and even used power that defied causality—no wonder my strength is lacking.’

Creating stats and traits for Raon alone consumed a considerable amount of divine power, but the impact was even greater when descending to save the children of Gwangpung Hall or using power while ignoring causality.

No matter how great his military power was, he had only been depleting his strength without recovery, so now it was truly a situation that could be dangerous.

‘If I continue like this, I’ll be pushed back not just by Pride and Grid, but by those beneath them as well.’

I’d rather die than find myself bowing to the other Demon Lords.

‘That’s why I was grateful.’

During the war with the Black Tower, Raon had faced death yet refused to play the Descent card. A small spark of gratitude kindled within me toward this being who fought to the end with his own strength, for my sake.

‘So I must obtain something here, no matter what.’

The Chamber of Self had opened its doors not only to Raon, but to me as well. It meant I could recover a portion of my strength—so I had to cling to the First Patriarch’s pant leg if necessary and return with my power restored.

Tap.

As I walked through the endless cave with renewed determination, my foot struck something.

‘Hmm?’

Lowering my gaze quickly, I saw the full-length mirror that had summoned both Raon and me to this place.

But what reflected within it was not ‘my current’ self.

Whoooosh!

A child with blue hair and blue eyes rose to their feet. Whether female or male was unclear, but the child wore a sinister smile as they emerged from the mirror.

“You’re late.”

The Blue-Haired Child stepped out of the mirror, their eyes narrowed as if they had been waiting long.

“I had hoped the True Demon King would recover…”

Wrath glared at the Blue-Haired Child, his brow furrowing deeply.

“You’ve done it in such a filthy manner.”

*

*

*

Crackle, crackle, crackle!

Lightning filled the sky transformed into the shape of a sword, pouring down in torrents. It was the Heavenly Wolf Sword, the ultimate technique of the Spatial Sky Thunder Sword.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Parrel unleashed the ultimate technique of the Spatial Sky Sword with all his might, but the lightning blade shattered the heavens and pierced through his body.

“Ugh!”

Parrel gasped as he stared at the charred hole that had torn through his chest.

“Damn it….”

He fell backward, his eyes filled with despair. His heart had melted away completely, making it impossible for him to even breathe.

“The power was sufficient, but the casting time was too long.”

I clicked my tongue as I observed the ground where the lightning had struck.

‘Should I incorporate Swift Sword next time?’

As if my words had become prophecy, I had engaged in nearly a thousand life-and-death battles with Parrel, infusing the essence of ten thousand swords into every technique I had learned—from the swordplay of Manhwagong to the recently acquired Spatial Sky Thunder Sword.

The joy of my swordsmanship growing never left me exhausted, no matter how much I fought. I only felt the pleasant anticipation of discovering how to execute even better techniques.

‘Should I return to the Enemy Island?’

Now that I had mastered the ultimate technique of the Spatial Sky Thunder Sword, returning to basics and modifying the Enemy Island seemed like a worthwhile endeavor. I was contemplating how to improve it when I noticed something different—Parrel’s wounds were not regenerating.

‘Could it be….’

I frowned as I watched Parrel, who lay motionless as if truly dead.

‘Is it over?’

Seeing that Parrel would not revive again, it seemed my current level had satisfied the First Patriarch.

“A single strike, impressive indeed.”

The Purple-Robed Mage nodded approvingly.

“This is on an entirely different level….”

The dying King let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.

‘Wait….’

I narrowed my eyes as I examined Parrel’s corpse once more.

‘Did the First Patriarch kill him with a single strike the moment he saw him?’

The current situation was a replay of the past. Based on what the Purple-Robed Mage had said, it seemed the First Patriarch had cut down Parrel with a single blade the instant he laid eyes on him.

“The sun will rise soon. The monsters will weaken, so let’s move now.”

The Purple-Robed Mage cried out to stop the massacre and soared out of the Royal Palace.

“Th-thank you.”

The King offered a weary smile, his strength nearly spent, and lowered his hand.

“I will repay this debt even in death. And he….”

As he lowered his voice to speak something important, the sun that banished darkness rose into view.

Whoooooosh!

Light streaming from the sun descended like a pillar, erasing everything that existed around me.

‘What is this now?’

Seeing everything before my eyes vanish, it appeared the First Patriarch’s second trial had ended.

‘It felt both long and short.’

Unable to perceive the passage of time, it felt as though I had spent a single day, yet also as if a year had passed.

‘At least there’s one thing I can be certain of.’

I had grown stronger.

My aura and physical abilities hadn’t increased, but by filling the gaps in my swordsmanship and eliminating unnecessary techniques, my martial prowess itself had undergone a dramatic leap forward.
I was eager to see how much I’d changed—I wanted to return to reality and test my blade as soon as possible.

Shiiiiing!

As I practiced sword forms in the empty air, the rising sun took its place at the zenith of the sky.

From the golden radiance of the sunlight poured forth a terrifying heat that seemed capable of melting both body and soul.

Whoooosh.

The overwhelming intensity of the heat made me dizzy; I could barely stand upright.
Sweat poured from my entire body like rain, and strength drained from my arms and legs. A few more minutes and I would collapse, suffocating where I stood.

‘What… what is this…?’

The moment I grasped even a fragment of the Ten Thousand Swords, the sun’s heat pressed down upon me. I had no idea what to do or how to respond.

‘Surely I’m not meant to cut down the sun itself. Then… ah!’

Squinting at the golden sun, a memory from the past surfaced in my mind.

‘Balkan’s Charcoal Kiln!’

I recalled drawing in the heat at Balkan’s Charcoal Kiln when I first learned Manhwagong. It seemed the First Patriarch intended to use this unbearably scorching sun to elevate my mastery of Manhwagong.

‘I don’t know what purpose lies behind such an arrangement…’

I forced my lips into a smile and sat beneath the sun. Enduring the heat that felt as though it would melt my skin, I slowly closed my eyes.

‘I will accept this gratefully.’

For my vengeance.

I vowed never to surrender and activated the extreme form of Manhwagong. Around me, a heat more toxic than hellfire began to seep forth from my being.

—————
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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