The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 96

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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 96

Rayden collapsed with teeth scattered across the ground, and even as the flames that had painted the sky faded away, the Training Ground fell silent.

“Waaaaaaah!”
“Raon! Raaaon!”
“Young Master!”
“He won! Young Master Raon has won!”

The first to shatter that silence were Sylvia and the handmaidens of the Annex Building. Those who had suffered the most anguish burst into tears and surged from the Spectator Stands toward the Training Ground.

“Raon!”
“Raon!”
“Kyaaaaa!”

Regardless of the glares from the direct line and branch family members, they cried out with jubilant screams.

Their voices rang out like a shattering of the oppression they had endured all this time—exhilarating and free.

“Raaaon!”
“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

The roars that followed erupted from every corner of the Training Ground. They were the voices of trainees who had trained alongside me for more than three years.

“Master Raon!”
“Raon!”
“Yiaaaa!”

Direct line members, branch family members, vassal families, and even recommended trainees from outside—all became one voice, calling out his name.

“Hmph! Well, I had to do at least that much. I’m not wearing the top rank for nothing, after all.”

Burren Zigheart leaned back against his chair and nodded in satisfaction.

“I thought from the beginning that he would win.”
“Hmm, you certainly screamed quite a lot for someone who thought that way.”

Burren’s butler smiled and tilted his head quizzically.

“At first, you said, ‘Raon, if you lose here, I won’t let it slide. You have to lose to me!’ Did you not?”
“That, that was….”
“Just now you said, ‘Fight, smash him! Break that bastard’s nose flat!’ and when Rayden fell, you even let out a roar of ‘Uaaaaaaah!'”
“That, that’s enough!”

Burren’s face flushed crimson as he crumpled it in embarrassment.

‘I, I don’t remember….’

He’d been so caught up in the excitement that he couldn’t recall saying such things.

Still, he didn’t think those words were wrong. If someone had surpassed him and become the top of the 5th Training Ground, then that mongrel who didn’t even act like a direct descendant deserved to be brought down.

“I, I’m not the only one doing this. All the trainees are shouting Raon’s name….”
“Hmph. Unable to control your own emotions and screaming like that—you’re still a babe in arms.”

Martha, seated below, glanced upward and let out a scoff.

“It’s pathetic. From now on, just suck on a pacifier and go about your day. Don’t pretend to know anything wherever you go.”
“Ugh, Martha Zigheart….”
“Miss Martha.”

Burren’s butler pointed to the railing in front of Martha. The once-round railing was now dented and crumpled from being gripped by a fist.

“You crushed that with your fist, did you not? It seems you were quite excited as well, Miss.”
“No, that’s not… What nonsense are you spouting?”

Martha shook her head vehemently. Her obvious flustered expression betrayed her as she spat out curses.

“Get excited watching such low-level sword play? Ha, what am I, some snot-nosed child?”

She flicked her hair dismissively.

“Martha. There’s no point denying it now. I heard you cursing too.”
“You’re the one in denial. If you’re so upset, why don’t we settle this with our fists?”
“Raon.”

Burren and Martha, who had been growling as if ready to fight, turned their heads in unison at the thin voice calling from below.

“Raon.”

Lunan Slion cupped her hands around her mouth, continuing to call out Raon’s name.

“Raon.”

No matter how tightly she pressed her hands together, her voice was far too small to carry, yet Lunan persisted in shouting Raon’s name.

“Ha….”
“Mm….”

Witnessing Lunan’s earnest and sincere encouragement, however feeble it appeared, both of them lowered their hands simultaneously.

“Tsk, that duel wasn’t even worth watching. Such pathetic skill.”

Martha stood up, scratching her head as if embarrassed.

“Hey, you dull-eyed swordsmen!”

She hooked her foot against the chairs of the swordsmen seated in front of her.

“Didn’t I tell you? That something interesting would happen?”
“Ah….”
“W-well, that is….”

The swordsmen stammered wordlessly, shrinking their shoulders.

“If your skills are lacking, at least sharpen your instincts. If you want to survive with eyes as rotten as yours, you’d better train harder.”

She scoffed at the swordsmen and left the Training Ground without another word.

“What a temperament.”

Burren shook his head and stood up. That woman was docile only around Raon; before others, she had become even more ferocious than before.

“Sigh….”

I turned my head to look at Raon standing in the center of the Training Ground.

Watching him survey the entire Training Ground with his back straightened confidently reminded me of that moment when he alone had blocked Gwahyeolgwi’s path.

‘I won’t forget that. It’s a debt I must repay for a lifetime. But I will never give up.’

Burren Zigheart clenched his fists tightly, his gaze fixed on Raon’s back.

“I will catch up to you no matter what.”

*

*

*

“Hmm!”

Glen Zigheart lifted his body from the chair’s backrest. His eyes were wider than usual, and his eyebrows hung low across his face.

For Glen, whose emotions and expressions rarely changed, it was an extraordinary reaction.

“F-Family Head, sir.”

Roen turned to look at Glen, his jaw trembling.

“That technique the young master mixed into the Garambo Technique at the beginning—isn’t that the Taewhabo Technique?”
“…Yes.”
“Gasp!”

Roen’s perpetual smile shattered. He looked at Raon and let out an exclamation of disbelief.

“Hmm….”

Glen Zigheart narrowed his eyes. What surprised him most today was not that Raon had overwhelmingly defeated Rayden Zigheart.

It was that Raon had used the Taewhabo Technique, which he had taught him merely two weeks ago.

The Taewhabo Technique was a footwork method he had created after transcending the realm of mana and reaching the stage of transcendence. It employed advanced martial arts that ordinary warriors would struggle to master even in a lifetime.

‘But….’

I had mastered it. In just two weeks, no less.

It was remarkable enough to astonish and perplex Glen, who rarely displayed emotion.

‘I thought it would take at least half a year.’

Glen let out a hollow laugh as he watched me stand confidently. He had anticipated that even in the best case, half a year would pass before I could wield the Taewhabo.

‘Two weeks, though.’

For the first time since ascending to the realm of transcendence, my judgment had been proven wrong. It was absurd, yet somehow it made me want to laugh.

‘And on top of that, the swordsmanship….’

In the end, I had even drawn out the true essence of the Yeonseong Sword Technique. That a fifteen-year-old, a trainee who hadn’t even earned the qualifications, could extract the true essence of swordsmanship—it was impossible not to be astonished.

“That’s truly remarkable. The Taewhabo, the Yeonseong Sword Technique, and that final flame….”

Roen was so astounded he could barely string his words together.

“Hmm, it’s not that impressive. The Taewhabo is only first-tier, and I’ve merely begun to master it. The Yeonseong Sword Technique still has much room for improvement. If Rayden had employed a different sword technique, he wouldn’t have been pushed back so easily.”

Glen concealed his astonished expression and shook his head with eyes as calm as always.

“Come now, that’s not true. Your expression, family head…heh.”

Roen covered his mouth with a sly smile playing at his eyes.

“I said it’s not.”

Glen touched his cheek and turned away. Lately, spending time with Rimer seemed to have rubbed off on Roen’s personality, making him more cunning.

[The duel is won by Raon Zigheart!]

The Announcer, who had been standing dazed and forgetting his role, finally cried out my victory, and cheers erupted from all corners of the arena.

“Uwaaaah!”
“Raon!”
“Raaon!”

Voices still unrefined with youth. They were children.

“Those children are….”

The trainees who practiced alongside Raon—direct descendants, Branch Family members, Vassal Family members, and even externally recommended candidates—all cheered from their respective positions with the same fervent cry.

“It’s been quite some time since we’ve witnessed such a sight. Or perhaps this is the first time everyone has cheered for the Branch Family together.”
“Hmm….”

Glen Zigheart nodded slowly.

‘Indeed….’

The Branch Family had accomplished great deeds before and won many sparring matches, but this was the first time they had received cheers from all—direct descendants, Branch Family, Vassal Family, and recommended candidates alike.

Today was proving to be a day filled with many remarkable sights.

“I wish others could become one like this as well.”
“….”

Glen Zigheart did not answer. For one who had ruled this place during the time when ambition stained the mind, such a thing was impossible.
The era divided by force and blood had lasted far too long, and I was far too old to change it.

Yet there was light there.
If it were Raon—born into the direct line, that one who understood the injustice of the Branch Family—perhaps one day he would transform this family.

“Family Head. The duel has concluded!”

The Announcer knelt before the Platform and bowed his head. Every eye in the Training Ground turned toward Glen Zigheart.

“Hmm!”

Glen Zigheart rose to his feet. It was time to honor the victor of the duel. Of course, only after dealing with the schemer who had disrupted this noble battle.

A deep rumble echoed.

His cold gaze turned toward Valdemar, seated below on the western side.

*

*

*

I walked toward the Platform alongside the Announcer, who carried the unconscious Rayden Zigheart.

‘Brutal.’

Glen Zigheart’s expression was even more devoid of emotion than usual. A harsh, cutting aura swirled around him—he clearly disliked this situation.

‘Is it because I won? Or….’

I already knew Glen Zigheart didn’t favor me. But he was a man of absolute fairness—one who believed in proportional reward and punishment.

He wouldn’t openly radiate such a cold aura merely because my victory displeased him.

A low, rumbling sound echoed through the Training Ground.

As Glen Zigheart rose and stepped before the Platform, the air in the Training Ground became suffocatingly dry. Not a single breath could be heard—the space had transformed into a library of silence.

“The victor of today’s Duel of Blades is Raon Zigheart.”
“Uuuuaaahhhhh!”

At Glen Zigheart’s declaration, the trainees erupted in cheers louder than before. Of course, most of the direct and Branch Family members watching the Training Ground remained silent.

“I will now reveal the conditions Raon Zigheart wagered in this Duel of Blades.”

The conditions each swordsman staked in a duel were revealed only after it concluded. Curiosity about the terms silenced the crowd once more.

“Raon Zigheart’s conditions were that Rayden, who caused trouble in the Annex Building, kneel and apologize to Sylvia and the Annex Building’s attendants, and that Jinmu Hall refrain from any interference with the Annex Building.”
“Huh….”
“Mm….”

The crowd stared at me in silence for a long moment, unable to speak.

“That was the condition?”
“An apology?”
“Heh, and to the maidservants no less….”

Typically, the stakes wagered in a Duel of Blades were everything the opponent possessed.

Since it was a battle of pride, it was common for combatants to stake their opponent’s wealth or finest weapon, or even to demand the breaking of an arm or the destruction of their dantian.

Yet what Raon sought was merely an apology. Not even an apology directed at himself, but one offered to his mother and the humble maidservants of the Annex Building.

The spectators, witnessing such a condition for the first time, stared at Raon in stunned silence.

“An apology in a Duel of Blades? The fool’s lost his mind.”
“Indeed. True to his mother Sylvia’s nature, I see.”

The direct line and the powerful branches of the family mocked him.

“….”

The Vassal Families remained silent.

“Raon Zigheart….”

The powerless branch families pushed to the margins and the foreign swordsmen who had been weak from the start etched Raon’s name deep into their minds.

“Now that the duel is concluded, that condition must be fulfilled at once.”
“Cough!”

Glen snapped his fingers, and Rayden, who had been sprawled motionless on the ground, coughed up blood and opened his eyes.

“Where… where am I? Ugh! Why am I….”

Rayden’s speech, with teeth missing, whistled through the gaps like wind through a broken vessel.

“Sylvia Zigheart and the maidservants of the Annex Building—step forward.”

At Glen’s command, Sylvia and Helen, along with the maidservants of the Annex Building, rose to their feet with spines straightened. They exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what was to come.

“Come down to the Training Ground.”
“Ah, yes!”

Sylvia bowed her head and led the maidservants down to the Training Ground.

“Ah….”
“W-what is this?”
“My lady. I’m trembling too much to walk.”

Unaccustomed to drawing such attention, they walked toward the platform with exaggerated caution, their eyes darting nervously.

I turned back and met the eyes of Sylvia, Helen, and the maidservants in turn. My gaze conveyed reassurance—there was nothing to fear, no need for such anxiety.

“Mm….”
“Everyone, stay calm. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Yes, my lady.”

Whether my silent message reached them or not, Sylvia and the maidservants’ steps became more natural. They took their place beside me and bowed respectfully toward Glen.

“You called for us.”

Glen nodded and looked down at Rayden, who still seemed dazed.

“Rayden Zigheart.”
“Eh? Ah, yes!”
“The duel has ended in your defeat.”
“Ah, ah….”

Only then did Rayden realize his loss, his jaw trembling uncontrollably.

“Rayden Zigheart. As agreed upon when the duel began, kneel and apologize to Sylvia and the maidservants.”
“G-grandfather!”

Rayden shook his head frantically and knelt—but facing Glen, not Sylvia.

“I, I obtained my qualifications as a direct descendant of the Zigheart! You’re telling me to kneel before mere handmaidens who aren’t even Branch Family?”
“The promise wasn’t made by me—it was made by you. You lost in the duel, so honor your word.”
“Grandfather. I, I….”
“This is a public setting. Address me as Family Head.”
“F-Family Head! Please, I beg your forgiveness! Next time, I will win….”
“The person you should be asking forgiveness from isn’t me. It’s them. As a direct descendant of Zigheart, keep the words you spoke yourself. Rayden Zigheart.”

Glen’s expression twisted. The already harsh air grew even more desolate. Goosebumps erupted across my forearms, as if a storm were about to break.

“Ugh….”

Rayden trembled violently, crushed beneath that overwhelming presence. He glanced toward his father, Valdemar, but even he simply turned away as if there was nothing he could do.

‘Damn it. Damn it all!’

I cursed inwardly. It was because of Raon. That bastard had ruined everything.

‘I’ll kill him. No matter what, I’ll stake everything and kill that… Ugh!’

The moment I stood and looked at Raon, every hair on my body stood on end. My heart lurched violently—I couldn’t meet his gaze.

“Ugh….”

Pain radiated across my entire body from where Raon had struck me. My lungs felt crushed, making it impossible to breathe, and fear prevented me from even looking at his eyes.

‘F-Fear? Am I actually afraid of that bastard?’

There was nothing else it could be.

“Tch!”

Unable to accept it, I forced my head up, but the moment my eyes met Raon’s, my stomach churned as if I might vomit.

Every martial technique I had learned until now had been shattered, and I had been overwhelmed by sheer strength, taking countless blows—it was only natural.

“Go. Kneel before her.”
“Ugh….”

Unable to offer any response to that gaze, which was closer and more chilling than Glen’s, Rayden walked forward and stopped before Sylvia.

‘I’ll kill them all, no matter what.’

Rayden Zigheart bit his lip, harboring the will to slaughter them despite not even daring to meet Raon’s gaze.

“I-I’m sorry. I apologize.”

He lowered his head just enough to hide the grinding of his teeth.

“….”
“Ah….”

Sylvia said nothing, and the attendants, uncertain what to do, bowed their heads in turn.

“There’s no need to bow.”

Raon enveloped the attendants in the aura of the Ten Thousand Flowers Technique. Color returned to their pale, frightened faces.

“Ah….”
“Raon.”
“R-Raon, sir.”
“Today is a day for apologies, after all.”

After settling Sylvia and the attendants, Raon approached Rayden Zigheart.

“Do it again. Rayden Zigheart.”
“W-What?”
“The condition was clear—kneel and apologize. Kneel, and bow your head.”
“You really can’t see anything, can you? After this is over….”
“Do it again.”
“Ugh!”

As Raon’s voice dropped to a low murmur, Rayden Zigheart’s body trembled violently—the terror of Raon carved into his very being.

“Ugh….”

Rayden Zigheart looked around, but found no one to aid him. Glen Zigheart’s cold eyes seemed to urge him to finish quickly.

“Ah….”

Rayden knelt with his few remaining teeth clenched between his lips.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”
“Tell me what you did wrong. I made sure to explain everything.”

That was true. Every time he struck with his fists and blade, he had made clear what the problem was. The pain was so intense that I remembered every single transgression.

“I… I sent false letters, trampled the flowers I was raising, spat in my hand, kicked the maidservants’ cheeks, kicked them with my feet… I, I unilaterally picked fights with the Annex Building. I’m… I’m sorry… ugh.”

Rayden lost consciousness again, crushed by terror in a body that hadn’t recovered, his pride shattered.

“It’s alright.”

I smiled as I looked at the maidservants whose faces had gone pale with worry.

“No one will ever touch the Annex Building. You don’t need to worry.”
“Sob…”
“Wail!”

Only then did the maidservants let their tears spill over.

“Raon…”

Sylvia bit her lip firmly and grasped my hand.

“Family Head. My conditions are not yet complete. Please verify them yourself.”
“Of course. But first…”

Glen’s chilling gaze shot toward Valdemar.

“I should deal with the one who disrupted this noble duel first.”

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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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