The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 988
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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 988
“Phew….”
Mark Goeten exhaled a sigh of relief as he watched Raon disappear into the Forest.
‘At least it was worth following him.’
I had pushed myself to the limit to keep up with him, worried that I might become a hindrance, and I was grateful that I had managed to be of some small help.
‘Now for the next part….’
It was just as Mark Goeten’s eyes rolled, sensing Raon’s aura rushing through the Forest.
Crackle!
A pale yellow bolt of lightning fell from the darkening Sky.
‘Magic? Sorcery?’
No, this was not the time to ponder such things.
Whatever power had summoned it, that lightning possessed a force as formidable as a natural bolt from the heavens.
“Hngh!”
Mark Goeten planted his left foot firmly on the Battlefield and drew his blade. He unleashed the opening technique of the Azure Thunder Swordsmanship against the cascading lightning.
Boom!
With a blade gleaming blue, I split through the golden lightning, and slashed through the wall of monsters closing in before my eyes.
‘I cannot afford to relax simply because I sent the master forward.’
Mark Goeten gripped the Dragon Fang Blade—forged from Dragon horns and teeth—more firmly and shook his head.
‘I must clear this place as thoroughly as possible until the master returns.’
For Raon to rescue Merlin and escape this land, my role is crucial. I must dismantle the Cheonra Net Formation by any means before he arrives.
‘I truly must stake my life on this.’
Raon had cut down more than half of the Monsters and Eden Ghosts that formed the Cheonra Net Formation, yet countless enemies still remained.
In particular, Eden’s executives, fearful of Raon, had only sent their subordinates and Monsters—few of them had fallen. I needed to eliminate the executives lurking treacherously first.
We had to deal with the corrupt officials hiding in the shadows first.
“Avoid the Grand Master, focus on the Masters.”
Right now, there’s also a Monster with the aura of a Grand Master within this Formation.
‘Of course, the one I must be most wary of….’
Mark Goeten raised his Walldragon Blade overhead, slicing through the lightning crashing down from above as he organized his thoughts.
‘That commander dropping this lightning.’
From atop the Mountain where the entire Field was visible, I had tried to locate the commander operating this Cheonra Net Formation, but he revealed himself nowhere.
From atop the Mountain where the entire Field could be seen below, I tried to find the commander operating this Cheonra Net Formation, but he didn’t show himself anywhere.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Mark Goeten narrowed his eyes as he repelled spears and arrows flying from his right and left with lightning.
‘The pressure of the Cheonra Net Formation is still directed at the Patriarch.’
The Eden Ghosts naturally concentrated on blocking Raon rather than me. I had to seize this moment of being ignored.
‘I will stop them by any means!’
Mark Goeten approached the entrance of the Forest where Raon had entered, cutting down Eden Ghosts clad in green robes.
‘I cannot expend too much strength.’
I settled my stance and regulated my breathing. This battle would be prolonged; I had to fight while conserving my energy as much as possible.
He settled into position and controlled his breathing. This battle would be a prolonged one, so he had to fight while conserving as much energy as possible.
Kyaaaaaaang!
Just as Raon was about to step into the formation again to seal the entrance he’d entered, the dual-blade swordsman wearing a red orc helmet and the sorcerer wearing a black troll mask moved toward the forest. The Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit. It seemed Eden’s executives were trying to pursue Raon.
‘They’re moving!’
Mark Goeten bit the inside of his lip as he brought his blade down toward the neck of the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit, who was attempting to enter the forest.
“Hmph!”
The Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit sensed his presence and quickly spun around, erecting a wall of aura with his dual blades.
Claaaaaang!
Mark Goeten shattered the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit’s defense with his Lightning Dragon Blade, which was infused with thunder, and carved a deep wound across the creature’s shoulder.
“Ugh….”
As Mark Goeten pursued the retreating Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit to sever its neck, a black mass flew in from the right. It was a spirit summoning spell from the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit.
‘Dangerous.’
Mark Goeten’s eyes narrowed as he switched from offense to defense.
‘I don’t know what effect the sorcery will have. I should avoid it as much as possible.’
He cut through the undulating sorcery and advanced toward the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
The Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit brought his dual blades down toward Mark’s back as if refusing to let him escape. The aura rising above the corroded blades surged forward like it would shatter his defenses.
“I have a prior engagement.”
Mark Goeten tilted his blade slightly to deflect the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit’s assault, then struck upward toward the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit’s left side.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
He summoned the thunder energy burning in his dantian and unleashed the first form of the Azure Thunder Blade toward the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit’s chest.
Crack-crack-crack!
The Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit deployed a defensive incantation, but the Azure Thunder Blade tore through the barrier he created and carved a deep wound across his chest.
“Cough!”
The Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit coughed blood while clutching his chest. His flesh knitted itself back together due to the curse, healing the wound, but the internal injuries would not be so easily mended.
‘I can hold them off.’
Both the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit were upper-tier Masters, but their accumulated experience differed vastly from my own. I could defeat them both simultaneously without difficulty.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Mark Goeten lifted the Wall Dragon Blade overhead. He summoned the azure lightning tendrils of the Azure Thunder Blade to pressure both the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit simultaneously.
“This… this bastard!”
“How can he be so strong when we’re the same rank…?”
The Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit and the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit trembled with their lips quivering, bewildered that they were losing ground even with their combined assault.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
He blocked the arrows and magic surging from behind with a wall of lightning, then drove the azure blade of thunder toward the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit and the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit.
Crack-crack-crack!
Mark Goeten’s Wall Dragon Blade was about to shatter the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit’s twin blades and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit’s staff, then sever their necks in one decisive stroke.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
The moment an eerie cutting sound rang in my ears, the wall I had created with lightning shattered, and a chillingly sharp blade pierced into my waist.
Crackle crackle crackle!
He tried to block the sword strike that came crashing down with the Wall Dragon Sword laid horizontally, but the energy contained within it was beyond what he could handle without any preparation.
CRASH!
Mark Goeten was ultimately flung far away, tumbling roughly across the ground like a stone kicked by a child.
“Ugh….”
Mark Goeten lifted his head, spitting black blood.
Shhhhh.
A tall warrior approached the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit he had been trying to kill.
In his hands were two pairs of scythes of different colors, and his limbs were abnormally long. He scratched at the mantis helmet adorning his face and released a chirping sound like the fluttering of wings.
“The White Mantis Spirit….”
Mark Goeten swallowed hard as he gazed upon the man wearing the mantis helmet.
‘Was that monster here all along?’
He had assumed the Grand Master was merely hiding, never suspecting it was that spirit.
‘Of all creatures, it had to be him….’
The White Mantis Spirit was an executive of Eden who inherited the characteristics of the Giant Mantis Lord.
Unlike the brutish Giant Mantis, he was cautious yet merciless, and with his superior senses, he was a formidable opponent for any warrior to face.
Shhhhh!
The White Mantis Spirit turned his back, showing no interest in Mark Goeten, and lowered his two pairs of scythes as he moved toward the forest.
“Ugh….”
Mark Goeten forced strength into his trembling knees and pushed himself upright.
‘I cannot let him leave.’
Right now, Raon was unable to maintain his composure because of Merlin.
If the White Mantis Spirit, who had been hiding, launched a surprise attack while Raon fought the transcendent in the forest, even someone of his caliber could suffer grave wounds. I had to stop him by any means necessary.
Boom!
I infused the Wall Dragon Blade with the full force of my aura and stomped the ground. I layered the incantation of the Azure Lightning Blade onto the raging thunder, drawing a bolt of lightning across the air.
“Fool.”
The White Mantis Spirit released a whistling sound from its mouth as it savagely raised the sickle it had tilted to the side.
Kwaaaaaaaa!
A pristine white aura blazed atop the sharply rising sickle, cleaving through the Azure Lightning Blade’s bolt and slashing straight through my chest.
“Cough….”
Mark Goeten staggered backward, spitting blood. As he caught his breath to stanch the bleeding wound on his chest, a sword strike and sorcery came flying from both his right and left sides.
Clang!
The Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit. They had recovered their breathing during the time the White Mantis Spirit had bought them, and now they pressed their blades toward him.
‘Damn it!’
Mark Goeten retreated while gripping the bleeding wound on his chest with his left hand, struggling to block the relentless assault of the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit.
Screeeech!
His body was in no condition to fight. Sword strikes and sorcery that he could have easily parried before now threatened to cut him down.
Whoosh.
The White Mantis Spirit turned its back, as if it already considered me a dead man, heading back into the Forest. It seemed to possess the nature of a Mantis Lord—hunting only the prey that looked appetizing.
‘Absolutely not!’
Mark Goeten’s eyes blazed with determination. He pushed back the charging Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit with the Azure Lightning Blade’s lightning, then rushed toward the Forest again.
“Stop!”
With blood streaming from my exposed chest, I brought my blade down toward the White Mantis Spirit’s sickle.
“This bastard….”
The White Mantis Spirit furrowed his brow in surprise at Mark Goeten’s charge, which had grown even more formidable despite his injuries.
“I made a promise to the Gwangpung Jeonju….”
Mark Goeten’s gaze remained unwavering even before the White Mantis Spirit’s chilling murderous intent.
He gripped the brilliantly gleaming blade with both hands and stomped the ground as if to shatter the very battlefield beneath him.
“No one shall pass this way while I still draw breath!”
*
*
*
“Do you think he’ll be alright?”
Crain glanced back at the Patriarch’s Hall, which had receded far into the distance, and clicked his tongue.
“The Gwangpung Jeonju’s expression looked incredibly grave….”
He furrowed his brow, troubled by concern for Raon.
“Well, I haven’t been at Gwangpung Hall for very long, but I’ve never seen a face like that before.”
Trevin also let out a low murmur, clearly anxious about Raon.
“I’ve been watching Raon since my trainee days, but I’ve rarely seen an expression like today’s….”
Dorian scratched his cheek, certain that something serious was afoot.
“Yes, it was grave.”
Burren Zigheart nodded calmly.
“I was tempted to follow him.”
He clicked his tongue briefly, noting that he had deliberated whether to go along.
“I thought about it, but why didn’t you go?”
Crain tilted his head with curiosity.
“Because the Dharma Protector was behind Raon.”
Burren shrugged as if that said everything.
“That man treasures Raon more than his own life.”
He chuckled softly, saying that was where the Dharma Protector surpassed everyone else in Gwangpung Hall.
“The reason the Dharma Protector grows stronger is to be of help to Raon, isn’t it?”
Martha tilted her chin as if to ask whether Crain didn’t know that.
“In Gwangpung Hall, only we three and that man train more than Raon.”
She drew a subtle smile, noting that Mark Goeten’s dedication was no less than theirs.
“Right. You don’t need to worry.”
Lunan nodded, gazing up at the sky bathed in violet twilight.
“They’ll both return with smiles.”
*
*
*
“Haaah….”
Mark Goeten expelled violet-tinged blood from his lips, his expression devoid of any trace of humor.
‘At this rate, I really will die.’
I could block the attacks from the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit and the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit, but each slash from the White Mantis Spirit was so vicious that it threatened my very soul.
If my concentration wavered even slightly, my head would have been severed long ago.
‘The Gwangpung Jeonju didn’t conduct concentration enhancement training for nothing.’
Back then, I thought it was hellish, but in actual combat, it was proving invaluable.
Kyaaaaaaang!
I deflected the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit’s incantation and parried the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit’s blade strike, trying to steady my breathing when the White Mantis Spirit’s scythe descended. Every hair on my body stood on end—there was no way to evade.
‘If I can’t block it….’
I had to attack!
Mark Goeten recalled the profound insight he had gained from Raon and brought his Wall Dragon Blade down toward the descending scythe of the White Mantis Spirit.
Kuwaaaaang!
The Wall Dragon Blade bent as though it would shatter upon impact with the White Mantis Spirit’s scythe.
The weapon itself was compensating for his insufficient martial power. Had it not been a blade forged from a dragon’s horn by Balkan, the Continental Master Craftsman, he would have perished long ago.
“Quite the stubborn one.”
The White Mantis Spirit waved his hand irritably, and his scythe trembled like an insect’s wing.
‘What… Ah!’
Mark Goeten, focused on the scythe’s movements, urgently threw himself to the left.
Paaaaack!
But it was already too late—his waist was carved deeply, and blood poured forth once more.
“Cough….”
He tried to stanch the bleeding with aura, but because the wound was so sharp, the blood wouldn’t stop flowing.
“It’s finally over.”
“Bloodsucking leech!”
The Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit and Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit seized the opportunity, unleashing a torrent of blade strikes and sorcery infused with spectral power.
‘I can’t catch my breath….’
Mark Goeten raised his blade to intercept their relentless assault, unable to even staunch his wounds.
‘My mind is growing foggy….’
My vision blurred, and my thoughts dwindled rapidly. I’d lost so much blood that I was slipping into a truly perilous state.
Ssssshhhhh!
The White Mantis Spirit didn’t retreat into the forest as before. Instead, it approached slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. It seemed he intended to finish me himself.
‘Perhaps this is for the best.’
Mark Goeten let out a faint laugh.
‘I’ve bought enough time.’
Though my strength had drained away and I didn’t know where Raon was, he would surely be able to rescue Merlin and return.
[White Mantis Spirit! Never mind the dying fool—pursue Raon Zigheart!]
Just as the White Mantis Spirit began to slowly raise its scythe, a somewhat sluggish voice echoed from the void.
Whoever commanded the White Mantis Spirit in such a manner must be the commander who had formed the Cheonra Net Formation.
“Tsk.”
The White Mantis Spirit clicked its tongue sharply, as if acknowledging the order, then swiftly turned and fled.
‘This won’t do….’
If I let the White Mantis Spirit go now and Raon falls into an ambush, I couldn’t close my eyes even in death. I need to hold it here for one more minute. No—one more second.
‘I can still move. I have to. No matter what.’
I imprinted the movements of the Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit and Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit into my mind. If I could swiftly cut down those two and move quickly, I might be able to catch the White Mantis Spirit’s feet.
‘First, the footwork… Ugh!’
I tried to retreat using the footwork technique, but my body wouldn’t respond properly.
In my blurred vision, all I could do was defend against the attacks of the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit.
‘If my body won’t cooperate….’
Mark Goeten bit his lip and lifted his head.
‘I have no choice but to stop them another way!’
I pushed back the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit slightly with nascent lightning crackling at my fingertips, then straightened my waist.
“White Mantis Spirit! Are you afraid of me!”
Mark Goeten called out the White Mantis Spirit’s name, twisting his lips into a sneer.
“All you do is run away! So you’re not just some insect after all!”
I shouted for it to fight me if it wasn’t afraid, raising my Wall Dragon Technique.
“Madman….”
The White Mantis Spirit twisted its lips and lifted its scythe once more.
“I’ll slice that mouth of yours straight off!”
[Stop wasting time! Get into the forest!]
Just as it was about to swing the scythe viciously, the commander’s voice rang out again.
“White Mantis….”
[I’ll finish this one!]
As I was about to call out to the White Mantis Spirit again, the entire dark sky flashed crimson, and a bolt of lightning so massive it obscured my entire vision came crashing down.
Kuuuuuuuu!
Mark Goeten exhaled sharply as he watched the lightning descend to the crown of his head in an instant.
‘Is this… true lightning?’
It was of an entirely different caliber from the lightning he had wielded until now. It was profound yet magnificent, fierce yet supple.
‘And…’
It was free.
Unlike his own technique, which merely shaped lightning to conform to his form, this lightning extended freely enough to reach anywhere in the world.
‘That’s right. True lightning is…’
Since it falls from the sky above, it must be able to reach anywhere.
‘Then my technique as well…’
The moment he grasped the enlightenment that both the lightning and the technique that drew it must be free, countless techniques that had filled his mind sank away entirely.
What filled the now-hollow space was but a single line.
Yet that line was free enough to extend anywhere.
Shhhhhhh!
Mark Goeten lifted the Wall Dragon Blade with fingertips drained of all strength. He closed his eyes, envisioning the azure line etched into his mind.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
Above the Wall Dragon Blade, cyan radiance bloomed to dye the heavens and earth in all directions, and from within it, thunder roared as if the sky itself were collapsing.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
The lightning that the commander of the Cheonra Net Formation had struck down did not crash upon Mark Goeten—instead, it flashed crimson as if it had become his strength, swirling around him.
“S-stop it. Stop it now!”
The White Mantis Spirit, realizing that Mark Goeten was now dangerous, unleashed crimson and azure slashes with both scythes raised. The two-colored arcs intermingled, forming the shape of a colossal scythe.
“This bastard!”
“What is he doing now!”
The Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit, sensing the ominous aura, unleashed all their power and poured out their energy.
Screeeech!
Mark Goeten didn’t retreat a single step, drawing down the Wall Dragon Blade he’d raised above his head.
Azure Thunder Blade Ultimate.
Ten Thousand Waves Divine Knot.
What Mark Goeten expressed was neither a sword technique nor martial art. The conviction he had accumulated thus far descended alongside azure lightning.
Booooom!
The White Mantis Spirit’s body split apart under countless bolts of lightning as if the very sky itself had been drawn down, while the existence of the Red Orc Dual-Blade Spirit and Black Troll Sorcerer Spirit was erased.
Whoooosh!
Mark Goeten felt the power surging through his body as if resonating with heaven and earth, raising the hand that gripped the Wall Dragon Blade.
Uuuuung!
The commander of the Cheonra Net Formation finally seemed to regard him as a threat, concentrating the formation’s pressure.
Crackcrackcrack!
The Eden Ghosts and Monsters forming the formation began surging toward him instead of pursuing Raon.
“Haaa….”
Mark Goeten straightened his slightly bent waist and rose. Terrible pain engulfed his mind, his body trembled as if it might collapse at any moment, and countless enemies blocked his path, yet he seemed undefeated against anyone.
Kuuuung!
Mark Goeten stood before the entrance to the Forest where Raon had entered and stepped into the formation’s rhythm. He unleashed the surging courage welling up from his chest toward the Monsters and Eden’s vast army pressing in fiercely.
“Come! I am the protector of Gwangpung Hall!”
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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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