The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1335 "......." Karoon narrowed his eyes as sharp as a blade, as if grasping Raon's intention. "You're serious." Looking at Raon's eyes, he realized that he wasn't bluffing. "And you're not ignoring me either. It's just..." Karoon felt the massive presence emanating from Raon's body—no, from his soul—and gulped down dry saliva. "You simply have confidence." Karoon realized that Raon wasn't being arrogant but had confidence in himself, and heavily lowered his chin. "I'm not sure about confidence." Raon gripped Heavenly Drive's handle with his right hand while lowering his gaze. "I'm just trying to do what I can do." Even without fighting Karoon, he could feel that he had shed tremendous blood and sweat. Despite holding the position of Central Martial Palace Master and bearing the name of the Destructive King of the North's son, the fighting spirit of a man who remained alone underground where not an inch of sunlight entered, polishing only his sword, sent chills down his spine. He simply thought that accepting such a man's challenge was proper courtesy as a swordsman and as a rival competing for the head of house position. "Is that so." Karoon relaxed his stiff expression and drew a gentle smile. "The epithet Sword Sage suits you better than anything else right now." He nodded, congratulating him on obtaining a new epithet. "Thank you." Raon slightly lowered his eyes and bowed to Karoon. -Huh? Wrath looked at him with wide eyes. -What's gotten into you? In the past, you would have been humble and said something like 'It's just an empty name.' He let out a hollow laugh as if surprised by this unexpected appearance. 'Those words almost came out.' Raon chuckled and nodded his head. 'But I don't think I should do that anymore.' Through the enlightenment gained in the mental world and his conversation with Glenn, he realized that he too must change now. Showing humility was good, but it was more important to act befitting his current position. "You too..." Karoon erased his smile and trembled his chin slightly. "You've changed a lot." He too felt Raon's change and deeply lowered his eyebrows. "There are openings yet there aren't. It feels like seeing father from the past." Karoon said he could see past Glenn in the current Raon and tensed his fingertips. Thick tendons bulged on the back of his hands. "Let me change my words." Karoon let out a short sigh and lowered the hand that had been gripping his sword. "As planned, I'll request a duel with you in one week. However..." He slowly lowered his eyes, then opened them as he continued speaking. "It's not you who needs time, but me." Unlike his previous words, Karoon nodded, saying he needed time to prepare for the duel. -Huh! I knew that red-eyed bastard had changed, but... Wrath blinked his eyes while looking at Karoon. -I didn't know he would even crush his pride as a martial artist! He's completely changed as a person! 'I didn't know either.' Raon narrowed his eyes thinly while looking at Karoon. 'This is a different change from before.' Karoon had shown dramatic changes before, but he never bent his pride when it came to swords. Changing his words to ask for time because he was lacking was something he couldn't have imagined. 'This could really be dangerous.' Raon felt through Karoon's change that the sword he possessed was sharp, and bit his lip slightly. "Understood. I'll see you at the head of house's great training ground in one week." He relaxed his expression again. He nodded, saying he would accept Karoon's challenge. "Thank you for accepting my challenge." Karoon nodded his farewell as if his business was finished and turned around. "And thank you for always taking care of my son." He waved his hand lightly and walked toward Central Martial Palace. "Hmm..." Raon narrowed the bridge of his nose while looking at Karoon's back, which seemed smaller than before. -What are you so nervous about? Wrath tilted his head curiously. -It's true that red-eyed bastard has changed, but there's still a big difference in level between you two! He wagged his chin as if wondering what there was to worry about. 'I've also climbed to this position by defeating monsters who were at much higher levels than me.' Raon tapped Heavenly Drive, which had seen the blood of countless people, and shook his head. 'There's no law saying I shouldn't suffer the same fate. No matter how much of an underdog the opponent is, I mustn't let my guard down. And...' He slowly caught his breath while watching Karoon growing more distant. 'The current Karoon Zieghart is stronger than his level suggests.' * * * "Huuu!" Burren lowered his sword with trembling hands and let out a heavy breath. "Something feels frustrating." His level was steadily rising, but the wall of Transcendence only wavered without opening a path for him. Runaan, whom he had always considered his rival, was already far ahead, and as he continued to remain in place, impatience bloomed in his chest. 'No. The only thing I can do now is cultivation.' Even if he vented his frustration, nothing would change. All he had to do was continue swinging his sword. 'I should focus only on cultivation during my leave time.' Raon had given himself, Martha, and Runaan a month's leave as a reward for training the Light Wind Palace swordsmen for a month. Initially, he thought of taking a rest, but it seemed better to focus on cultivation and shake off his anxiety. "Again!" It was when Burren shouted "Again!" and swung his sword. "Even if you're tired, your posture shouldn't collapse." Karoon had somehow approached and was standing behind him. "Ah, Father?" Burren gaped at Karoon. "Si-since when have you been watching?" He swallowed dry saliva as if he had no idea. "Who knows." Karoon closed and opened his eyes as if he had no intention of telling him. "More than that, you seem to have many worries." He nodded while meeting Burren's trembling eyes. "Mmm..." Burren bit his lip slightly in embarrassment, having been caught by Karoon in his current state of mind. "The door of Transcendence is heavy. Even now after passing through that path, I wonder how I managed to cross over." Karoon waved his hand, saying that even now as a Transcendent, opening the door of Transcendence is still not easy. "Re-really?" Burren widened his eyes as if he didn't expect Karoon to say such a thing. "Yes. That wall will never open just by hitting it with your sword. Only by putting myself into each sword strike can even a small trace be made." He heavily lowered his chin, saying that he must swing his sword with his soul at stake, not just cultivation to pass time like now. "Mmm..." Burren trembled his hand holding the sword as if breathless from Karoon's serious gaze. "I've decided to duel with Raon Zieghart at the head of house's great training ground in one week." Karoon looked up at the dark night sky and told Burren about what had happened with Raon earlier. "You come that day too." He placed his hand on Burren's shoulder, telling him to definitely observe the duel. "It will be a duel that brings many changes to both me and you." * * * One week later. The head of house's great training ground. In the head of house's great training ground that was always filled with countless people, only two people were standing. Raon Zieghart and Karoon Zieghart. The two successor candidates fighting for the head of house position were looking at each other while emanating only quiet aura. "No..." Alice, who had returned to the family after a long time, let out a hollow laugh. "War is right around the corner, so why are they trying to fight each other?" (E/N: That's my question too.) Alice shook her head as if she couldn't understand. "Besides, even without fighting, we roughly know the outcome." She lowered her hand, saying that even from her perspective, being below Karoon's level, he was no match. "You don't know that." The Blade Queen firmly shook her head. "Even if a wolf is weaker than a tiger, that doesn't mean its teeth aren't sharp." She touched the wound she had received from Karoon and clicked her tongue long. "Those teeth..." The Warlord looked at Karoon's eyes and let out a heavy breath. "They seem to have become sharper." He lowered his eyebrows, saying Karoon seemed to have polished his sword even more during the week. "Graaah..." Burren looked at Raon and Karoon in turn and let out intense breaths. 'Who should I cheer for?' He couldn't rejoice freely whether Raon won or Karoon won. However, he couldn't help but lean his heart a little more toward his father, who was the relative underdog. "...." Glenn stood on the platform looking up at the sky, then slowly came down to the great training ground. "Are you ready?" He first turned his gaze toward Raon. "Yes." Raon nodded seriously, meaning he was in perfect condition. "I'm ready." While saying he was ready, Karoon focused his gaze only on Raon, not on Glenn. "Since it's noon" Glenn stood in front of Raon and Karoon who said they were ready, and told them the promised time had come. "Begin." He lowered his wrinkled hand downward as if telling them to start the duel immediately without any flowery words. Srrrrring! Two swords were drawn, but only one sound was heard. Before Raon had fully drawn Heavenly Drive, Karoon's sword had already rushed toward his chest. Drawing Technique. The absolute weapon of swordsmen that stabs the enemy the moment the sword is drawn from its sheath extended at a terrifying speed. For Raon, it was a familiar swordsmanship. Having seen it through Darkan not long ago, it shouldn't have been that frightening. However, Karoon's was not an ordinary Drawing Technique. Shuuuuu! The blade from the sword Karoon held in his hand vanished like a phantom. A sword that pushes away light, pierces through time, and cuts through space. An invincible swordsmanship that already begins by cutting the enemy's body the moment it unfolds dug into Raon's chest. 'Beautiful.' Raon let out an exclamation while watching Karoon's absolute Drawing Technique. Speed, distance, trajectory, and even power. All of it surpassed his imagination. Even Darkan's Drawing Technique, which had reached the absolute level, seemed to fade before this. 'It brings tears to my eyes.' Karoon is a martial artist who displays precise yet brilliant noble swordsmanship. He could feel how much time and effort it took for him to refine and complete that Drawing Technique, making his nose tingle as a swordsman. He thought it would be fine to be struck by swordsmanship that contained such intense effort. No, actually even at his current level, it wasn't easy to block that Drawing Technique. Not only did it create errors in space and time by pushing away light, but it also applied pressure to the body with intense aura. That Drawing Technique was the strongest and finest sword Karoon could display right now. If he had let his guard down even a little, if he hadn't gained enlightenment in the mental world, and if he hadn't received advice from Glenn, he might have been struck by that sword. No, he would have at least suffered serious injuries. 'However.' Raon pushed away Karoon's pressure and drew Heavenly Drive. Shuuuuu! He swung down Heavenly Drive, which emanated a gentle golden light, toward Karoon's sword that had already cut through the flesh of his chest. 'Now I cannot lose.' He had received a request to become a true Sword God from the martial artist he considered a Sword God. From now on, he must not lose to anyone. No, he absolutely could not lose. Raon Zieghart Style. 10th Form True Sword. Raon Zieghart's sword shattered Karoon Zieghart's sword.