The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 705 As the swordsman wearing the blue dragon helmet extended his arm, the Death Aura enveloping his blade shot forth in hundreds of dazzling streaks. "How crude." Glenn didn't retreat even as he saw the Death Aura surging towards him. Instead, he stepped forward and swung the Heavenly Tremor downward. Lightning crackled along the pristine blade, devouring all traces of the Death Aura. Where the Heavenly Tremor passed, only a faint breeze remained, too weak to even stir a hair. "You intend to face me with just this level of skill?" Glenn narrowed his eyes as he lowered the Heavenly Tremor, still pristine and untouched. At his feet, the remnants of the Death Aura, crushed by lightning, dispersed like mist. "It's too soon to judge." The swordsman in the blue dragon helmet grinned, wagging his finger. "Let's save the evaluation for after we're done!" As he flipped his wrist, a sphere of condensed Death Aura surged from thin air. The pitch-black orb crushed through space as it hurtled towards Glenn's heart. "Didn't I say it was crude?" Glenn lowered his left hand, the one not holding the Heavenly Tremor, and the incoming sphere dropped like a puppet with cut strings, plunging into the ground. The Death Aura exploded underground, completely upending the riverbank and the water. "To borrow your grandson's words..." The man in the blue dragon helmet smiled gleefully as he drew his sword back behind his shoulder. Not just the blade, but his entire body began to burn with Death Aura. "You're still far from it!" With a roar-like cry, the swordsman in the dragon helmet lunged forward with his black sword. The pressure crushing Glenn's entire body was more than twice as strong as when he had swung his sword before. "The weight of that child's words..." Glenn's eyes froze with a cold gleam. Angry lightning crackled along the blade of the Heavenly Tremor as he extended it. "Is different from the likes of you." The blood-soaked lightning blade intercepted the charge of the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet. When the swords clashed, an enormous shockwave erupted, tearing the space around them, but Glenn didn't budge an inch. He stood his ground, pressing down on the swordsman in the dragon helmet with just one hand. With a chilling sound of twisting bones, the legs of the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet began to bend. "The old man's got strength. But..." Despite his shoulder being pressed down by the Heavenly Tremor, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet maintained a relaxed smile. "This isn't your full power, is it?" He shrugged his shoulders lightly, as if to say this level wasn't enough. "......" Glenn furrowed his brow as he observed the eyes of the man in the blue dragon helmet. 'He's holding back his strength.' Despite showing similar prowess to when he faced the Leader of the White Blood Religion, the man's composure suggested he wasn't fighting at full strength either. 'No wonder that fool said he was dangerous.' Ogram had said he couldn't guarantee victory in a one-on-one fight with the man in the dragon helmet. At first, Glenn thought it was because of the dangerous nature of the Death Aura, but that wasn't the issue. This man was strong regardless of the Death Aura. He was formidable enough that few among the Six Kings and the Five Demons could match him. 'I should make him reveal his hidden skills.' Such a skilled martial artist couldn't have appeared out of nowhere. It would be best to make him reveal his true abilities to understand the origin of his martial arts. The moment Glenn twisted his wrist, the man in the dragon helmet was violently pushed back. "This is..." The man in the dragon helmet's eyes widened in surprise, as if unsure of what had just happened. "Let me show you the difference in our levels." Glenn raised the Heavenly Tremor, aiming at the gleaming eyes within the blue dragon helmet. As the swordsman who had reached the heavens took his stance, the world itself seemed to shake. A noble aura, as if the man himself had become a sword of the heavens, spread in all directions. "Many unexpected things are happening today." The man in the blue dragon helmet shuddered, seemingly overwhelmed by Glenn's aura. "Still, I must do what needs to be done." He shook off his right hand, still tingling from the impact, and lunged towards Glenn's right side. He thrust his black sword, brimming with Death Aura, like a flash of lightning. The Heavenly Tremor and the black sword clashed, their auras surging against each other as if trying to devour one another. Glenn and the swordsman in the dragon helmet exchanged blows in a space so close they could feel each other's breath. It wasn't a battle of powerful auras, but a pure contest of martial skill. After dozens of fierce exchanges, the man in the dragon helmet was forced back as if bouncing off. With each step he took backward, the ground beneath him was deeply gouged. He hadn't been able to fully neutralize Glenn's power. "Ugh..." The man in the dragon helmet spat blood on the ground and exhaled roughly. "Neither side can win like this." He bit his lip, acknowledging that Glenn was superior in swordsmanship, aura, and even patience. "Are you satisfied now?" The South-North Union Leader approached from the side with a smirk. "Not yet." Despite saying this, the swordsman in the blue dragon helmet dusted off his hands as if to say he was done, even if not satisifed. "But I've had a taste of it, at least." "Then let's start the real fight." As the South-North Union Leader extended his hand, the river water surged up like a rising dragon, gathering in his grasp to form a blue spear. It was the Sea Dragon Spear, one of the ancient weapons said to choose its own master. Meanwhile, the man with the Dragon Helmet erased his casual demeanor and raised his black sword above his head. The Death Aura burning on the blade grew more intense, flaring up into black lightning. It seemed as if he was imitating Glenn. "Crude from beginning to end." Glenn positioned the Heavenly Tremor at mid-level, revealing a chilling killing intent. The Lightning Aura surging from the blade covered the sky and earth, emitting a red radiance. "Sword Domain." His deep voice twisted the world. "Unblemished Perfection." * * * "Oof..." Dorian let out a sigh of relief as he gripped the helm. "We somehow managed to survive." Even as he expressed relief, he dry-heaved, still not fully relaxed from the tension. "It's thanks to the Division Leader. This guy doesn't seem to have even considered the possibility of losing." Krein sighed as he looked at Raon lying with his eyes closed. "Of course not. Raon must have been confident of victory from the moment he staked his life on it." Burren muttered that Raon was a terrifying guy, shaking his head. "That guy has never broken a promise. We just need to trust him." Martha applied ointment to Raon's abdomen with a faint smile. "That's an unexpected thing to hear from Miss Rakshasa." Runaan shook her head as she looked at Martha. "This is really..." "Today, Raon is in top handsome form." She carefully brushed Raon's hair, ignoring Martha who was about to pounce on her. "Don't let your guard down, everyone." Rimmer, who was beside Raon, clapped his hands loudly. "It's not over yet." He looked around with a deeply serious expression, unlike his usual self. "We need to be especially careful about the parts that differ from Raon's predictions." "The parts that have changed..." "Eden." Rimmer frowned as he looked at Dorian. "Raon predicted that the Black Tower would come, not Eden. It's a pretty significant variable that's appeared." He tapped his fingertips, saying he had a bad feeling about this. "Hmm..." Mark Goetun nodded and moved to the bow of the ship, extending his Aura Perception. "By the way, who do you think is the Eden spy that the Division Leader recruited?" Burren narrowed his eyes as he looked at Rimmer. "From what The Fallen said, it seems to be someone at the executive level..." "It must be Merlin." Rimmer stroked his chin as he lowered his gaze. "M-Merlin?" "That madwoman?" "Yes. Merlin pretended to try to catch Raon while continuously preventing the Five Demons from interfering. We overlooked it at the time because of the urgency, but thinking about it now, it's very strange." Merlin appeared whenever Raon was in crisis, confronting the other Five Demons. At the time, they thought it was because of her madness, but after hearing The Fallen's words, it seemed clear that she was a spy in league with Raon. "I-I saw it too!" Dorian raised his hand with wide eyes. "Even before, when we all nearly died, Merlin suddenly appeared and looked for the Division Leader!" He swallowed dryly, referring to the time when the entire Light Wind division almost died at the hands of the Flame Demon General. "I understand that Merlin is on Raon's side. But..." Martha bit her lip as she turned around. "The fact that Merlin, being a spy, didn't know Eden was hiding..." "It means Merlin's identity as a spy must have been discovered." Burren nodded as he looked at Raon. "T-Then, right now, Merlin is..." "She's either already been dealt with or in an extremely dangerous situation." Rimmer rubbed the back of his neck, suggesting that Merlin must have been in such a hurry that she couldn't even send a message to Raon. "Ah..." "That's..." "For now, let's focus on getting out of here. We'll figure out the rest later..." Rimmer stopped mid-sentence and turned his head. Numerous presences were moving behind them. "Prepare for battle." Rimmer turned around, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword. "Prepare for battle!" As Burren echoed Rimmer's order, the entire Light Wind division spread out on deck, drawing their swords. They stirred up the wind of the Gale Wind Style to maintain the Light Wind Formation on the swaying deck. About a minute passed. With a sound like blades cutting through river water, small speedboats appeared. There were also two warships, and powerful auras emanated from their decks, suggesting that high-ranking experts had come in person. "Found them! This way!" "I see Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind division! Increase speed!" On land, members of the White Blood Religion and what appeared to be assassins were in pursuit. Seeing figures that looked like Archbishops, it was clear they couldn't be ignored. Rimmer frowned as he observed the South-North Union pursuing them on the river and the assassins chasing them on land. 'At this rate, we'll be caught.' Although Dorian's ship was fast, it couldn't navigate the river properly and would likely be overtaken soon. They needed to change the battlefield from here to the enemy's ships. Rimmer drew his sword, wrapping it in the wind of Garunua. "Protect Raon here. I'll be back soon." He gave instructions to three Squad Leaders and leapt into the river. Riding the wind and waves, he boarded the nearest speedboat. "T-The Light Sword!" "Attack!" The Water Demons and mountain bandits charged at him with wide eyes, gripping their swords and daggers. "I don't have time to play with you." Rimmer unleashed his Astral Energy not at the armed Water Demons, but at the deck of the speedboat. The center of the deck exploded, sending the Water Demons and mountain bandits plunging into the river. He kicked off the sinking bow and leapt onto the adjacent speedboat, raising his sword again. "S-Stop him!" "He's trying to destroy the ship!" Ignoring the panicked Water Demons charging at him, he focused solely on destroying the ship. After sinking all the speedboats pursuing Dorian's ship, Rimmer moved towards the warships. 'If I can just damage this warship, we should be able to escape without much difficulty.' As they were widening the gap with the White Blood Religion, if he could just destroy the warship, they could return to Zieghart without any casualties. "Phew." Rimmer caught his breath and boarded the warship. "Kill him!" "Don't let him destroy the ship!" The Water Demons charged at him from all directions as if they had been waiting for this moment. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry today." Rimmer gritted his teeth and summoned the wind. A green aura blossomed along his blade, sweeping across the chests of the Water Demons. Their bodies split in half and toppled over. They flailed their arms, seemingly unaware of what had just happened to them. "Are you the leader?" Just as Rimmer was about to approach the person who seemed to be the captain of the warship, an eerie roar echoed from high in the sky. "T-That's..." Rimmer's lips trembled as he looked up. A massive form of gleaming white bones burning with dark mana was moving. It was a Bone Dragon, a resurrected undead dragon, swooping down towards them. Behind the Bone Dragon, an undead army composed of gargoyles, wraiths, and specters was also advancing. The robe of the strange figure riding on the Bone Dragon's back was torn away, revealing a skeletal mask with gleaming golden eyes. "The Specter?" Rimmer bit his lip as he recognized the skeletal mask. There was only one person who wore that mask. It was undoubtedly the Specter who had been killed by Raon in House Arianne. 'Has he been revived?' As befitting a ghost wearing an Arch Lich's mask, the Specter was capable of resurrection, and it seemed he had used that ability to come back to life. 'Of all people, it had to be him...' The Specter was a magician who excelled not in one-on-one combat, but in large-scale chaotic battles. In their current situation, he was practically the worst possible enemy they could face. 'Moreover...' He's gotten stronger. The level of dark mana emanating from the Specter and his undead had increased. He hadn't just come back to life; he had returned even more powerful than before. "Let's start with a greeting, shall we?" As the Specter raised a finger, his eerie eyes gleaming, the Bone Dragon opened its maw wide. A dark breath surged from its black jaws, pouring down towards Dorian's ship. The Light Wind division maintained their Light Wind Formation in a defensive stance, attempting to block the Bone Dragon's breath. However, the ship's speed decreased rapidly, as if it had suffered a significant impact. "Kill them all!" At the Specter's command, the undead army guarding the Bone Dragon began a rapid descent towards Dorian's ship. "Dorian! Increase the speed!" Rimmer leapt from the warship into the river, sending blades of wind flying. However, there were too many undead for him to block them all. "I'll try to block them somehow... Huh?" He paused in his tracks, looking down at the water's surface with a gasp. 'They're below as well?' Violent movements could be felt in the water. The Specter's undead army wasn't just in the sky; they were also targeting Dorian's ship from beneath the river. 'Damn it.' In this situation, it seemed impossible to prevent Dorian's ship from sinking, no matter what they did. "Come out! Come out right now!" The Specter attacked Dorian's ship from all sides, as if calling out to Raon. As the undead army descended upon the Light Wind Formation, already shaken by the Bone Dragon's breath, the swordsmen's movements became chaotic. Eventually, the Light Wind division scattered in all directions to protect the ship and Raon, causing the Light Wind Formation to collapse. "If you don't come out now..." The Specter raised his hand, grinding his teeth, and dark mana gathered above his head, forming a massive sphere. "I'll obliterate you completely!" The pitch-black sphere of dark mana descended towards Dorian's ship. The Light Wind division tried to reform their Light Wind Formation, but it seemed they didn't have enough time. 'Too late!' Rimmer bit his lip until it bled. The sphere was moving too fast. Neither the Light Wind division nor he could stop it. Just as he was about to fire an Astral Ring to somehow reduce the damage, a translucent light flashed in front of Dorian's ship, and Merlin, wearing an old woman's mask, appeared. White flames erupted from the magic circle Merlin cast, blocking the black sphere shot by the Specter. A massive explosion occurred, causing Dorian's ship to rock violently as if it might capsize. "Thank you! Thanks to you... Huh?" Rimmer's lips trembled as he started to speak to Merlin. Her mask was half-crushed, and her robe was torn in various places, soaked with blood. "Finally, you've shown yourself!" The Specter nodded, letting out a chilling laugh. "Yes. I knew you'd jump out if I targeted Raon Zieghart." He clenched his fist, saying he could finally have his revenge. "I'm not fond of obsessive men." Merlin sneered, her voice sounding broken and strained. "While trapped in that golden fishbowl, all I could think about was how to kill you. How to kill you, how to torment you. How, how, how!" A chilling madness burned in the Specter's eyes. "If The Fallen hadn't saved me, I would have gone completely mad in there." "You already seem mad to me." Merlin waved her hand, saying it seemed too late for that. "Fine. Let's see how far that composure of yours goes." With a snap of the Specter's fingers, an innumerable undead army emerged from his subspace. "Phew." While Merlin and the Specter were talking, Rimmer climbed back onto Dorian's ship and caught his breath. "Merlin. Let's stop them here. If you help us..." "No." Merlin shook her head, averting her gaze. "We can't stop them here." She gazed intently at Raon, who was being held by Federick, and gave a faint smile. "What? What do you mean...?" "I'll hold them off here. You save Raon." With a light gesture from Merlin, Dorian's ship rose into the air and began moving at an incredible speed, as if caught in a storm. "Merlin!" Rimmer shouted at Merlin, who had become a distant speck in an instant, but she didn't move. "......" Merlin kept her gaze fixed solely on Raon, even as the ship sped away like a beam of light. 'It's done now.' Raon would advance to even greater heights through today's life-and-death battle. Unlike herself who had walked in darkness, she had witnessed him walking a path filled only with light, and she had no regrets. "Getting beaten to near-death, then running away, only to jump out when Raon is attacked? You really are mad." The Specter sneered, as if in disbelief. "You foolish woman. Do you think Raon Zieghart will accept you? You're nothing but a tool to be used and discarded." He shook his head, saying how pitiful she was. "You're right. Raon probably won't look at me. We won't be together." She nodded calmly. "Knowing that, and still doing such a foolish thing..." "But it doesn't matter." Massive wings formed of magic circles bloomed behind Merlin's back. Even as she coughed up blood over her mask, she twisted her lips into a smile. "Because my love has always been one-sided."