The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 743 "You too...." The man called the Heavenly Demon answered without even looking back at The Fallen. "Is that what you're calling me?" His tone was peculiar. The name "Heavenly Demon" seemed to both please and disgust him. "Doesn't it suit you?" The Fallen shrugged as he looked at the Heavenly Demon's broad back. "I'm The Fallen, and you're the Heavenly Demon. I think these names are perfect for ones like us." The corners of his handsome young man mask curled up into a long smile. The Heavenly Demon neither responded nor turned around. He remained seated as if The Fallen didn't exist. "This place is always warm and harmonious. The breath of nature is still alive here." The Fallen smiled faintly as he surveyed the verdant flowers and trees. "It really doesn't suit someone like you." He rarely spoke words that seemed to pick a fight. "What's your business?" The Heavenly Demon slightly turned his chin, ignoring The Fallen's provocation. "Is that the Green King?" The Fallen didn't answer about his business, instead turning his gaze to the Heavenly Demon's right. Under an unseasonably ripe apple tree stood a woman. She was as tall as an adult man, and her posture was straight, suggesting she had learned martial arts. She wore a black Orc helmet on her face, but strangely, it had no protruding teeth, and two flames rose from her forehead. Unlike the light brown hair flowing over her shoulders, the red inner light emanating from the center of the helmet was burning eerily, as if soaked in blood. “I’ve heard rumors about the Green King’s awakening, but this exceeds my expectations.” The Fallen licked his lips as he looked at the woman wearing the Black Orc Lord's helmet. "This level of growth is not inferior to Raon Zieghart's. It's quite tempting." He licked his lips for a long time as if he meant it, but the woman wearing the Orc helmet didn't even glance at him. Instead, the shoulders of the Severing Sword standing behind her trembled slightly. "The Green King is my...." "You've grown quite talkative with useless chatter." A short man who stood up from the bushes shook his head. He wore a helmet of Ettin that looked viciously alive, but unlike a real Ettin, he had only one head. "Our lord asked you a question, did you answer it?" The voice of the man wearing the Ettin helmet was clear and transparent, as if he hadn't gone through puberty. It was a stark contrast to his fierce helmet. "You're still insolent, Twin-Headed Demon." The Fallen smiled, casually brushing off the Twin-Headed Demon's aura. "You. You're not normal." The Heavenly Demon instantly grasped The Fallen's condition and lowered his fingertip. "Your body is intact, but your soul is torn. What happened to you?" He turned his head a little more, as if intrigued. "There was one more monster here." The Fallen nodded calmly, as if he had expected this. "It's obvious who could push me to this extent, isn't it?" He twitched his finger while looking at the red scales on the helmet worn by the Heavenly Demon. "Glenn Zieghart. He finally reached the realm of splitting souls with his sword." "Glenn Zieghart...." The Heavenly Demon slightly raised his gaze to look at the sky. "He was different from anyone else. I expected him to reach that realm while still human." He nodded slightly as if it were a matter of course. "But he's different from you. He's still governed by causality." "I suppose so." The Heavenly Demon exhaled softly, as if regretful. "So, did you come to ask me to deal with Glenn?" "Could you do it?" The Fallen twisted his lips into a smile while pointing at himself with his finger. "Given my current state." "I refuse." The Heavenly Demon shook his head firmly. "Glenn Zieghart is certainly attractive prey, but now is not the time. Moreover...." His aura, which had been the smallest among those present, suddenly exploded upward. "Your goals and mine are different. Don't think about using me." As the Heavenly Demon lightly waved his hand, the beautiful peach blossom fragrance twisted. The verdant trees exuded killing intent like evil spirits, and the colorful flowers generated an intense pressure. "Aren't our goals still the same?" The Fallen didn't stop smiling even in the bizarre illusion created by the Heavenly Demon. "If you're going to talk nonsense, then stop...." “Of course, I didn’t come here just to see the back of your head.” As he snapped his fingers, pale light and darkness bloomed, dissolving the Heavenly Demon's pressure. “So! Let’s get to the point… Ugh!” "Would you please shut up?" The Twin-Headed Demon stood up in irritation but suddenly stopped. He swallowed dryly upon seeing the ominous light in The Fallen's eyes. "An Archangel has descended." The Fallen mentioned the word "Archangel" with a faint smile. At that moment, the Heavenly Demon, who seemed as if he would never move, turned around. An unquenchable flame began to burn within the helmet adorned with ten horns of varying sizes. * * * Raon entered the fifth training ground in the early dawn. He tidied up the ground frozen by the cold dawn air and finished his basic swordsmanship training. As he was about to practice the Fangs of Insanity, the training ground door opened, and the Light Wind division swordsmen entered one by one. "As expected, the Division Leader is here first." "There's still over an hour until the appointed time...." "Just looking at how tidy the training ground is, he must have come at least an hour ago." "Does that person not sleep?" The Light Wind division swordsmen clicked their tongues as they looked at the well-organized training ground. "Ah! I thought I'd be the first one here today!" Krein frowned as he ruffled his own hair. "What time did that guy even get here!" "From what I can tell, it seems like two hours ago...." Dorian sighed as he looked at the well-organized training ground. "Considering he was already practicing swordsmanship, it could be even earlier than that." Burren shook his head as he looked at the Heavenly Drive sword in Raon's hand. "I once came out at 4 AM, and he was already here before me." He let out a deep sigh, saying he was tired of it. "For me, it was 3 AM. Damn it." Martha wrinkled her nose as she responded to Burren's words. "That guy probably feels more comfortable in the Fifth Training Ground than at home." She clicked her tongue, saying Raon only goes to the annex building for meals. "I just thought it would be...." Runaan bowed her head, saying she had long given up on arriving before Raon. She blinked her eyes, still seeming sleepy. "Where's the Vice Leader?" Mark Goetun narrowed his eyes as he looked for Rimmer, the only one who hadn't arrived. "Why would that damn guy come at this hour?" The Gambling Monster snorted, telling them not to talk nonsense. "That's all. Let's begin." He gestured to Raon, telling him to hurry up as it was troublesome. "Understood." Raon nodded and stepped onto the platform. As the Gambling Monster said, it seemed Rimmer would arrive much later, so it was better to start in advance. Standing at the edge of the platform, he examined the faces of all the Light Wind division members, but their expressions didn't look good. Having been together for a long time, he could now tell what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions. "Thank you for responding to the call during your vacation period." Raon raised his chin while keeping his hands behind his back. "I said it was voluntary participation, but seeing you all gathered here, I think you all had the same thought as me." "Well, not really..." As Raon was scanning the swordsmen's eyes again, Krein raised his hand. "I thought there might be retaliation later if I didn't come today...." "Shut his mouth. Dorian." "Yes!" At Raon's gesture, Dorian took out a gag from his stomach pouch and put it over Krein's mouth. "Since there was an interruption, let's start again. I clearly said it was voluntary participation, but the fact that you've gathered like this means I think you all felt something from this war in your own way." The Light Wind division bowed their heads silently, as if proving Raon's words correct. "Mmph...." Krein, realizing it wasn't the time for jokes, quietly bit down on his gag. "Let me say this clearly. You are strong." Raon met the wavering eyes of the Light Wind division with his calm, red eyes. "Thanks to life-threatening real combat and grueling training, there's no martial force stronger than the Light Wind division at your age across the entire continent." It wasn't a lie. Even if the Five Kings and Five Demons were hiding something, he could confidently say there was no stronger group at a similar age to the Light Wind division. “Ooh!” "Eh, well...." "It's not quite like that." "Right. We're still lacking in many ways." Krein, Dorian, and the other swordsmen scratched their heads as if embarrassed. "Even so, you weren't the protagonists in this war." Raon's voice turned cold, contradicting his earlier words. "Hmm...." "That's...." The Light Wind division silently bit their lips, knowing better than anyone that Raon's words were true. "You lacked the ability to escape crises on your own, so you couldn't escape the gaze of the strong. Even during the war, you were in a position of being protected. You were no different from children left by the riverside." Raon looked down at Burren as he harshly spat out the situation and emotions the Light Wind division had felt. "When you tried to cut down a Water Demon, Astral Energy flew in. When you tried to behead a mountain bandit, Astral Rings poured down. Even magic exploded, making it impossible for the Light Wind division to move alone." He continued speaking while looking at Martha, who was biting her lip until it bled. "It was the same with House Robert. All you could do was twiddle your thumbs behind the advance of the Six Kings' powerful figures." He lowered his fingertip while looking at Runaan, who revealed the hidden passion in her dull purple eyes. "The upcoming wars will be rougher and more dangerous. If you remain as you are now, you'll be mere bystanders or hindrances." Nothing more than obstacles. Raon revealed a heavy gaze as he sharply cut into the hearts of the Light Wind division. -You bastard-. Wrath frowned as if displeased with Raon. -Why are you treating the kids differently than usual... Just as he was about to argue, a fierce wind of the Gale Wind Style surged from the center of the Light Wind division. "We know. We know better than anyone...." Martha couldn't even speak to the Leader of the White Blood Religion in this war. Her black eyes turned bloodshot as if acutely feeling the helplessness from that time. "So what should we do?" Burren, who aimed to be acknowledged by Karoon, clenched his fist as if understanding why Raon had said such things. "...I'll do anything. Whatever it takes." Runaan also nodded firmly, saying she would do anything to become stronger after meeting Syria. All members of the Light Wind division straightened their backs and revealed fiery eyes, as if sharing the same determination as their Squad Leaders. "We need to grow stronger before the real war begins." Raon placed his hand on the hilt of the Heavenly Drive with a satisfied smile. "All members will endlessly repeat missions and training until everyone becomes a Master, and Mark Goetun and the Squad Leaders reach the pinnacle of Master level." He pulled his chin up tightly as he spoke about developing the martial prowess to defeat any enemy that might come. "It would be unfair to give only you goals, so I'll set a small goal for myself as well. I...." Raon raised his finger as if making a vow. "I will reach transcendence." Not just a personal commitment, but a promise to the Light Wind division, strengthening his resolve even further. "Well, a small goal? But the Division Leader's is the most difficult, isn't it?" Dorian's lips trembled as if in disbelief. "T-Transcendence, you say?" "That guy's capacity is really..." "Handsome Raon." Burren, Martha, and Runaan also let out hollow laughs as they looked at Raon, who had mentioned transcendence. "Right. Our Division Leader should at least reach transcendence." Rimmer, who had just climbed over the wall, nodded quickly. "As the Vice Leader, I'm also planning to challenge transcendence." Rimmer smiled, saying he'd set the same condition as Raon. "V-Vice Leader?" Krein narrowed his eyes as he removed his gag. "Nah, that won't happen." "Absolutely not." Martha shook her head as she stood next to Krein. "That lazybones, reaching transcendence? No way." She snorted, saying even a passing dog wouldn't believe it. "To achieve my goal, I must reach transcendence." Rimmer waved his hand, saying he'd challenge it whether they believed him or not. "So regular members become Masters, Squad Leaders reach the pinnacle of Master level, and the Division Leader and Vice Leader aim for transcendence?" The Gambling Monster chuckled as if in disbelief. "What a ridiculously powerful force is about to be born." He smiled not in mockery, but with expectation. "That's why we'll need a lot of help from you, General Manager." Raon bowed his head to the Gambling Monster. "Tch, I'm past my prime, yet I got caught up with a strange fellow...." The Gambling Monster sighed deeply, saying he was worse off than a sucker at a gambling den. "It's not much, but...." Raon approached the Gambling Monster and took out five black bottles. It was high-quality liquor he had procured from the south this time. "Ahem! What's all this!" The Gambling Monster smiled as if he had never complained. True to his gambling nature, the five bottles of liquor disappeared into his sleeve in an instant. "Everyone, prepare yourselves! It won't be easy this time!" He erased his tired expression and yelled at the Light Wind division as if to earn his keep. "Don't worry." "We'll never give up." "We'll follow through to the end!" The Light Wind division swordsmen gritted their teeth, saying they refused to be mere spectators. 'The training and missions will be hell, but if we overcome that....' Raon bit his lip slightly as he watched the roaring Light Wind division. 'You'll be able to reach a new realm.' After finishing the training that lasted from dawn to evening, Raon entered the head of house's training ground before midnight. Glenn hadn't arrived yet, but the training ground was brightly lit as if instructions had been given. 'Should I warm up a bit?' He lightly rotated his shoulders and drew the Heavenly Drive. Damn! Just as he was about to start sword training, Wrath jumped up, flailing like a freshly caught fish. -How can you train all day long! He shook his head, saying he was really sick of it. -Because of you, I couldn't even eat properly! 'We ate at the training ground, didn't we?' -That's not a meal for this king! Wrath flailed his arms, saying he wanted to eat a proper meal at the annex building. -Your abilities increase even when you're just sleeping, eating, or resting, so why can't you just stay still! 'That's not enough.' Raon shook his head as he looked up at the moonless night sky. 'Every minute and second counts if I want to behead Derus.' While the Demon King's Authority greatly aids in growth, there's a limit to what abilities alone can achieve. To increase the chances of beheading Derus, he needs to elevate his martial arts realm and ceaselessly hone his swordsmanship. -Ugh. I thought we'd just eat and rest for a while since it's a vacation.... Wrath grumbled in dissatisfaction but kept his mouth shut. It seemed he was trying to be considerate in his own way. As Raon smiled faintly at the quieted Wrath, the training ground door opened, and Glenn entered. "Head of House...." "We'll be seeing each other for a while, so stop with the formal greetings." Glenn waved his hand lightly as he approached. As always, he didn't seem to like such excessive greetings or etiquette. "I heard you trained the swordsmen all day. It might interfere with our training, so why did you train so excessively?" His voice lowered. It seemed this single question carried many implications. "Didn't you tell me, Head of House? To become stronger together with my comrades." He spoke without hesitation, having already thought this through. "As you said, I intend to walk not alone, but together with the Light Wind division. Of course, I'll ensure it doesn't affect our training at all." "I see." Glenn nodded, covering his slightly trembling lips with his right hand. His eyes were still dry, but he seemed satisfied with the answer. "Then, as time is precious, let's begin right away." He beckoned with his finger as he approached the center of the training ground. "How far have you mastered the Azure Sky Sword?" "I've learned them all, but in actual combat, I can use up to the eleventh form." Raon answered as he adjusted his grip on the Heavenly Drive. "The sword techniques you're learning now are the Fangs of Insanity, Blizzard Sword Art, Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation's swordsmanship, the technique you created yourself, the Azure Sky Sword, and various others, right?" Glenn listed the sword techniques Raon was learning one by one, briefly licking his lips. "That's correct." Raon bowed his head as he answered. 'Hearing it like this... it's too many.' When Glenn said it directly, Raon realized he was using too many sword techniques. Since focus was said to be important for transcendence, he thought he should reduce them a bit this time. "I apologize. In future training, I'll focus on just a few sword techniques...." "If it were someone else, I would have told them to do that." He was. "No, if it were a year ago, I would have told you to focus on just a few sword techniques too. That's the quickest path to transcendence." He raised his finger, pointing at Raon. "But after seeing you fight, my thoughts have changed." "What do you...." Raon blinked, not understanding Glenn's words. "Even I, who pursue the Ten Thousand Swords, and the Sword Demon, had to give up certain areas when reaching transcendence. But you're different. To reach transcendence, you don't need to focus on just one thing. Learn more, and seek a broader world." As Glenn smiled faintly and drew the Heavenly Tremor, the dark clouds parted, and golden moonlight poured down. "Your vessel can hold anything."