The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 653

Glenn clenched his fist as he watched Sylvia collapse. If he didn’t control himself, he felt his emotions might explode uncontrollably.

‘Sylvia….’

She was the youngest, the one who should have received the most love, but instead, she had been neglected and disregarded more than anyone else.

When he finally managed to escape the madness and sought out Sylvia, she had already left the family after destroying her own dantian.

By the time he sent the Heavenly Sword Division after her, it was already too late.

Though he had been overwhelmed by madness and unable to control himself, his actions were still unforgivable.

Sylvia returned with a child in her womb, begging to be saved with eyes that seemed to wish for death.

He was the one who wanted to beg—for forgiveness from his inadequate self as a father. He wanted to kneel and ask her to forgive him.

But when he saw Sylvia’s eyes, filled with forced strength as she suppressed her grief for the sake of her child, his throat tightened, and he couldn’t say a word.

He didn’t deserve to ask for forgiveness from her. Instead, he made a vow to himself.

He swore to protect her from behind, even if he couldn’t be there for her in person.

However, the youngest daughter he had always thought was so fragile and weak had changed today.

Sylvia had burned herself to protect her family, to fend off the malice approaching her loved ones.

Even as a Master, her determination to protect her family had infused her sword with her willpower.

Though she may not have realized it, today she had caused a crack in the wall of a Grandmaster.

‘She must have been filled with regret.’

Sylvia’s fierce battle today wasn’t just because of the Deputy Head. It was likely because she thought of her husband and daughter, whom she couldn’t protect. That’s why she fought until she collapsed.

Glenn bit his lip.

‘This is my sin.’

He had never seen his son-in-law’s face, nor was he aware of his granddaughter’s existence.

Despite having the means to protect them—or rather, despite having the choice not to drive Sylvia away in the first place—he had failed to protect anything.

But today, Sylvia had taken on the burden of the sins he believed were his own.

She had wielded her sword to the end, determined never to experience the same loss again.

The youngest daughter he thought he had to protect at all costs, who he believed was too fragile, had become stronger than him—a true mother.

‘And that’s….’

Glenn slowly closed his eyes and then opened them, biting his lip as he watched Raon tend to Sylvia.

‘It’s because of you.’

No, it’s because of both of them.

Sylvia had grown stronger because of Raon, and Raon had been able to grow stronger because of Sylvia’s support.

Like water and trees, they had nurtured each other’s growth.

“This… this can’t be real!”

As Glenn looked at Raon and Sylvia with a proud gaze, Balder rose from his seat, his hands trembling.

“How could a Grandmaster lose to a Master?”

Balder gasped in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had happened.

“That technique, that ‘Light of the Annex’…”

Deneir rubbed his chin as he looked down at Sylvia and Raon.

“It’s the perfect counter to the Deputy Head’s Ten Forms of Swordsmanship.”

His eyes narrowed, as if analyzing something.

“A perfect counter? Come to think of it, what exactly is this ‘Light of the Annex’?”

Balder turned to the others, asking if anyone had heard of such a martial art.

“Raon must have created it.”

Aris laughed as she pushed her disheveled hair back.

“Created it?”

“Yes. Raon used his wish to obtain the Ten Forms of Swordsmanship. He must have developed a counter technique based on it.”

“Is that even possible?”

Balder stammered, finding it hard to believe.

“Normally, it wouldn’t be. But….”

Sheryl smiled softly and shook her head.

“That boy… Raon can do it.”

“Indeed, you’re right.”

Roenn chuckled, releasing his hands from behind his back.

“Raon sees the world differently from the rest of us.”

Glenn nodded in agreement with Sheryl and Roenn’s words.

‘Yes. Raon is capable of it.’

Just as Aris had said, Raon had mercilessly dissected the Ten Forms of Swordsmanship and developed a counter technique.

The ‘Light of the Annex’ was a martial art with no inherent weaknesses, but when faced with the Ten Forms of Swordsmanship, it became a cat before a mouse, showing far more strength than usual.

The reason Sylvia had been able to hold out against a Grandmaster was due to the flow of the ‘Light of the Annex,’ which devoured the Ten Forms of Swordsmanship.

“By showcasing the ‘Light of the Annex,’ Raon has issued a warning to everyone here.”

Aris clicked her tongue as she looked at Raon.

“A warning?”

Balder tilted his head, confused.

“He showed what happens when you mess with the annex, using Sylvia’s battle as an example.”

As Aris said, the audience remained silent. They were too shocked by Sylvia’s performance to say anything, their mouths agape in disbelief.

“Should I ask Raon to create a martial art for me too?”

Balder licked his lips, seemingly forgetting about his relationship with Raon.

“As if he’d do that!”

Aris slapped Balder on the head.

Ignoring Aris and Balder’s squabble, Glenn continued to watch Raon.

‘Aris is right.’

Raon had just issued a warning to everyone present. He had shown, through Sylvia, what would happen if anyone dared to mess with the annex.

Thanks to Sylvia’s mad, blood-soaked rampage, no one would dare lay a hand on the annex anymore.

‘You’re doing everything I should have done.’

For the first time in a long while, Glenn smiled softly as he looked at Raon.

‘Thank you.’

* * *

The spectators blinked slowly, as if coming out of a trance.

“…Was that really Sylvia?”

“She’s completely different, like a changed person.”

“She was terrifying. It wasn’t just a duel; it was like watching a life-and-death battle….”

They trembled as they watched Sylvia, who had collapsed with a smile on her face.

“But she was smiling the whole time. It was almost saintly!”

“That made it even scarier…”

“I don’t think I can ever look Sylvia in the eye again.”

“Blood, benevolence, and madness… The Bloody Saint.”

Someone whispered, giving Sylvia a new nickname.

“The Light of the Annex… a martial art from the annex?”

“Does that mean everyone in the annex is going to learn that monstrous martial art?”

“Probably.”

“Ugh, I don’t even want to go near the annex from now on.”

“We should stay close to them instead! Who knows what benefits might fall our way?”

“In any case, I don’t want to be their enemy. Sylvia’s scarier than even the Light Wind Division’s leader….”

The spectators, who had once feared Sylvia, were now more frightened by Raon’s power, their voices trembling as they discussed what had just transpired.

The name of the annex’s martial art, the ‘Light of the Annex,’ spread through the crowd, becoming a source of fear.

-This is the outcome you were aiming for.

Wrath nodded as he listened to the murmurs about Sylvia, the ‘Light of the Annex,’ and the annex itself.

‘Indeed.’

Raon smiled faintly as he wiped the blood from Sylvia’s hair.

‘I wanted everyone here to see, through my mother, what the annex is capable of.’

Sylvia hadn’t fought just to take revenge on the Deputy Head; she fought to show everyone what the annex was.

Thanks to her battle, fought until she collapsed, no one would dare to lay a hand on the annex from now on.

-I wanted to stop her many times, but….

Wrath’s eyes softened as he looked at Sylvia.

-This was a fight she needed to finish, and it was a battle that yielded results. It was worth watching.

Wrath grinned, satisfied.

-Mom! You did great!

He gently patted Sylvia’s head with his chubby hand, wagging his tail.

‘She’s not your mother.’

As Raon gently pushed Wrath away, the maids of the annex rushed over, jumping down from the spectator stands.

“My lady!”

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, what do we do!”

Judiel, Helen, Yua, and all the others were there, not a single one missing.

“She’s fine.”

Raon smiled softly as he handed over Sylvia, whom he had treated with healing magic, to the maids.

“Haa….”

Helen, after confirming that Sylvia’s breathing had stabilized, collapsed to the ground, her strength leaving her.

“Wait with Mother.”

Raon made eye contact with each of the maids, nodding to reassure them.

“I’ll finish this quickly and come down.”

He waved his hand before stepping back into the arena.

“Your mother couldn’t bring herself to cut you down, but….”

Raon unsheathed his sword. The blade gleamed menacingly in the sunlight.

“I’m different. You’d better be ready.”

“You….”

The Deputy Head ground his teeth, his rage barely contained. Normally, Raon would have given him time to recover, but this was a battle between the annex and the Deputy Head’s faction.

He couldn’t let the foundation Sylvia had built go to waste.

“A-are you ready?”

The host, still in a daze, approached them with trembling hands.

“No. I’m not ready.”

The Deputy Head shook his head firmly.

“The arena is destroyed! I won’t fight until it’s repaired!”

While it was true the arena was damaged, it wasn’t so bad that it couldn’t be used.

The Deputy Head was clearly trying to buy time to recover his strength and aura. He was indeed a crafty old man.

“It won’t take long, anyway.”

“That’s something we’ll only know after it’s fixed! In any case, I refuse to fight until the arena is fully restored!”

The Deputy Head ordered the arena to be repaired before descending. There was nothing Raon could do about it.

“Fine. We’ll begin repairs immediately….”

“I knew this would happen.”

Rimmer, who had been lounging in his makeshift betting booth, hopped over with a grin.

“Come on out.”

At his gesture, a robed magician stepped out from the right side of the spectators.

“Please fix it.”

“So that’s why you called me.”

The magician removed his hood, revealing himself as Berbin, the sub-tower master of the Magic Tower within Zieghart and Rimmer’s drinking buddy.

“Why else would I call you?”

Rimmer waved his hand, urging him to start.

“Gamblers are an impatient bunch!”

“You always make difficult and troublesome requests. I even had to write a report last time….”

Berbin sighed deeply as he looked at Rimmer.

“But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

“Well, yes.”

Berbin admitted it had been worth the report with a laugh. He seemed to have a similar personality to Rimmer.

“Just get on with it.”

“So you’re buying drinks tonight.”

Berbin chuckled as he raised his hand.

Wooong!

Mana surged from his hand, and the ruined arena was restored to its original state as if time had been rewound.

“Thank you.”

Raon bowed in gratitude, somewhat stunned. He hadn’t expected Rimmer and Berbin to lend him a hand in this way.

“Don’t worry about it. I got to see a good fight, thanks to you.”

Berbin waved off his thanks, saying he’d send the repair bill to Rimmer before returning to his seat.

“Just win! Just win!”

Rimmer waved his hand before heading back to the betting booth.

-That pointy-eared fellow can be helpful sometimes.

Wrath widened his eyes in surprise.

‘He’s not doing it for me; he just wants to win his bets quickly.’

-Oh!

Wrath’s eyes widened as realization dawned.

“Now that the arena is repaired, shall we begin?”

Raon rotated his shoulders as he stepped onto the restored arena. He looked down at the Deputy Head, who was still gathering his aura, and motioned with his chin.

“Grrr….”

The Deputy Head, having run out of excuses, bit his lip and climbed back onto the arena.

“Are you both ready?”

The host asked cautiously, sensing the tension.

“I’m ready.”

“…Ready.”

The Deputy Head, realizing he had no choice, nodded heavily.

“Then, let the final match begin!”

As the host lowered his raised hand, he quickly retreated from the arena.

“Graaah!”

The Deputy Head lunged at Raon before the host had even left the arena. He attacked with full force, knowing that dragging out the fight would only reduce his chances of winning. He immediately unleashed the ultimate forms of the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship].

Wooong!

Ten sharp blades of aura rushed at Raon’s vital points as if they were alive.

‘How predictable.’

Raon smirked coldly as he activated the flow of the [Light of the Annex]. The red light from his Heavenly Drive Sword sliced through all ten aura blades and slammed into the Deputy Head’s shoulder.

Splatter!

The Deputy Head’s shoulder was split open, blood spraying out. It was the same spot Sylvia had struck earlier.

“Graaah!”

The Deputy Head clutched his shoulder in agony as he staggered back.

“This… this doesn’t make sense! It’s the same technique, so how…!”

He trembled in disbelief. He still hadn’t realized that the [Light of the Annex] was a perfect counter to the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship].

“The same technique?”

Raon sneered as he looked at the Deputy Head’s quivering eyes.

“You’re falling for this because of that very mindset.”

“Shut up!”

The Deputy Head grunted, summoning ten more aura blades. This time, they condensed into a single sphere of light before crashing down like a bolt of lightning.

Boooom!

Raon intensified the flow of the [Light of the Annex]. He raised his sword, sharpened with concentrated aura, toward the descending sphere of light.

Shing!

The aura imbued with the flow of the [Light of the Annex] cut through the Deputy Head’s aura and slashed his waist.

Splatter!

A large amount of blood gushed from the Deputy Head’s waist.

“Aaaargh!”

“It’s far from over.”

Raon chuckled as he swiftly moved forward using the wandering footwork. He glided smoothly across the arena and arrived at the Deputy Head’s right side.

“Grrr!”

The Deputy Head hurriedly tried to retreat, but Raon stepped on his foot and slashed his thigh.

Splatter!

The Deputy Head’s thigh split open, and his clothes were drenched in blood.

“Ugh….”

Raon watched the Deputy Head trembling as he stumbled back, then tilted his head slightly.

“Now your arm and abdomen are left.”

* * *

“N-no way….”

Deputy Head Killuarn trembled as he looked at the wounds on his body.

‘Is he targeting the same places Sylvia struck?’

Raon had only attacked the spots Sylvia had wounded earlier. What he had initially thought to be a coincidence was clearly intentional.

Raon was deliberately deepening the cuts Sylvia had left.

“How far are you planning to humiliate me?”

Killuarn roared, gathering all his remaining aura into a final explosive burst. He charged at Raon with all his might.

“Graaah!”

He unleashed the ultimate forms of the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship], thrusting the aura blades toward Raon’s abdomen and heart.

“Do you still not get it?”

Raon smirked as he stepped forward. The aura wave from his sword split the Deputy Head’s aura and sliced his wrist.

Shing!

Before the Deputy Head even realized what had happened, his left hand was severed and fell to the ground.

“Aaaargh!”

Killuarn screamed as he clutched his bleeding wrist.

‘How… how could this…?’

He had thickened his defenses around his arm, anticipating an attack, but Raon’s light strike had still cut through. It didn’t make sense, no matter how much Raon had mastered a counter technique.

‘Wait….’

A single terrifying possibility flashed through his mind.

“Is it possible that…?”

Killuarn trembled as he tried to stop the bleeding.

“That ‘Light of the Annex’….”

“You’re finally figuring it out.”

Raon nodded as he tilted the Heavenly Drive Sword downward.

“The ‘Light of the Annex’ was created to destroy your [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship].”

“Ah….”

It all made sense now. Sylvia’s improbable resilience, Raon’s overwhelming attacks—it was all due to the ‘Light of the Annex.’

Raon hadn’t just mastered the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship]; he had created a counter specifically designed to annihilate it. The fight had been unwinnable from the start.

‘There’s only one option left.’

He had intended to use it as a surprise, but now it was his last resort. There was no other way.

[Manifestation of the Sword Realm: Scattering Light Slash.]

His will merged with his aura, altering the very reality of the world around him.

The arena seemed to compress, turning white as countless blades of light appeared above, emanating a chilling murderous intent.

This was the [Manifestation of the Sword Realm], a technique that unleashed hundreds of aura blades in a single, devastating strike.

“This is the end!”

Killuarn clasped his hands together as if in prayer, and the blades of light filling the sky poured down like a torrential rain. Each one was a deadly aura blade, making this attack nothing short of a lethal storm.

“This is my first time seeing your Sword Realm technique, but….”

Raon planted the Heavenly Drive Sword and Soul Requiem Sword into the ground, a twisted smile on his lips.

“It seems you’re still trapped by the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship].”

From the earth where Raon had driven his swords, darkness began to rise. The world, once filled with light, sank into a heavy gloom as a red sun and a blue moon emerged.

In Raon’s hands, the crimson and azure swords he wielded bared their fierce fangs at the storm of light.

Roar!

With a roar, the slashes from his divine and demonic swords pierced through the storm of light, tearing the Deputy Head’s Sword Realm apart.

Shing!

The martial art that had defined the Deputy Head’s life was mercilessly shredded.

* * *

Raon shook his head as he watched the Deputy Head’s Sword Realm collapse.

‘He should have used a different approach.’

The Deputy Head had clung to the [Ten Forms of Swordsmanship] to the very end, and his Sword Realm had followed the same flow.

Normally, a battle between two Sword Realms would end in mutual destruction, but thanks to the [Light of the Annex], Raon had been able to cut through the Deputy Head’s Sword Realm entirely.

“Ugh…!”

The Deputy Head collapsed, vomiting blood as the recoil from the shattered Sword Realm overwhelmed him.

“I-I surre—.”

Realizing he couldn’t hold out any longer, he quickly tried to surrender.

“Not so fast,” Raon cut him off before he could finish his surrender. Without waiting for a response, Raon brought the hilt of his sword down on the Deputy Head’s head.

Thud!

A sickening crack echoed through the arena as the Deputy Head’s skull split open, blood gushing out like a fountain.

“Aaaargh!”

The Deputy Head howled in agony, clutching his head with his remaining hand, blood pouring through his fingers.

“I’m not accepting your surrender.”

Raon struck him again, this time on the back of the head, causing another burst of blood to splatter across the ground. He continued to rain down blows, one after another, until the Deputy Head’s head was swollen with numerous lumps and bruises.

“Ugh…”

By now, the Deputy Head was too weak to scream, his eyes rolling back as he groaned in pain.

-This… This is worse than killing him….

Even Wrath, who had been thirsting for revenge, couldn’t bear to watch anymore, turning his head away from the gruesome scene.

‘It’s not over yet.’

Raon, ensuring the Deputy Head wouldn’t die from his wounds, quickly used his aura to stop the bleeding before sprinkling Glacier’s chilling frost on his face.

“Gaaaah… Aaaargh!”

The Deputy Head writhed on the ground, the sudden cold stabbing through his nerves, causing him to scream uncontrollably.

“Enough! Please, I surrender! I’ve lost!”

He finally broke down, falling to his knees and pressing his forehead to the ground in a desperate plea for mercy.

“Raon Zieghart wins!”

The host, trembling as he looked at the pitiful state of the Deputy Head, quickly declared Raon’s victory, his voice shaking.

“Today’s duel ends in a victory for the annex!”

The host collapsed to his knees after making the announcement, completely drained of energy.

“Whew….”

“How… how did it end so easily?”

“I’ve never seen a Sword Realm get completely destroyed before….”

“This is beyond anything we could have imagined….”

The spectators, who had been terrified by Sylvia’s fight, were now utterly stunned by Raon’s overwhelming display of power, their voices quivering with disbelief.

“Wooaaah!”

“Annex! Annex!”

“Light Wind Division! Light Wind Division!”

After a moment of shocked silence, the arena erupted into cheers. The crowd, initially stunned into silence, roared in approval, chanting for the annex and the Light Wind Division.

Raon, however, did not respond to the crowd’s cheers. Instead, he calmly walked over to the Deputy Head, who was trying to crawl off the stage, and grabbed him by the ankle.

“Wh-what are you doing? I already surrendered….”

“Not yet,” Raon said coldly, dragging him back.

“Wh-what do you mean?” The Deputy Head’s voice quivered with fear as his body shook violently.

Raon let the silence hang, savoring the Deputy Head’s terror, before finally speaking.

“What I want is…”