The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman
Chapter 737:

Raon lowered his gaze, imagining the Ghost King hiding within the darkness.

‘The Ghost King.’

The first time Raon encountered the Ghost King was when he was appointed as the leader of the Shadows. The monster’s presence was so faint that Raon wouldn’t have noticed him had Derus not spoken to him directly.

However, despite his subtle aura, the Ghost King possessed overwhelming strength. Even back then, he was already a Grandmaster. Now, it was highly likely that he had reached at least the upper tier of Grandmaster, if not the pinnacle.

‘Still…’

He was likely inexperienced in actual combat.

The Ghost King had handed over the title of the South’s greatest assassin to Raon and vanished. Raon guessed that he hadn’t engaged in many battles since reappearing after the deaths of Martio and Lisbon, giving Raon an advantage due to his accumulated experience.

‘Let’s stir things up a bit.’

Raon gestured toward the impenetrable darkness of the chamber.

“You know you’ve been caught, don’t you?”

With an arrogant smirk, he tilted his chin to provoke the Ghost King.

“Come out.”

“So, you’re Raon Zieghart?”

An aged voice rang out from the pitch-black darkness. It was the Ghost King. He ensured his exact location couldn’t be pinpointed by making his voice echo throughout the chamber.

“That’s right.”

Raon nodded briefly, scanning the darkness that seemed to swallow even light.

“You must be the Ghost King.”

“Yes, I am the Ghost King.”

The Ghost King answered without hesitation but still did not reveal himself. Instead, his voice continued to resonate, keeping his position hidden.

“Martio and Lisbon, whom you killed, were my pupils.”

A thick sorrow and loneliness emanated from his voice.

‘So, it’s the Ghost King.’

Raon relaxed his fingers, lowering his gaze.

‘He’s manipulating his emotions with ease.’

The sadness and loneliness in the Ghost King’s tone were feigned. The man never considered Martio and Lisbon his disciples in the first place.

“Did you hear that from Derus?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, staring toward the center of the chamber.

The mention of Martio and Lisbon suggested that Derus must have informed the Ghost King that Raon was once the assassin known as Raon.

“Yes, he said you were Raon.”

The Ghost King admitted without resistance, a faint chuckle escaping him.

“And you believed that schemer?”

Raon sneered as he surveyed the chamber’s layout.

“He is a god.”

The Ghost King’s unwavering tone suggested he saw Derus as his sole deity.

“Do you know that your ‘god’ fled with his limbs torn off and a hole through his stomach?”

Raon tilted his chin mockingly as he described Derus’s desperate escape.

“He even abandoned the family he built his entire life. Some god, huh? Truly impressive.”

“Silence.”

The calm surface of the Ghost King’s composure rippled briefly, suggesting he held more loyalty to Derus than Raon had anticipated.

‘Whether it’s real or fake, this can be exploited.’

In a battle against an assassin, the one who controls emotions and information always has the upper hand. The more he knew about his opponent, the better.

“Because of you, so much has crumbled.”

Sharp murderous intent emanated from the Ghost King’s voice.

“Martio and Lisbon’s deaths forced me to take over their duties, as well as improve the puppet soldiers that necromancers once handled.”

He spoke of how he had to endure hardships with his aged body, intensifying his killing intent. Raon could feel his skin prickling under the pressure.

“Congratulations on your reemployment.”

Raon chuckled and clapped mockingly.

“Getting a job at your age must’ve been tough. Good for you.”

“They say a sharp tongue is more dangerous than a sword. That seems true.”

The Ghost King laughed dryly, stirring up a light breeze.

“But this is the end. You will regret coming here alone, even in death.”

The Ghost King retracted all his murderous intent into the depths of the chamber, signaling his intent to kill with full force.

“I’ve always been curious to see how skilled the so-called greatest assassin, the Ghost King, truly is.”

Raon smiled brightly as he melted into the darkness.

“This darkness will be your grave.”

“Foolish brat.”

The Ghost King’s voice resonated with a smirk.

“Before you were even born, I was already the Ghost King, the symbol of terror. And you think you can challenge me in an assassin’s battle?”

“Scared, are you?”

Raon shrugged and shook his head.

“Fine. Whether you die here or elsewhere, your fate is sealed.”

The Ghost King’s tone turned cold and composed, befitting an assassin. His composure had only briefly faltered when Derus was insulted.

Raon lowered his stance, suppressing his presence with the Ring of Fire.

‘Not many chances here.’

Judging by the flow of aura that caused his voice to echo, the Ghost King’s strength was at least that of a high-tier Grandmaster.

On the other hand, Raon was exhausted, having used his techniques and unleashed Wrath’s rage, leaving him with less than half his usual power.

Although the situation was unfavorable, the exhilaration of having exposed Derus’s true identity gave Raon confidence. He felt that he couldn’t lose—especially not here.

“Let’s begin.”

Raon slowly drew his Soul Requiem Sword, twisting his lips into a grin.

“A silent war.”

The Ghost King narrowed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek as he watched the spot where Raon disappeared.

‘Assassin Raon.’

Derus had long suspected that Raon Zieghart was once the assassin Raon. At some point, he became certain of it and treated them as the same person. He had even warned the Ghost King that if anyone arrived after Derus’s identity was exposed, it would undoubtedly be Raon.

Though he had accepted this half-heartedly, he hadn’t expected it to be true.

‘Derus ordered a retreat…’

But I can’t miss this opportunity.

If Raon Zieghart was indeed Assassin Raon, there was no way they could coexist under the same sky. He had to kill him here and now.

‘Still…’

You’re as foolish as ever.

Perhaps it was the thrill of exposing Derus’s identity, but Raon chose an assassin’s duel instead of a direct confrontation.

Raon Zieghart was strong. In a head-on fight, the outcome would be uncertain. But by accepting an assassin’s duel, he had walked into the Ghost King’s specialty.

‘His skills are predictable.’

Even after years without real combat, the Ghost King was confident that he was unmatched in assassination, aside from the Slaughter King himself.

“Your hiding spot is obvious.”

The Ghost King projected his voice behind him, spreading his aura to limit Raon’s movements.

“You’re Derus’s lapdog, aren’t you? Oh, wait, I guess you don’t need to polish his feet anymore, since he doesn’t have them.”

Raon mocked Derus while striking upward, causing the ceiling to collapse.

*Rumble!*

Debris rained down from the shattered ceiling, thickening the already heavy air in the chamber.

‘Trying to unsettle me?’

The Ghost King licked his lips as he observed Raon’s movements.

‘But it’s you who’s rattled.’

Unable to suppress his unease and frustration at being unable to pinpoint the Ghost King, Raon had resorted to destroying the ceiling and mocking Derus—just as the Ghost King had planned.

‘I showed a deliberate weakness.’

When Raon insulted Derus, the Ghost King had feigned anger, planting false information. He knew Raon would seize upon that perceived vulnerability.

“Do not insult him.”

The Ghost King moved toward the wall, pretending to fall for Raon’s taunts, as he quietly unleashed his killing intent.

*Whoosh!*

As predicted, a blade shot toward the wall just before the Ghost King reached it.

‘There you are!’

He turned to counter, but the incoming blade felt slow—too slow.

‘What is this?’

Before he could react, a crimson dagger, which he thought had been planted in the wall, pierced his lower abdomen.

“Ugh!”

Raon appeared, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.

“I told you.”

Raon’s voice was low and menacing.

“This darkness will be your grave.”

*Boom!*

Raon struck the Ghost King’s heart, rendering the Rage Worm dormant.

“Gah…”

The Ghost King coughed up black blood as his body trembled violently.

“H-How…?”

He noticed a small, hidden passage beneath the wall where Raon had emerged.

“This place… I designed it myself… There was no such passage…”

“Of course not.”

Raon smirked down at the Ghost King.

“This passage was made by me.”

The tunnel was one of the secret escape routes Derus had been preparing, unknown even to the Ghost King.

“…So, that’s how it was.”

The Ghost King gritted his teeth, finally grasping the situation.

“Even slashing at the ceiling and mocking Derus… it was all a trick.”

“That’s right. I didn’t think someone like the Ghost King would get agitated so easily.”

Raon nodded calmly. The sword strikes that stirred up noise and dust, along with his taunts aimed at Derus, were all calculated to reverse the Ghost King’s psychological tactics.

As expected, the Ghost King assumed there was a dagger in the wall, approached it, and fell for the ruse perfectly.

Other assassins might not have fallen for it. The Ghost King, however, allowed for such a high-level deception due to his own sense of superiority.

“I underestimated you. Kill me already….”

Even as blood gushed from his mouth, the Ghost King maintained an unshaken gaze.

“I am the Ghost King. Torture won’t work on me.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Raon shook his head, pressing both the heat of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the chill of Glacier into the Soul Requiem Sword embedded in the Ghost King’s abdomen.

“I know nothing… have nothing to say… guh!”

The Ghost King, who seemed prepared to endure any form of torture, suddenly cracked, his expression shattering as he screamed in agony like an ordinary man.

“Aaaahhhh!”

The Ghost King writhed, his limbs trembling uncontrollably.

“Why did you stay here?”

Raon, gazing into the Ghost King’s wavering eyes, beckoned him with his fingers.

“Derus must have told you to leave this place as well. If you were targeting me, you would’ve made better preparations.”

“I-I don’t know….”

“In other words, you stayed for another reason—either to retrieve something or to hide it.”

Although the Ghost King remained silent, groaning in pain, his eyes betrayed panic rather than suffering. Raon’s deduction was correct.

“You wouldn’t have hidden it somewhere else with a battle imminent….”

Raon reached into the Ghost King’s chest, pulling out a single item: a small wooden box. Its plain exterior lacked any distinguishing marks, appearing unremarkable at first glance.

“You… damn you….”

“So this is it.”

Raon observed the pale face of the Ghost King as he opened the lid of the box.

*Fwoooosh!*

Contrary to its plain exterior, the interior was etched with eerie runes, and a blood-red orb sat at its center, exuding an overwhelming aura of malice, murderous intent, and despair.

“What is this…?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he held the orb up to the Ghost King’s face.

“What kind of madness is this?!”

The Ghost King, even under torture, clenched his mouth shut, his silence unwavering.

– Disgusting.

Wrath grimaced, glaring at the orb.

– It reeks of murder, blood, resentment, and agony.

He shook his head in disdain.

“This place…”

Raon muttered, his gaze shifting from the orb to the chamber around him.

“This cavern has absorbed the grudges and deaths of those buried here.”

Countless children had perished unjustly in this underground space, leaving behind a permanent stain of blood and resentment.

Derus had clearly intended to exploit even that malice for his own ends.

“Kill me….”

The Ghost King’s demand served as confirmation of Raon’s theory.

“Where were you supposed to take this?”

“I… I don’t know. He said he would come for it himself….”

The Ghost King, seeming resigned to his fate, answered while coughing up blood.

“So that’s all you know.”

Raon struck the Ghost King’s neck, rendering him unconscious.

– You’re not going to kill him?

Wrath flailed his hands in frustration.

‘He doesn’t deserve to die here.’

The people buried in this place were innocent children who died unjustly. Raon couldn’t bring himself to bury someone like the Ghost King among them.

“At least that’s something.”

Raon sighed as he looked at the orb, which radiated an ever-thickening malice.

Whatever Derus had planned for this orb, Raon was relieved he had stopped it. Had it been unleashed, the consequences could have been catastrophic.

– Destroy it now!

Wrath sniffled, turning his head away as if he couldn’t bear the orb’s aura any longer.

‘Should I absorb it?’

– With your abilities, you could purify the energy itself, but the lingering grudges would degrade your soul instead.

Wrath slammed his fist into his palm, insisting the orb should simply be destroyed.

“Perhaps you’re right….”

Raon considered Wrath’s warning. While the Ring of Fire could purify the orb’s energy, it couldn’t erase its malice.

“No other choice, then.”

*Whooom!*

Just as Raon prepared to crush the orb with his fist, the Soul Requiem Sword emitted a resonant hum.

“What? You want it?”

*Whooom!*

The blade rang out again as if claiming responsibility for the orb.

– No! Destroy it!

Wrath vehemently shook his head.

“Not concerned about me, are you?”

– O-Of course not! I am simply…

“You’re just worried about me becoming stronger.”

– Wait!

Ignoring Wrath’s protests, Raon thrust the Soul Requiem Sword into the crimson orb.

*Boom!*

The orb shattered, releasing a torrent of scarlet energy that surged toward Raon but was quickly absorbed into the blade.

*Whooom!*

The Soul Requiem Sword vibrated softly, as if consoling the orb’s lingering spirits.

‘It wasn’t seeking power.’

Raon smiled faintly as he observed the glowing blade.

The sword had absorbed the orb not to claim its power but to comfort the spirits trapped within and take vengeance alongside them.

‘Could you be among them?’

Raon closed his eyes briefly, silently hoping that his first friend, Subject 9, was also at peace within the blade.

After sheathing the Soul Requiem Sword, Raon retrieved a half-torn book from his belongings. It was titled *The Chronicles of Raon Zieghart.*

Carefully, he inscribed his name onto the first page.

“Refon.”

He placed the book in the center of the chamber and bowed his head.

“I’ll return to finish our revenge—for mine, for yours, and for everyone who perished here unjustly.”

Raon gave a deep bow before leaving the underground chamber.

Looking toward the smoke rising in the distance, he saw the entirety of the Robert family estate engulfed in flames.

‘A scene I’ve wanted to witness for over twenty years.’

Watching the estate that symbolized Derus’s legacy consumed by fire filled Raon with indescribable satisfaction and euphoria.

No one but Raon could understand this feeling.

– You…

Wrath glanced at Raon, narrowing his eyes.

– You’ve been acting strange today… very strange….

Just as Wrath’s suspicion deepened, messages suddenly flooded Raon’s vision.

[You have achieved an impossible feat.]

[You have accomplished an achievement that will alter the continent’s history.]

[All stats increase by 50 points.]

[New traits acquired: Assassin’s Instinct, Sensory Resonance….]

– What the…?!

Wrath’s jaw dropped as he read the messages, his disbelief plain.

– Did you think I’d be impressed? This… this reward is obviously too generous! But… well… it’s fine, considering you humiliated Uriel earlier.

Wrath attempted to rationalize, muttering self-consolingly.

– Yes, yes… it’s deserved… though 50 points is still excessive… oh well!

Wrath wavered for a moment before finally giving up, crossing his arms as his body trembled slightly.

[Recognition from Wrath has been earned.]

[Additional rewards granted.]

[All stats further increased….]

– No! I never acknowledged anything!

Wrath exploded in frustration.

‘It seems the system interpreted your forbearance as acknowledgment.’

– That’s a scam! I wasn’t happy! I was only celebrating Uriel’s downfall, not granting acknowledgment! And what’s with these extra rewards?! Damn system, why don’t you listen to… huh?

Wrath stopped mid-rant, his eyes widening at the latest message.

– No… this is too much… they can’t give that to you! What kind of insanity…?!

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