Chapter 1035

〈 Chapter 1035 〉 1035. The Plum Swordmaster Reincarnated into the Viscount Family

The carriage rolls along.

I gaze out the window from inside the carriage. The view of trees sways back and forth. To be precise, it’s the carriage that’s swaying. Properly paved roads only exist within cities in this world—there aren’t any outside city limits. Despite the rocking carriage, I feel no vibrations and remain comfortable. Magic at work.

This carriage is heading toward the main house.

Of course, I’m not the only one going to the main house.

Inside the carriage are Yuria and me. Yuria, sitting next to me, has her eyes closed as her head rests on my shoulder. She seems exhausted, probably from what we just did moments ago.

“Even though Yuria became a Grand Master, I still win when it comes to sleeping,” I think to myself.

Physically, she’s fine. But mentally, she’s worn out from continuous pleasure. Or rather, maybe “relaxed” would be a better word. As I continue looking out the window, I absentmindedly stroke Yuria’s waist.

We’re not alone in this carriage. Knights surround us, riding their horses and protecting us. Floyd, an Aura Master and captain of the knights, leads them. Monsters or bandits—they wouldn’t stand a chance.

In another carriage behind us sits Kyle. Including Yuria, there are three Aura Masters in our group. We possess enough strength to conquer and occupy a small city within a day.

As evening approaches, the carriage comes to a stop. The knights and maids skillfully set up camp.

“Master. Enemies detected. They appear to be assassins, numbering thirty-five. Approximately two kilometers away, they’re slowly approaching. Judging by their cautious movements, they’re all top-tier assassins. Shall I take care of them?”

Detecting assassins from two kilometers away? This is the power of a Grand Master. Impressed, I glance around. Neither Floyd nor Kyle noticed the assassins’ presence.

Who sent these assassins?

“Obvious. Zent. In the original story, he never hesitated to use any means when cornered.”

He must have read the letter I sent to Ention. Either it was intercepted en route or secretly inspected. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have acted so hastily.

“Zent probably thought that once I reached the main house, it’d be over.”

We’re close now. It’s only about two hours until we reach the main house, but we’ve decided to arrive tomorrow morning instead. That decision came from Yuria. The plan is to start early and swiftly resolve the succession issue.

“Hiring thirty-five top-tier assassins overnight isn’t possible. This must’ve been pre-planned. Likely, the target wasn’t me but Kyle.”

While Aura Masters are said to transcend human limitations, they’re still human in the end. Historical records show countless cases of Aura Masters being assassinated, especially those who recently attained that rank.

“Does Zent plan to kill both me and Kyle simultaneously? Two Aura Masters?”

Yuria hasn’t been revealed yet, and Floyd hasn’t officially returned. If Floyd were known to be guarding me, even Zent wouldn’t dare send assassins. Floyd is famous for his extensive experience.

“Looks like Zent was desperate. Sending assassins this recklessly is disappointing.”

Summoning my Hwaryeon Bidoh sword, I grip it tightly.

“Do you intend to deal with them personally?”

“Since becoming an Aura Master, I haven’t had proper combat practice…”


“You’ve never even seen me, have you? This time, you’ll get a taste of the power of an Aura Master!”

“Understood.”

I asked Yuria which direction the assassin was in and headed that way. I told the knights, including Phloie, to take it easy and rest.

’35 top-tier assassins. Knowing about them beforehand means their biggest advantage—surprise attacks—are nullified.’

Most of them are probably at least mid-level Aura Experts.

‘This is doable. Let me show you why someone becomes an Aura Master.’

Somewhere along the line, Yuria vanished. She must have used shadow magic to conceal herself. Still, I knew she was nearby. I focused and spread my senses outward, but I couldn’t detect even a trace of her presence. When I activated my Heavenly Eye, I could faintly make out her silhouette. She was about 5 meters away from me.

I crossed my arms and waited for the assassins to arrive. After around 15 minutes, they showed up.

I could see 12 of them. The other 23 were hiding somewhere out of sight. They all wore masks and carried weapons like proper assassins. Seriously, how else would you know someone’s an assassin if not by the mask? Their movements were soundless—they moved like ghosts.

“Were you waiting for us?”

One of the assassins spoke. His voice was deep and gravelly. Judging by his age, he had to be at least in his forties. He was likely the leader of the group.

“I won’t beat around the bush. Who hired you? Was it Jent?”

“We don’t reveal our clients.”

So it was Jent.

There’s no one else who’d make such a stupid move when cornered. As for Princess Arline… well, she only gets calmer under pressure.

“Who are you guys, anyway?”

“Are you asking the identity of an assassin?”

“I don’t expect a real answer. What I’m asking is which organization you belong to.”

In this world, there are several assassination guilds known as assassin groups. While they won’t reveal their identities, they always disclose the name of their group. Assassination is ultimately a business. To climb higher, reputation is key—even if it’s infamy.

“Haha! You’re calm, aren’t you? For someone so young to reach the level of an Aura Master, you certainly have guts. Alright, I’ll tell you. We are the Dark Emperor.”

“…The Dark Emperor?”

“Haha! Surprised, huh? Of course you are. Even snot-nosed kids know our name.”

Dark Emperor.

The legendary assassin who wiped out the Hellbrithe Dukedom. The tragedy of the Hellbrithe family became so legendary that their infamy spread far and wide. It’s said that the Dark Emperor still operates occasionally, and anyone targeted by them never survives.

The legendary assassin known as the Dark Emperor… is actually Yuria.

“So the Dark Emperor is really you guys?”

“That’s right.”

“Isn’t the Dark Emperor supposed to be just one person?”

A deflating sound came from him—he was mocking me.

“Many people misunderstand that. But think about it logically. Could a single assassin wipe out the Hellbrithe Dukedom alone? Of course not. But if it wasn’t one person… then it changes the story, doesn’t it?”

“So your group wiped out the Hellbrithe Dukedom?”

“That’s right. We are the assassin group known as the Dark Emperor. Consider it an honor to die by our hands.”

They were trying to psych me out with bravado.

It made sense—the Dark Emperor wasn’t a single person but a group. If I hadn’t known their true identity, I might’ve believed them.

“That’s really terrifying.”

I raised my Flame Lotus Blade. Mana began to flow from my core. It gathered on the blade, forming a burning blue sword energy that condensed into a Sword Gang—a Blade of Aura.

The Blade of Aura.

I’d already used it in the worlds of [God’s Atlantis] and [Path of Ascension], but using it here in [White Whirl] felt different. And the sensation varied slightly between worlds.

“…Do you really think you can survive against us? Give up now, and we might let you write your will.”

“Heh… Talk about big talk for the great Dark Emperor. Are you scared because you know you’re gonna lose to me?”

“Hmph… So full of yourself just because you’re an Aura Master at such a young age. I’ll end your life. …But before that, let me ask one thing: How did you know we were coming? Only we and our client know about this job. Did the client leak the information?”

“I predicted you’d come. Tomorrow’s an important day. If my guess about your client is right… they’d try to strike before I reached the main house.”


“Hmph, prediction, huh? Impressive.”

He let out a small sigh of admiration.

And in the next instant, five assassins leapt out from the shadows and charged at me.

“Acceleration, Instant.”

In the slowed-down world, I moved mana. Even without my conscious effort, the Spirit Sword Art responded to my will.

Crackle-crackle.

Lightning gathered in my lower body. Using that lightning, I jumped upward.

My vision shifted. The surroundings opened up. I could see the startled assassins below and the upper parts of the trees. I had soared about 20 meters into Heaven. I was slightly surprised because I had jumped four times higher than I had intended.

“This wasn’t the level I was at when I became an Aura Master and trained… ”

Maybe it was the real combat situation, but my condition was excellent today.

As I descended, I took a deep breath. The cold night air entered deep within me, and my body’s lightning stirred as if stimulated.

Crackle-crackle-crackle!

Blue currents writhed all over my body. I gripped the Crimson Lotus Blade tightly. The lightning flowed into the sword, turning red. I held the blade reverse-grip, its tip pointing toward the ground.

Shadow Sky Style: Falling Thunder.

Surrounded by red lightning, I plummeted toward the ground.

BOOM!

As I landed, the red current swept through the assassins. Those struck by the current collapsed instantly without resistance.

“That lightning is dangerous! Fall back! Fight from a distance!”

The assassins quickly scattered. Twenty of them revealed themselves, while about ten remained hidden in the shadows.

“How many did I miss?”

It was difficult to keep track of all my opponents in such a tense battle situation.

“One step at a time should be enough…”

Krrrrrrr!

Surrounded by red lightning, I began running toward the nearest assassin. My body felt unusually light, as if I had truly become lightning, losing all mass.

I swung my sword at the neck of the closest assassin. His head flew off, his eyes widening only after realizing he was dead. Simultaneously, throwing knives, tiny darts smaller than fingernails, and poisoned javelins flew from all directions.

I reacted instinctively.

I emitted lightning in all directions. The weapons touched by the lightning fell vertically into the ground, buried by magnetic force.

I dashed across the ground, revealing murderous intent toward my enemies. The feather-light sword in my hand cut down one assassin with each swing. Red lightning roared, following the blade’s path.

“Too slow… Too slow!”

Without even using Instant, the world appeared slow to me. Well, it was slightly faster than when I used Instant, since everything looked much slower then.

Still, this was far superior to Instant. When I used Instant, the effect would wear off as soon as I moved even a little. But now, I was moving within this slowed-down world. No matter how I moved, the world remained slow.

Krrrrrrr!

After cutting down seven assassins, something unusual happened to my body. I didn’t know how much real time had passed, but it felt like less than ten seconds. My body grew hot. My legs, arms, and insides screamed in pain. My headache pounded.

But I didn’t want to miss this moment, even if it meant dying. Ignoring my body’s cries, I kept moving.

Krrrrrrr!

I broke through the toxic smoke and chased the fleeing assassins. My slash gouged the ground and tore through a tree, leaving charred marks from the lightning.

I cut down twenty-six assassins.

My limit had arrived.

My true limit. The slowed-down world returned to normal speed. However, for some reason, the world was tinted gray.

“…My body is wrecked. It’s hard to distinguish colors. My insides feel dead… Is my heart even beating?”

It didn’t seem to be.

I stared at the assassin in front of me. That guy, who seemed to be the leader of the assassination squad, was looking at me like a Monster.

“I’ve fought against Aura Masters before, but what is this… What is this?!?”

Shadow Sky Style and lightning.

I simply abandoned the Shadow aspect completely in the Shadow Sky Style. And just that change produced this level of power.

“…Honestly, I don’t fully understand it myself, but Wei Yu. You were right.”

My strength drained away. Yuria appeared beside me.

“You’ve worked hard. Allow me to handle the aftermath. Please rest, Master.”