Chapter 35
— — —
The spiritual elixir he had taken, half in doubt, surprisingly worked.
His internal energy had increased exponentially, allowing him to reach the realm of a Peak Master—a level he thought he could never attain—and use Sword Aura.
The moment a crimson Sword Aura enveloped his blade.
Tears of blood streamed from Namgung Hyuk's eyes.
He was overwhelmed by the fact that he could now finally wield the Sword Aura that Namgung Seonyul and Namgung Jin—those naturally gifted martial artists—had manifested so easily.
Creating the Sword Aura he had only ever dreamed of stirred a desire that had once been a luxury even to wish for.
He wanted to take more of the spiritual elixir and surpass Namgung Seonyul, who had always seemed like an insurmountable peak.
But perhaps his greed was too great; it seemed he had been cornered before he could reach his brother's level.
“Uncle, I believe there has been a misunderstanding. Please, stop now.”
Namgung Jin tried to persuade Namgung Hyuk.
It pained him to brand his uncle a traitor like this.
“Stop? If I stop now, what will I have left?”
“…”
Namgung Jin knew. He knew the energy enveloping Namgung Hyuk's sword was Demonic Energy.
It seemed that on top of dealing with the Demonic Cult, he had also dabbled in the Demonic Arts.
There was no way Namgung Seonyul would forgive such a thing, even from his own flesh and blood.
And so, Namgung Jin could not offer any reply.
Namgung Hyuk, in contrast, stared intently at the conflicted Namgung Jin.
It seemed the time had come to abandon his grand plan.
Though the Demonic Cult's spiritual elixir had strengthened his martial arts, his opponent was not some mere Yeongwol Brigade member, but the Three-Eyed Dragon, Namgung Jin.
And soon, the other Division Heads and even Namgung Seonyul might storm in. To linger here was to risk a meaningless death.
‘I should retreat for now.’
Having made his decision, Namgung Hyuk opened his lips.
“Jin, do you not pity me? If you feel even the slightest bit of sympathy for me, then let me go.”
Namgung Jin couldn't bring himself to say, ‘I can't do that.’
No matter how strained their relationship was, this was the man he had treated as his uncle since childhood.
Seizing the moment of Namgung Jin's slight hesitation, Namgung Hyuk quickly turned around.
Just as he was about to use his Lightness Skill—.
A longsword shot through the window and pierced cleanly into Namgung Hyuk's chest.
“Keuk—!”
Namgung Hyuk fell to his knees on the spot, vomiting blood.
Soon after, the man who had thrown the sword from a distance appeared through the collapsed outer wall.
“Father…”
The man was Namgung Seonyul.
With a hardened face, he stood before the kneeling Namgung Hyuk.
“Hyuk, why… why do I sense Demonic Energy from you?”
“Keuk, brother… older brother.”
“Even when I heard you had dealt with the Demonic Cult, I wanted to believe in you until the very end. Because we shared the same sorrow.”
“…”
“Have you forgotten that our youngest brother was brutally slaughtered by the hands of a Demonic Cultist?”
Even while coughing up blood, Namgung Hyuk stared up at Namgung Seonyul. Then he burst into a roaring laugh.
“Hahahaha! That incident… *cough*, how could I ever forget?”
“Then why…!”
“Because I hated you, my brother, more than I hated the Demonic Cult that killed our youngest.”
“What?”
“I hated you for despising me for not being strong. I hated you for shoving me into the Finance Division.”
“…That's not true.”
“Everyone! The people of the clan, the people of the world… they all pointed their fingers at me, seeing me as an inferior fool who couldn't measure up to you or my nephew!”
“…”
“And I hated you for marrying my sister-in-law. I told you I was interested in her too…!”
“It's a misunderstanding. I never despised you for not being strong. Besides, as you know, the head of the Finance Division is a key position. You know it's different from the other Division Heads, don't you?”
“Don't lie! Didn't you always tell me I was weak? And who would revere the Head of the Finance Division as much as the Clan Head?”
“One cannot revere the Head of the Finance Division as much as the Clan Head. That, Hyuk, is your greed.”
“Isn't it because you look down on me?”
“Haa, I will give you one last chance. If you admit all your wrongdoings and spend the rest of your life in repentance…”
“Hahahaha! Repentance? I wouldn't repent even in death. No matter how you sugarcoat it, in the end, the most revered value in this clan, in this Murim, is strength. And it wasn't you, my brother, but the Demonic Cult that made me strong, wasn't it? So which of us is right?”
“…”
Namgung Seonyul let out a sorrowful groan.
He had committed many sins, but still, he had intended to spare his life.
Just then, a gentle voice interjected.
“I never even knew that you had feelings for me, Division Head. I don't think it's right to resent the Clan Head when you never expressed anything.”
The owner of the voice was Seol Lin, who had followed Namgung Seonyul.
“Sister-in-law…”
With eyes streaming with crimson tears, Namgung Hyuk looked resentfully at Namgung Seonyul and Seol Lin.
Soso watched every detail of Namgung Hyuk as he spewed his unfiltered rage.
Resentment, inferiority, jealousy.
Every negative emotion a person could harbor was boiling inside him like the fires of hell.
Those negative emotions seemed to prevent him from accepting Namgung Seonyul and Seol Lin's words at face value.
No matter what they did, Namgung Hyuk seemed to twist it all into something malicious.
Of course, the one most at fault was Namgung Hyuk.
But in a Murim that unconditionally pursued strength, she could understand, just a little, how much it must have tormented him to be weak in martial arts despite being a direct descendant of the renowned Namgung Clan.
Countless people must have compared Namgung Hyuk and Namgung Seonyul. Perhaps to an unbearably cruel degree.
Unable to endure the sharp comparisons and harsh criticism, Namgung Hyuk might have broken. Broken enough to not even hesitate to join hands with the Demonic Cult.
“…So everyone denies me. Hehe… haha.”
“Hyuk…”
“I resent you all. I truly hate you.”
He made a strange sound, something between a sob and a laugh, and then the light vanished from his eyes.
Just as she thought—*Is he dead?*—Namgung Hyuk's body twisted strangely, and his head, which had slumped down, snapped up.
The face he now showed was no different from the ‘madman’ Namgung Jin had faced just moments before.
Namgung Seonyul pulled the sword from Namgung Hyuk's chest.
The tip of the upright sword looked ready to deliver a sharp blow, but it did not descend so easily.
“Grrr…”
Making a beast-like sound, Namgung Hyuk's body began to twitch.
“Hyuk…”
Even though the now-mad Namgung Hyuk looked ready to charge, no one moved.
Everyone just held their breath and watched Namgung Seonyul.
Hoping he would end it.
At last, Namgung Seonyul's eyes closed. A faint sheen of tears coated them.
His sword traced a gentle arc and fell precisely upon Namgung Hyuk.
*Swish—.*
Namgung Hyuk's head was cleanly severed. It was a sharp strike, belying the fluid motion.
“Now, resent no one and rest in peace.”
*Thud—.*
Namgung Hyuk's head rolled to a stop near Namgung Seonyul's feet.
A brief silence fell.
Namgung Seonyul could not take his eyes off Namgung Hyuk's cold corpse.
Although he had cut down Namgung Hyuk without hesitation, he could not hide the complex sorrow of having killed his own flesh and blood with his own hands.
Seol Lin squeezed Namgung Seonyul's hand and gave a nod, as if to comfort him.
“…Father, what happened to the madmen?”
“I had slaughtered about half of them when I grew worried about you and came to the reception hall. The others will be dealing with them. Let's go back now.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Jin looked at Soso and Daeu.
“What about Young Lady Baek? Will you stay here and protect her?”
Soso didn't know the full situation, but she could sense that the warriors of the Namgung Clan were fighting something sinister.
“I will go with you.”
“Alright. Then hold on to me tightly.”
Namgung Jin lifted Soso lightly and executed his Lightness Skill.
In the reception hall, only the headless corpse of Namgung Hyuk and the soundly sleeping Jegal Haesu were left behind.
0 Comments