The atmosphere was as tense as walking on thin ice.
The air between the three men was thick with a suffocating tension.
Cheol Do-jeong furrowed his brow and asked, “Does it really have to come to this?”
“It does,” Dan Gu-gi replied, his expression unchanging as he nodded. A murderous aura radiated from him, directed solely at Cheol Jin-gi.
Just then, another figure burst into the courtyard.
“Cheol Mun-ju! What on earth is going on here?” Ho Yo-beom, the head of Changcheon Sect, stopped short, sensing the charged atmosphere. He looked around, bewildered.
‘Dan Gu-gi? Why is he here? And what is this situation…?’
Questions swirled in his mind, but the oppressive mood kept him silent.
Finally, Dan Gu-gi spoke. “Yo-beom.”
“Yes? What is happening here?” Ho Yo-beom swallowed hard and asked.
“We’re here to settle old scores.”
“Old scores…?”
“Whatever happens between Do-jeong and me, stay out of it. It would be best if you left now.”
“What on earth…?”
Ignoring Ho Yo-beom’s confusion, Dan Gu-gi turned back to Cheol Do-jeong. “I’ll say it again. Let me kill your son.”
“You really intend to go through with this?” Cheol Do-jeong shouted, his temper flaring.
Dan Gu-gi stared at him with a calm, heavy gaze. His voice dropped like a stone. “My daughter is dead.”
“That… that was…”
Cheol Do-jeong started to speak but fell silent, knowing that provoking Dan Gu-gi now would be like lighting a fuse. He also felt the weight of Ho Yo-beom’s eyes on him.
Dan Gu-gi trembled as if feverish. “Do you remember how I wandered the martial world for years, searching for my daughter?”
“Listen…”
“I was a fool. I didn’t know what had happened to my only daughter or where she was.”
Dan Gu-gi’s fist clenched around an arrow shaft, his eyes closing. He recalled returning to An-gang after his fruitless search, only to be met by a servant from the An-gang Baek family with a shocking tale: his daughter had been assaulted and killed by the sons of the An-gang Baek family, the Seungdo Jin family, and the Geumjeong Gate.
“The servant said you fathers knew all along. Not only that, but you helped burn my daughter’s body. The servant witnessed it by chance.”
Dan Gu-gi’s voice quivered with rage.
Cheol Do-jeong closed his eyes and sighed deeply, the memory of that day flooding back. When his son, Cheol Jin-gi, confessed everything, it felt like the sky was falling.
Who was Dan Gu-gi of the Blood Palace? A man capable of establishing a sect anywhere with his skills. Yet he chose a quiet life, cherishing time with his only daughter, shunning worldly desires.
His daughter was his world, and that world was shattered by his foolish son.
In a fit of rage, he had shouted, “I don’t care! Go die in a ditch for all I care! You’re no son of mine!”
He had no justification to protect his son, nor the means to appease Dan Gu-gi’s wrath. But blood is thicker than water, and he couldn’t ignore his son’s tearful pleas.
So, the leaders of the three sects conspired to cover up their sons’ crime. They retrieved the hidden body and cremated it. Dan Gu-gi continued his fruitless search, unaware of the truth, while they kept their secret to protect their families and sects.
But a single servant ruined everything.
Cheol Do-jeong opened his eyes slowly. Dan Gu-gi still had his eyes closed, and Ho Yo-beom stood speechless, mouth agape. Cheol Jin-gi shifted nervously, unable to stand still.
‘Pathetic…!’
Dan Gu-gi’s voice broke the silence. “I beat that servant to death. I was furious that he only spoke up after knowing everything.”
“Gu-gi, this won’t bring your daughter back.”
Dan Gu-gi remained silent, eyes closed, as if suppressing a storm of emotions. Meanwhile, Cheol Jin-gi began to move stealthily.
‘No way am I dying here!’
As he circled behind Dan Gu-gi, he thought, ‘Fool. Lost in his emotions, showing his back.’
In a flash, he lunged. “Die, you mad butcher!”
Cheol Jin-gi cursed as he swung his sword.
Cheol Do-jeong’s eyes widened. ‘That fool!’
Children never act as parents wish, but this was reckless beyond belief.
As Cheol Do-jeong moved to intervene—
Swish!
An arrow from Dan Gu-gi’s hand pierced Cheol Jin-gi’s left eye.
Thud!
“Aaaagh!”
Cheol Jin-gi screamed, writhing in agony.
“Jin-gi! Gu-gi, you bastard!”
Cheol Do-jeong, consumed by rage, drew his sword and charged at Dan Gu-gi.
Dan Gu-gi swiftly blocked with his bow, sparks flying as metal clashed.
Caught in the whirlwind of events, Ho Yo-beom stood frozen, unable to act.
Cheol Do-jeong shouted, “What have you done? How dare you harm my son!”
“Ha. You still defend that wretch as your son.”
“No one touches my son! Never! Jin-gi, are you alright?”
Cheol Do-jeong rushed to his son’s side.
“Ugh. Father. Father! Ugh!”
Cheol Jin-gi cried, blood streaming down his face.
As Cheol Do-jeong tended to him, a chill ran down his spine. He turned sharply.
Dan Gu-gi was drawing his bowstring.
“Stop this madness!”
“Do-jeong, you have no right to shout at me. You should be begging.”
Cheol Do-jeong wanted to scream that it was nonsense. But now was the time for reason, not emotion. He wanted to rush at Dan Gu-gi and end him, but saving his son came first.
‘If only I can save my son… my son…!’
With a pained expression, he spoke. “If I beg… will you spare my son?”
“Heh. Not a chance.”
Thwack!
Cheol Do-jeong’s eyes widened.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three arrows flew at him.
Clang! Clang!
He deflected them with his sword, but more arrows followed.
“Argh!”
‘Is this really the Dan Gu-gi I knew?’
He was stronger, undoubtedly due to the Akhan potion, though Cheol Do-jeong was unaware of this.
Cheol Do-jeong gritted his teeth, deflecting the relentless arrows.
Clang! Clang!
But it was impossible to block them all.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
An arrow slipped past, embedding itself in Cheol Jin-gi’s chest.
“Jin-gi!”
Cheol Do-jeong cried out.
Meanwhile—
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Three more arrows struck Cheol Jin-gi’s chest.
Cheol Jin-gi trembled, looking at his father.
“Father… cough!”
“Yes, Jin-gi! I’m here, don’t worry!”
“Father… ugh, father…”
Cheol Jin-gi convulsed once, then went limp, never to move again.
“Jin-gi!”
Cheol Do-jeong clutched his son’s lifeless body, weeping.
Dan Gu-gi pulled out a Devil’s Fire from his robe. The stone glowed with a crimson aura. He turned to Ho Yo-beom.
“Yo-beom, you should get as far away as possible. Half the village might go up in flames.”
“Gu-gi, what are you planning?”
“You know what this is. I’m going to annihilate them.”
“But…”
Ho Yo-beom, having just learned of Dan Gu-gi’s daughter’s fate, was at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, Cheol Do-jeong, having witnessed his son’s death, was beside himself with rage.
“You bastard! Dan Gu-gi! You killed my son!”
“Do you see this? This is the explosive I discovered. When I first saw its power, I realized it was a gift from my daughter, who burned to ashes. Her last wish was for me to burn you all the same.”
“And yet you demanded my son’s life first!”
“Heh. I wanted to see. I gave the other two sects no chance to explain. But for you, the last one, I wanted to see.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“I wanted to see what you would say when you were in the same position as me, having lost a child.”
“You insane, wretched bastard!”
“Now that I’ve seen it, I have no regrets.”
Cheol Do-jeong charged, sword raised, like a storm.
At the same time, Dan Gu-gi focused his energy into his hand, ready to detonate.
Ho Yo-beom hadn’t yet moved, but it didn’t matter. There was no room for consideration or mercy.
Just as he was about to hurl the Devil Fire to the ground—
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept through.
And then—
Swish, bang!
Thud!
Out of nowhere, a man appeared between the two, shoving Dan Gugi back with his hand and kicking Cheoldojeong in the stomach with his foot.
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
Both men cried out in unison as they were sent flying.
The Devil Fire that Dan Gugi had been holding was now in the stranger’s hand.
It was Sabigang.
Hoyo Beom’s eyes widened at the unexpected arrival of this unfamiliar figure.
“Where did he come from? I can’t make sense of any of this…”
Meanwhile, Sabigang glanced around and murmured to himself.
“Finally, all my questions are answered.”
Then he turned his gaze to Dan Gugi.
“Hey, this wasn’t part of the deal, was it?”
“What are you talking about?” Dan Gugi shouted, wiping the blood from his mouth.
“If I set this off here, I won’t get what I’m owed.”
“That’s your problem! I have nothing left to lose in this world!”
“That’s your perspective. I have my own concerns.”
At that moment, Cheoldojeong glared and shouted angrily.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Sabigang, instructor at Yongcheon Hall.”
“Yongcheon Hall…? Why is an instructor from there…?”
“I’m here to collect what’s mine.”
“Stop spouting nonsense and get out of my way!”
Blinded by the desire for revenge for his son, Cheoldojeong charged at Sabigang, sword swinging wildly.
In an instant, Sabigang vanished, reappearing like a ghost behind him.
“When did he—!”
Cheoldojeong spun around in panic.
Wham!
Sabigang’s fist connected squarely with his face.
“Ugh!”
Crash!
Cheoldojeong was sent sprawling, crashing into a table.
Meanwhile, Dan Gugi pulled out another Devil Fire from his coat.
‘This time, it’s the end!’
He focused his energy into his hand.
If this one exploded, all the Devil Fires he had would detonate.
The power of that…
It would likely obliterate half the village.
The smiling face of his daughter flashed in his mind.
‘It’s time… to see you again.’
At that moment—
Whoosh!
A blade sliced through the air, piercing Dan Gugi’s chest in the blink of an eye.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Dan Gugi froze like a statue, blood tears streaming as he turned his head.
“Instructor Sa… why save that scum…?”
“What nonsense are you spouting? I just don’t want to die. Besides, I’ve been saying all along—I need to get what’s mine.”
Sabigang spoke coldly, striding over to pull the sword from Dan Gugi’s chest.
Slick!
Gush!
Dan Gugi collapsed, blood gushing like a fountain.
Cheoldojeong laughed maniacally, as if deranged.
“Hahaha! Serves you right! Serves you right, you bastard! You deserved to die like this all along!”
As he laughed through tears, a small, dark energy gathered above Cheoldojeong’s head.
”…Huh?”
In the next moment—
“Fire Burst.”
Sabigang muttered softly.
Boom!
The dark energy exploded, obliterating Cheoldojeong’s head in an instant.
Sabigang lowered his hand, muttering in a detached voice.
“What’s there to laugh about… tsk.”