Chapter 109 #36 Betrayal (1)
It happened in an instant.
The moment Lee Hyewon drew her sword and aimed it at Yuseonje's back.
No one could react in time—it was far too quick—but one person did. The one who yanked Yuseonje out of the way and threw himself in front of the blade.
Blood sprayed.
Kang Ishin, gripping Lee Hyewon's sword, suddenly vomited up a gush of blood.
The scene burned itself into Han Seohyun's eyes with vivid clarity.
Grabbing the woman as she tried to draw her sword, Kang Ishin shouted,
"What the hell! R-Run...!"
His desperate cry was directed at the idiot standing frozen behind him—Yuseonje.
And that shout snapped Han Seohyun back to reality. Or had it? He wasn't sure. The moment he saw his boss covered in blood right in front of him, his reason had shut down.
Han Seohyun's black magic stained the world.
The light vanished, leaving only darkness everywhere. The sand that had lain dormant until now rose into the sky all at once.
Han Seohyun's sand pulled Kang Ishin toward him. As the sword slipped free, blood poured out once more, soaking the ground. He was already losing so much blood that, compared to the wound, there wasn't much left to spill.
Cradling Kang Ishin in his arms, Han Seohyun gritted his teeth.
"Why the fuck?!"
He forgot he shouldn't speak and screamed it out. But even amid Han Seohyun's cries, Kang Ishin's gaze never reached him. His eyes were fixed on Yuseonje, exposed right in front of Lee Hyewon.
"Y-Yuseonje... s-save him."
"Even now, you're saying that shit?"
All this, just to save that bastard? Throwing himself in harm's way again?
"You promised me. You said you'd never pull this crap again."
Han Seohyun gnashed his teeth. Lee Hyewon hadn't been aiming for Kang Ishin—it was Yuseonje. Kang Ishin had just unluckily gotten in the way. Realizing that made his rage boil even hotter. Why the hell...?
Han Seohyun pulled a potion from his belt and sprinkled it over him.
Kang Ishin's face had already gone deathly pale. His lips were blue, and his body was starting to cool.
He hadn't even been able to protect his brother. He'd given everything he had, desperate to keep him alive somehow, but the world had stolen Han Jo-hee away without giving him a single chance.
It must have been the most painful, terrifying death imaginable. And yet, even then, Han Jo-hee had only worried about Han Seohyun.
Death was familiar. He'd never feared it. But after his brother's death, Han Seohyun had come to dread a certain kind of death.
A necromancer who commanded death, gifted with a talent that should revel in it more than anyone—yet he feared someone else's death more than his own.
Han Seohyun gently touched Kang Ishin's face.
Despite the potion, the wound wouldn't close easily. Removing the mask revealed Kang Ishin's face, drained of all color, ghostly white.
"No way."
He wasn't breathing. His heart wasn't beating.
Was this really it? Just like this?
So pointlessly?
You said you'd save the world, avenge my brother with me. And then you go and die like this?
Han Seohyun pressed his ear to Kang Ishin's chest, but there was no sound—the steady rhythm any living person should have.
Only profound silence.
He was dead.
Gone.
At that moment, a flash of light burst before Han Seohyun's eyes.
The instant he saw Lee Hyewon's bloodied sword, a thought consumed him.
I'll kill her.
At his will, the gathered sand surged toward Lee Hyewon. She belatedly swung at the sand swarming her body, but it was like trying to cut water with a blade.
I'll kill her. Kill her.
The sand reshaped itself at his command. Razor-sharp feathers of sand hurtled toward Team Leader Lee Hyewon.
Even deflecting them with her sword had its limits.
Thud, thud—they pierced her flesh. In seconds, Lee Hyewon was drenched in her own blood.
"Why?!"
Why had she suddenly betrayed them? She'd never done anything to harm them before.
With her pupils dyed yellow, no words got through to Lee Hyewon. She moved only to cut down Yuseonje.
There was something eerie about her movements, as if she'd thrown away all concern for her own safety just to strike someone down.
The sand wrapped around Lee Hyewon, binding her body. Her throat constricted, she thrashed for a moment before going limp, as if she'd passed out.
A massive spear materialized in the air. Han Seohyun's pupils flickered like shadows behind a candle flame.
One twitch of his finger, and he could kill her.
Lightning crashed down ahead of the sand. The massive force scattered it entirely.
Han Seohyun glared at the interrupter, his black pupils burning with fury.
"Yuseonje."
Han Seohyun had never liked the arrogant prick to begin with.
"Why are you getting in my way? Huh? You saw everything."
Why? Why had they come here and suffered like this? Just to save a guy like him?
Yuseonje wasn't a good person. Selfish, arrogant, conceited—trusting only his own talent, rampaging like an egotist.
His boss had died trying to save trash like that?
Thud.
Han Seohyun slammed his staff into the ground.
He drew out every drop of his mana. Black magic spread through the core of the Hoan mana stone like ink.
"Boss ended up like that trying to save you. And you're still...!"
Even blocking his revenge? Why? He'd seen it all—why protect that woman?
"Get out of my way. Move, or I'll kill you first. I don't care if Boss yells at me later."
Yuseonje narrowed his eyes at Han Seohyun's words. The voice sounded younger than expected, but that immense mana—what was it?
"You can't kill her. We need to hear her story first...!"
"Shut up!"
He'd forgotten whatever his boss had said about keeping the guy alive.
Boss is the one who died and left me. That's on him.
But it was fine. He'd bring him back, just like his brother—always by his side whenever he wanted.
It was then, as Han Seohyun summoned his black magic.
"W-Wait a second!"
Someone butted in. Swallowing hard under the focused stares, Lee Jae-eun finally shouted.
"He's—he's still alive!"
"What?"
From behind, pale-faced Oh Hyo-jun pointed at Kang Ishin. His chest was definitely rising and falling.
When he opened his eyes, he saw not an unfamiliar ceiling... but a familiar tent roof.
━Damn fool. Pushing super regeneration way too far.
His chest ached dully.
━Even for you, a pierced heart is fatal. Lucky it was a glancing blow—if it'd hit dead center, you'd have dropped dead before you could blink.
'Uh, obviously I angled it to glance off.'
━Hah, at least your mouth's still alive.
Thanks to Ray tending to me, my condition was decent. Glancing over my body, I spotted Han Seohyun asleep beside me and gave an awkward smile. Tear tracks streaked the tough guy's fierce face—must've been worried sick.
━That kid barely slept nursing you. You've been out for three days.
'Ugh. That bad?'
━Yeah! Massive blood loss. A little later, and even I couldn't have done shit. Regeneration needs mana or stamina or something!
Fair enough. I'd already been banged up from the lure op. Ray kept nagging nonstop. Never do it again, etc.
Looks like I'd hurt the fragile kid again.
Come to think of it, he'd yelled at me too. Hope the lie didn't blow up.
━That's what you're worried about? Shit hit the fan after you went down. Especially because of that woman.
'Ah, what happened to Lee Hyewon?'
━Han Seohyun half-killed her. They dragged her to some prison cell or whatever midway, so the raid team's handling it.
'As long as she didn't die.'
Even if she had, it would've been unavoidable—but it'd have piled on the misunderstandings.
'Anyway, we killed the monster—why aren't we out of the gate?'
━Because a traitor showed up.
'Lee Hyewon isn't a traitor. Ngh.'
I tried sitting up but failed. No strength left in my body. My chest throbbed especially—the wound clearly hadn't fully healed.
"B-Boss!"
I must've stirred. Han Seohyun's eyes flew wide as he stared at me. Tears welled up instantly.
"I really thought you were gone this time."
"Mm. Sorry."
"Why again?! Why save that guy—why?!"
"Couldn't just let Yuseonje die."
At that moment, Yuseonje had been full of openings. Thinking it was all over, he'd let his guard down uncharacteristically—if Lee Hyewon's sword had hit him then, he'd have died without a fight.
"You almost died for real this time, you know? Your heart stopped."
"Uh..."
I hadn't seen that coming.
'Heart stopped too?'
━You were out of mana.
Damn, close call. Cold sweat trickled down my back. Of course I hadn't planned to die for Yuseonje. The opposite, maybe—but why die for that annoying prick?
If I said I didn't know I was out of mana, thought super regen would handle it, Han Seohyun would look at me like trash.
I brushed it off vaguely.
"Didn't die, did I? That's what matters, right?"
Ahem. Sweeping a hand over my face reflexively, I realized something felt off. My fingertips were empty. No wonder—the air felt too fresh, my face too clean.
"My mask?"
"You puked up a bucket of blood. Had to take it off."
"Who saw my face?"
Catching the gravity in my voice, Han Seohyun answered.
"Y-Yuseonje and the raid team..."
"Everyone?! Wait, Lee Hyewon—that one? Did she see?"
"Probably not. She was out cold."
"Phew."
Small mercy.
━Your face is busted anyway—what's the relief?
'Others I can shut up, but not Team Leader Lee Hyewon.'
She was brainwashed by Seol Rokjin right now. Even if signals were cut in the gate, she'd transmit my face the second she got out.
'Told you—Seol Rokjin can never learn who I am.'
━You said that last time. Why fear that guy so much?
My fear of Seol Rokjin was instinctual. Ten years under him, seeing all his atrocities—no way I wouldn't dread him.
Seol Rokjin was broken somewhere deep.
Truthfully, his method to dominate Korea was simple: brainwash the president. Done. But what he valued most was fun. Fun. That's why he took detours from the easy path—for amusement.
And his idea of fun was far from normal.
Just look at how he bound me, immune to brainwashing, turning me into his dog with other methods—twisted tastes.
So if he learned I was Kang Ishin, it'd make my murder warrant look like nothing. I'd already screwed him over once as 'Kang Ishin.' He'd dig relentlessly.
And it would start with...
'Hosan-hyung in danger.'
━You've kept your distance for a while now, no?
'Han Jo-hee got like that because of her connection to me.'
In that sense, Lee Hyewon not seeing my face was a relief. The supports I could bullshit my way out of...
Problem was Yuseonje.
He might remember me... probably did.
Not stupid, just disinterested.
I told Han Seohyun,
"Guess I should go meet Yuseonje first."