Chapter 382: Good Work (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 382: Good Work (3)
Crackle…
The air sizzled, thick with the stench of smoke and scorched earth.
The world had been painted in shades of black.
Blaze-!
Fire erupted from countless points across the landscape. Two opposing conflagrations, one red and one black, clashed like rival beasts fighting for dominance. The qi emanating from each side was so potent and dense that their mere collision sent continuous shockwaves through the ground.
Slam-! Slam, slam-!
With every impact, the atmosphere grew hotter. An ordinary person, devoid of protective qi, would perish instantly just by breathing the superheated air, let alone setting foot on this battlefield. Above, the sky was unnaturally divided—vibrant red and abyssal black coexisting like oil and water, refusing to mix.
Roaaar-!
A massive pillar of fire, shaped like a roaring dragon, slammed into the earth.
Crack-!
The ground shattered on contact, splitting apart. The resulting shrapnel was half-molten, glowing with heat as flames licked from every surface. The fierce, twisting red flames voraciously consumed the scattered black flames before surging back to their master.
Swish-!
As the fire receded, it left behind a landscape of liquefied rock and glass.
…Whew…
I stared at my opponent, my expression weary. We both wielded flame, yet there was a stark difference. My own fire, blackened by corruption, should have been hotter and far more powerful than before. Yet, his brilliant red flames had devoured mine with ease.
I forced myself to remain calm under his gaze.
He was just as I remembered—fierce, with an unreadable face. We didn't share much in terms of physique, though it was more accurate to say I didn't resemble him. Time had passed, yet he showed no signs of aging. His crimson eyes remained fixed on me.
“It has been a while.”
…
I paused at the sound of his voice. That was the first thing Father had said to me after all these years.
“…Yes.”
“I was expecting her to come, but she’s more brutal than I thought, to send you instead…”
He was speaking of the Heavenly Demon. She was currently recuperating from her injuries, wounds inflicted during a fierce battle. And it was Father who had wounded her. He was the only one capable of harming the Heavenly Demon’s body, and he had emerged seemingly unscathed. Seemingly.
“I know that you are currently injured.”
…
A slight twitch of his eyebrow was the only reaction. But I could feel it. Demonic Qi, specifically the Heavenly Demon’s own potent energy, was slowly corroding his body from within. Simply breathing, let alone moving and fighting, should have been agony. He was running on sheer willpower. The fact that I couldn't overpower his flames, even with this advantage, was a testament to his immense strength.
“Third child.”
I frowned.
“…Shouldn’t you have stopped calling me that by now?”
“Are you not fond of it?”
“Do you still see me as your son?”
A strange expression flickered across Father’s face.
“Are you not?”
I clenched my eyes shut.
“Are you aware… that I killed the Crimson Sword?”
The title had belonged to Gu Huibi, whom I had slain. Father’s eyebrows trembled almost imperceptibly.
“Moreover, I came here to kill you now as well.”
…
“Do you still see me as your son?”
His expression remained a mask of indifference. He knew of my role in Gu Huibi’s death, yet showed no anger.
“I honestly don’t even know if you thought of me as your son in the first place.”
If he had, perhaps he would have yelled. Questioned me. Begged me to return. But he had done none of those things. Not when I became a Demonic Human, and not now. A part of me wished he would get angry. Was it the heat of the flames making my body burn?
“Why did you spare me that day?”
When my infamy began to spread, Father had appeared before me. I had expected to die, to be burned to ash on the spot for my betrayal. Instead, he had closed his eyes, turned, and left.
“After wondering for a while, I realized. You thought it was better this way.”
…
“A good-for-nothing bastard who was meant to become a Young Lord left on his own. You saw that as a positive thing, am I wrong?”
Father listened in silence as I spoke with despair.
“And that’s why… you never got angry at me even once.”
“Did you want me to be angry?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know anymore, but maybe things would’ve been better if you did.”
Once, I thought I wanted a life free from his attention. Now, I wondered if I had desired the opposite. But it was far too late for such thoughts.
“I see.”
He nodded. Even that simple gesture frustrated me.
“Just what was I to you…?”
A troublesome bastard? An unwanted child from a concubine? A mere tool for the Gu Clan? My head spun as my qi began to falter. And still, he offered no answer. Did he deem me unworthy of one? That would be fitting. He had always been like that.
Seeing him so unmoved…
Blaze-
A light smirk touched my lips as I wreathed my body in black flames.
“I believe there is no point in continuing this conversation.”
…
Father responded in kind, cloaking himself in fire. An immense heat exploded from him, soaring into the sky. The pressure of his Red Heaven technique pressed down on me, a physical weight. I did not retreat. I activated my Black Heaven and attacked.
Demonic Qi stormed around my hands as I condensed my power, forming a Flaming Sphere. Then another, and another, until a multitude of spheres levitated around me. I directed them all at Father—a volley capable of obliterating the entire area. Yet, every single sphere vanished before reaching him, extinguished as if they had never existed.
…
The silence that followed the dissipation of so much power was deafening. I gritted my teeth and leaped forward, my eyes locked on his hand.
There it was.
“That’s…”
The Secret Art of the Gu Clan, a power accessible only at the pinnacle of the Gu Flame Wheel Art. The very flame that had wounded the Heavenly Demon. With that power, defeating him was impossible. No, even without it, I stood no chance. I knew him too well.
So why had I come alone? To finish what the Heavenly Demon could not? To prove my loyalty as a Demonic Human? No. I hadn't come to kill my father. I had come to be killed by him.
Blaze-!
I hurled my flames at him, their black hue deepening as I infused them with my own turmoil. Was it my imagination? It had to be. Wave after wave of fire crashed against him, none able to touch him. I forced my way through the onslaught, my teeth grinding.
Swoosh-!
His flames barred my path, but I brute-forced my way through. The heat was unbearable. Even as a practitioner of the Gu Flame Wheel Art, his fire was unnaturally intense. My clothes burned away; my skin blistered. The pain threatened to steal my consciousness, but I pushed on.
A flicker of surprise widened Father’s eyes as I charged. I gathered my remaining strength, condensing all my qi, all my emotion, into my hand. This was not a Flaming Sphere or any advanced technique. It was a ball of nothingness, containing everything I was.
I would die here. I couldn't endure any longer. My spirit, hardened for killing, had finally broken. Living for someone else's cause was no longer enough. I had lost my goal long ago. What had I lived for? I couldn't even remember.
I was just so tired. I wanted it to end.
Would my death atone for anything?
No.
I knew I was being childish, and I hated myself for it. This wasn't atonement; it was a selfish escape. But none of that mattered now.
With that final thought, I surged forward. Father’s red flames intensified, as if he truly intended to burn me alive. It was what I wanted, yet a bitter taste filled my mouth. I never wanted this kind of relationship. To die at the hands of the father I both resented and feared—what a miserable end.
The thought made me smile. This kind of death suited me.
Crack.
Blaze-!
Flames in the shapes of a tiger and a dragon coiled around me, attempting to ensnare me. I burst free, scattering the fire and clearing my vision. And there he was, standing right before me.
Wreathed in the red flames that should have been my birthright, he stood with his crimson hair and eyes, staring at me. What expression was he making? I couldn't tell.
His hand moved. The hand that held the ultimate technique of the Gu Clan. My life would end the moment it touched me. As I reached out, I wondered what face he would make when I died. Would it remain as emotionless as it was now? Probably. I couldn't imagine him any other way.
His hand drew nearer as I lost myself in thought. It was a large, rough hand. It should have been fast, but it seemed to move in slow motion. I hoped my life wouldn't flash before my eyes. My memories were too pathetic. I just wanted to close my eyes.
Before my hand could reach him, his palm landed on my body.
Just as I thought it was over…
Swish-
…!
The flames around Father vanished instantly. He restrained his power, releasing his qi. The defensive barrier around him dissipated. I had no time to react. As I tried to pull back my own strength, he tugged my hand toward him.
Slam-!
My fist connected squarely with his chest. A tremendous impact shook the earth.
Swoosh-!
A powerful shockwave of qi exploded outwards. I stared, struggling to comprehend.
“What… are you…?”
I slowly lifted my head to look at him.
And when I saw his face…
…!
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. I had tried to withhold my power at the last instant, but I had failed to retract it all. My attack had struck his defenseless body with force enough to kill him on the spot. Yet, he stood firm, unmoved.
“What… Why did you just…!”
I was too stunned to form coherent words.
Then, I felt a weight on my head.
It was Father’s hand.