Chronicles of the Northern Heavens Chapter 206 - Those Who Turn Away
At the unexpected transmission from Garak, Hwangtae's eyes flickered. He assumed it was just desperate words to save his own skin. Even so, he couldn't let it slide. If there was some secret behind his brother's death that he didn't know, he had to uncover it no matter what.
Hwangtae pushed himself away from the rock and stepped forward.
"You should have been more careful when I warned you to be."
Hwangtae turned to Jeokhon and said, "From the moment he emerged from secluded training, he's been a thorn in my side. Capturing Yeon-hoo is the Lord's will, but for me, it's also about avenging my brother. Yet because of that fool's mistake, Yeon-hoo might hole up in the Iron Blood Family and never come out."
Shing.
Hwangtae drew his sword. Killing intent poured from his entire body.
"Allow me to behead Garak with my own hands."
"There are quite a few in our family who support Garak. There's a world of difference between him taking his own life and you cutting off his head—do you think you can handle their resentment?"
"It doesn't matter."
"Very well. Do as you wish."
"Thank you."
Hwangtae passed by Jeokhon and headed toward Garak.
"He was an elder of our family, after all, so considering his past contributions, I'll spare him the humiliation of dying before his subordinates. Follow me."
As Garak turned to obey, Jeokhon's next words chilled his heart once more.
"No need to go far. Just kill him here, Hwangtae."
Hwangtae halted and glanced back at Jeokhon. Then, instead of speaking aloud, he transmitted his thoughts.
Hwangtae: You said there are many in the family who follow Garak. Then, to minimize their unrest on his final path, we should at least preserve a modicum of his honor.
Jeokhon's lips twitched slightly. His eyes gleamed with interest.
Jeokhon: Unexpected. For you to consider such things.
Hwangtae: If you saw me as just a butcher stirring up blood winds, I'd be disappointed.
Jeokhon: As if. Hearing you say that makes me think I should use you on an even grander scale. Heh heh heh.
Hwangtae: Then give me Garak's position.
A sly grin crept across Jeokhon's lips.
Jeokhon: If that's what you want, how could I not give you even more than that?
Hwangtae resumed walking. Garak, who had been holding his breath in anticipation, followed behind, exaggerating his pain for effect.
As Ilho tried to stick close to Garak, Hwangtae's icy warning rang out.
"Step back, Ilho."
Ilho glanced at Jeokhon. Only when Jeokhon nodded did Ilho finally retreat.
Moments later, Hwangtae stopped at the edge of the cliff. He slowly turned around.
Garak halted before him. The dense forest blocked any view from the Blood Family members.
"Now it's time you told me why my brother had to die."
"Because of you."
"...What?"
"To drag you out into the world, we deliberately sent your brother to Yeon-hoo. I tried to stop him, saying he couldn't win, but it was no use."
Hwangtae's demeanor shifted. To convince him, Garak pressed on.
"Of course, back then, even I didn't know the Lord's intentions. If I'd realized it was a ploy to lure you out, I would have opposed it fiercely. After all, no one hated seeing you reemerge more than I did. Heh heh heh."
Garak laughed. But the excruciating pain had drained the color from his face, making it as pallid as a corpse's, and burst blood vessels turned his eyes a demonic red.
Tremble...
Hwangtae's eyes quivered. He wanted to believe Garak was lying to save his skin. But if those words were true...
'Did he really do that just to draw me out?'
He couldn't dismiss Garak's words lightly, for no one knew Jeokhon better than he did. The Jeokhon he knew was more than capable of such cruelty. To get what he wanted, Jeokhon would kill even his own flesh and blood.
A few years ago, subordinates who had been with Hwangtae his whole life had died by Jeokhon's hand. It started when one spoke frankly to Jeokhon. Hwangtae had been away on a mission, and only upon returning did he learn of their deaths. Discovering they'd been denied even a grave and tossed into a barren field as beast fodder, he'd secluded himself that very day, using training as an excuse to abandon the world.
'He's wavering!'
Garak was certain of it. How much time passed like that? The chaotic eyes gradually regained their usual indifference.
"Do you want to live?"
"I have grand dreams. I can't die without even starting that journey. That's why I'm saying... join hands with me. If you and I combine forces, we can take the Blood Family—and more."
"One question first."
"Ask away."
"Besides you, who else knows about this?"
"A few of my confidants and most of the Elder Council elders know. If you don't believe me, go back to headquarters right now and ask!"
"I will."
"Then you'll accept my proposal?!"
"No."
Garak, who had viewed Hwangtae's change positively, was stunned. The shock quickly turned to anxiety and despair at the prospect of death.
"You're saying you'll stay loyal to the man who threw your brother to his death? When your usefulness fades, you'll end up dying like a dog, just like him. You know that better than anyone. Our lord never raises a true second-in-command..."
"That's something to think about later..."
Thud!
"...!"
Hwangtae's sword pierced Garak's heart. Garak convulsed like a speared fish.
"Why..."
Gazing into Garak's fading eyes, Hwangtae muttered indifferently.
"I just don't like you. The fact that your actions mirror the Lord's is reason enough."
Swish.
As Hwangtae withdrew his blade, Garak toppled backward, lifeless.
Thump!
Hwangtae turned and headed south—not toward Jeokhon.
At that moment, Ilho burst through the trees. Confirming Garak's death, he shouted at Hwangtae.
"Halt!"
Hwangtae ignored him and plunged into the forest. Ilho leaped after him, but Hwangtae was already far ahead.
Looking back, he said, "Tell them I’m returning to headquarters to verify something."
"...!"
Hwangtae vanished. Ilho gave up the chase and flew toward Jeokhon.
Jeokhon, waiting leisurely, furrowed his brow at Ilho's solitary return.
"Why are you alone?"
"Vice Leader Hwang said he’s heading back to headquarters to check something."
"...!"
"Garak is dead."
Jeokhon's face twisted at the report. He sensed something was wrong.
'No way...'
The first thought was that Garak had revealed sending Hwangtae's brother to his death to lure him out. If he'd told Hwangtae before dying?
'...Headquarters is in danger!'
Jeokhon knew Hwangtae better than anyone. When he exploded, no one in the Blood Family could stop him but Jeokhon himself.
Crunch.
He bit his lip.
'I should have killed him here...'
Boom!
Jeokhon's kick shattered a boulder. Dusting off the fragments, he turned.
"Back to headquarters!"
Whoosh!
Fierce blade winds clawed savagely at Hwangtae's body. His gloomy eyes, fixed unblinkingly on Jeokhon's retreating figure vanishing southward—not toward the Iron Blood Family—refused to waver.
Flash!
A streak of killing light brushed his pupil. Even though he'd personally moved to capture Yeon-hoo, for Jeokhon to turn back now... It was as good as confirming Garak's words himself.
For Hwangtae, there was no longer any need to return to headquarters to verify the truth.
"With this, the bond between you and me is severed."
Snow began to fall. Hwangtae stood motionless, letting it pile white on his head.
Whoosh!
There were other eyes watching Jeokhon depart. Seorung's.
She narrowed her eyes at his rapidly receding figure to the south.
"Unbelievable."
It was absurd. She'd firmly believed the hunt for Yeon-hoo was about to begin, yet the hunter himself, Jeokhon, had suddenly left.
"What the hell did that bastard do?"
Seorung glanced at Hwangtae, standing stock-still like a post amid the snowfall. From the highest peak, she'd watched everything from the start, but nothing made sense. She could only speculate.
Gazing at Garak's corpse cooling in the distance, she delicately furrowed her brows.
"They seemed to talk before he killed him..."
Then it happened. Hwangtae moved—and vanished from her sight in an instant.
Whoosh!
The snow-laden wind tousled Seorung's lustrous hair. Brushing it from her face, she turned her gaze toward the Iron Blood Family.
Her large eyes, filled with questions, suddenly brimmed with killing intent.
"Did you have to kill them all?"
"I had to survive."
"They only wanted to test your skills—no intent to kill."
"Then I'm sorry."
"You're a demon."
"Since you had no intent to kill me, I won't kill you. But don't dream of revenge. Ever."
Recalling the hated past, Seorung's eyes reddened. Her killing intent thickened.
'Wait. Soon, I'll kill you more cruelly than anyone.'
"What's with the sudden rabbit hunt?"
"Seems Jeokhon of the Blood Family is targeting me."
"Old grudges?"
"Maybe."
"What a clown. Whatever grudge is so deep he'd dare break the truce brokered by the White Night Cartel..."
"Jeokhon isn't a fool—he won't have brought many. That's why we must be extra cautious."
Yeon-hoo didn't mention the blood jade to Sinhwi.
Soon after, the Blood King Army departed the camp. Iron Blood Family experts, alerted by express messengers, also mobilized to the mountains en masse.
The search began. But all they found was Garak, dead with a hole in his chest.
The experts brought his corpse back to the Iron Blood Family. Yeon-hoo created a physiognomy sketch to confirm Garak's identity precisely.
And a day passed.
Warriors returning from scouting reported.
"Beggar Clan informants on intelligence duty saw unidentified assailants vanishing southward one by one from the corpse site. They flew like birds—likely Blood Family."
"They also witnessed a woman and assailants descending the mountain in sequence. The beggars encountered the woman; she seemed about to attack but left for some reason. However..."
The warrior paused before continuing.
"They said her hand, protruding from her sleeve, turned transparent like glass."
At that, Yeon-hoo's eyes flashed. Only one thing came to mind from a hand turning glass-transparent.
The ancient demonic art, Barehand Demon Art.
That was it.
"You're a demon."
The woman who had wept tears of blood.
'So she's finally come out into the world chasing me after all.'