Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Namgung Baek's Downfall
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Namgung Baek bit his lower lip until it bled as he pressed Namgung Jangcheon relentlessly.
It was an attack so desperate it bordered on pathetic.
There was no retreating now.
With the Hefei Ten Great Sects joining the fray, the tide of battle had swiftly turned in favor of the Namgung Clan.
No matter how formidable the black-clad warriors were, they couldn't withstand the overwhelming numbers.
To reverse the flow, he had to take Namgung Jangcheon's head at all costs.
Namgung Baek squeezed every last ounce of strength to bring Namgung Jangcheon down.
The forms of the Ninefold Ultimate of Heaven and Earth rained down upon him.
Namgung Jangcheon parried the onslaught of sword strikes and shouted,
“Your schemes have all failed! Surrender now!”
“Shut your mouth! How long do you think you can stay above me!”
That bastard had always been the same.
That gaze looking down from on high, that tone of voice.
That aura that pinned his opponents in place.
The late family head had called it the qualities of an emperor and ultimately cast aside his own firstborn son to make Namgung Jangcheon the Family Head.
Namgung Baek could never forget the misery, the sense of loss, the emptiness he felt when his rightful position was stolen.
Grinding his teeth, Namgung Baek roared,
“If you hadn’t become Family Head, none of this would have happened! At least not this!”
“Father was merely wary of your bottomless greed! Didn’t you scheme from the shadows back then, driving people to their deaths!”
“It was for the clan! That lofty ‘greater good’ of yours! That’s just incompetence, you worthless scum! Look at what’s become of the main house now!”
Namgung Jangcheon's face twisted subtly.
His cold, sunken eyes turned toward Namgung Baek.
A whirlwind of complex emotions surged within him before gradually settling.
As he shattered the sword forms of the Ninefold Ultimate of Heaven and Earth and advanced, Namgung Jangcheon raised his sword.
Along with the Imperial Sovereign Divine Art, the Heavenly Thunder Qi was activated.
Flash! Flash!
Lightning crackled and burst forth, swirling and flickering wildly.
Namgung Jangcheon wrung out every bit of energy he possessed.
Namgung Baek's eyes sharpened at the ominous aura and presence emanating from Namgung Jangcheon.
“It’s useless!”
Namgung Baek ground his teeth as he too squeezed out all his internal energy.
Rumble!
Black energy rose from his sword like dark thunderclouds gathering.
“Hraaaaaah!”
The sword force of the Ninefold Ultimate of Heaven and Earth shot toward Namgung Jangcheon.
Namgung Baek's sword energy flew like venomous arrows.
Lightning poured from Namgung Jangcheon's eyes in streams, radiating a pressure that crushed the surrounding air.
Intense heat erupted from Namgung Jangcheon's sword.
Sizzle!
Heat so fierce it seemed it could sear flesh.
Namgung Jangcheon swung down powerfully with his sword, raised to the Heavenly Pivot alongside the Imperial Sovereign Supremacy.
Flash!
The lightning spat fire, and a bolt of pure white incinerated Namgung Baek's sword energy in an instant.
The swirling lightning clashed with the ink-black sword force of the Ninefold Ultimate of Heaven and Earth.
The thunderbolts and dark clouds tangled, fiercely devouring each other.
Crack!
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground shook, the青stone pavement melted away, and a shockwave exploded outward.
A white flash reflected in Namgung Baek's pupils.
Namgung Baek's mouth gaped open grotesquely.
“Gaaaaah!”
Engulfed in blistering heat that threatened to burn him alive, Namgung Baek screamed in agony as he was hurled backward.
Boom!
He crashed into the wall of the Soaring Palace Hall, his body twitching sporadically.
“Cough! Cough! Ugh, ugh!”
Spitting up blood, he struggled to lift his head.
Namgung Jangcheon glared at him, his own face pale.
“It’s over.”
A single phrase, heavy with finality.
Namgung Baek's hollow eyes turned to the battlefield.
Every contingency he had prepared was crumbling.
‘To end so pointlessly...’
It had been a grand scheme ten years in the making.
He had believed in its success without a doubt.
Yet from some point on, tiny cracks had formed, and now everything was turning to dust.
Vanishing like a sandcastle...
Unbelievable scenes unfolded before his eyes.
The Thunder Dragon Squad, which he had scorned, was overwhelming the Namgung Clan's elite Soaring Palace Squad, while the Hefei Ten Great Sects joined the Soaring Wind Squad and the clan warriors in driving back the black-clad fighters.
“Gaaah!”
“Guh!”
“Y-you bastards!”
“Kaaaaah!”
The elders who had followed him, including the Grand Elder Namgung Wi-gyeong, had been subdued by the others.
‘Is it really over?’
No, it couldn’t be.
‘Gwi Yeong! If Gwi Yeong joins us, we can kill Namgung Jangcheon and turn the tide again!’
Namgung Baek staggered to his feet, leveling his sword at Namgung Jangcheon.
At the same time, he scanned for Gwi Yeong.
And then he saw.
Gwi Yeong, drenched in blood, thrashing in midair as Namgung Hyeok strangled him.
A sword slowly pierced the wretched remnants of Gwi Yeong's neck before withdrawing quietly.
Thud!
Namgung Baek's mouth fell open slackly as he watched Namgung Hyeok toss Gwi Yeong to the ground like discarded trash.
Gwi Yeong was dead.
The shock dwarfed even the death of the Soaring Palace Squad Leader.
How?
How in the world?
How could Namgung Hyeok, who had trained in martial arts for less than a year, defeat a master like Gwi Yeong!
It was impossible!
Half a year—no, even less than that.
In that half year, everything Namgung Hyeok had shown was nothing short of miraculous.
‘That bastard... that bastard ruined my ten-year plan.’
A decade of preparation undone in mere months.
Not even a sandcastle would crumble so futilely.
‘Because of trash like him?’
The most useless wretch in the Namgung Clan.
With his Nine Yin Severed Meridians and frail body, he could have died any day.
A nobody he hadn’t even considered, who suddenly started catching his eye, and now had caused this catastrophe.
As if the time he’d spent bedridden had suddenly sprung to life, he’d achieved unbelievable growth.
And now that worthless nobody was poised to end his life.
Namgung Baek's eyes turned bloodshot.
“If I... if I can’t kill you, I’ll never close my eyes even in death!”
Whoosh!
Namgung Baek kicked off in a charge, hurling himself at Namgung Hyeok.
All the killing intent aimed at Namgung Jangcheon now surged toward Namgung Hyeok.
“Dieeeee!”
The very moment sword energy bloomed from Namgung Baek's sword, aiming for Namgung Hyeok's neck.
Slash!
Splurt!
His sword hand was severed by Namgung Jangcheon's blade, spraying blood.
“Grrrrrgh!”
Namgung Baek's face contorted in pain, and Namgung Jangcheon sealed his acupoints in a flash.
Pop pop pop!
“Cough! Cough!”
Blood trickled from Namgung Baek's mouth as he collapsed like a rotten stump.
“You bastards... you bastards... I’ll kill you all. Every last one...”
Namgung Baek trembled on the ground, spewing curses.
Namgung Jangcheon met his resentful glare with a troubled expression.
“Whew, that was close.”
Namgung Hyeok smacked his lips as he watched the innate energy dissipate from his fingertips.
He turned to survey the battlefield.
It was time to end this chaos.
“Let’s wrap it up quickly.”
“...Yes.”
Infusing his voice with internal energy, Namgung Jangcheon shouted,
“Namgung Baek has been subdued! Lay down your arms and surrender!”
* * *
In the courtyard before the Soaring Palace Hall, the forces that had rebelled against the Namgung Clan knelt.
The black-clad warriors who resisted to the bitter end either fled the moment Gwi Yeong died or bit their own tongues in suicide.
Their resolute actions left everyone speechless.
Namgung Jangcheon scanned the faces of the traitors with a grim expression.
Four elders, warriors from the branch family known as the Mount Huang Sword Troop, and owners of countless businesses under the Namgung Clan's influence.
Those who had plotted rebellion from the outer and inner courtyards were dragged in one by one and bound.
Namgung Jangcheon felt a pain as if a piece of his body had been torn away.
A chill settled in one corner of his heart.
His gaze fell on Namgung Baek, who groaned with one arm missing.
Blood of his blood, his brother nonetheless.
They had shared everything in their youth—how had it come to this? Regret and sorrow welled up.
But it was too late; the path was irreversible.
In a voice thick with resentment, Namgung Baek said,
“Don’t think this is the end. I’ll curse you until I die. Even in death, as a vengeful spirit...”
His cursing gaze shifted past Namgung Jangcheon and wavered.
Namgung Hyeok had casually raised his fist and extended it fully.
‘He’s flipping me off.’
He exaggerated the shape with his mouth for emphasis.
“You scum! I’ll definitely...”
Namgung Jangcheon lightly sealed his mute acupoint.
“Enough! Lock the criminals in the Thunder Prison. I’ll conduct the interrogations myself! No one enters without my permission!”
“Yes, Family Head!”
“Once the investigation is complete, punishments will be meted out according to clan law and procedure! Take them away!”
The surviving warriors roared their assent, binding and dragging away Namgung Baek and the traitors from the Soaring Palace Hall.
The traitors shuddered.
“Spare us! Mercy, Family Head!”
“Ugh! So unjust!”
“I-I’m innocent, I’ve done nothing...”
“Enough! It’s all over. Everything...”
The traitorous elders stared blankly at the sky.
They were hauled off weeping to the Thunder Prison.
Namgung Hyeok clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
‘Should’ve just beheaded them.’
At least the ringleaders deserved exemplary punishment.
‘Nothing left to learn anyway.’
The real black-clad operatives had all died or fled.
Namgung Hyeok turned his head.
Namgung Ryong was approaching from one side, footsteps steady.
“What’s up? Where were you?”
“......”
“Tch, while someone’s busting their ass, you look comfy? Not a drop of sweat on you?”
He’d dealt with Namgung Jeong’s guards and captured her on the way back, but Namgung Ryong saw no need to mention it.
A twinge of grievance aside.
Tap.
Namgung Ryong lightly patted Namgung Hyeok’s shoulder.
Namgung Hyeok eyed him oddly before shaking his head.
The Thunder Dragon Squad approached Namgung Hyeok.
Geon Cheon-hwi glanced around before asking quietly,
“Young master! Are you alright?”
Tak Hyeok-dong laughed boisterously, oblivious, raising his fist.
“Ha ha ha ha! Did you see? We nailed the sword line! Nailed the performance!”
“Quit with the ‘nail’ crap. What did we even do?”
Jang Ung clicked his tongue and rubbed his hands toward Namgung Hyeok.
“It was all you, Young Master! Beheading the enemy leaders, executing the ringleaders—your martial prowess was the real deal! Truly an honor to serve you, ha ha!”
Ignoring Tak Hyeok-dong’s glare, Jang Ung lavished praise on Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Hyeok shook his head firmly.
Then a sudden feeling hit him—like he’d forgotten something.
As he pondered what it was.
“Eek, Y-Young Master! Young Master!”
From a corner of the Soaring Palace Hall, Geum Cheom-sang crawled out, trembling.
His legs still shook, his face smeared with soot.
His clothes half-torn, snagged somewhere.
Namgung Hyeok let out a hollow chuckle.
“Why are you the noisiest one?”
“I-I thought I was done for. Sword energy flying everywhere, blades whizzing past my nose...”
“Anyone’d think you fought the hardest.”
Geum Cheom-sang gulped and steadied his quivering legs.
“I-I at least saw your exploits with my own eyes, Young Master.”
“Your mouth works fine, at least.”
“I-I survived, yeah.”
Namgung Hyeok tsked and turned away.
“Alright, that’s that.”
And so, the rebellion incited by Namgung Baek in the Harmony Alliance was swiftly quelled.