Chapter 212
Chapter 212
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: The Lord's Wrath
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Baek Yi-dan blacked out for a moment.
He had no idea how much time had passed. When he opened his eyes again, he was amid the ruins of the castle.
"Vice Castle Lord!"
"Are you alright?"
Seeing his subordinates fussing over him and checking his condition, he didn't even need to ask.
Unhyang and Lee Soo-hyuk had already escaped the castle.
"Damn it."
He clutched his still-dizzy head and rose to his feet.
No matter how close the distance, for him to lose consciousness like this...
'That power...'
It was tantalizing.
If only he could have drawn in Unhyang and even Lee Soo-hyuk...
His dream might truly have come true.
"What about Cheongryang?"
This was his last remaining shred of hope.
The only way to bind Unhyang again. If he secured Cheongryang, controlling Unhyang once more wasn't impossible.
"I'm sorry."
"You lost her too?"
"Well, that's..."
Thwack-!
The subordinate's head exploded mid-sentence as he answered cautiously. Baek Yi-dan bellowed at the sight of the head tumbling down in a spray of blood.
"You fucking idiots!"
The blow to his head had cleared his muddled mind in an instant.
Now, he truly had no options left.
"Arrrghhh!"
He screamed in rage, but that was all.
It didn't change the fact that Unhyang and Lee Soo-hyuk were gone, with no way to catch them.
Step-.
Amid the echoes of his roar clashing against the sky, a clear footstep intruded.
The presence made the warriors around Baek Yi-dan snap to attention in unison.
It was a stance born not of the fear and anger toward the furious Baek Yi-dan, but from a deeper terror and reverence.
There was no way Baek Yi-dan couldn't sense what they felt.
His head turned.
"The state of the home I return to after so long is deplorable."
Uncheon-geuk clicked his tongue at the castle, half-collapsed from battle.
Baek Yi-dan's eyes widened at the sight of the man, who had returned a full day earlier than expected.
A killing intent surged in that instant.
If things had gone according to plan, he might have severed that neck with his own hands the moment he returned.
"Some explanation is in order."
Uncheon-geuk looked down at Baek Yi-dan, slumped on the ground.
Baek Yi-dan met his gaze and stood.
"It was because of the young lady the Castle Lord ordered us to bring."
"My daughter?"
"She brought in some strange fellow."
"Strange fellow, you say..."
He knew immediately, just from a moment's thought.
"Lee Soo-hyuk, I presume."
"That's right."
"Was he that strong?"
"The Castle Lord's daughter was no pushover either."
He wanted to shout that of course the daughter of the Heavenly Demon was formidable, but Baek Yi-dan hadn't abandoned hope yet.
'There's still a chance.'
Unhyang would return someday. As long as she lived, the opportunity would come.
Uncheon-geuk nodded as if accepting the explanation.
"I see."
But why?
His instincts screamed.
This man intends to kill me right now.
And sure enough.
Kieee-.
Craaaack-!
Baek Yi-dan crossed his arms in hasty defense, catching a glimpse of Uncheon-geuk through the gap.
And in that moment.
Baek Yi-dan's pent-up rage exploded.
Boom, kwarung-!
Massive strikes infused with inner energy rained down indiscriminately. More fiercely than against Lee Soo-hyuk or Unhyang, he poured everything he had.
If the opponent was trying to kill him first anyway, there was no reason to hold back.
Uncheon-geuk.
He was the goal that kept Baek Yi-dan alive.
Sword clashed with fist. Kwarung. The heavens and earth shook several times.
The already half-ruined castle crumbled completely with a roar.
"Hah, huff-."
After unleashing a barrage of techniques, Baek Yi-dan exhaled heavily.
Thick smoke billowed up, obscuring vision entirely, but the two saw each other clearly.
And Uncheon-geuk spoke.
"Are you done?"
"Not yet...?"
Baek Yi-dan's pupils trembled as he tried to continue.
For some reason, strength drained from both his hands.
"No."
Screee-.
"It's over."
In that instant, dozens of gashes appeared on Baek Yi-dan's arms.
Spurt-!
Blood fountains erupted, and his arms shattered like broken pottery, crumbling to the ground.
So swift and precise was the cut that even now, Baek Yi-dan hadn't realized his arms were severed.
"Kaaaaah-!
His scream echoed far and wide. Even the warriors of the Baekrangdan who followed him dared not step forward.
Uncheon-geuk.
He was the undisputed absolute ruler of Shinryeon Castle.
"Why...!"
"Why discard you now?"
Uncheon-geuk's eyes were colder than usual at Baek Yi-dan's cry.
"I knew you wanted me dead, but I could pretend not to notice."
He stepped closer and whispered.
"But you learned something you shouldn't have."
Baek Yi-dan wanted to tear out Uncheon-geuk's throat right then. Yet his body wouldn't move, as if by magic.
Thud-.
"Grkk-."
A hand plunged into his heart. The pain and sensation were slow and vivid.
Uncheon-geuk's whisper continued.
"The sin of failing to protect the castle as Vice Castle Lord. Let's leave it at that."
Spurt-!
The hand withdrew, blood gushing forth.
Even then, Baek Yi-dan glared at Uncheon-geuk, his eyes burning with the desire to kill.
Thud-.
With a massive hole in his chest, Baek Yi-dan breathed his last.
Flick, flick. Uncheon-geuk shook the blood from his hand.
The warriors of the Baekrangdan nearby recoiled in horror at his gesture, as if shaking off filth.
"Find Unhyang."
He addressed the surviving warriors of Shinryeon Castle.
"I need to see that child myself."
A languid breeze ruffled his hair. Pleasant forest scents and warmth enveloped his senses.
Soo-hyuk's consciousness slowly surfaced. Normally, he'd wake right away, but not today.
It felt peaceful.
Devoid of any sense of crisis.
A stability he hadn't felt since reincarnating.
The breeze ruffled his hair again.
Or so he thought.
Stroke-.
It wasn't wind—someone was actually petting his head.
Pop-.
He jolted awake, eyes meeting Unhyang's once more.
"You're up?"
"Ah... yeah."
It felt familiar somehow.
Soo-hyuk had passed out and woken with his head pillowed on Unhyang's lap.
'Did I fall asleep?'
He'd expended a lot of stamina fighting Baek Yi-dan and escaping Shinryeon Castle. Still, to completely black out...
It meant he was unconsciously relying on Unhyang.
Well.
'She's trustworthy, in many ways.'
Unlike his fatigued self, Unhyang looked full of energy at a glance.
She was far stronger than he'd imagined.
Even seeming to have hidden cards up her sleeve.
Stroke-.
Now fully awake, Soo-hyuk touched his face. He'd felt something off—no mask.
"Figured it'd be stuffy, so I took it off. Everyone knows your face anyway, so why bother?"
"It's more comfortable than I thought."
As something he wore like glasses, it hadn't felt inconvenient. Soo-hyuk picked up the mask Unhyang had set aside.
"And I wanted to see Soo-hyuk's face a bit, on this chance."
Soo-hyuk pondered how to respond to her shy words.
Had she really removed it just to see his face? He gazed at the mask in his hand, choosing his words.
"You'll see it plenty from now on."
"Pardon?"
"If we're sticking together."
Together.
Unhyang mulled the word over.
As she grinned vacantly, Soo-hyuk doused her with cold water.
"When does Uncheon-geuk return?"
Unhyang's beaming face stiffened.
He regretted bringing it up, but it was necessary.
The fight had been easier than expected due to Uncheon-geuk's absence. Had he been there, it would've been several times harder.
'I'd have fled without fighting, somehow.'
That was why he'd brought Jinun along from the start.
He'd judged Uncheon-geuk beyond his current power.
Unhyang answered with a sullen expression.
"Probably soon."
"How soon is soon?"
"Tomorrow, the day after, or right now."
She hesitated before continuing.
"Staying with me will be dangerous."
Like a criminal, she hung her head.
"Sorry. I knew and followed anyway."
"Same here."
"Huh?"
"Being together is risky for both of us."
Unhyang lifted her head, puzzled.
Soo-hyuk revealed another inner thought, one he hadn't shared with others, beyond his masked face.
"Can't go into details. Just know that. And don't tell anyone."
He belatedly donned the mask.
"Wouldn't two dangerous people sticking together be a bit safer?"
Masked once more, he was his usual self.
Ironically, it was through the mask that Unhyang saw the real Lee Soo-hyuk.
"Yeah, I suppose so."
Her face brightened again.
She couldn't tell if it was a comforting lie or truth.
Yet Unhyang resolved once more.
If he truly faced a fate like hers...
"I won't pry. Until he tells me first."
She'd fight alongside him against that fate.
Soo-hyuk took Unhyang to find Jinun.
The front gate stood wide open. Unhyang paused as she started to enter casually.
"There's a formation here."
She slowly extended her hand forward.
Her fingertips turned translucent passing through the gate.
Just crossing the line slightly sent chills racing through her body.
"And a pretty advanced one..."
"He's prepared thoroughly."
"Cheongryang's really here?"
"She should be. That's the plan."
"Where even is this place?"
She didn't know every corner of the murim world, but this was new.
Not the Zhuge Clan, yet a manor with such a high-level formation.
"House of an uncle I know well."
"Did he rescue Cheongryang?"
"Repay the debt later. He's money-minded, so that'll settle it."
Soo-hyuk wasn't really urging repayment.
Rather, it meant not to bottle up any debts received.
"Was wondering what we'd do next, but backup exists."
"Just buy time. That's what we need most."
Unhyang nodded.
Indeed, from now on, it was a race against time.
Shinryeon Castle, murim, even the Heavenly Demon himself.
If Soo-hyuk kept growing, they could win. Unhyang firmly believed it.
As they waited for Jinun to greet them.
"Speaking of which, Unhyang."
Soo-hyuk, who'd been timing it carefully, spoke cautiously.
"Ever thought about streaming?"
"Pardon?"