The Overlord's Bloodline
He would slice his flesh dozens, hundreds of times, until he writhed in agony and begged for death.
Heuk-yeong had sworn that oath to himself as he lunged forward.
Ruuuumble!
...What on earth is that?
But now, only panic and shock filled Heuk-yeong's eyes.
A raging river.
A momentum like a devastating flood or a surging tsunami emanated from Jeok-un's fists.
His opponent's realm was far beyond that of a mere first-class master.
Peak realm. And at the very least, he was on par with Heuk-yeong himself.
'I have to dodge!'
That was the only thought in his head.
Initially, he had intended to clash head-on to gauge the boy's skills while simultaneously dealing an underhanded blow, but...
The moment he faced that ominous energy, that plan vanished without a trace, like frost under a spring sun.
An energy so sinister it was unsettling just to look at.
A malevolence he wanted no part of.
His instincts, honed through dozens of assassinations, screamed a desperate warning.
But it was impossible.
It was already far too late to pull back.
If he wanted to dodge, he should have moved earlier.
Since he had planned to clash head-on from the start, his center of gravity was too high, and his stance was poorly prepared.
He could force a movement, but the backlash would be severe.
In that case, there was only one way.
'Trade flesh to break bone!'
If that bastard escaped this place, the Jegal Family's pursuers would hunt him down, and he would be as good as dead anyway.
Swoosh!
Hummm!
"Ugh!"
Heuk-yeong poured in even his innate true qi—burning away his own lifespan—to prepare his signature technique.
It was the life-saving ultimate move that had elevated him to the rank of a first-class assassin.
Shhhk...
Once to kill the body. Once more to crush the soul. True to its name, it was a technique meant to kill the living even if they turned into ghosts.
Ghostly Double Kill
Heuk-yeong's signature technique, the Ghostly Double Kill, swept toward Jeok-un, crossing in the shape of an 'X'.
"Die!"
The sword qi infused within the twin daggers roared like a wild beast, capable of tearing human flesh to shreds in an instant.
A mere fraction of a second would be enough to sever his opponent's neck.
'I got him!'
Jeok-un had failed to react.
His sluggish fists were moving slowly along their trajectory.
Yes, I am faster!
Just as Heuk-yeong felt certain of his victory—
Thwack!
The sound of something bursting echoed through the air.
'Huh?'
...Bursting?
There was no explosive force contained within the Ghostly Double Kill.
His vision finally snapped back into focus.
At first, he couldn't tell what was in front of him.
Only then did he realize it was a fist.
Why was the fist that had been so far behind suddenly right in front of his face?
Then what about my twin daggers?
I clearly had the initiative.
The moment Heuk-yeong thought this, he noticed fragments scattering through the air.
The shattered pieces of his twin daggers, still carrying their sinister energy.
'They broke...?!'
Boom!
Before Heuk-yeong could finish his thought, Jeok-un's fist, having pulverized the twin daggers, smashed directly into the bridge of his nose.
Riiing...!
Tinnitus tore through his eardrums, and his head felt as heavy as lead, as if he had drunk poison.
No, it was beyond heavy. It felt as though his brain had ceased to function.
Because of this, Heuk-yeong struggled to understand why his ears were ringing, why his head was splitting, and why he was lying on the ground.
'My mission. But what was my mission?'
Heuk-yeong instinctively tried to recall his assignment.
Jegal Jeok-un.
The name of his target finally came back to him.
Yes, he had been given a mission regarding Jegal Jeok-un.
Pursue him, steal the treasure, and break him...!
Cough!
At that moment, an uncontrollable cough racked his body, spitting out dark red blood.
No, it wasn't just blood.
It was chunks of flesh drenched in gore.
The internal injuries were so severe that pieces of his organs were being coughed up.
...But why am I throwing this up?
"Wh-what is..."
His thoughts and words failed to align.
The single punch that had shattered his face had also pulverized all of his teeth.
"A fitting look for an assassin."
"H-hiieee!"
Jeok-un stepped forward.
Overwhelmed by primal terror, Heuk-yeong scrambled backward.
Only then did Heuk-yeong recall all the memories that had been temporarily wiped by the devastating impact.
"Whew. They say new wine should be put into new wineskins. A young body really is nice. The power channels much better."
"?!"
Jeok-un smiled with satisfaction.
The seven stars born from the Overlord's power not only increased his internal energy and cultivation realm, but each star also possessed a unique ability.
Among them, the power of the first star, Tam-rang, was the most straightforward.
'Amplification.'
Like throwing firewood and pouring oil onto a blazing hearth.
It multiplied the flames of his internal energy several times over.
And naturally, as demonstrated on Heuk-yeong, the destructive power of his martial forms was amplified proportionally.
Before his regression, enemies who had dismissed him as "nothing special" when he wasn't using the Overlord's power would flee in terror the moment they faced Tam-rang. It had happened more times than he could count.
Heuk-yeong, too, had realized the staggering gap between them from that single punch.
'I-I have to run. I have to get away. That guy is a monster!'
But where could he go?
They were inside a water barrier.
And the only exit and entrance was blocked by his opponent.
If he tried to dive into the water walls, he had no confidence he could escape someone who could move freely underwater and fire water spears.
As he frantically scanned his surroundings.
Hummm!
A strange resonance of energy vibrated from behind him.
'That's...!'
An immense aura comparable to the White Feather Fan.
In that instant, Heuk-yeong's mind raced.
Yes, that object had to be the reason the boy came here.
If it possessed power equal to the White Feather Fan, it might be his last saving grace.
Swish!
Having made his decision, Heuk-yeong mustered every ounce of his remaining strength and sprinted forward.
'Ugh, ugh. I have to endure. I must endure.'
His condition was terrible, to the point of coughing up pieces of his organs.
But if he stayed still, he would surely be killed by the madman before him.
So Heuk-yeong ran.
He ran to seize the mysterious Twin Swords that seemed to be Jeok-un's target.
And finally—
Heuk-yeong reached out and grabbed the hilts of the twin swords floating in the air.
Hummm!
At that moment, the twin swords let out a resonant cry, unleashing a torrent of powerful energy.
It was as if they were welcoming the touch of a new master.
'Did... did it work?'
Heuk-yeong rejoiced inwardly.
It was a divine weapon powerful enough to float in the air on its own.
If it possessed power exceeding the White Feather Fan, he wouldn't just turn the tables—he could kill the boy...
"Tsk, tsk. Foolish bastard."
"!!"
Jeok-un sneered coldly.
He did so even though the massive energy unleashed by the twin swords was wrapping around Heuk-yeong at this very moment.
The reason was simple.
The energy unleashed by the twin swords...
"Aaargh!"
...was not meant to assist Heuk-yeong, but to consume him. Jeok-un knew this all too well.
Crack! Crunch!
Veins bulged across Heuk-yeong's entire body, looking as if they would burst at any second.
'It hurts! It hurts so much!'
His insides felt as if they were filling with rot and agony, and Heuk-yeong's horrific groans echoed continuously.
This was the price of lacking the qualifications.
A violent rejection reaction.
"You should have known your place. Greed that exceeds one's station only invites death."
Jeok-un mocked Heuk-yeong as the assassin writhed in agony.
Considering the nature of the twin swords, this was only natural.
For a mere insect lacking both the qualifications and the status to dare lay hands on them.
As punishment for that insolence, Heuk-yeong's meridians were being torn apart mercilessly, like paper doors in a raging storm.
Left alone, he would die nine times out of ten, and even if he miraculously survived, he would be left a crippled shell.
"S-spare... spare me!"
Heuk-yeong begged Jeok-un.
Despite having all his teeth shattered, his pronunciation was surprisingly clear.
That was how desperately he wanted to live.
Perhaps a typical young master of the Orthodox faction, especially one from a prestigious sect, would have relented at this point.
Even if the opponent was an assassin, martial artists who walked the righteous path rarely took lives easily.
'But I am neither Orthodox nor righteous.'
Thus, Jeok-un had no intention of helping.
He was a true member of the Unorthodox faction, one who walked the path of supremacy rather than righteousness.
He wasn't a demon who slaughtered every enemy on sight.
But by nature, the Overlord of the Dark Heavens, Jeok-un, never forgave those who opposed him—especially those who targeted his life.
Under normal circumstances, he would have tortured Heuk-yeong as much as possible before giving him a miserable death.
"Well, I suppose this time is an exception."
Jeok-un reached out.
As the internal energy contained in his secret technique struck Heuk-yeong's body, the situation immediately reversed.
"Ugh... ah..."
First, Heuk-yeong's energy, which had been thrashing like a rabid dog, quieted down.
Jeok-un had sealed his ruptured meridians, controlling the flow of energy.
Second, Heuk-yeong's body stiffened. His acupoints had been sealed.
Having rendered the man completely immobile, Jeok-un spoke softly.
"You cannot die just yet."
There was only one reason Jeok-un spared Heuk-yeong. Was it because mercy had blossomed in his heart? Far from it.
"You still have some use left."
That was the sole reason. Heuk-yeong's utility had not yet been exhausted.
"Now, wait here and enjoy the pain to your heart's content."
"?!?!"
Jeok-un smiled coldly and struck another acupoint.
"Aaaaargh...!"
Once again, a horrific scream erupted.
Hummm!
Having spat out Heuk-yeong, the twin swords floated serenely in the air as if nothing had happened.
Looking at his beloved weapons from his past life, Jeok-un spoke.
"We meet much earlier than in my previous life."
One of the Patriarch's Seven Sacred Artifacts he had acquired.
The primary weapon he wielded when he unified the Unorthodox faction, and the divine relic that served as his main source of power when he slaughtered half of the Demonic Cult's Ten Great Elders.
Unfortunately, it had been shattered to pieces before his final battle with the Heavenly Demon.
"Il-cheon and Wol-ha."
The twin swords of the sun and moon.
Jeok-un reached out toward the sword Il-cheon.
Crackle!
Instantly, reddish-blue sparks flew, rejecting his touch.
The twin swords cried out in unison. They threatened him fiercely, asking if he wished to die as well, warning him to back off immediately.
"Hmm. As expected, you do not remember your master."
Jeok-un spoke as if in pity.
However, the emotion reflecting in his eyes was anything but pity.
Jeok-un gripped the hilt of Il-cheon.
Whoosh! Rumble!
Just as it had done to Heuk-yeong, Il-cheon resisted violently, unleashing a fierce aura to reject him.
"Then I must make you remember your master."
Jeok-un did not back down in the slightest.
Swoosh! Rumble!
Along with his resolute voice, the Overlord's power surged wildly.
The overwhelming power of Tam-rang manifested once more.
Like a battering ram crushing a castle gate, it easily broke through Il-cheon's resistance, forcing the weapon into submission.
But that was only the beginning.
'Whether it's a mad dog or a mad sword, a good beating is the only way to bring them to their senses.'
Jeok-un firmly gripped Il-cheon, which was beginning to wail in pain.
Swish! Crash!
"A match for ten thousand enemies."
He swung it directly at Wol-ha, which was still floating in the air.
A massive, storm-like shockwave swept through the surroundings.
Swish! Boom!
"My strength can pluck up hills, my might shadows the world."
Yet Jeok-un did not stop, swinging the sword repeatedly.
He acted as if he didn't care whether the blade shattered or lost its mystical properties.
Faced with such an absurd situation for the first time in its existence, Il-cheon shrieked.
But Jeok-un did not stop.
Swish! Crash!
"I am Jegal Jeok-un, descendant of Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu."
The Overlord of Western Chu, Xiang Yu.
More commonly known as Xiang Yu, he was the legendary figure who had fought the founder of the Han Dynasty sixty-nine times and won every single battle before his final defeat at the Crow River.
He was revered as the God of War or the God of Military Strategy by martial artists and commoners alike.
The blood flowing from Jeok-un's mother, Hang So-wol, was that of Xiang Yu himself.
The seven divine weapons left behind by the God of War, Xiang Yu, including the twin swords of sun and moon—Il-cheon and Wol-ha—which contained the fundamental Yin and Yang of the world.
Jeok-un was the sole, rightful master of the Patriarch's Seven Sacred Artifacts.
Swoosh! Rumble!
As Jeok-un poured out even greater power, the water walls on both sides shook violently from the shockwaves.
Jeok-un raised Il-cheon high once more and spoke.
"Obey your master."
Or I will shatter you to pieces.
Il-cheon understood the unspoken threat.
Just as Jeok-un was about to strike down again—
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a fierce aura erupted from Il-cheon.
The very energy that had sought to destroy Heuk-yeong now submissively seeped into Jeok-un, bowing before him.
Il-cheon growled at the surroundings, as if ready to crush all of his enemies.
It was, without a doubt, proof that it recognized its master.
Jeok-un smiled with satisfaction at the sight.
But his smile quickly faded. With a cold expression, Jeok-un looked at the remaining sword, Wol-ha, and asked.
"And what about you?"
Hummm!
As if understanding the question, Wol-ha floated gently and settled perfectly into Jeok-un's other hand.
Shhh...
Unlike Il-cheon, it practically fawned over Jeok-un's hand.
Jeok-un smiled faintly as he looked at the twin swords shining in his hands.
Then, with confident strides, he turned around.
In his line of sight lay Heuk-yeong, writhing on the ground like an earthworm.
"Now, shall we go back and settle some old scores?"
In Jeok-un's mind, the mother and son who would meet a miserable end began to take shape.