Conclusion (2)
One hour before Taeju received the call from Jang Sangho, the second deputy director of the Imperial Justice Agency.
A deep, dark night.
Major General Kim Ungbang faced his father-in-law—no, his former father-in-law—Honda Kazuo in his office.
"Are you well, son-in-law?"
"Are we in a position to exchange pleasantries?"
"What's wrong with a father-in-law greeting his son-in-law?"
"Cut the nonsense. Your daughter failed, so the father has come to finish the job himself."
Kim Ungbang's words were icy, but Honda Kazuo's face remained slick and composed.
"If you'd just died quietly, none of this would have happened. Do you have any idea how much you've messed things up?"
"You've been playacting the grand villain since you got here. Drop it—it's disgusting."
"What?"
"You're nothing but a third-rate thug. You couldn't stand to get blood on your own hands, so you sent your daughter to poison her husband."
"...I married off my well-raised daughter to a widower with a child."
Honda Kazuo gripped the hilt of the elite Muramasa katana at his waist and continued.
"That completes step one. The father-in-law and son-in-law quarrel, enraging the father-in-law. All that's left is killing you."
"How stupid. You really think spilling your plans like this won't cause any problems?"
"Kukukuku. Relying on CCTV, are you? Do you think I came alone? The lord's residence security control room is already in my pocket. And I've cut off all communications from Paju Territory. Our conversation won't leak out. I guarantee it."
Kim Ungbang smirked.
"Good work. All that effort for nothing."
"...What?"
"Do you know where my adjutant is?"
Honda Kazuo furrowed his brow.
In truth, upon entering Paju Territory, the first thing he'd done was cut off Kim Ungbang's arms and legs—starting with his trusted adjutant. But the man was nowhere to be found.
"He's gone to the palace. To deliver my petition to the palace secretariat for His Majesty."
"...A petition?"
"It's a formal petition relinquishing governance of Paju Territory, along with evidence that my wife tried to poison me."
"What?"
"No matter how I thought about it, I realized I'm not up to the task of ruling a territory. So I decided to give it up."
"You damned fool... Heh heh heh. You know one thing but not two. Do you really think the emperor can read your petition right now?"
Honda Kazuo's face twisted in smug triumph.
"An emperor who can't even manage his own illness and hasn't shown his face in years?"
Kim Ungbang knew it too.
The emperor was bedridden with a serious illness.
When Taeju had entered the palace, Kim Ungbang had met Empress Yeom along with Kazuo.
Her words then:
—I met His Majesty just recently.
—His condition is so severe he's confined to his sickbed.
—The royal physicians say he's meeting people while on narcotic painkillers.
—He probably won't last much longer.
"Your precious son, Kim Taeju, must not have told you. He surely met the emperor."
Shring.
Honda Kazuo drew the elite Muramasa from its sheath.
"Once the emperor dies, everything will proceed as planned. You can't stop it. Because you'll be dead here too."
Kim Ungbang drew his own sword from his waist.
"Finally getting to the point. Give it your best shot. See if you can kill me."
In that instant!
Bang!
The office door burst open, and a man entered.
"Brother-in-law, no manners toward your elders. Is that a Joseon trait of the empire's dogs?"
Kazuo's son and Mitsui's older brother.
Another master from Kyushu Territory—Honda Jiro.
Kim Ungbang's expression darkened.
'Looks like this is where I die.'
Death didn't frighten him.
He just regretted leaving without telling his son Taeju he was sorry.
'...I'll take at least one with me.'
Grip!
Kim Ungbang tightened his hold on his sword.
Then—
Crash!
The office window shattered into pieces.
Whoosh!
A round object shot toward Honda Jiro.
Slash!
Honda Jiro reflexively drew his sword and cleaved it in half.
Then,
Boom! Whoosh!
A blinding flash erupted, filling the room with thick smoke.
"What?!"
"How dare you try such tricks?"
Kim Ungbang heard a whisper from behind him.
"General, this is the Imperial Justice Agency. Get out while you can."
Imperial Justice Agency?
Thoughts could wait.
Kim Ungbang followed the agent's lead, leaping out through the broken window.
"Tsk tsk, where do you think you're running?"
"Indeed. You'll be caught and killed anyway—such a hassle."
Honda Kazuo and Honda Jiro also vaulted through the window in pursuit.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The Imperial Justice Agency's special operations unit flew toward Paju in a helicopter.
Second Deputy Director Jang Sangho nervously chewed his nails.
The moment he heard from his field agents that Japanese-affiliated awakeners had seized the lord's residence, he'd mobilized his forces.
And during the flight, an additional report came in.
—Honda Kazuo and Honda Jiro attempting to assassinate Major General Kim Ungbang.
—Secured Major General Kim Ungbang; currently escaping toward the DMZ monster-dense zone.
'Damn those Japanese bastards!'
Rage boiled over.
He'd never imagined it.
Them being this brazen?
If His Majesty the Emperor were healthy, they'd never dare.
'They're going all out, huh?'
Kim Ungbang was Kim Taeju's biological father.
Though estranged for unfortunate reasons, blood ties weren't easily severed.
He had to be rescued.
Paju was close now.
About an hour, by his estimate?
The field agent escaping with Kim Ungbang, Lee Youngcheol, was a superior expert awakener.
Skilled in infiltration and escape, with relevant skills—he could buy some time.
'Please, just hold on.'
Then, the white-haired elder sitting beside Jang Sangho replied indifferently.
"Don't worry, Deputy Director. Even if we're a bit late, it'll be fine."
It was Palace Secretary Geum Suhu.
After reporting the incident to him, Suhu had rushed over and boarded the helicopter with them.
"There are two masters. Can Major General Kim hold out?"
"You contacted Chairman Kim Taeju, right?"
"Yes, but Gurye to Paju takes time. We're flying in combat helicopters, but..."
"Chairman Kim is already in Paju."
"R-Really? How?"
Geum Suhu just smiled faintly.
Truth be told, he didn't know exactly either.
He only knew Kim Taeju was elusive enough to slay the black evil dragon in old Chinese lands and show up in Gurye hours later.
DMZ monster-dense zone.
A long, ribbon-like strip about 4 km wide and over 900 square kilometers in area.
Already teeming with wildlife, mana mutation had swelled the monster population enormously.
Territories dotted along the DMZ, the prime habitat for orcs, spore-poison camels, and roe deer monsters.
Major General Kim Ungbang and Imperial Justice Agency field agent Lee Youngcheol raced through the DMZ darkness.
But the Japanese-affiliated awakeners were hot on their heels.
With two masters, shaking them was nearly impossible.
"Over there!"
"Cut off their escape!"
Kim Ungbang's face fell in despair.
Among the pursuers weren't just Kyushu Territory awakener soldiers—Paju Territory troops were there too.
His own subordinates were hunting him.
Paju Territory had essentially fallen to Honda Kazuo.
He'd suspected as much, but not to this extent.
Sensing his mood, agent Lee Youngcheol consoled him.
"General, stay strong. If we survive, we can turn this around."
Easier said than done.
Could they even survive?
"I'll clear a path. Steel yourself and escape alone if you have to."
"...You have a better chance than I do. I'll handle the Honda pair—head to the nearest territory now."
"We still have time. Together—"
"No! It's too late."
"What?"
In that instant!
Honda Jiro emerged leisurely from the frontal darkness.
"You rats! No matter how you struggle, the outcome is set—don't you get it?"
And from behind, Honda Kazuo too.
"What a shameful display. An imperial general fleeing without even fighting... Hm?"
Kim Ungbang was already moving.
Flash!
He surged toward Honda Jiro in an instant.
Sizzle!
His sword lashed out at lightning speed.
Clang! Clang-clang!
A furious exchange at blinding speed.
Aura clashed against aura, sparking white flames.
Honda Jiro was weaker than Kim Ungbang; he kept retreating under the relentless overhead strikes.
"Agent Lee Youngcheol, escape now—"
But there was more than one master.
"You bastard!!!"
A chilling aura hurtled from behind.
Kim Ungbang spun, parrying Honda Kazuo's Muramasa.
Clang!
Lee Youngcheol couldn't flee either.
He was cornered by the expert awakeners the Hondas had brought.
Still, Kim Ungbang fought desperately.
He had to kill at least one quickly.
Defense be damned.
The weakest first.
Stab!
Kim Ungbang's aura-infused sword pierced Honda Jiro's abdomen.
"Gahhh! Y-You, you son of a—"
He felt it.
A lethal blow, at least.
But—
Slash-slash!
His shoulder burned.
"Kuhuk!"
Kazuo's Muramasa dug into his back shoulder.
Half-severed and mangled right shoulder.
He switched to his left hand instantly and countered, but...
Clang!
Kazuo's strike sent his sword flying from his grip.
"Ahh..."
Honda Kazuo grinned viciously.
"Now it's over."
"You dog..."
Kim Ungbang dropped to one knee.
At least he'd taken one down.
Or so he thought—until he saw Honda Jiro's vicious smile.
"Ugh, damn it! That hurts like hell."
What was happening?
The man staggered to his feet on both legs, the blood from his abdomen inexplicably stanched.
"Whew, really—if not for Taehong Recovery Potion and Fresh Flesh Growth, I would've been done for."
"..."
Honda Kazuo laughed heartily.
"Kehahaha, ironic, isn't it? The medicine from the son you abandoned saved my son's life."
He gripped the Muramasa with both hands and raised it overhead.
"Still, for the time you were my son-in-law, I'll make it quick."
Kim Ungbang slowly closed his eyes.
What a life full of regrets.
If only he could go back...
But right then!
"Grrrrrrrrrr..."
A chilling monster roar echoed across the entire DMZ.
"...!"
"What..."
"Ah..."
Everyone froze.
Honda Kazuo and Honda Jiro, the Kyushu experts pressing Lee Youngcheol, the traitorous Paju soldiers—all of them.
At the same moment,
A massive monster silhouette loomed beyond the dark forest.
So enormous they had to crane their necks fully to see it.
"M-My god!"
"Wh-What?"
"...Lord have mercy."
Silence blanketed the DMZ.
And as no one could move,
Thud. Thud.
A man approached casually.
He wore a long coat reaching his calves.
"You?"
Honda Kazuo recognized him instantly.
"...Kim Taeju?"
Honda Kazuo swallowed hard.
How was he here?
How had he found them?
He'd heard the rumors.
Of power surpassing even masters.
"Wait! This is a family matter. You have no right to—"
Sizzle!
Honda Kazuo couldn't finish.
A flash of light,
And
Thud!
Something silver pierced his chest.
No pain.
"Wh-What?"
He looked down at his chest.
A massive hole.
Half his left chest was gone.
Only then did the blood pour out.
"Uh-uhh..."
Honda Kazuo couldn't believe it.
This hole, this blood—from his own body?
The light faded from his eyes.
'M-My mistake... I shouldn't have severed ties with his father?'
He should have watched that boy more than the emperor.
If he'd known this power, he'd never have eyed Paju.
Even seeing his father like this, Honda Jiro couldn't move.
He knew instinctively.
He could never match Kim Taeju, even in death.
'R-Run...'
Stealthily,
He backed away.
Then Kim Taeju's eyes turned to him.
His legs shook.
"Sp-Spare—"
Taeju's gaze shifted from top to bottom.
Sizzle!
The divine flying sword hovered in the sky, then plunged into Honda Jiro's crown at Taeju's will.
Splurt!
It pierced his head, exited under his jaw, and returned to Taeju's hand.
"Sh-Shit..."
Honda Jiro collapsed forward.
Honda Kazuo toppled backward, eyes bulging.
Taeju turned to look at Kim Ungbang.
Their eyes met.
But Kim Ungbang couldn't say a word.
He just squeezed his eyes shut.
The Immortal Realm.
Where had it all gone wrong?
Probably Gwigok Seonin's offhand remark.
"If we could see Geomseon's swordsmanship demo in that world, couldn't we do it too?"
The immortals reacted.
"...Huh?"
"Oh!"
"That's genius!"
"Aha!"
Why hadn't they thought of it sooner?
"Gwigok, did you go to Seoul University?"
"Seoul University is in that world."
"But what's our excuse? It's not like Geomseon teaching swordsmanship."
Then Ta Baek Seonin chimed in slyly.
"Thinking about it, we've been rude."
"What do you mean?"
"They never miss sending us Earth's precious goods—how could we not even say hello?"
"Ooooh! Right. We owe Taeju a greeting. That's the immortal way."
And so, a video filming craze swept the Immortal Realm.
Over ten immortals gathered for a discussion.
"This time, our voices need to be heard."
"Of course! Dubbing defeats the purpose."
"But how do we speak Samhan's language?"
Gwigok Seonin raised his hand.
"I'll help. Just give me one celestial technique each."
"How?"
"I'll script it so your words come out in Samhan's language."
"W-Wait a moment."
"Me too!"
"In a bit."
Poof-pooff-pooff!
The immortals vanished.
'This is bad.'
Dang Gunak truly regretted it.
He shouldn't have shown them the tablet's camera function.
No—he shouldn't have given the tablet to Gwigok.
In that moment!
"Huh? Where'd they all go?"
Even Seowangmo and Miho Seonja appeared.
"Dokseon, why are you alone?"
"W-Well..."
How to explain?
The immortals would start filming without a care for onlookers.
Things were snowballing.
Conclusion (2) End