Chapter 102
Jeok Seonwoo clenched his fists, unable to tear his eyes away from the sparring arena.
How could he?
Clang! Clang!
Another opponent fell helplessly beneath Suhyeok's sword.
With a blade pressed against his throat, he had no choice but to lower his head.
"Keugh...!"
That made three already.
Not one of them had managed to land a valid hit.
They hadn't even brushed the edge of Suhyeok's clothes.
Jeok Seonwoo was beginning to wonder whether what he was seeing was even real.
How... how is this possible...?
There wasn't any particularly complicated reason why he hated Heuk Mujin so much.
He simply couldn't stand the fact that someone terminally ill was still called an heir of one of the Demonic Cult's Five Great Families.
So he'd tormented him relentlessly since childhood.
It had started back when they attended the Demonic Martial Academy.
Hah, you pathetic bastard.
Know your place.
You seriously think you're one of us just because you keep crawling back here?
He had kicked and beaten Heuk Mujin only in places hidden beneath his clothes, making sure no one could see the injuries.
Eventually, Heuk Mujin withdrew from the academy.
But the bullying didn't stop.
Jeok Seonwoo deliberately summoned him to gatherings just to humiliate him in front of everyone.
He spread ridiculous rumors about him.
He ruined him little by little.
Any ordinary person would've broken mentally.
That was right.
The single biggest reason Heuk Mujin had fallen into such a depraved life...
Was Jeok Seonwoo.
BOOM!
Hyeol Jinmyeong of the Bloodlight Family was thrown out of the arena.
He crashed unconscious onto the ground.
His body trembled.
He had even wet himself.
Everyone watching was left speechless.
The head of the Bloodlight Family was no exception.
"W-What in the world...?!"
Hyeol Jinmyeong had entered the Peak Realm long ago.
Among the heirs of the Five Great Families, his martial level ranked near the top.
He was the man expected to become the future head of the Bloodlight Family.
Yet he'd been defeated without being able to do anything.
The impact was enormous.
Cheon Soyeon rested her chin on one hand and smiled with obvious enjoyment.
"This is the most entertaining spar this lady has seen in quite some time."
She looked around.
"Don't you all agree?"
No one answered.
Awkward coughs filled the platform instead.
"Ahem."
"Keugh...."
Then...
Crack!
Hyeol Mucheon, head of the Bloodlight Family, shattered the armrest of his chair.
He shot to his feet and pointed furiously at Suhyeok.
"He's clearly using some kind of sorcery!"
"Otherwise, how could someone born with the Nine Yang Severed Meridians and destined for an early death possibly do this?!"
It was a pathetic accusation for the head of one of the Five Great Families to make.
But it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Most of the crowd had been thinking the same thing.
However...
"Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"
For the first time since the spar began, Heuk Seol spoke.
"...What?"
She rose from her seat and pointed toward Suhyeok.
"Everyone here knows what kind of person the eldest young master used to be."
"A hopeless delinquent who chased after women."
"And just as Family Head Hyeol said, he was terminally ill because of the Nine Yang Severed Meridians."
She briefly glanced at Suhyeok.
Then turned back to Hyeol Mucheon.
"If your accusation turns out to be false..."
"Will the Bloodlight Family Head take responsibility for slandering him?"
"..."
The moment he agreed, the Bloodlight Family would be forced to shoulder responsibility for everything.
Whether his suspicion was true or not, there was no good outcome for him.
"...Ahem."
"I'll take my leave first, Young Cult Leader."
"Yes."
Cheon Soyeon nodded.
"That would probably be best."
"You don't look well."
She smiled faintly.
"Though I suppose the others don't either."
The defeated family heads all looked deeply displeased.
Cheon Soyeon laughed softly.
"Rest well."
"It seems you'll all need some time to recover."
Once the situation settled, Suhyeok looked toward the final remaining opponent.
Jeok Seonwoo.
"Next."
Jeok Seonwoo flinched.
It was finally his turn.
His pupils trembled.
His feet refused to move.
Instinctively, he looked toward his father sitting on the platform.
...Do not lose.
A deep voice echoed directly inside his mind.
Jeok Seonwoo's shoulders jerked.
Then an invisible pressure settled heavily over his body.
Killing intent.
And it was coming from no one other than his father.
Do not forget.
I have three other talented sons besides you.
"...!"
To the Flame Heaven Demon Lord, his sons were little more than tools for maintaining the family.
As long as his own authority remained intact, it didn't matter which son became heir.
In other words...
If Jeok Seonwoo lost here, one of his younger brothers could replace him as young heir.
No.
That can't happen.
Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get this far...?
Jeok Seonwoo nodded.
Then he ground his teeth and climbed onto the arena.
Shing.
He drew his sword and pointed it toward Suhyeok.
"Don't misunderstand."
"I don't know what sorcery you're using, but it won't work on me."
"Trash like you should abandon any hope of defeating me."
Poison coated his blade.
Invisible to the naked eye.
Odorless.
Impossible to detect normally.
All he needed was a scratch.
Once the poison entered the flesh, it would melt the bones and slowly spread through the entire body.
Its victim would die in horrific agony.
"Even if you beg me to spare you, I'll kill you."
"Slowly."
"Painfully."
He glared at Suhyeok.
"Yeah."
"I'll even gouge out those filthy eyes so you can never look at me like that again."
Despite the stream of vile insults, Suhyeok didn't even draw his sword.
"Is that all?"
He sounded disappointed.
"Pathetic."
"...What?"
"I'm asking whether running your mouth is the only thing you're capable of."
"And look around."
Suhyeok's gaze turned cold.
"You're the only one here screaming like a cornered animal."
That gaze.
That damn gaze.
As if Suhyeok were staring at him like worthless trash.
How dare someone like him look down on Jeok Seonwoo?
"You bastaaaaard!!"
FWOOSH!
Flames erupted along Jeok Seonwoo's sword.
He swung.
A massive wave of fire tore through the air.
WHOOOOOSH! BOOOOM!!
Every strike produced intense heat and explosions powerful enough to melt the arena floor.
Crimson Flame Swordsmanship.
A sword art that overwhelmed defenses with heat and explosive force, burning through everything.
And that wasn't all.
Crackle!
A vivid crimson line tightly wrapped around his sword.
Sword Qi?
No.
It was more than that.
Sword Aura.
"I heard Young Master Jeok had been approaching the wall of the Transcendent Realm..."
"Isn't that Sword Aura?!"
"Don't tell me he's already entered the Transcendent Realm!"
