At the Kim family estate, the battle between Guan Yu and the undead swordsmen intensified. The undead swordsmen attacked with precise intent, while Guan Yu, like an immovable mountain, blocked and parried their blows, using his larger frame to push them away from Kim Tae-sung.
Two more undead swordsmen rushed towards Tae-sung, swords raised. Guan Yu swiftly struck them with his guandao, redirecting them towards the first swordsman he had pushed back.
Guan Yu and the three undead swordsmen clashed, exchanging fierce blows. Wind whipped and steel flashed as the ground shattered under the force of their attacks.
One side sought to protect, the other to kill. Three against one, each with the skill and experience of a hero or patriarch of the Kim family. Even with Guan Yu's power, he could only hold his ground and protect Tae-sung.
Sword qi flew towards Tae-sung, but Guan Yu intercepted every strike, shielding the young man behind him.
"What are you waiting for? Run to the helipad!" Guan Yu shouted to Tae-sung.
Tae-sung nodded and sprinted towards the helipad. He didn't understand why his brother was trying to kill him, but he needed to ensure his safety first.
Seeing this, Kim Chang-wook signaled with a wave of his hand, and another undead swordsman closed in on Tae-sung. This was the one Kim Yuna had identified as the Sword Demon of Joseon.
Tae-sung turned to face the Sword Demon, attempting to parry, but the difference in skill was too great. Just then, a magic bullet whizzed towards the demon, trying to push it away, but the demon's grip was too strong for a mere bullet to redirect its force.
Clank!
Metal clashed. Patriarch Kim had arrived, blocking the Sword Demon's strike with his own sword. The angle was awkward, but he had used the Atlantean carryall's teleportation device to reach the ground in time.
He had arrived the moment two more undead swordsmen joined the fray, and it was fortunate he did. But blocking the Sword Demon's slash should have been nigh impossible... unless...
The patriarch glanced to his side and saw a katana blocking the demon's sword. Wielding it was a beautiful young woman with light blue hair: Pride, the Witch of Pride.
"Go away, old man, let me handle this," Pride said impatiently, pushing the patriarch away from the Sword Demon.
"I hear you're quite skilled," she said to the demon with a confident smirk. "Let me see how good you are," she challenged, rushing towards the Sword Demon without fear.
The two exchanged fierce sword blows. Pride wielded the demon-slaying sword arts learned from Momotaro, striking with sharp, calm precision to slay all demons. The Sword Demon's intent was fierce and powerful, seeking to slay all who stood before him.
The fight escalated as the Sword Demon tried to break through Pride's blockade and claim his prize: Kim Tae-sung life. But Pride's relentless attacks pushed him back, forcing him to block and parry without a chance to counter. He was steadily pushed back towards the training grounds, where open space lay far from Tae-sung.
On Guan Yu's side, he fought the three undead swordmasters relentlessly attacking from all sides. But as one approached his left blind spot, sword raised high, a gunshot rang out.
Click... Bang!
"So... you just wanted to be the next heir? Is that it?" one of the elders asked angrily, but Chang-wook ignored him.
"Why? Was it because I didn't care for you enough? Or is it my fault that I didn't notice your excellence? Did you want revenge on the family?" Patriarch Kim questioned.
Chang-wook snorted. "You know what? The only reason the Kim family still stands today isn't because of your proud sword arts or magical abilities. Our magic and special spells aren't that great; the body enhancement spell is worthless in the international world.
What keeps us influential is money, power, and connections! Not our outdated spells and sword arts!" Chang-wook said through gritted teeth.
"You all can stand proud and judge me today because of those three things, and I'm the only one who single-handedly provided them for all of you! We didn't have money!? I raised our business group to be number one in South Korea! We lacked connections!? I worked tirelessly to connect with businessmen worldwide and establish ties with the mage community!
And thanks to the Mara Society I own, our influence in Korea remains unchallenged!" Chang-wook roared, looking around the hall with resentment.
"But what did I get in return? Bullying, disdain, belittlement. That's what I faced everywhere I went in this damned estate!" He glared at those who had belittled him before. "Just because I'm weak and bad at your sword arts!"
One of the family enforcers moved to strike Chang-wook's legs with a punishing rod, but Patriarch Kim stopped him.
"Stop!" The enforcer immediately halted, bowed, and stepped back.
"Is what my son said true?" Kim Yong-chul asked, his eyes filled with fury born from disappointment in himself. He never thought his negligence and the family's tradition of prioritizing sword skills over others would drive his son to such extremes.
Some elders and senior warriors averted their gaze, confirming the truth for the patriarch.
"So, you wanted to kill Tae-sung to be the sole heir?" Patriarch Kim asked.
"..." Kim Chang-wook remained silent, but his silence spoke volumes.
"Why involve Mr. Emberweave? Are you a spy?" Patriarch Kim asked.
Chang-wook sighed. "To be precise, I'm a double agent. I provide non-essential information to the Qing Dynasty, and in return, I gain information from them to use for our family business. Many of our opportunities have come through this channel," he explained.
"As for why I involved that foreigner, it was to ensure the Kim family wouldn't ally with him." Chang-wook turned towards Tae-sung. "Just as you wanted, Tae-sung. Since I was going to kill him anyway, why not grant your wish?"
"That's not what I want!" Tae-sung retorted. Discover stories at m|v|l|e|mp|y|r
"Oh really? Before you deny it, did you honestly ask yourself if that's truly not what you wanted?" Chang-wook sneered.
Tae-sung couldn't respond. If he had a say in the matter, he wouldn't have allied with Daniel. He believed his family didn't need a foreigner's help.