Fraternal Strife

For Kyle, Hessel was once a being he resented, hated, and was both the closest and furthest from him.

In fact, Kyle had never really thought of Hessel as a brother. At best, it was from when he could barely walk until before he was branded with the ignominious title of ‘the Failure of the Liard Family.’

But actually having him before his eyes, witnessing him so broken with his own two eyes, he had to feel something burning hotly within his heart.

,Hyung-nim.’

Even if I resented you, I never wanted you to fall apart this much.

Even if you berated and scorned me, I never wished for you to be unhappy.

Because I walked that path, I hoped you, at least, wouldn’t be tainted by evil.

Even if you and I couldn’t understand each other, I at least hoped we wouldn’t end up pointing swords at each other.

Even if your blade was aimed at me, I never imagined the day would come when I would aim at you.

But if that blade is aimed at her, I cannot overlook it.

So, please don’t resent me for seeing you as an ‘enemy’ and not as ,hyung’ at this moment.

Sseuseuseuk─!

,Heh…!’

As the shadows surging from around Kyle rushed at Hessel, he quickly dodged and deflected the approaching shadows with a sword he had hidden in his coat.

,……!’

Kyle’s eyes widened at the sight.

It wasn’t just because Hessel’s movements were agile.

The surging magic in Hessel’s sword clearly showed that it wasn’t his own.

,So he really did receive power from those bastards.’

Just like Kyle before his regression, it was clear that the power those bastards had given him was contained within it.

Originally, the blue light of Hessel’s magic had mostly lost its color and looked as if it was screaming, being devoured by the dark red magic surrounding the sword.

Anyone could tell that it wasn’t a normal method of training and increasing power.

Kyle thought it looked as if the sword was controlling Hessel Liard and wielding him, rather than him wielding the sword.

,Come to think of it, that’s not hyung-nim’s sword. He must have been using the sword Father originally passed down.’

Once the thought reached that point, Kyle resolved to separate Hessel from that sword first.

Of course, he would have to kill Hessel in case of an emergency, but the top priority was to capture him alive.

,Depravo.’

Kwajik!

As Kyle’s heavy voice flowed from his mouth, a sound like something cracking echoed.

Even the surrounding furniture and even the glass on the table were intact. Where on earth was this sound coming from?

As Hessel sensed something was wrong and looked around, an unexpected sight unfolded before him.

To his left and right, cracks in the air were approaching Hessel as if they would devour him.

,You crazy bastard…!’

A curse involuntarily flowed from Hessel’s mouth upon witnessing this. This time, it wasn’t meant as a rebuke or scorn, but from pure admiration.

To think he would cast magic that distorted space, at least a 7th Circle spell, without batting an eye.

He couldn’t even fathom what level his once-despised younger brother had reached, and at this moment, he was filled with pure awe.

However, awe was awe, and even if he saw his younger brother’s dazzling growth, he didn’t have the leeway to be easily captured here.

Hwik─!

Hessel bent his waist slightly and dashed straight ahead, ignoring the magic tightening from all directions.

From the start, Hessel himself was a swordsman of considerable skill, and with the power the sword was giving him, his speed was astonishing.

So much so that it felt to Kyle as if he had teleported rather than run.

,Insdio.’

Kkwak.

However, Kyle hadn’t failed to anticipate this response.

No, it was rather a textbook move.

If he had just stood still in that gap or even tried to block it with magic, he would have become a crushed tin can.

Therefore, the best response in that situation was to induce close combat and make it impossible to cast high-powered magic.

No matter how skilled a magician one might be, they wouldn’t recklessly cast great magic if they were worried about getting hurt.

However, Kyle, who had foreseen this, instead took this opportunity to extend his hand forward and clench his fist tightly.

Then, a dark shape that sprang up from Hessel’s feet bound him.

,Keuk…!’

Hessel immediately tried to deflect it with his sword, but there were far too many black ropes binding his body.

Moreover, because it sprang up from his feet, it was difficult to react immediately, so he failed to prevent his limbs from being tied up.

Ttaenggeurang.

Eventually, even the sword in his hand fell to the floor in vain, and Kyle, thinking he had subdued him to some extent, approached his hyung and opened his mouth.

,…Hyung-nim, are you really not thinking of coming back even now?’

,Ha, don’t talk nonsense. If I had any intention of changing my mind now, do you think I would have done this? By the way, I thought you said there would be no mercy, but you’re awfully talkative today.’

,I wouldn’t bat an eye even if I killed hyung-nim like this. But Father and Mother are different. I’m just worried about that.’

Of course, it’s true that he feels a bit uncomfortable because the opponent is his hyung.

However, that reason might be why Kyle hesitated to kill Hessel, but it couldn’t be the reason why he couldn’t kill him.

The only reason he hesitated to deliver the final blow at this point was because of the existence of his parents, who were waiting in the castle without knowing anything about this situation.

Is it really best to kill him, who has committed a great crime, and just finish with a post-mortem report?

Even if their son is a criminal who tried to commit patricide, wouldn’t parents want to see his face at least one last time?

That fundamental question made Kyle hesitate to reach out.

But when Hessel heard those words, he instead felt his temper rising.

It was because of his anger towards his ungrateful younger brother, who was trying to lecture him until the end.

,So, you’re giving me one last chance to repent before the two of them? You’re still talking to this hyung as if you’re looking down on me. Younger brother.’

,…Hyung-nim.’

,No, don’t say any more. It hurts my ears just listening.’

Kwajik. Kwajik.

The moment Kyle tried to say something more, and Hessel cut him off.

Cracks began to appear in the black ropes binding his body, and the sword that had been lying on the floor emitted dark red magic again and floated into the air.

As if the sword itself had a will of its own.

Sswaeak!

,Damn it…!’

And then, it fired a huge slash at Kyle.

Kyle hurriedly extended his hand forward and created a huge barrier with magic to block it, but the weight of the slash was considerable.

If he had reacted even a little late and hadn’t concentrated enough magic, it might have shattered like glass.

,It was a demon sword.’

Kyle, who clearly felt its power with his hand, gritted his teeth and looked at the sword that was now in Hessel’s hand again.

Demon swords. They are commonly known as mysterious swords with magic imbued in them just by their existence, but the criteria for distinguishing between a demon sword and a regular sword are actually different.

Whether the sword itself has a will or not. That is the biggest criterion.

In fact, in the case of some demon swords, they have sometimes been regarded as monstrous objects because their owners are swallowed up by their own enormous egos.

Among them, a demon sword of that level would be among the best in history.

,Keureu….’

,…….’

As the demon sword began to exert its power in earnest, a sound like that of a beast, not human language, flowed from Hessel’s mouth.

His eyeballs were rolled back so far that the pupils were not visible, and his body, enduring to resist the demon sword, was covered in blood vessels and boasted a grotesque shape.

Hessel Liard was no longer there.

That was something that had been devoured by the demon sword, something that was not even human.

In other words, he couldn’t delay any longer.

It wasn’t that he wanted this ending, but in the end, it was Kyle who had to make the choice.

And he chose.

Rather than showing his parents this hideous appearance, a child who was no longer human, he would rather end it completely here.

Jjeojeojeok─!

The magic that responded to its master’s will spread in all directions.

Even Hessel, who was dominated by the demon sword, seemed to instinctively feel a sense of crisis, as he momentarily trembled and flinched.

And then, as if sensing that he would die if he didn’t get rid of that thing, he raised the demon sword and swung it down from above.

Chwaak─!

The dark red slash that was generated rushed to engulf Kyle, but Kyle, who was watching with indifferent eyes, did not take any special action and concentrated his magic.

And soon, just as the slash was about to swallow his body.

,Restingo.’

A low voice flowed from Kyle’s mouth.

Hwaak─!

As the name suggested, as if everything was extinguished and blacked out. The space where the two were staying was swallowed by darkness.