Chapter 1204: Scorched World

“Father……”

At those words, Father’s expression turned strange. The trembling fingertips wouldn’t stop. Even after spitting out the words, I wasn’t surprised.

It was because I truly couldn’t grasp what I should do.

“……”

I turned my gaze and looked at my hand. I saw a cold, hardened black lump. It was something that used to be the Demon King.

Feeling a foreign sensation, I wiped my eyes. Something was flowing. Were they tears?

‘Crying?’

I was crying. Why was I suddenly bawling my eyes out? Tears streamed down. They wouldn’t stop.

Just then.

“What did you do?”

Do-cheol, who had been behind Father. He spoke to me with eyes stiffened.

“What did you do? What in the world happened here!”

“……”

“You brat……!”

The fragments of the shattered egg. The broken iron bars. All of it seemed to have offended Do-cheol, as energy could be felt emanating from his feet.

Even seeing that, I couldn’t move.

The fact that the Demon King had vanished before my eyes. That was what was disrupting my mind.

The root of all evil.

The Demon King I wanted to kill more than anyone was gone. That should have been enough.

But what is this feeling?

Why is it so.

‘Empty?’

It felt like something that had filled me up had left, leaving a hole. An unknown emptiness wrapped around my body.

It’s a maddening feeling.

‘Why?’

Why does it keep replaying in my mind?

The Demon King, who had been stroking me as he crumbled.

As I recalled that, trembling, when.

Ssssseeeeewww-!!

“……”

The lump in my hand melted away.

Chiiiiii.

It fell to the floor and simply faded away.

Thus, all traces of the Demon King had vanished.

“……”

I touched the floor with my stiff fingertips.

As if thinking something might still remain.

“Answer me……!”

Do-cheol was still yelling at me at this point.

“You-! What did you do here!”

Kwang-!

He stomped the ground. The hard floor crushed, sending fragments flying. Do-cheol, filled with emotion, took a stance as if to charge right at me.

Whoook-! As Do-cheol tried to surge towards me, emitting energy.

Koong-!!

“……!”

A massive impact erupted, shaking Do-cheol’s body.

Kkigigik-!!

He braced himself as if supporting, reducing the impact. Only after his forward momentum slowed did Do-cheol stare at someone with chilling eyes.

The source of the impact. It was Father.

Father attacked Do-cheol with a fist wreathed in flames.

And then.

Tuk.

He stood before me, showing his broad back.

At that sight, Do-cheol pursed his lips.

“This is absurd. Move aside.”

“……”

Father didn’t answer. He merely raised his fist, aiming it at Do-cheol.

“This isn’t even funny. Are you trying to protect a bastard? For you, the former Young Master, this shouldn’t particularly be a problem either.”

“……”

Do-cheol changed his attitude, as if trying to persuade Father, and began to speak.

But.

“That thing is your father’s mistake.”

Those words strangely kept piercing my heart.

Father’s mistake.

“It’s a being that shouldn’t have been born in the first place. Just someone who will threaten your position.”

A being that shouldn’t have been born.

That statement fits quite well.

“……”

With my head unable to lift, I could only repeat my silence. Looking at the life I’ve lived, there’s no truer statement.

When I considered my damned fate. I was, just as Do-cheol said, someone who shouldn’t have been born.

“It’s someone who will eventually cause you harm. If you step aside before me now… I’ll take care of that brat. I’ll pretend I never knew you came here.”

So just move aside. Despite such words, Father still showed no reaction.

Normally, I would have thought he wouldn’t listen at all. No matter what that guy tried to persuade him with, there was no need to listen.

But.

‘…Perhaps so.’

It resonated quite strongly now. That if Father were to step aside here, it wouldn’t cause much of a problem.

As I thought that, gazing blankly at Father.

“Move aside-.”

A low, deep voice reached my ears.

“Perhaps so.”

“……”

“Yes, if that’s the case.”

“However.”

Kwoooooooo—!!

An insane heat erupted from Father’s back. The dizzying heat permeated the entire space, filling it without gaps.

The concentration of the energy, the will contained within the heat.

Those were impressive, but.

‘Presence.’

The presence felt from Father was on a different level entirely from anything I had experienced before.

How could he generate such fervor?

The moment I questioned that.

“Such trivial things are not reasons not to protect my family.”

“……”

My eyes widened at Father’s words.

It was not a word I expected to come from those heavy lips.

‘Family?’

I stared at Father with surprised eyes. It was a word I had never heard from Father in my entire life.

“Family?”

Do-cheol showed the same reaction to that word.

“You consider that brat family?”

The bastard Father brought.

A direct descendant who might threaten his position someday, and someone whose intentions were unknown.

It seemed incomprehensible that he would call such a person family.

“What reason is there for him not to be?”

Father merely turned to Do-cheol and questioned him back.

“The reason he isn’t is what I just explained-.”

“That’s not it. Answer me again.”

“What?”

“What I mean is.”

Hwaaaaaaaa—!!

Flames bloomed around Father’s body. It was blazing crimson fire.

“That such trivialities are not reasons to call my family, not family.”

“Hah-. Are you going to discuss family with blood mixed with only half-wits?”

“That too, is incorrect.”

Hooook.

The heat gathered in his palm, forming a small sphere. The Prison of Flames. It manifested in Father’s hand.

“Bloodlines do not help in judging family.”

“Then what exactly are you trying to say?”

“If you are called ‘Father’, you must act accordingly.”

“……!”

“What did you say?”

Father looked at me, putting Do-cheol behind him. Our eyes met. His intense gaze curved slightly.

‘Smiling…?’

Father smiled. It was a face I had never seen before.

A hint of playfulness could be felt. It felt utterly unfamiliar and awkward.

‘…Because I called him Father?’

Simply because I called him Father.

Does it make sense that he would step up for such a trivial reason?

I knew it was just an excuse.

The problem was.

‘…That excuse.’

It was an excuse to protect me.

“……Why are you doing this?”

So I asked. I couldn’t help but ask.

In response to my question, Father tilted his head and said.

“What do you mean?”

“I only asked you to come pick me up. I didn’t ask you to protect me. Why are you acting like this?”

“I thought that meant the same thing. Wasn’t it?”

It was true. Spoken in my state of mind back then, the words did carry the hidden meaning of asking him to save me while he was at it.

However.

“……But I don’t understand why you’re going this far.”

Do-cheol’s words weren’t wrong. I couldn’t understand the reason for this.

Then.

“In that case, don’t understand.”

“Huh?”

“Baek-yang-cheon. Whatever meaning it holds, that’s not important.”

Hoowoooook-!!

Finally, Father grasped the completed Prison of Flames.

“Because you’re a subordinate of the Azure Dragon Brigade. Because you have mixed blood. Because you called me ‘Father’ nonsensically. All those justifications aren’t that important.”

“Then……”

“What’s important, in the end, is that I want to protect you. The justification is merely to wrap around that.”

Kwageuguk–!!

The ground shattered violently. Using that shock as a springboard, Father increased his output.

“Are reasons important for that? I don’t think so.”

That was the end of his words. Father smiled at me once more.

Kwaaaaaaaaaa—!!

He charged at Do-cheol like a flame.

“Former Young Master. You truly…”

Seeing that, Do-cheol’s face finally contorted.

“You must want to see blood to be satisfied, it seems.”

Swaaaaaaa–!!!

Energy emanated from Do-cheol’s body too. Seeing that, I widened my eyes.

‘What’s that…?’

It wasn’t just energy.

A black, disgusting energy. Could that possibly be….

‘Demonic energy?’

Demonic energy (魔氣). That vile and grotesque form emanated directly from his body.

It was an unexpected situation, but Father, unconcerned, thrust the Prison of Flames at Do-cheol.

Kwageugeuguk–!!!

Do-cheol, having materialized the demonic energy, clashed it against the Prison of Flames.

Kwaaaaaaaaa–!!!

My body was pushed back by the impact. Cracks began to form throughout the entire space.

“……”

Father’s brow furrowed. It was because the state of the Prison of Flames was strange.

Pasak-!

The Prison of Flames cracked and then exploded.

Hwareureureuk-!!

The uncoalesced heat burst outwards. It wasn’t an explosion caused by the caster. If it had been, the explosion wouldn’t have been merely this much.

The demonic energy had touched the Prison of Flames, forcibly causing it to explode, and absorbed the impact.

Hwaaaaaaaaa–!!

As the flames gradually subsided.

“Former Young Master.”

Do-cheol spoke to Father, conjuring demonic energy in his hand.

“You will come to regret this.”

Saaaaa–!!

Demonic energy overflowed from Do-cheol’s gaunt body. Demonic energy tends to suppress a martial artist’s body and obstruct the flow of internal energy.

It could be called the natural enemy of a martial artist.

‘…How does Do-cheol possess that-.’

How could Do-cheol, who wasn’t even the Demon King, possess such power?

Before that question arose.

‘…Dangerous.’

My instincts signaled danger. Even though I knew Do-cheol wasn’t weak by any means.

If he possessed demonic energy on top of that.

‘Father is in danger.’

It was a crisis for Father, above all else.

“Damn it.”

Watching that, the moment I tried to somehow get up and move.

“Your choice ultimately-.”

Kwaddeudeuduk–!!?

“What……? Cough!”

The adjacent wall suddenly collapsed, sending Do-cheol’s body flying.

Kwaga-gang-!

His flung body embedded itself into the wall.

“……?”

As Father and I were bewildered by the sudden situation.

“Ptooey.”

Someone appeared, crossing over the collapsed wall.

After spitting roughly, they spoke while looking at Do-cheol embedded in the wall.

“What’s that?”

“……Huh?”

Seeing the elder who appeared alongside, I had to react with stunned disbelief.

It was only natural.

“……Elder?”

The person who appeared was none other than the Fist Master.