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Crack-…

The air was filled with the sound of something crumbling. The scent of charred materials suffocated the atmosphere.

The world appeared blackened and scorched.

Flame Burst-! The fire erupted.

Contrasting flames clashed repeatedly as if fighting for dominion over the territory.

The intensity and thickness of the bets contained within both fires was overwhelming.

With each collision, a tremor vibrated through the surroundings.

Bang-! Bang Bang-!

The raging energy made the air grow increasingly hot.

At this point, it was lethal for anyone not accustomed to it even to approach.

The sky, bizarrely, was a mixture of red and black, yet oddly seemed to be segregated like oil and water.

Roaaaar-!

The colossal flames sounded as if they were roaring.

The fire gradually morphed into the shape of a dragon, then poured down onto the ground.

Crunch-!

As the flames collided with the ground, the floor shattered and began to break apart, sending out chunks that had partially melted.

It was hot.

Everywhere was ablaze in crimson.

The wild and twisted flames engulfed all the black flame scattered around before finally returning to the caster.

Hsssss-! Even after the flames had reverted back to their master, the charred and melted world remained unchanged.

-…Huff…

I gazed at my opponent with weary eyes.

Though they were originally similar flames, the corrupted black flame was undoubtedly hotter and more feral than the flames I had once possessed.

Before me, the fierce red flame so easily absorbed my every effort.

I forced a neutral expression as I regarded my opponent.

He still looked fierce, a stoic man.

His appearance bore a resemblance to mine yet wasn’t quite the same.

To be more precise… It would be accurate to say that I resembled him.

Time had surely passed, though not much of it.

His face showed no sign of aging whatsoever.

His bright red gaze turned toward me.

-Long time no see.

-…

His words startled me from my thoughts.

This was the first thing my father had said since we met after so many years.

-…Yes.

-I was sure she would come back, yet she’s far more ruthless than I expected. To think she’d send you to me.

My father was referring to the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon had been focused on recovering since the battle of yesteryear.

Considering the aftermath, it was no surprise.

Recalling this, I appraised my father again.

The wounds on the Heavenly Demon were inflicted by my father.

It was unthinkable that the Heavenly Demon, who had never been defeated by anyone, was wounded by my father.

On the contrary, my father appeared unharmed.

At least on the surface.

I knew my father’s insides were anything but fine.

-I know you’re having a hard time.

-…

My words made his eyebrows twitch.

It was already palpable.

I could feel that his body had been consumed by demon energy. Not just any demon energy, but that of the Heavenly Demon.

Even so, it was remarkable that he could walk around like this, let alone breathe.

It was solely his mental fortitude that kept him going.

The fact that my flames could not invade him even in this state ultimately signified how strong his power was.

-Third.

At his call, my expression contorted slightly.

-…Isn’t it time to stop using that title?

-Do you dislike it?

-Do you still see me as your child?

His strange expression in response to my question.

-Wasn’t I?

A question about what was wrong shut my eyes tight.

-I’m sure you know that I killed Hong Hwagwanggyeom.

Hong Hwagwanggyeom was the alias of the deceased Gu Huibi. Hearing this, my father’s eye twitched slightly.

-And now, I’ve come to kill you.

-…

-Am I still your child in this situation?

Despite my words, my father maintained his expressionless demeanor.

He must have known that I had a hand in Gu Huibi’s death.

Even so.

He showed no anger.

-From the start, I wonder if you ever considered me your child.

If he truly viewed me as his child, he might have reacted differently upon seeing me now.

Perhaps he would have laughed heartily asking how I could have turned out this way.

Maybe he would have wanted to bring me back, telling me to return.

But father did none of that.

Even when I fell into the abyss of demonhood.

Even now, he has done nothing. I really wish he’d just gotten mad.

Was it because of the flames? My insides felt like they were boiling.

-That day, why did you save me?

I asked my father.

Around the time my name began to spread throughout the Central Plains after I turned into a demon, he had sought me out.

In that moment, I had felt death looming.

I never imagined he would save me after I became a demon.

I thought I would burn to death right then and there.

My father had just looked at me and then turned his back without a word.

-Why did you do that? After a long period of contemplation, I realized that perhaps he thought it would be better this way.

-…

-It seems like you were simply keeping me around for the position of Lesser Clan Leader, and now, that troublesome piece has conveniently disappeared. Isn’t that what you think is good?

My words, drenched in hopelessness, fell upon deaf ears.

-So perhaps, even now, you harbor no anger toward me.

-Did you wish for me to be angry?

-Well, I’m not sure, but if you had, wouldn’t that have been better?

There was a time when I wished for indifference from the world.

I thought that way back then.

Yet, maybe conversely, I wished for more attention than anyone else.

But now, it was far too late to realize.

-I see.

My father nodded at my words.

Even that action felt frustrating.

With a look of resignation, I asked him.

-What was I to you…?

What was I to my father?

Was I just a foolish child who caused trouble?

Or perhaps I was merely the unwanted child of a concubine?

Was I just a mere eye-sore for the Gu Clan?

Perhaps the bet that vanished in an instant had muddled my head.

Moreover, my father offered no response to my question.

Did my inquiry not hold enough worth for an answer?

Well, that was always how my father was.

Seeing him brought a faint smile to my face as I again enveloped myself in black flames.

-I suppose there’s no need for further discussion.

-…

As he watched me, my father surrounded himself with flames as well.

Immediately, the heat emanating from his body soared upwards, while my body began to feel intensely weighed down.

The influence of Red Sky had triggered.

Determined not to lose, I activated Black Sky and began to draw strength into my body gradually.

Demon energy swirled around my fingertips.

I concentrated it to form Flame Jade.

Not just one piece.

I created countless Flame Jades over my palm and above me.

Then, without hesitation, I launched them at my father.

The power contained within was more than enough to annihilate this area, yet just before reaching my father, the Flame Jade vanished as if it had never existed.

-…

Even after so much energy had dissipated in an instant, not a gust nor flicker of sound reached my ears.

Frowning at this sight, I gritted my teeth and took off.

As I moved, my gaze lingered on my father’s hands.

There lay the reason.

-That was….

The Technique of the Flame Wheel only usable at the peak of the Gu Clan’s Secret Martial Arts.

The power that inflicted wounds on the Heavenly Demon.

The very embodiment of all Gu Clan flames.

With that power in play,

I knew I could never defeat my father.

No, even without it, I would never have been able to beat him.

I was all too aware of that.

Yet, I sought out the Gu Clan alone.

Was it to finish what the Heavenly Demon couldn’t and kill my father?

One could argue that was my justification as a demon.

But that was not the truth.

I wasn’t here to kill my father.

I had come to find this place so that I could die at his hands.

Flame Burst-!

With each surge of flames I unleashed, the emotions that had been pent up translated into an absurdly dark fire.

Could it be an illusion?

Perhaps it was just that.

The giant flames surged forth ceaselessly yet never touched my father.

My teeth ground together in frustration.

Roar-!

The flames emanating from my father’s feet shoved me back, but I pushed through.

It was hot.

Even though my body was trained in fire techniques, my father’s flames were peculiarly searing.

My clothes ignited.

The flames that slipped through my defenses were burning my very skin.

I felt like losing consciousness due to the pain, yet I pressed on.

As I charged at him blindly, my father’s gaze shifted subtly.

Gathering flames at my fingertips, I concentrated all my bets into a single pitiful form.

This was different from the Flame Jade. This was merely an amalgamation of my emotions.

I was going to die here.

It was beyond my limits.

Even desensitized by slaughter, my mind was not infinite. Even for a life lived for someone else, the justification was far too weak to endure.

It had been quite some time since my original goal began to decay and fade.

For what reason do I live?

There seemed to have been a reason once.

Yet now, I couldn’t quite recall it.

I was tired and weary. I wished for it to end.

Would this death count as penance for someone?

-No.

A childish desire birthed self-loathing.

This was merely a means to ease my own selfishness.

But then again, at this point, it didn’t even matter.

Thinking that, I pressed on.

The red flames grew stronger as they approached my father.

He seemed genuinely intent on burning me alive.

I had hoped for this, yet on the other hand, an acrid emotion swelled within.

How I didn’t wish for this type of relationship.

To die at the hands of a father I had feared and resented so much, such was my life.

Even in my final moments, I faced a tragic end.

This thought made me smile unknowingly.

A fitting conclusion to all of this.

Snap.

Flame Burst-!

Flames in the shape of a dragon and tiger wrapped around me. Was it to bind my legs?

Quickly, I gathered my strength to break free. The flames sprang outward, obscuring my view. I dispersed it as well.

And then, my father came into sight.

Under normal circumstances, I would be enveloped in the same red flames.

His red eyes and crimson hair set him glaring at me.

What was he feeling?

I couldn’t decipher it.

My father’s hand began to move.

It was the hand of the Gu Clan’s Secret Martial Arts, activated.

The moment that touched my body would be the end. As I sensed this, I reached out.

What expression would my father have upon my death?

Would he wear the same expressionless mask?

I thought that would likely be the case.

It was hard to imagine he would show another expression.

At that very instant, my father’s hand drew near.

His hand was large and rough.

Even though it must have been quick, it felt strikingly slow.

Was he trying to conjure up a memory?

I hoped he wouldn’t.

Any memories would only be disgraceful and dirty.

Or perhaps miserable memories alone.

I just wanted to shut my eyes now.

Finally, just before my hand could reach him, his hand touched mine.

Is this how it ends?

Suddenly -.

-…!

In an instant, the flames enveloping my father dissipated.

The disappearance of flames meant he had relaxed his power.

It also meant the protective barrier surrounding him had vanished.

I couldn’t gauge the situation.

Just as I was about to let loose the energy in my hands, my father pulled my grasp toward him.

Bang-!

My fist collided with my father’s chest, sending shockwaves rippling outward.

Hooosh-! The pressure erupted into the surroundings.

I struggled to comprehend the sudden situation.

-What…. what is….

I lifted my creaking head.

As I finally looked at my father’s face,

-…!

Blood flowed from the corner of my father’s mouth.

In a panic, I tried to withdraw my power just before contact,

but unable to retrieve all my energy, it slammed straight into his unprotected flesh.

In a situation where he could have easily perished, he stood unwaveringly on both legs.

-What…. what is all this…?!

Perhaps it was due to my inability to comprehend the situation, but words escaped me.

At that moment, I felt something settling on my head.

My father’s hand.

 

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