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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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“Once upon a time… about ten thousand years ago, there was a martial artist. A young, brave warrior of the Namgung family. Quite talented, too—one of the Nine Dragons, in fact. And above all, he was blessed. Nothing is more blessed than living each day happily with a beloved wife and two children, free from worry.”
The maids stared at me as if I were insane. I didn’t stop.
The reason was simple—I didn’t want to.
“But into this warrior’s shining days crept a great darkness—the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect. An endless, unfathomable abyss. The world drowned in blood, and people’s hearts grew callous. The blessed warrior’s life plunged into despair.”
At the mention of those two names, the maids’ expressions shifted.
Here, I hesitated.
If I revealed more, there might be no turning back.
But in the end, I continued. The fury and resentment, the injustice no one had acknowledged, overwhelmed reason.
“Yet, this young warrior had one special ability—the power to turn back time. A terrible power, yet also a sliver of light. His only salvation, and his eternal torment. But he loved his family and the world, so he threw himself into the cycle of repetition, losing himself until he no longer knew who he was.”
One maid still stared at me like I was a madman, but the other’s gaze was slowly changing.
Regardless, I pressed on.
“Every time the world fell to ruin, that pitiful fool turned back time. Until when? Until he could protect his beloved family and the world! He tried everything, even enduring unspeakable humiliation, abandoning his humanity at times! But he never gave up. And then—a miracle happened. Into this doomed world, a single ray of light finally broke through. That light is the world we live in now.”
Shock spread across the face of the maid whose eyes had changed.
From her parted lips slipped a near-whisper.
“S-So that’s why… you always knew the Blood Cult’s movements in advance…!”
“Oh? Does it all make sense now? Yet you still slandered me. This Sword Saint, who fought harder than anyone to drive out the Blood Cult and the Demonic Sect—you accused me of colluding with them! Hahaha.”
“Hey, snap out of it! Are you seriously buying this nonsense? Rewinding time? That’s impossible!”
Tch. The other one still refused to believe me.
Not that it mattered. My lament would continue either way.
“And after all that struggle to save the martial world, what happens? I’m branded a criminal. Saving the world was hypocrisy—apparently, I’m a vile monster guilty of corruption, sexual crimes, pedophilia…? Even cannibalism. Absolute nonsense, yet everyone believed it. Well, looking back, I get it. They needed someone to blame. The Blood Cult took their families, friends, and comrades—but then the cult vanished. So they turned their rage on the new target—the Sword Saint. And now we’re here… Pathetic.”
I couldn’t go on.
Splat—!
The maid who had begun to grasp the truth suddenly vomited blood—directly onto my face.
Now my hair and robes were drenched in it, but so what?
“Guh… Ugh…! Hrk…!”
“S-Sanghee! What’s wrong?! Why are you—?!”
The other maid, still in disbelief, seemed fine.
What a shame. I’d have preferred her to drop dead.
“…I’m angry.”
I’d said I wouldn’t harm them, but my mood had shifted.
My middle finger and thumb curled into a circle, taut like a spring ready to snap.
“S-Sword Saint! What did you do to Sanghee?!”
The unharmed maid clutched the still-warm corpse and shouted at me, her voice laced with poorly concealed terror.
“Did you really think a mere mortal could hear the truth of heaven and remain unscathed? You overestimate yourselves.”
“Wh-What…?”
Now that I thought about it, I was angry again.
Not at them—at heaven.
That damned heaven that gave me the power to regress, then condemned me to endless solitude and suffering.
What was the point of restricting the truth? It wasn’t like the heavens would decay if people knew. Why force me to bear this alone, with no one to confide in?
Regression was hard enough. Would it have killed them to let me lean on someone?
It almost felt like the heavens wanted me to suffer.
“Since we’re here, let me ask—why did you insult me?”
“B-Because…! You’re a criminal! A monster…!”
“Hmm. That just makes me angrier.”
Like a bullet, my finger shot forward—piercing straight through her forehead.
A finger-sized hole opened in her skull. She swayed for a moment before collapsing.
No life remained in her eyes.
“Tch. Even after killing them, my anger won’t fade.”
Seeing blood again made me crave more.
Specifically, the blood of those who slandered and framed me.
During my regressions, I called myself an “emotionless machine”—but that only applied to positive emotions like happiness and joy.
The fear of a dark future, the grief of losing loved ones again and again, the rage at the heavens for dumping this fate on me and vanishing—and the torment of wondering if I’d still be alone even after a million years…
All those negative emotions never faded. They piled up inside me.
Even when time reversed, even when my torn and broken body was restored—my heart remained the same.
I wasn’t unbreakable. I wasn’t a saint.
I was just a human, like anyone else. No matter how much I pretended to be strong, the pain inside never left.
And after breaking myself to save them—what? I’m called a criminal? A monster?
“…Ha.”
A sigh laced with fury escaped me.
Rage at the world for refusing to acknowledge its hero.
Rage at the heavens for creating such a world.
Slowly, very slowly, I walked toward the council chamber.
With both hands brimming with killing intent, I headed for the brother I would tear apart.
“Haa, haa.”
Each exhale cooled a corner of my heart.
Why had I endured it all like a fool? What was the point of clinging to “righteousness”?
I didn’t know. And right now, I didn’t care. My mind was clear, my mood light.
All I wanted was to unleash this liberation, this fury.
The blood staining me was a minor concern. There’d be much more soon.
Creak—
“Eek!”
“C-Clan Leader! What in the world—?!”
“Blood! It’s blood! The Sword Saint has killed someone!!”
“…Brother?”
“Husband…?”
“D-Dad…!”
If only I’d done this from the start, I’d have been free long ago.
“Everyone, doing well? Haha, let’s begin the council. We’re already late because of me.”
I strode forward and took the clan leader’s seat.
Yoo So-eun and Namgung Su-ah trembled as they looked at me, but I paid them no mind.
My gaze was fixed solely on my brother, Namgung Bin, seated across the round table.
“Well then, let’s begin. Why is everyone silent? Let’s discuss the first agenda item—”
“Wait, Clan Leader. Before we begin, there’s something we must address.”
Namgung Bin cut me off. His words felt familiar.
“Oh? Then speak.”
I yielded the floor, but—
“The elders, the executives, and the household have unanimously agreed that you—”
“Stop. Right there.”
“…What?”
Ah, I couldn’t listen to this.
I knew what he’d say. Step down. You’re stripped of your position.
I didn’t know why, but the scene played out vividly in my mind.
But letting this tedious, infuriating farce continue?
Not when I felt this free.
Not when I could swing my sword and paint the world red without hesitation.
Creak—
“Little brother.”
“…?”
I stood and walked toward him. He watched me, puzzled.
Should I start with his eyes? Fear of the unseen is the greatest.
I knew from experience—having had my eyes gouged out by the Blood Demon.
“I don’t know why you framed me. I can’t believe the man who supported me so thoroughly during the True Blood War was secretly jealous.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“Hmm… Don’t take this too hard. You brought it on yourself. Did you really think I’d endure it forever? You’re smart. You must have seen this coming.”
“…! B-Brother…! W-Wait—!”
Two fingers extended.
When my hand left my waist, five feet separated us.
By the time my index and middle fingers reached his eyeballs, the distance had shrunk to a hand’s breadth.
Squelch—!
“AAAAAAAH!!”
“……!”
“……!”
No one moved to stop me until it was over. Proof that even united, they couldn’t oppose me.
“Little brother.”
“Guhhh…! B-Brother…!”
I pulled my fingers free—his eyeballs still impaled on them.
Blood gushed from the hollow sockets.
“I’ll rip out your tongue last.”
“I-I was wrong…! I admit it…! P-Please… stop…! Ugh…!”
“……”
How easy things became when I stopped holding back. A truth so obvious, yet one I kept relearning.
I’d known all along.
But if I let my emotions run wild, things would spiral beyond control.
Now, even that didn’t matter.
Sweep—
My maddened gaze swept over the executives. At the end of that arc were Yoo So-eun and Namgung Su-ah, staring at me in horror.
“Everyone, wait your turn.”
I tossed Namgung Bin’s eyeballs onto the floor.
“I’ll dismantle our dear brother first. Then it’s your turn.”
Ah, I’m so angry.
But I don’t want to hold back anymore.
Why does this feel so liberating?
It’s not like I became a different person overnight.
(End of Chapter)
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