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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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I feel like there was something I needed to do, but I can’t remember.
No—I just don’t want to remember.
Right now, I want to savor this intoxicating feeling to the fullest.
“Kghh… H-Hyungnim…”
“…….”
Namgoong Bin kneels before me, his proud knees hitting the ground.
His massive body crumples into a ridiculous, round shape, like a ball.
“Pfft.”
I let out a small laugh at the sight, but it seems I was the only one amused.
As if I were standing in a different space altogether, a chilling silence blankets the grand hall—unless I open my mouth.
Except for Namgoong Bin, writhing pathetically while clutching my ankle.
“Spare… spare me… please…”
Namgoong Bin begs. Of course, I have not the slightest desire to grant his plea.
But I do have the desire to listen—just a little.
“Speak. These may be the last words of my dear brother, so I should hear them clearly.”
“I—I was wrong…! I—I lost my mind and committed madness…!”
“Ah, wait a moment. You’re speaking far too smoothly, little brother.”
It doesn’t sit right with me. Just this morning, I was gasping for breath—so why is he able to speak so effortlessly?
How insolent.
“H-Hyungnim?! Hyungnim! HYUNGNIM!”
The anger keeps rising. I can’t stand it—I need to see his face twisted in agony and despair.
I grab both of Namgoong Bin’s ears—as if I’m about to rip them off.
“You know, a man can still hear without ears. It’s just that the pronunciation sounds a bit slurred. Take it from experience.”
“Hyungnim! P-Please, stop…!”
RIIIIP—!
“……GAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
Another piece of wisdom—tearing ears hurts more than cutting or pulling them off. I don’t know why.
“Only the right one’s gone now, so it’s asymmetrical. Let’s tear off the left one too before we continue.”
“Ghh… Please… just stop…”
“Little brother, you shouldn’t look so pitiful. Aren’t you the ‘villain’? You weren’t like Blood Demon with his grotesque hobby of human taxidermy, nor were you like Heaven Demon, who sought to end the world for his own amusement—but you were the one who envied and schemed against me. Am I wrong?”
“I—I won’t do it again…! P-Please… stop…!”
RIIIIIIIP—!!
“Guh… Ughhh…!!”
“A villain must die. That is my absolute principle—how could I have forgotten it until now?”
I deliberately tore it slower this time—just to let him savor the pain a little longer.
Honestly, if my goal were simply to eradicate evil, I could’ve just killed him outright.
Like Okhwa. Like her, who would cut down sinners—great or small—without hesitation.
“Ghh… Hyungnim…”
But I don’t want to.
After all the kindness I showed him, all I got in return was false accusations, slander, and misunderstandings.
I don’t want to force myself into the mold of “righteousness.”
I don’t care if I’m “evil” or whatever—I just want to torture this bastard until I’m satisfied.
“I hate filth.”
My hands are drenched in blood.
The blood of a fallen man—filthy blood.
And yet, it makes me feel… good.
I want to squeeze out more.
From my brother—no, from this thing—with his bloodshot eyes rolling wildly, spewing inhuman groans.
Wait, why am I even calling him my brother?
“Maybe it’s this inexplicable anger, but it feels like my perspective on the world has shifted.”
I slowly reach out toward Namgoong Bin.
What should I rip out next? An arm? A leg? A hand?
His face twists in terror—then that terror turns into desperation.
“GRAAAAAAH—!!”
With a beast-like roar, Namgoong Bin lunges at me.
He must’ve mustered every last ounce of strength he had left.
But to me, it just looks like the flailing of a rabid dog.
WHOOSH—!
“How crude.”
WHOOSH! FWOOOSH!
“Slow. And weak.”
“GRAAAAAAAAH!!”
FWOOOOOSH—!
“…Pathetic.”
A mere Peak Master.
A realm I surpassed ten thousand years ago.
Suddenly, I feel another laugh bubbling up—so I let it out.
“Ahaha.”
Whether it’s a laugh of rage or joy, I’m tired of holding back.
“It was this easy all along.”
The continent’s greatest genius—the man who spent three years scheming to ruin me.
“To think I was toyed with by someone as insignificant as a Peak Master.”
And now, that very Namgoong Bin is swinging his fists wildly.
In his mind, it must be a desperate struggle—but to me, it’s no different from a child’s tantrum.
No, a child would’ve been more effective—at least they’re cute.
“GRUUUUUUH!!”
Instinct? Or a shred of lingering reason?
Namgoong Bin assumes the stance of the Nine Splitting Divine Fist before charging.
A decent punch, infused with solid martial energy.
His all-out strike, no doubt.
Tock—.
How would it feel if such a strike were effortlessly blocked by just two fingers?
Like picking up a side dish with chopsticks, I catch his fist between my middle and index fingers.
A look of resignation flashes across Namgoong Bin’s face. Too bad—I’m not done with him yet.
THUD—.
“…………!!!!”
“Oh my, handling documents and bribes all day must’ve made your wrists too soft.”
With just a little pressure, Namgoong Bin’s wrist snaps clean off.
To maintain symmetry, I flick a Finger Bullet to sever his other wrist—instantly turning him into a cripple.
“Ghh…!!”
Perhaps having given up on life, Namgoong Bin opens his mouth wide—ready to bite off his own tongue.
SPLORTCH—!
I immediately shove my hand into his mouth and rip off his jaw.
“GUUUUUH!!! KGHH!! KHK, KHEUGH!!”
A man doesn’t die just from losing his tongue. A martial artist even less so.
Yet, Namgoong Bin made such an irrational decision—meaning he must really want to die quickly.
I don’t mind. Of course, I don’t want to share the same sky with him for even a second longer.
But before he dies, I want to make him suffer as much as possible.
Even if I have to endure some of my own pain in the process.
“GUUUUUUH!!”
Namgoong Bin channels his inner energy into his dantian—planning to reverse its flow and induce Qi Deviation.
Too bad he underestimated the speed of my internal energy, now at the Transcendent Realm.
CRUNCH—.
“…………!!!! ……!!!”
Overwhelmed by unbearable agony, Namgoong Bin convulses violently.
Naturally. I crushed his dantian, sealing off his inner energy at its source—what else did he expect?
“…Haaa…”
Namgoong Bin lowers his gaze, seemingly resigned.
Tears and snot stream down his face—an unsightly sight, yet strangely… pleasurable. Addictive, even.
“Anyone watching would think you’d undergone Tendon-Snapping Bone-Crushing.”
“H-Hy… ngh…”
“Come to think of it, I’d forgotten about that wonderful technique. Thanks for reminding me—though I doubt you’re happy about it.”
“……!!”
Placing my hand on Namgoong Bin’s chest, I flood his body with thunderous inner energy.
Tendon-Snapping Bone-Crushing—a vicious torture method that twists sinews and severs meridians.
It’s been so long since I last used this evil martial art.
CRACKLE—!!
SNAP! CRUNCH—!!
“KHHH—!! GHH… UGHHH…!!”
His tendons burst through his skin, jutting out grotesquely.
The bones of his forearm protrude from his elbow, and his pelvis collapses vertically.
A horrifying, repulsive sight.
“Oops, I overdid it.”
Twisted bone fragments pierce his organs. Blood gushes from his seven orifices.
I don’t want to end it yet, but Namgoong Bin’s life is fading fast.
“Ugh…”
But letting him die peacefully doesn’t sit right with me. At least, not by my standards.
I quickly scan his body. There’s hardly a single intact spot—but my predatory gaze locks onto the one place still unharmed.
“Your skull’s still fine. Well, Tendon-Snapping Bone-Crushing doesn’t reach there.”
“…? H-Hy… ngh…?”
“Don’t look at me like that. You’re making me seem like the villain. Though… maybe I already am.”
“Ah… Aah…!”
“No, I’m just repaying what was done to me. ‘Villain’ is a title better suited to scum like you—who frame the innocent, slander others, and tarnish reputations.”
Talking about it stirs my emotions.
Before I realize it, my hands are gripping Namgoong Bin’s head—sinking deep into his skull just from the pressure.
“……!!!”
I wonder how it feels to have your skull crushed. I’ve never experienced it myself.
I can’t be sure, but judging by his silent scream, he must be in exquisite pain.
“The schemes to corner the Blood Sect, the strategies that once aided me so efficiently—and the ones that eventually turned against me—all came from this damned skull of yours.”
“HYNGH!! HYNGH!! HYNGH……!!!”
CRUNCH, SPLORTCH, CRACK—.
“I should’ve smashed this sooner. Why didn’t I? You’re smart—care to enlighten me?”
CRACK, SQUELCH, SNAP—.
“GHHH…!! GUH…!! AAAAH!!!”
With every squeeze, his screams grow louder.
Despair, pleading, sobbing, regret, terror—all packed into those cries.
A truly thrilling sensation. If only there were more Namgoong Bins—I could kill them over and over.
“Now that I think about it, you must feel hard done by. After all your scheming to ruin me, I reveal my power, rendering it all useless in an instant.”
CRUNCH—!!
“Ah, what a shame. You didn’t get to hear your last words. You should’ve held on a little longer.”
As I compress his sturdy skull, the soft walnut inside spills out.
The very thing that reduced me to this state.
My grip tightens.
The walnut shatters instantly, and Namgoong Bin becomes something no longer recognizable as human.
Shiver—.
A chilling pleasure runs down my spine. The same exhilaration I felt when slaughtering Blood Sect members.
The ecstasy of slaughter—something I tried so hard to suppress, forcing myself into emotionless detachment to fit the mold of absolute righteousness.
“Haha.”
I’d love to indulge in this long-lost pleasure, but I’m a bit busy right now.
“I keep getting angrier.”
Swish—.
“HIIIIIIK!!”
“S-Someone call the White Palace Guard!”
“The Patriarch’s gone mad! The Sword Saint killed Namgoong Bin!!”
Those… things—too intimidated to make a sound until now.
The ones who lived under my roof yet refused to believe in me.
The weak, ugly, disgusting things flinching at just my gaze.
Most of them aren’t villains like Namgoong Bin. I know that.
They’re just foolish, gullible fools who fell for his schemes.
But if I were going to spare them for that, I wouldn’t have torn Namgoong Bin apart so openly.
“SCREEE—!!”
I roar—for the first time in ages, infused with inner energy.
A single shout causes most of the humans present to bleed from their seven orifices, collapsing lifelessly.
I didn’t mean to kill them, but if bugs get crushed underfoot when I take a step, what can I do?
“Stay still. It’ll be easier for this Patriarch that way.”
Swish—. CLANG!
As I lazily lower my hand, the Azure Light Treasure Sword flies into my grip—as if sensing my intent from the underground vault.
…You never abandoned me.
As expected of the companion who’s been with me for a lifetime.
“Actually, you can move. Not that it’ll make a difference.”
Using such a divine sword to slaughter chickens feels excessive, but I push the thought aside and swing.
My head keeps throbbing—being in the same space as these repulsive things, breathing the same air, irritates me to no end.
I made Namgoong Bin suffer as much as possible, but these ones?
I just want them to die—quickly.
“P-Patriarch! Spare us!”
“PATRIARCH!! PLEASE STOP!! STOP, I BEG YOU!!”
“D-Damn it! Everyone, run!!”
CRACKLE—!
Lightning erupts from the sword. I didn’t even use Imperial Sword Form or Boundless Sky-Sundering Slash, yet this happens.
My overflowing thunder energy is out of control—because I’ve been consumed by Killing Intent.
…Being consumed by Killing Intent is oddly pleasant.
CRUNCH—!!
A single, clean slash pierces through the clansmen.
They were family who shared meals with me—but remembering how they slandered me quickly douses any remorse.
And so, with a single stroke—
“Cheolbin…!”
“D… Dad…?”
The only two survivors stare at me in horror.
Yoo So-eun and Namgoong Soo-ah—the two I love most in this world.
At the same time, the two who endured my regressions with me.
“Haha.”
But looking at them now only fuels my rage.
—I’ve never seen a monster like you.
—Just disappear. I regret ever marrying you and becoming a Namgoong.
—Don’t call my name with that disgusting voice.
—Live properly. If you have even a shred of conscience.
Words I may or may not have heard echo in my mind.
“You two.”
The ones who helped me endure regression—meaning, in a way, I regressed because of them.
The reason I chewed through my own sanity, turned my mind into hell, and kept regressing—was Yoo So-eun and Namgoong Soo-ah.
“No, you two.”
I’m swept into a whirlpool of emotions. My hand reaches out on its own.
“Why didn’t you believe in me?”
CRUNCH—!
“Kuh… Hk…!”
My hand closes around Yoo So-eun’s slender neck—one I’d never dared to touch before.
During regressions, I suppressed my base desires, and afterward, rumors drove us apart.
And now, I’m squeezing it.
“Ch-Cheolbin…!”
“Dad! Stop! Stop it! You’ll really kill Mom!”
I won’t kill her. How could I kill Yoo So-eun? I won’t kill Namgoong Soo-ah, either.
They’re the purpose of my life—the reason my regressions existed. If I kill them now, my entire life and regressions would be rendered meaningless.
This isn’t for them. It’s for me. I need to preserve the meaning of my existence.
But just a little more… I want them to suffer as much as I did.
“Khh…! Cough! Cough…!”
Tears well up in the corners of Yoo So-eun’s closed eyes.
I rewound time over and over just to avoid seeing her cry—so how did it come to this?
“Ch-Cheolbin…!”
I shouldn’t be doing this. If I’m not careful, I’ll really twist her neck.
I need to stop—but my hand won’t loosen.
“D… Dad…?”
Namgoong Soo-ah, fidgeting beside me, looks at me with confusion. Why? Why is she looking at me like that?
“Why… are you crying…?”
……Huh?
I’m crying?
That’s ridiculous. I’m feeling so good right now—why would I be crying?
Unless they’re tears of joy.
Then why is my vision blurring?
—…You bastard…!
A familiar voice. Who is it? I don’t recognize it—yet it feels like I should.
—You bastard! Snap out of it!
Where is it coming from? I glance around frantically, but there’s nothing. My vision keeps blurring.
—You bastard! I told you to stop before you really kill someone!!
“…Ah.”
Now I recognize it. It’s Jin Woo-yong’s voice.
Jin Woo-yong? Right—Jin Ga-young’s ancestor, Jin Woo-yong. But why am I hearing him?
“Huh?”
Why am I in the Namgoong Estate?
Why did I… return to the day I was expelled from the Namgoong family?
I was clearly… at the Seven Flowers Meeting… about to take a nap…
“Ah.”
This is a dream.
But why does Jin Woo-yong keep telling me to stop?
I don’t know why, but I need to wake up.
…Then why is my grip still tightening?
***
“Ghk…! Kuhk…!”
My eyes snap open.
The first thing I see—Jin Ga-young’s golden pupils.
“U-Uncle…! P-Please, snap out of it…!”
Tears streaming down her face, her neck is caught in my merciless grip.
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