<THE DEMON LORD OF THE SWORDSMANSHIP FAMILY Chapter 157>
Let us rewind the time—a scene where Song Saebyeok is riding in Park Ki-hyuk’s car.
“Saebyeok, what is revenge?”
A contemplation starting from a common topic.
It was a typical class by Park Ki-hyuk, and Song Saebyeok’s eyes sparkled.
“It was something I read in an old book. Revenge is meaningless. For revenge only begets more revenge, and the sharp edge of karma will eventually lead to the destruction of all.”
“The best thing is to not give anyone a reason for revenge. But in case such a thing does happen, the virtue of forgiveness is the best option.”
“Do you really think so? I see it a bit differently.”
Humans, from the start, are anything but rational.
Park Ki-hyuk thinks this way.
“For that statement to be true, humans must all be rational. Creatures possessing clear objectivity with impeccable reasoning. But that’s not what humans are.”
“Just by looking at wars, you can see that. Neither the victor nor the loser benefits from war; it is the epitome of irrationality. If all humans were rational, wars would not occur.”
“Yet wars have always been there. To the point where they say the history of mankind is the history of war. History itself is proof enough that humans are not rational.”
Then why?
“If so, why? Why is it said that revenge is meaningless? I thoroughly look at it from the perspective of interest.”
“Revenge is pointless. If this general statement holds, who would benefit the most from it?”
“Those at the top, the targets of revenge.”
Revenge, in the end, is a burden one must take upon oneself as a winner. After all, if one did not start by trampling others to rise, the concept of revenge wouldn’t exist.
“So let’s get back to the main topic.”
“What is revenge? Or rather, let me rephrase it—what is the most ideal form of revenge? This is how I think about it.”
“Pay them back in kind.”
“If they suppressed others with power, use power to repay them. If they suppressed with strength, match it with strength—repaying exactly as they have done.”
Through this, everything they own is invalidated, proving their value to be nothing.
“That is the highest revenge I aim for. What do you think?”
As Song Saebyeok took off her sunglasses, her eyes darkened like an abyss.
“Yo… Yoan!!”
Oni Yoshinao reacted as if he had seen a ghost. Why was Oni’s ‘Yoan’ here?
With an urgent expression, he glanced at Park Ki-hyuk, but the latter only smiled.
“It’s the main event of today.”
“Main…event?”
“Ho ho, stop focusing on me there. Your focus should actually be over there.”
Yoshinao and Song Saebyeok’s Yoan clashed.
“Nice to meet you. I am…”
Song Saebyeok momentarily gathered her emotions before forcefully meeting the opponent’s gaze and continuing.
“…the son of Oni Himiko. Song Saebyeok.”
“Himiko… Himiko…”
Yoshinao repeated the name with a confused mind before…
He arrived at a conclusion.
“…Himiko. Oni Himiko!!”
Oni Himiko.
The cousin he was born blind to. Honestly, the term ‘sister’ was embarrassing. The name Himiko had been remembered as a stain on the family, expelled from the family long ago.
But now, a child possessing Yoan has appeared.
Astonished, Oni Yoshinao’s lips repeatedly muttered “It can’t be” as his mouth opened and closed like a carp.
“I wanted to see you. I truly, truly wanted to know just how magnificent you had to be so as to abandon our mother, how grand the power and honor you spoke of must be to have given her an irremovable wound… I was so, so curious!”
“…”
“…”
An uncomfortable silence hung over them.
Oni Yoshinao was flustered to the point he couldn’t speak, while Song Saebyeok, despite having a lot to say, found her mouth unresponsive, paralyzed by the gravity of the situation.
Had there been only the two of them in this space, they would likely have turned into stone statues, endlessly staring at one another.
But in this space, there was an audience and mediator who took pleasure in this awkward atmosphere.
“So, what do you think after seeing this?”
With Park Ki-hyuk’s question, Song Saebyeok eventually broke the silence.
“I’m disappointed.”
“…!!”
“Isn’t that right?”
“I’m angered. You mean we caused my mother to cry for something as paltry as what I see now…”
“Boy, watch your tongue…!”
“Quiet. My ‘disciple’ is speaking.”
“…!!”
Yoshinao panicked again at the word ‘disciple.’
Regardless, Park Ki-hyuk grinned and encouraged his disciple.
“Go on.”
“I… I had thought you were remarkable.”
“Specifically what about?”
“…Everything.”
Their pride and honor were thrown into the trash long ago. Their disgraceful behavior had been quite severe.
Calling the less powerful incompetent, refusing to admit their own faults, deeming them mistakes or inevitable—all while refusing to own up to the truth.
Their honor was meaningless, and so was their pride, nothing more than a convenient tool for disguising their wrongful actions.
So now, when it comes to real power—Japan often compares the Jinryong family with the Oni family.
If Japan has the Oni family, Korea has the Jinryong family… something like that. They’re like fated rivals.
Incidentally, this interest is entirely one-sided from Japan. The Jinryong family doesn’t really care much for the Oni family.
But anyway, the two families share many commonalities.
The Jinryong family has the ‘eyes of the dragon’ that interpret magic, while the Oni family has ‘Yoan’ that absorbs magic.
Both are not only magical families but also families that have established their magical roots in their respective countries.
But looking at it now, from Song Saebyeok’s perspective, this doesn’t make sense.
Even if she set aside negative emotions and viewed things objectively, it didn’t add up.
“I… at the very least, I expected you to have the sort of dignity that Jin Yuri-sempai possesses…”
“Jin Yuri? Calling her dignified? That’s laughable but, well, not entirely wrong.”
Jin Yuri might be known as reckless and somewhat clumsy, but that’s within the circle of Park Ki-hyuk and his friends. To Song Saebyeok, Jin Yuri was like a female version of Park Ki-hyuk.
Like an unstoppable calamity.
In contrast, the Oni Yoshinao standing in front of her…
“I don’t know what to say.”
“…Iiik! Don’t look at me like that!”
Despite Yoshinao’s flailing, does he realize how worse it makes him look?
The solemn atmosphere from the beginning has dissipated, and now there is a clear contrast between the two. Song Saebyeok feels relief, whereas Yoshinao’s face reddens from excitement.
But his trials have only just begun.
Watching silently, Park Ki-hyuk finally clapped his hands and spoke.
“Hmm, I was hoping for a more fiery revenge, but as expected. You’re too kind, Saebyeok. If it were me, I would have pulverized them with the truth.”
“Park Ki-hyuk! Even if you are extraordinary, you cannot subject me to such humiliation!”
“See? By letting you off easy, this is how you end up behaving.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
What can be done? Being kind isn’t a crime, is it?
Let me step in and help.
Park Ki-hyuk smirked and stared intently at Yoshinao.
“As I said before, I don’t like how you people conduct yourselves.”
Whether it is Celutis or you, you’re all bad people who are good at playing the victim. It makes me sick.
Honestly, I want to erase you all.
If it were the old Park Ki-hyuk during the Empire’s days, you’d already be in hell.
“However, what can I do? Our country believes in the rule of law. I can’t just k*ll people recklessly.”
So I thought about it. How can I punish these people?
The answer was simple.
“You’re the Oni family, right? You need to take good care of your family.”
Park Ki-hyuk held up a USB, which contained the “bloodline information.”
“I will use this to teach Saebyeok.”
I will dissect it thoroughly, improve the weaknesses, and maximize the strengths to bring out the most ideal traits that the bloodline points towards…
“When that time comes, you won’t be known as the Oni family anymore. All the honor, power, and wealth you possess now will belong to Saebyeok.”
“Impossible….”
“Why is it impossible?”
“No matter how great you are, creating a bloodline is… absolutely impossible! Absolutely.”
“Does it seem truly impossible? Given that I’m the one doing it?”
Park Ki-hyuk’s grin grew more pronounced.
“Let’s see, shall we?”
Pay back in kind.
If you have harmed through family lineage, I will repay through family lineage.
This was Park Ki-hyuk’s revenge.
“Stand up, Song Saebyeok. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Wait, wait a moment!”
Yoshinao hurriedly followed behind.
He instinctively knew something had gone very wrong. His movements became desperate, and just as Yoshinao’s hand was about to touch Saebyeok’s collar…
“Hmm?”
As Park Ki-hyuk stepped in front of Song Saebyeok with a suspicious look,
KUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!
A massive explosion occurred suddenly.
Walls shattered, and the building swayed.
Caught in the explosion, Yoshinao was slammed into the opposite wall, while in the midst of the explosion, Saebyeok came face to face with someone.
Dancing flames.
Unrealistic flames that seared everything they touched.
Amidst those flames was a woman, holding a child in her arms, with giant dragon wings flapping.
No matter how you look at her…
“…Yuri-sempai?”
“Spring?”
It was Jin Yuri.
Jin Yuri, from the Jinryong family.
With Spring in her arms, her eyes were completely flipped—Jin Yuri fully transformed.
An unlucky person will break their nose even when falling backward.
A proverb indicating that if someone is bound to fail, nothing they attempt will succeed—exactly this situation.
The temporary residency of the Aristocratic Alliance was at a villa near Seoul.
Calling it a villa, they practically leased an entire mountain and lived on it.
Due to this secluded location, there was no designated place to smoke.
Why bring up smoking all of a sudden?
This cigarette was the root cause of the accident.
Young members of the Aristocratic Alliance gathered in a clearing next to their residence to have a smoke. It wasn’t exactly a clearing but rather a flat area within the mountain.
“d*mn it~ how much longer do we have to stay in this countryside? Isn’t it possible to go back to Japan?”
“If we go now, we will get stoned.”
“The atmosphere’s bad. As Kisame says, if we go now, we’ll get endless ab*se.”
“Hmph. What can they do? We are second-class citizens anyway.”
And among them were women, casually referred to as Park Ki-hyuk’s potential marriage alliance candidates.
“Hey, stop making it smell around.”
“You smoke too.”
“It’s an e-cigarette! Oh, by the way, does my makeup still look okay? Should I reapply?”
“I heard his name is Ki-hyuk. He looks average, doesn’t he?”
“He’s over two meters tall.”
“Eee!?”
“Amazing!”
“He’s from the Sword Master family. He must be incredible.”
“There’s a bit of a height difference, but… he will match well with Noah.”
“I think it is Mei who looks better. Her features resemble his.”
Ting ting.
Men gathered together to lament the world, and the women gathered to lift and judge each other simultaneously.
While they happily smoked, a child who happened to pass by accidentally dropped a toy.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a figure…”
“Ah! I know this. It’s Captain Tiger, the protagonist of a popular show in Korea right now.”
“Eee~ What’s this?”
The child descended from the bottom of the mountain and approached the smokers without fear, claiming his treasure back.
“Give it back, please. It’s Spring’s.”
“Ooo~ How cute!”
“Aww! It’s so cute.”
“Isn’t that a chick hat? It looks like kindergartner’s uniform here in Korea, so pretty!”
“By the way, what are they saying? Anyone with a translator?”
“They want it back. Pretty name, Po-mi, right?”
“Is her name Po-mi??? So adorable.”
“Cute, huh? She’s rather bratty.”
“Yeah. She should apologize first. Honestly, Joseon kids these days are all rebellious, huh?”
They have no idea they’re dealing with the daughter of Park Ki-hyuk they are supposed to court.
If they knew, they wouldn’t dare behave this way.
“Here, come closer and take it. Teehee.”
“Please give it back!”
“I’ll throw it when you catch it! Go on. Pass!”
“Please give it back!”
“Ahaha! What are you doing with that baby? Teehee.”
“Exactly, let her have some fun. A little bit.”
They were playing around with Spring, moving the doll around as if teasing her.
Trying to grab the doll, Spring hurriedly dashed here and there, while they kept tossing it among themselves in the center.
“Stop it! Give me back my doll!”
“No way!”
“You guys are terrible! You won’t return my doll, and you smoke in the forest. Both are terrible things!”
“What did you say?”
“They are calling us out for smoking in the forest.”
“What? This little brat?”
Ordinarily, as descendants of aristocrats, no matter how arrogant they grew up, they wouldn’t act this way toward a child. Perhaps the stress they had accumulated finally erupted.
That’s why, without realizing it, they popped Spring on the forehead.
“…Waaaaaah!”
Finally, tears streamed down Spring’s eyes.
“Springyyyyyy!”
Just like the mother bear rushing in at the sound of her cub’s cry, Jin Yuri hastily approached and witnessed the scene.
“Strawberry Sister!”
“Come here. Are you alright, Spring?”
Jin Yuri lifted the crying Spring to check her.
Spring’s forehead was turning red. It was clear that she had been hit.
Jin Yuri’s mind rapidly came to a conclusion.
As red-colored letters hovered around Spring.
When the protective magic completed activation.
3.
2.
1.
Jin Yuri exploded.
KUUUUUUUUUUUNG!!!
