Chapter 217

Jeok Riho stared at Jeok Wigang in shock.

"W-Witchcraft or sorcery? Th-That's impossible! I've been with him the whole time. When could anyone have done such a thing?"

"Can you honestly say you were with him every single moment?"

"Other than when Wigun was in seclusion, I was always by his side, watching over him."

"Then someone must have done something while he was in seclusion."

"That's absurd! I took special care in constructing his secluded-training chamber. No one could enter it unless I opened the door myself."

"Who says it had to be a person?"

Someone came to Jeok Wigang's mind.

The Demon-Brain Divine Demon.

Someone like that could use a tiny creature to enter the secluded-training chamber and do something to Jeok Wigun.

"Not a person? Are you saying someone could use a tiny creature to bewitch him?"

"Yes. As it happens, I know someone who can do exactly that."

"You do? You speak as though you've seen it yourself."

"That's because I have."

"Who is this person?"

Jeok Riho looked ready to rush off in pursuit the moment he heard the name.

"Unfortunately, I've never seen the person himself. I've only seen him using tiny creatures. I have no idea what he looks like or where he is."

Jeok Riho turned his trembling eyes toward Jeok Wigun.

"Th-Then what about my son? C-Can he be saved?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to examine him first."

At Jeok Wigang's answer, Jeok Riho seized his hand and pleaded with him.

"S-Save him! Please! H-He's... he's everything to me."

Hearing the desperate sincerity in his voice, Jeok Wigang placed his other hand over Jeok Riho's.

"I'll do everything I can."

Jeok Riho nodded and released his hand.

Just then, Jeok Wigun's body began twisting grotesquely.

At the same time, a strange sound escaped his mouth.

"SKREEEE!"

CRRRK— CRACK—

His joints cracked throughout his body as he twisted himself with unnatural force.

"W-Wigun!"

Jeok Riho moved to restrain him, but before he could, Jeok Wigun's neck twisted at an unnatural angle and his head turned toward Jeok Wigang.

There was something chilling in his eyes.

"Demon-Brain Divine Demon?"

At Jeok Wigang's question, one corner of Jeok Wigun's mouth curled upward.

"Damn you, Jeok Wigang. To think I'd encounter you here again. Is this fate bringing us together, or are we simply destined to be enemies?"

"Enemies, obviously. When did you sneak into my cousin's body? You really are busy hopping from one person to another."

"Hehehehe. That's right. You're a descendant of that old Heavenly Martial Emperor, aren't you?"

Jeok Wigun slowly rose to his feet.

"How fortunate that we should meet. There's something I've been wanting to find out about you."

"What is it?"

"There's something about you that bothers me. I've been looking for an opportunity to kill you. If you survive an attempt on your life by my hand, then I'll know you're someone I need to be wary of."

"You want to kill me?"

"Hehehe. Well, what will you do? Are you going to attack your own cousin?"

"Why not?"

"Can you really bring yourself to do it? That father of his behind you doesn't seem inclined to allow it."

Jeok Wigang glanced over his shoulder.

Jeok Riho was glaring at him with a terrifying expression.

"I'm sorry, but I won't allow you to lay a finger on my son's body."

Jeok Wigang grinned and extended a hand toward him.

He muttered something, and a spherical barrier shimmered into existence around Jeok Riho.

"Sorry, but I'll need you to stay in there for a while."

"What have you done to me?"

Jeok Riho tried to rush toward Jeok Wigang.

THUMP—

Something invisible bounced him backward.

"Wh-What?"

He threw himself forward again with all his strength.

THUMP!

This time, he was repelled even more forcefully. He couldn't get out.

Yet it didn't hurt.

Each time he collided with the barrier, it felt as though something soft and comforting had wrapped around him.

But he couldn't simply stand there and do nothing.

HUMMMMM—

Blue light shimmered around Jeok Riho's fist.

"Get rid of this thing at once."

Jeok Wigang casually ignored him and turned his attention back to Jeok Wigun.

BANG—

A heavy impact sounded behind him, but he paid it no mind.

There was nothing Jeok Riho could do to break through that protective barrier.

The Demon-Brain Divine Demon regarded Jeok Wigang with fascination.

"What is that? Magic?"

"I converted magic into sorcery."

"That's possible?"

"I tried it, and it worked."

"So you really are a dangerous bastard."

"That's right. I'm dangerous. So why don't you hurry up and get out of my cousin's body?"

"Do you think I'll leave just because you tell me to?"

"Why did you possess him in the first place? What, are you planning to enter the Heavenly Martial Castle succession trial too?"

"That's right. I thought I'd give it a try."

"My grandfather isn't going to allow you to compete."

"Doesn't it make sense to let anyone become Lord of the Castle, as long as they're strong enough?"

"Oh, come on. You wouldn't say that if you knew why Heavenly Martial Castle was founded in the first place."

"To guard against the Four Divine Demons, wasn't it?"

"Exactly. But now its purpose has shifted to guarding against White Horse Heaven. We're trying to crush White Horse Heaven, so having one of its people become Lord of the Castle would be ridiculous. Not that you'll make it that far. I'll crush you myself first."

"Do you really think that's possible?"

"Nothing's impossible."

"I could kill this boy right now."

Jeok Wigang chuckled.

"I don't think so."

"Oh, I think I can."

The Demon-Brain Divine Demon raised Jeok Wigun's hand and ran it along the back of his neck.

"I could concentrate condensed qi into this hand and slice right through his neck, even now."

"Go ahead. See if you can."

"What? Where is this confidence coming from? Do you think you can stop me?"

"Probably."

The Demon-Brain Divine Demon sensed that something was wrong.

His fingernails had struck something invisible and could go no farther.

Then he noticed Jeok Wigang's lips moving.

The bastard was doing something to this body.

What is it?

A sudden wave of irritation swept over him.

Only today had he finally achieved complete synchronization with Jeok Wigun's body.

All that remained was to use it to become the successor to Heavenly Martial Castle.

He had been so intrigued by Jeok Wigang's use of magic that he'd momentarily forgotten what kind of bastard he was dealing with.

I really should kill him.

Jeok Wigun extended his hand, and a sword resting in the corner flew out of its sheath toward him.

WHOOSH— CLACK—

The moment he caught it, he unleashed a barrage of sword aura at Jeok Wigang.

SHRRRRR—

KWA-KWA-KWAAANG—

He didn't expect such a simple attack to kill Jeok Wigang.

He closed the distance to launch his next attack.

WHUMP—

A heavy blow struck him, and he felt his body lift into the air.

Wait. Pain?

Why can I feel pain?

"Urgh!"

It was unbelievable.

"Huh? That didn't hurt you as much as I expected."

That bastard did something!

He could control Jeok Wigun's body perfectly, but he wasn't supposed to feel its pain.

Yet he had felt that blow.

CRACK—

CRASH, THUD, RATTLE—

He slammed into the floor.

"Urgh!"

The pain was becoming more and more vivid.

This is ridiculous!

"If you don't come out right now, it's going to hurt a lot more."

"Do you even realize what you're doing?"

"Sure I do. I'm beating you up."

"This isn't me! It's your cousin!"

"I know."

"It's your cousin who's going to get hurt and die, not me!"

"I'll take care of that."

Is this bastard insane?

Or does he simply not care whether his cousin lives or dies?

He looked into Jeok Wigang's eyes.

There wasn't a trace of emotion in them.

"You... You're serious. You don't care about this boy's life at all."

"It's not my life."

The bastard was more ruthless than he'd expected.

If anything, he had the temperament of someone who would fit right in with White Horse Heaven.

CLACK—

"Huh?"

Before he knew it, Jeok Wigang had grabbed him.

I don't want to get hurt.

He struggled desperately to escape.

WHACK— WHACK— WHACK!

Jeok Wigang began pounding him on the head over and over.

"I've noticed that smart guys really hate getting hit here."

The Demon-Brain Divine Demon apparently hated having his head struck, too. He thrashed about wildly.

"AAAAH! S-Stop! Stop!"

"Don't feel like it."

WHACK— WHACK—

Thud.

While Jeok Wigang was still hitting him, Jeok Wigun's head suddenly went limp.

Unable to endure the pain any longer, the Demon-Brain Divine Demon had severed his connection to the body.

Jeok Wigang immediately stopped striking him, placed a hand on his body, and began murmuring a mantra.

"Spirits, heed heaven's decree. Awaken from the depths of consciousness. Bind the connection and summon the light. Soul, return to your body."

It was a mantra meant to forcibly awaken a sleeping soul.

He wasn't certain whether Jeok Wigun's soul was actually asleep.

For now, he could only try.

HUMMMMM—

Light blazed from Jeok Wigun's body.

Then his eyes snapped open, and he jolted in surprise.

"Gasp!"

He pulled away from Jeok Wigang and looked around.

"Where...?"

He was still staring about in bewilderment when—

"Wigun! Are you all right? Wigun!"

He saw his father desperately calling his name while pounding on empty air.

"Father?"

Why is he doing that?

Throb.

He tried to move toward his father, but pain shot through his entire body.

"Why...?"

"I gave you a bit of a beating. Just a moment."

Jeok Wigang recited a healing mantra, and the pain vanished, leaving Jeok Wigun feeling refreshed.

He examined his body in amazement.

Then he rushed toward his father again.

THUMP—

An invisible wall stood in his way.

"Father, what is this?"

"I don't know either. Wigun! Are you all right? Do you recognize your father?"

"Yes, Father. I'm fine. My mind is just a little foggy, as though I've woken up from a very long sleep."

"Thank goodness! Thank goodness..."

Jeok Riho turned toward Jeok Wigang.

"I won't do anything. Could you please get rid of this?"

Jeok Wigang snapped his fingers.

SNAP—

BANG—

With the snap of his fingers, something burst, and the transparent barrier separating father and son disappeared.

The moment it vanished, Jeok Riho rushed over and pulled Jeok Wigun into a tight embrace.

"My son... Are you really all right?"

"Yes, Father."

Tears streamed down Jeok Riho's face as he looked at his son, who was gazing straight back at him and calling him Father.

"F-Father, what's wrong?"

"I... I thought I'd never see you again..."

"What are you talking about? All I did was fall asleep and wake up."

"You don't remember anything?"

"No. How should I put it? It feels as though I've just woken up after sleeping somewhere warm and comfortable."

Hearing Jeok Wigun's answer, Jeok Riho turned to Jeok Wigang.

"What on earth happened to him?"

"It seems someone called the Demon-Brain Divine Demon was trying to take control of my cousin's body. He almost succeeded."

"Why would that man target my son?"

"Isn't it obvious? My cousin is a candidate for the succession to Heavenly Martial Castle. He was probably planning to use his body to become the next Lord of the Castle."

"Is... Is such a thing even possible?"

"Yes. If everything had gone according to his plan, and I hadn't been here... he probably would have become the next Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle."

"Who in the world is this Demon-Brain Divine Demon?"

"It's a long story, but to put it briefly, there's an organization called White Horse Heaven that has its sights set on the Central Plains. The Demon-Brain Divine Demon is something like its chief strategist."

"What is White Horse Heaven?"

"You know about the Four Divine Demons, right?"

"Of course."

"The Four Divine Demons are White Horse Heaven's underlings."

"Good heavens..."

"Grandfather knows about them, too."

Jeok Riho stared blankly for a moment at the mention of Grandfather. Then he remembered that Jeok Wigang was of the same bloodline and nodded.

"I see. So Father knows about them as well."

Jeok Wigun was looking back and forth between his father and Jeok Wigang in utter confusion.

Jeok Riho turned to Jeok Wigang again.

"Won't that Demon-Brain Divine Demon try to take control of my son's body again?"

"That won't happen. I've severed the connection. And I've engraved a formation on him to prevent the bastard from even attempting it again, so you don't need to worry."

"Can I trust you?"

"Didn't you see him run away because he couldn't take the beating?"

"I did..."

What Jeok Riho had seen was Jeok Wigang pounding his son's head so mercilessly that it looked as though he might smash his skull.

Unable to stand listening to their conversation any longer, Jeok Wigun finally interrupted.

"W-Wait a moment. What on earth are you two talking about? Could someone please explain it to me? From what I've heard, it sounds like this has something to do with me..."