The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 205

Chapter 205
Jae-Hyeok's clothes were more than just clothes. His white ceremonial robe was the ancestral attire of his Kang family. It represented his family's oldest roots, only to be worn on the most important of occasions.
Moreover, as the heir of his family, Jae-Hyeok had sworn never to defile the robe. Defiling it was akin to defiling his ancestors.
However, at this moment, Jae-Hyeok’s ceremonial robe was spattered with the blood of a sword demon.
Would his ancestors blame him?
No.
Not all blood was equal; the blood that touched him belonged to a man who’d stared death in the eyes to spare him, the Kangs’ heir, from doing the same.
Jin Seo-Yeon’s swordsmanship had been frighteningly swift and accurate—slipping through the gaps between her subordinates and striking like a snake amid reeds. Had Kwae Myeong-Su not blocked Jin Seo-Yeon’s blade, Jae-Hyeok would’ve lost an arm before he could react.
“Kwae Myeong-Su...”
Jae-Hyeok hugged the top half of Kwae Myeong-Su to his chest, not letting him fall.
Having witnessed the ultimate sword path before death, Kwae Myeong-Su's expression was frozen into a subtle smile. One might’ve thought he'd died peacefully surrounded by loved ones—or rather, they would’ve if Kwae Myeong-Su's corpse weren't ravaged, leaking like a sieve and in twain.
Jae-Hyok could only hope that when people remembered Kwae Myeong-Su one day, it wouldn’t be like this.
Jae-Hyeok tightened his embrace, crimson soaking his white robes.
Then, he relaxed.
“Ji Cheon-Myeong... His death will be the last pain you give me.”
What...
Meeting Jae-hyeok’s red eyes, Ji Cheon-Myeong felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Compared to before, Jae-Hyeok’s killing intent was on another level, not one bit inferior to Kim Byeok-Jae’s.
Clearly, Jae-Hyeok’s previous anger had been a ruse to lure him in.
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s brow wrinkled: Kang Jae-Hyeok, facing the one who’d tormented and degraded his family for years, had actually been calmly calculating his moves even then.
No matter. He’s lost control now. The result is the same.
Infusing mana into his voice, Ji Cheon-Myeong shouted, “Kang Jae-Hyeok, you’re worse than a dog! As expected of the Kang family, your ingratitude knows no limits. Kwae Myeong-Su helped you, but you cut him down? Despicable.”
As the words echoed in the air, Ji Cheon-Myeong expected Jae-Hyeok to charge over like a headless chicken. But to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s bewilderment, the sensation of knives prickling his skin suddenly disappeared.
Jae-Hyeok's killing intent rapidly faded, while the fury burning in Jae-Hyeok’s eyes disappeared—replaced with something frigid.
Seeing the sixteen-year-old mastering his emotions once more, sweat started to bead on Ji Cheon-Myeong’s forehead. His perception of the boy changed. He no longer saw Jae-Hyeok as the Yaksha’s son or Kang Dae-Seong’s younger brother, but as an independent person.
This little demon is something else entirely.
The Yaksha, who dominated over everyone, and Kang Dae-Seong, who demanded respect from everyone—in both cases, the common thread was their extreme arrogance. Jae-Hyeok, however, was entirely different—he seemed close to achieving a perfect mindstate, unclouded by thoughts and feelings.
Was he really of the Kang family lineage?
Ji Cheon-Myeong abruptly crossed his arms—only for his sleeves to explode into ribbons. Jae-Hyeok’s red blade pressed into his forearm, hastening the trickles of blood.
He, a man who stood at the threshold of transcendence, was wounded in one strike? And by a child, no less—a child had actually pierced his protective barrier and drawn blood before the entire nation.
“You despicable bastard...”
Ji Cheon-Myeong gritted his teeth and stared daggers at Jae-Hyeok.
Jae-Hyeok was still holding Kwae Myeong-Su in his arms, which concealed his upper body. Thanks to that, Ji Cheon-Myeong had missed the moment when Jae-Hyeok had drawn his sword.
How could it be a coincidence?
“Using your benefactor’s corpse to attack—how disgraceful.”
Ji Cheon-Myeong freed one arm and moved to grab Jae-Hyeok’s blade. Jae-Hyeok stepped back and, in a blink, was sliding his blade back into the mouth of its scabbard.
But Ji Cheon-Myeong wasn’t slow either—an instant later, Ji Cheon-Myeong was closing his hand around Jae-Hyeok's hand and hilt, intent on crushing Jae-Hyeok’s hand and taking his sword. Before he could, two crescents of aura condensed around the exposed section of Jae-Hyeok’s blade. They shot out before Ji Cheon-Myeong could react and drew bloody lines across his palm.
The appearance of Two Scythes Block a Cart drew a wave of gasps from the audience.
From their perspective, Ji Cheon-Myeong had chased Jae-Hyeok’s sword only to be suddenly and bizarrely cut. Given the color of Jae-Hyeok’s blade, it summoned the image of Ji Cheon-Myeong reaching for a rose only to be pricked by its thorns.
Damnit. How many times will I be humiliated?
By now, the damage to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s reputation was catastrophic. First, he’d kissed the ground before the Thunder Emperor; then, he’d made a bevy of accusations toward Jae-Hyeok, which had all been disproven in turn; and then, he’d used his sword demons in a bid to, if not kill Jae-Hyeok outright, weaken him and shatter his composure. Now, on top of it all, he’d been driven back in a direct exchange.
The crowd erupted in a chorus of boos.
Things had already reached this point. It was highly likely that he wouldn’t be able to continue as president of the Association, a position which he’d held for over ten years.
Ji Cheon-Myeong's eyes turned bloodshot.
I’ve already lost what there is to lose. I don’t care anymore. Kang Jae-Hyeok, today I’m going to wipe you from the face of this Earth.
So vowing, Ji Cheon-Myeong erupted with mana and shot forward, leaving behind a string of afterimages. He arrived before Jae-Hyeok and unleashed a storm of punches.
Jae-Hyeok blocked and parried with his sword and scabbard, the stage beneath his feet collapsing under the force.
Kid, let me show you how true superhumans fight.
Thanks to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s high Stamina stat and excellent mana control, he had no fear of swords or Skills. Even Iyarugt couldn’t cut him easily.
My judgment isn’t wrong,
Jae-Hyeok thought.
The night before, Jae-Hyeok had killed the master of the Sun Guild in a method that was strikingly similar to Ji Cheon-Myeong’s current method.
Using his overwhelming stats and body tempered from farming, he had crushed the Sun Guild under his relentless pressure.
He’d been wondering if his method was too simple compared to how other S-class players fought. He was relieved to see that it wasn’t.
Ji Cheon-Myeong had reigned as a powerhouse for decades and was now personally demonstrating that this was the correct answer.
Slash, stab, twist.
Jae-Hyeok’s swordsmanship gradually grew bolder as he faced Ji Cheon-Myeong’s attacks. He trusted his own judgment and went all in against his family’s sworn enemy.
Ji Cheon-Myeong’s hand, wrapped in golden mana, sliced across Jae-Hyeok’s cheekbone. Had it been a few centimeters higher, it would’ve destroyed his eyeball.
In return, the tip of Jae-Hyeok’s sword grazed Ji Cheon-Myeong’s armpit. Had Ji Cheon-Myeong reacted a moment slower, his heart would’ve grown a hole.
Then an attack came from a blind angle.
Ji Cheon-Myeong spun and slammed his leg into the back of Jae-Hyheok’s head.
Jae-Hyeok wobbled.
“?”
Stunned, Ji Cheon-Myeong didn’t immediately follow up; he had expected Jae-Hyeok’s skull to burst with that last attack.
For Jae-Hyeok, that momentary pause was good luck. In that fleeting gap, he circulated his mana and recovered from his daze.
Ji Cheon-Myeong...
As expected of a peak powerhouse, he was indeed strong. He surpassed Jae-Hyeok in terms of stats, experience, Skills, and everything else.
I knew it would be like this.
In any case, Ji Cheon-Myeon had managed to destroy the Kang family. Had he been weak, it would’ve been even more shameful.
In the center of the devastated stage, the distance between the two people exchanging blows was so close that the tips of their noses could touch.
The one pursuing the tight distance was Ji Cheon-Myeong. Doing so against a swordsman was fundamental in battle.
Ji Cheon-Myeon thought,
That’s especially the case for someone who uses that half-baked sword-drawing technique.
Just how long could Kang Jae-Hyeok keep up in a fight this close?
Clink!
Thud.
Clink!
Thud.
Jae-Hyeok attempted to draw his sword time and time again. But every time, Ji Cheon-Myeong would use either the back of his hand or his knee to press down or even strike Iyarugt’s hilt.
“You don’t believe you can turn this situation around, do you?”
Baaaang!
Mana burst from Ji Cheon-Myeong’s palm as he struck Jae-Hyeok’s chest. A wave of energy swept through Jae-Hyeok, damaging his internal organs and sending him staggering.
Jae-Hyeok spat blood. Nevertheless, he refused to let go of Kwae Myeong-Su’s corpse in his arms. That provoked Ji Cheon-Myeong even more.
“You might be even more arrogant than Kang Dae-Seong.”
Even now, Jae-Hyeok dared to fight him with one hand. Ji Cheon-Myeong found it so ridiculous that his mana started to fluctuate.
Compared to the beginning, the gold hue of his mana was more brilliant. But that wasn’t all. Small, gold beads roiled inside Ji Cheon-Myeong’s mana, giving off a sound like chafing sand grains.
“Die with regret.”
A brawler’s greatest strength lay in the Combo System. Every time they landed a hit or blocked an attack, the combo count would rise, and Profession-specific buffs would stack once they reached certain thresholds.
For Ji Cheon-Myeong, it even changed the nature of his mana.
The gold hue of his mana now looked almost divine. Stranger still, it now exploded every time it came into contact with something.
Buddha’s Palm.
Behind Ji Cheon-Myeong, a golden hand the size of a house appeared in the sky before descending on Jae-Hyeok. The mass convergence of mana caused dust and debris to swirl from afar.
“I-Is he going to kill him?”
The spectators had been watching with rapt attention before then, but as for what was actually happening, it was impossible to see with the naked eye. Now that a god-like hand was plummeting from the heavens, they finally came to their senses and cried out in alarm.
The hand cast a deep shadow on a huge part of the stadium, and it looked powerful enough to flatten a high-rise building with a slap. Some people even wondered if it could crush the Thunder Emperor, who was standing to the side with crossed arms.
None of them thought Jae-Hyeok could endure it.
Suddenly, Iyarugt let out a cry.
The scenery around Jae-Hyeok distorted as a red energy shone from Iyarugt and propagated in a wave, dissolving the golden mana that saturated the surroundings.
Why?
Ji Cheon-Myeong was engulfed in an ominous feeling. However, he’d already unleashed his attack. Once the Buddha’s Palm was used, it couldn’t be stopped.
Jae-Hyeok stepped forward and faced it head-on.
“Ji Cheon-Myeong, don’t think of dying easily.”
From the very beginning, Jae-Hyeok had engaged in close combat with Ji Cheon-Myeong, someone who was faster than him, stronger than him, and more experienced than him.
Why?
The reason was simple: Ji Cheon-Myeong wasn’t the only one who could rely on combos.
Dozens, no, hundreds of blades rose into the air around Jae-Hyeok.
The original Skill of the Kang family founder, Peak Sword, was making its second debut after two hundred years.
[Hell Sword activated.]