The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 244

Chapter 244
Jiang Lei and the man with the ponytail, the rest of the Chinese players, the group of Twilight Orcs, and a single Korean boy—four different factions had erupted into a chaotic melee.
In fact, Jiang Lei’s connection to the Blood Church was a welcome revelation for Jae-Hyeok. The more chaotic and divided the others were, the better it was for him.
Speaking of the Blood Church...
This would be the second time Jae-Hyeok had encountered members of the Blood Church; the first had been a woman among the Baus family’s retainers who’d participated in the assault on Lion’s Castle.
They seem to pop up anywhere.
I really should find some way to identify them so I’m not caught unprepared...
Despite these errant thoughts, Jae-Hyeok moved among the players and orcs like a fish in water as he angled for Jiang Lei.
Staying still on a battlefield this chaotic was suicide.
“Keook!”
An axe whizzed by Jae-Hyeok and struck one of the Chinese players in the back, killing him instantly.
The Twilight Orcs had gone berserk after Daruchan’s death, and while they were smaller compared to Daruchan, they numbered close to thirty, and their relatively inferior physiques were still leagues above normal monsters. The axes they threw struck players and collided with the ground like artillery shells.
Moreover, despite being S-class, the players’ focus was stretched thin between fending off Jiang Lei and the orcs’ throwing axes.
"Kyaaak!”
Lou Xin screamed in horror when a throwing axe struck the man not far from her. Lou Xin’s innate talent had allowed her to rise to S-class at record speed, but it did nothing to make up for her lack of actual combat experience. The player who’d been reduced to a pile of gore was someone whom she’d known by first name and who had been laughing and joking not an hour earlier.
“Kill the female magician first!”
one orc shouted.
The orcs were wiser than they appeared. Lou Xin had delayed them earlier by causing them to slip and fall with an ice spell, a fact which the orcs evidently remembered. With the degree of cooperation and strategic thinking they demonstrated, it was no wonder they’d managed to raise a kingdom of their own.
Several axes tore through the air, headed straight for Lou Xin, but just as they arrived, the man with the ponytail flashed before Lou Xin and deflected them.
He smiled in assurance. “Don’t worry. I will protect you.”
He had betrayed his own teammates; even pale-faced, Lou Xin returned a look of disgust toward the man with the ponytail, causing him to shrug.
“Do you truly wish to die while trying to uphold your loyalty to these fools?”
Of the Chinese players, only for remained. Their faces were full of desperation as they blocked and dodged the orcs' throwing axes.
The man continued, “Look at their desperate eyes. They are occupied with their own life and death, not yours. Given the opportunity, they would flee without looking back.”
“In this situation, what else do you expect? You’re the ones who cornered us.” Lou Xin’s pupils narrowed into vertical slits as she gritted her teeth. A half-draconian... The dragon blood inherited from the founder of her family—a human who had transformed into a dragon—was awakening in response to her murderous intent.
“They're the ones who refused Jiang Lei’s mercy first. They chose their own end.”
The man didn’t flinch at all when he noticed the change in Lou Xin’s eyes.
He was well aware of the Won family’s draconian heritage. Lou Xin belonged to the Won family’s main branch. They were the direct descendants of Hao, the hero who’d protected China during the Great Upheaval two hundred years ago. That might’ve been impressive many years ago, but the main branch’s draconic bloodline had long grown dilute. The branch families could at least sprout wings or transform certain body parts, while the main family could only change their eyes.
They posed no threat at all.
“Mercy? What part of demanding we sign a blood contract is merciful?”
The man with the ponytail shook his head. “That’s the fate of the powerless. But even a servant is better than being a corpse, no? We’re blessing you with a chance to live because you have use as a magician. Instead of flashing those useless eyes of yours, you should count yourself lucky that we are giving you an opportunity to live—all you have to do is obediently accept it.”
“Useless
eyes...” Lou Xin’s Won family heritage was a source of both pride and trauma.
Lou Xin took great pride in being a descendant of the Won family for its past service in defending the country. However, she also felt deep resentment due to the stigma she’d faced for her lack of draconic traits, a disappointment that marked her upbringing.
“The choice is between life and death.”
The man swept aside several more axes before extending a hand to Lou Xin.
“Choose our side out of your own free will, and I know one day, you’ll be happy you did.”
The man’s eyes turned red—the same red as Jiang Lei’s currently were. Lou Xin was stunned by this revelation; it turned out that both of them were members of the Church.
Unlike Jiang Lei, however, the man with the ponytail revealed no external signs of his blood energy, despite the bloody battlefield around him. Clearly, his mastery over blood energy was at a higher level than Jiang Lei's.
“When it comes to bloodline, the Blood Church doesn’t discriminate. Join us now, seek communion with the true gods of our mortal plan, and you will know bliss like none other.”
Geometric patterns appeared in the ponytail man’s red eyes. Then a string of notification windows appeared before Lou Xin.
[Do you wish to form a blood contract with the player Sima Zhao?]
[Signing a blood contract will unlock the special resource, blood energy. You can use blood energy to learn and use various Skills.]
[Warning!
The blood contract demands absolute faith and loyalty in exchange for the benefits it provides!]
“Uh...”
Lou Xin’s expression grew increasingly uncertain.
She would inevitably die if she rejected Sima Zhao’s offer.
In addition, the word “bliss” had taken root in her heart. Would the Blood Church really not discriminate against her bloodline and accept her openly? Apparently, they would. Sima Zhao had said as much, and all she had to do was take his hand...
Lou Xin had always harbored the ambition of one day achieving a full draconian transformation and restoring honor to her Won lineage, but in fact, she knew that was nothing but a fanciful dream. After all these years, she still hadn’t the slightest clue how to actually achieve it.
“They only want to run away the moment they see a gap...”
In the end, Lou Xin listened to her subconscious thoughts and reached out towards Sima Zhao.
It is working.
A dark smile spread across Sima Zhao’s face. However, just as Lou Xin moved her hand, several orcs tumbled through the air, their massive bodies hurdling right for him.
Sima Zhao withdrew his hand and assumed a defensive stance with a frown.
The orcs’ eyes were wide, and blood foamed from their mouths. In the direction where they’d flown from stood Jae-Hyeok.
“Kid... do you think it’s fun to play pranks on adults?” he couldn’t help but ask.
In obliterating Daruchan with a single Skill, Jae-Hyeok had demonstrated an impressive level of power. Even considering that Jiang Lei had severely wounded Daruchan, Jae-Hyeok’s capacity to kill the orc without the slightest resistance was undoubtedly a menacing display that lived up to his surname.
Actually... I don’t recall any rumors about the Yaksha having a similar Skill.
The Blood Chuch’s intelligence network spanned wide and deep, and Sima Zhao had long searched the records on the Yaksha. It was said that he had single-handedly forced China and Japan into meekly cooperating, putting a temporary end to the countries’ two centuries of bloody competition.
Ironically, it had taken both countries’ cooperation and the sacrifice of the 67th East Asia Gate to put an end to the Yaksha’s iron rule.
If there’s any possibility that this brat is on course to surpass his father...
Sima Zhao felt a chill as he looked at Jae-Hyeok, but he quickly regained himself.
An ultimate Skill like the one Jae-Hyeok had displayed was rare, but not unheard of. From a global perspective, one could even say there existed a fair number of players with similarly exceptional Skills. And in all cases, the more powerful the Skill, the more taxing it was to execute.
“Brat, why make a fuss? You think I can see through you? You must be pretty tired by now.”
Contrary to Sima Zhao’s words, Jae-Hyeok appeared perfectly composed. After all, having leveled up, Jae-Hyeok’s wounds had all healed. However, Sima Zhao wasn’t fooled; while leveling up could restore one’s physician state, mental exhaustion was a different matter. In the latter sense, Sima Zhao was certain that Jae-Hyeok had to be exhausted after killing Daruchan with his ultimate Skill.
And indeed, Jae-Hyeok’s current behavior seemed to betray his true state.
“Get lost! Disgusting guys!” Jiang Lei cried out while still slaughtering the Twilight Orcs. Nevertheless, Jae-Hyeok never looked over, despite the huge amount of experience each orc offered.
Sima Zhao’s lip curled in disdain. The brat’s clearly at his limit. He probably thought putting on a strong front would scare me off. Heh... I’ll hunt him down now before he can recover.
Jiang Lei made the same judgment, and the two men exchanged a tacit glance; one stood ahead of Jae-Hyeok, while the other stood behind him. It was the perfect opportunity for a pincer attack.
Meanwhile, Jae-Hyeok seemed unbothered by the other two and was instead staring at Lou Xin.
When Lou Xin noticed, Jae-Hyeok flicked his gaze to the orc corpses at Sima Zhao’s feet before returning to meet her eyes.
Lou Xin’s expression changed upon seeing the dark smoke leaking from the bodies’ orifices. She jumped back just as the corpses burst.
Having dissolved through the orcs’ flesh, the poison Jae-Hyeok had injected from Leach King’s Ring rose in plumes around Sima Zhao.
“What?”
Sima Zhao’s eyes twitched as he hurriedly covered his nose and mouth.
Weren’t young talents meant to be arrogant and inexperienced, with many weaknesses to exploit?
How is this a youth? This brat’s mind is as cunning as an old fox’s! For there to be someone like this hiding in this backwater country...
Sima Zhao was filled with a newfound tension. He held his breath and took a vigilant stance.
This kid can’t be allowed to live.
Sima Zhao aimed his spear and honed his narrowed eyes on Jae-Hyeok, but a moment later, his eyes widened as an ice spell froze his hands and feet. It lasted only a moment, but that was long enough for several swords to plunge through his chest.
“You damn bastards!” Sima Zhao roared in fury.
The Chinese players withdrew their blades from Sima Zhao’s back. A second ice spell arrived from Lou Xin, slowing Sima Zhao further as the players stabbed Sima Zhao a second time.
“Shut up! Shut up and die, scum!”
Whatever anger Sima Zhao had felt, it didn’t hold a candle to the Chinese players’. Jae-Hyeok’s poisonous smoke had presented the perfect opportunity for an ambush, and all of them had jumped on the chance.
“Conniving weaklings! Just you wait for me to suck out your blood!”
Sima Zhao used blood magic to restore himself nearly as fast as the wounds came. Moreover, the plume of poison was quickly dissipating along with the final dregs of the orcs’ corpses.
Once it was fully cleared, Jiang Lei would appear to help him.
Thinking as much, Sima Zhao spared a hopeful glance in Jiang Lei’s direction—only to be greeted with the sight of Jae-Hyeok sending Jiang Lei’s head flying.