<h4>Chapter 399 - Stab Him</h4>


    <i>Boom!</i>


    Thunderous explosions rang out as Oh Kang-Woo was blown away. He violently tumbled across the ground while leaving a line on the ground along his path, then sprang back up. He raised the golden sword made with the Key of the Demonic Sea and swung it at Tai Wuji, who appeared in front of him out of nowhere. The two swords collided.


    <i>Bang—!!</i>


    Another explosion rang out.


    “<i>Cough!</i>”


    Kang-Woo panted heavily. His sword imbued with Divinity was cleaved into two all too easily. He jumped back.


    “Dayum, I’m seriously no match for him.”


    Kang-Woo smiled widely as he healed his torn hands with the Authority of Regeneration. He had infused Intermediate-rank Divinity into the Key of the Demonic Sea, but it was not enough to endure Tai Wuji’s sword.


    <i>‘But it’s at least better than before.’</i>


    Unlike their first confrontation when the Key of the Demonic Sea shattered as soon as it shed with Tai Wuji’s sword, it could now handle a few blows.


    <i>‘That’s good enough.’</i>


    It was a meaningful change since it made it far easier for him to handle a battle against the despair in front of him. Kang-Woo restored the sword to its original form while smiling. He gripped the sword shining with golden light.


    Tai Wuji stared at Kang-Woo with sunken eyes. He remarked while tapping on his sword handle, “You’ve changed from back then.”


    The man in front of him waspletely different from the horrifying monster that seemed like it had been born from the Demonic Sea. The man looked magnificent; sublime, even.


    “It does not suit you,” Tai Wuji stated.


    He recalled the first time he came across the monster. He had been the furthest thing from being magnificent and sublime; he had only exuded madness so powerful that it could devour the entire world whole.


    “I haven’t opened any Doors yet,” Kang-Woo replied.


    “Doors?” Tai Wuji tilted his head, unable to understand what the monster was talking about.


    Kang-Woo smirked. “Don’t rush me, man. I’ll open them soon enough.”


    He lightly swung his sword. He was well aware that he would not be able to face Tai Wuji without opening the Doors— no, he was not certain that he would be able to win even after opening the Doors. He would not be able to lose since he couldn’t die; it did not mean he would be able to win. Despite that, Kang-Woo was not opening them yet for one simple reason.


    <i>‘I can’t use it infinitely.’</i>


    Just because Kang-Woo didn’t die while the Doors were open did not mean he waspletely immortal. As he continuously died and his physical body was harmed, his mind would gradually be eaten up by the Demonic Sea. Even if he didn’t die, just having the Doors open quickly ate away at his mind. Kang-Woo would open the Doors after shaving Tai Wuji’s endurance as much as possible.


    <i>‘And...’</i>


    Kang-Woo smiled. Sparks ran all over his body every time he shed swords with Tai Wuji. The chilling sensation of the fact that he could be beheaded the moment he let his guard down stimted him.


    “Haaah,” Kang-Woo exhaled heatedly.


    He felt like he was going insane from the secretion of endorphins. The stimting feeling of death being right around the corner could not be felt while the Doors were open. He wanted to relish in this feeling for just a little longer.


    Tai Wuji frowned. He was able to read what the monster was feeling from just his eyes full of anticipation. He said emotionlessly “You’re insane.”


    He couldn’t imagine someone acting this way when they could die at any time.


    <i>‘It’s as if he’s living to die.’</i>


    Tai Wuji gripped his sword while suppressing the displeasure surging from deep within his heart. He stared at the monster with cold eyes.


    <i>‘That madness of yours will end today.’</i>


    “Fuuu,” Tai Wuji inhaled deeply.


    He gripped the sword tightly and stomped his feet.


    <i>‘Heavenly Dragon ws.’</i>


    Tai Wuji swung his dark blue sword swiftly, resembling a dragon swinging down its ws. The sword was divided into five as it aimed for the monster’s neck. It was not an illusion; each sword sh contained enough power to split an entire mountain in half. The shes resembling the ws of a beast aimed for Kang-Woo.


    “Yeah, that’s more like it.”


    Kang-Woo snickered as he swung his sword at the five condensed sword energies aiming for his neck. Sound so splitting that it could rupture one’s eardrums rang out as the ground underneath the two of them caved in.


    <i>Rumble—!</i>


    A giant sinkhole several hundred meters deep was formed. The demonic beasts and humans fighting in the area quickly ran away. Kang-Woo and Tai Wuji casually continued their battle while stepping on thin air as if they couldn’t care less that the ground had copsed.


    “Hup!” Tai Wuji’s eyes shone as he saw an opening.


    He swung down his sword and cut off Kang-Woo’s right arm which had been holding the golden sword. Tai Wuji smiled faintly. Just then, Kang-Woo grabbed his right arm with his left and threw it at Tai Wuji.


    <i>Stab!</i>


    “Kurgh!”


    The golden sword pierced Tai Wuji’s stomach.


    Kang-Woo snickered. “It sure is nice to be able to use Divinity.”


    Back when he did not have Divinity, he had to attack the same spot multiple times to be able to deal some damage due to the barrier of Divinity that his enemies possessed. However, now that he was able to use Divinity, he was able to get through the Divinity barrier, which was always up like a passive skill, with ease.


    “What... the...” Tai Wuji grimaced. He had not expected the monster to attack by throwing his arm that was holding his weapon. Such an attack could not be performed by a sane person.


    Tai Wuji looked down at his bleeding stomach. The injury itself was not serious. He grabbed the monster’s right arm and threw it down on the ground. The monster without a right arm was staring at him leisurely. He saw the monster cing his left hand on his chest.


    <i>‘That’s...’</i>


    Chills ran down Tai Wuji’s back. It was the same sensation that he had felt back when he had faced the monster at the imperial pce. It was the fear that one would feel when staring into the abyss.


    <i>‘I have to stop him from doing that.’</i>


    Tai Wuji did not know what that motion meant, but he was sure that he would see that horrendous monster again if he didn’t stop him.


    <i>‘In that case...’</i>


    There was no better time to use the card that he had prepared. Tai Wuji slowly turned his head and sent a telepathic message to the young man who was staring at their battle nkly.


    <i>“Now is the time.”</i>


    The young man flinched.


    <i>“Stab him.”</i>


    Kim Si-Hun’s eyes quivered after getting the telepathic message.


    ***


    <i>Rumble—!</i>


    The ground was being distorted. Si-Hun stopped cutting down the demonic beasts in front of him and turned to where the deafening sound came from. He could see the shing of golden light and dark blue light.


    Si-Hun shut his eyes tightly in silence. The memories came back to him once his eyes were closed. He could see himself copsed in a dark alleyway and a smiling young man on top of him. The man’s face was familiar and unfamiliar to him at the same time.


    <i>“We’ll be very good allies.”</i>


    The man’s voice was imprinted in his mind along with his eyes twisted with malice. He had never seen that side of his hyung before.


    <i>“You’ve been deceived by that monster all this time.”</i>


    Tai Wuji’s words echoed in his mind. Si-Hun had told him to shut up, but he already knew deep down that he had been used and betrayed by the hyung that he had trusted unconditionally. No, it could not even be called a betrayal, since the way that he felt about Kang-Woo was not the same as how Kang-Woo felt about him.


    <i>‘He... never thought of me as his little brother from the beginning.’</i>


    All that Kang-Woo cared about was Si-Hun’s talent. He was nothing more than a useful puppet to Kang-Woo.


    <i>“There’s this one thing that I keep thinking about,” </i>Si-Hun recalled his own words back when he had been sitting next to the bedridden Kang-Woo. <i>“About what would have happened in my life... if I had never met you.”</i>


    Si-Hun could not even imagine what would have happened if he had never met Kang-Woo. He could see nothing but a void.


    <i>“I can’t even imagine a life without you anymore, hyung-nim.”</i>


    What would have Kang-Woo felt after hearing those words? Would he haveughed at him? Would he have mocked him, who was saying such a thing while having no idea that he was being controlled? It was likely.


    <i>‘No, no. Don’t think so pessimistically. He might have gotten attached to me after all this time. He might even care deeply for me now.’</i>


    Si-Hun recalled a novel about a protagonist kidnapping a child to raise them as an assassin but ended up falling in love with them. Kang-Woo might also have ended up caring for him like his own brother... just like the protagonist of that novel.


    “Argh, urgh.” Si-Hun felt as if his head would explode. He teared up unconsciously. “A-Aaaahh.”


    His entire world had changed after meeting Kang-Woo. His world, which had been full of despair, had lit up brightly before he had realized it. And that world... had now copsedpletely.


    “H-Hyung... Hyung...”


    Si-Hun lowered his head while clenching his hair. The fact that the Kang-Woo he had known thus far had been a lie... That his gaze, actions, words, and everything had been a lie... The pain brought about by them was unbearable.


    <i>“Now is the time.”</i>


    Si-Hun heard a voice and quickly looked up to see Tai Wuji looking down at him.


    “N-No...” Si-Hun mumbled miserably since he knew what Tai Wuji would tell him to do.


    <i>“Stab him.”</i>


    However, Tai Wuji brought him despair nheless as if to trample on his hopes.


    “Haaa, haaa,” Si-Hun panted heavily.


    The sword in his hands felt hot to the touch. He could instinctively tell that there was no turning back. It was time to make his decision.


    Si-Hun held the sword tightly and leaped into the air. He ran across the sky by making steps using Formless Sword.


    <i>“We’ll be very good allies.”</i>


    That voice was not leaving Si-Hun’s head. It would likely never disappear. Si-Hun felt nauseous from the horrible sense of betrayal. His vision blurred. He felt like he could barely hear anything around him. The world around him felt like it was crumbling. No, his world might have already been destroyed the day that he met Tai Wuji.


    “H-Haaah.”


    Si-Hun imbued his sword with power as the Qi from his dantian filled his entire body. And...


    <i>Pierce.</i>


    He stabbed without hesitation.