[Translator - Helga ]

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Chapter 176: The Last (2)

“…Hyung, how did you find us?” Kwon Cheon asked in a sharp voice.

Kwon Hyuk replied nonchalantly, “Hyukcheon’s known where you two were for a while now. It’s just that the Chairman hadn’t given the order, so we didn’t act.”

Kwon Cheon’s eyes widened slightly. He’d found it strange, too. The Hyukcheon he knew wouldn’t have failed to track them down.

“So you appearing in front of me now… means Father has finally made a decision.”

“No. That’s not it.”

Kwon Hyuk shut him down immediately. Confusion crossed Kwon Cheon’s face.

“Ask the woman behind you. She’ll explain.”

Kwon Cheon turned to look at Lee Da-hae. With a bright expression, she spoke up.

“The Chairman just came by. He said… while he can’t bring you back into the family, he won’t pursue you any longer…”

Her words trailed off. Then why had Kwon Hyuk shown up?

“Exactly. The Chairman has decided to leave you two alone. The order just came through.”

Kwon Cheon’s face began to pale.

So an order had been given. But then an assassin attacked Lee Da-hae. And now Kwon Hyuk had appeared.

“You’re still sharp,” Kwon Hyuk said with a mocking smirk. “Father may have decided to leave you be… but I haven’t.”

“If Father finds out about this, he won’t sit idly by.”

“That’s exactly why I’m doing this now.”

Kwon Hyuk slowly spread his arms.

“They say the darkest place is right under the lamp. Father just left after meeting that woman. He’s letting his guard down without realizing it.”

Footsteps echoed from the hallway. More than ten hunters entered the hospital room, each armed with dangerous weapons.

“…Da-hae.” Kwon Cheon looked around at them and said, “Close your eyes.”

Before he’d even finished speaking, he grabbed Lee Da-hae and the child in his arms and leapt out the window.

As soon as they landed, as if on cue, hunters surrounded them from all sides.

Still holding Lee Da-hae and the baby, Kwon Cheon fought back using only his legs. He kicked through the hunters and fled. After running for a while, he finally put the two down.

“Go. I’ll hold them off!” Kwon Cheon shouted. Lee Da-hae bit down hard.

She didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay with him. That feeling overwhelmed her—but she couldn’t afford to be stubborn now.

“…You have to come back.”

Cradling the baby, Lee Da-hae turned and ran. Thanks to the True Healthy Bloodline—her stats surpassed those of average hunters. She moved swiftly and widened the distance.

But the hunters Kwon Hyuk brought with him were far superior. No matter how hard she ran, they would catch up eventually.

Which meant Kwon Cheon had to buy as much time as possible.

“You have to survive,” He whispered, turning back. Kwon Hyuk’s hunters were chasing closely behind.

Kwon Cheon burst forward with a roar, activating Dragon Combat Aura and charging into them.

Lee Da-hae ran with everything she had.

Her legs burned, her lungs were starved of oxygen, and her mind began to fog. Still, she didn’t stop.

She had to get as far as possible while Kwon Cheon held them off.

[The True Healthy Bloodline detects extreme movement!]

[Stamina and Agility increase by 0.7!]

[Stamina recovery speed increases by 300%!]

Thankfully, she wasn’t an ordinary woman. The Healthy Bloodline in her body was aiding her escape.

But she’d lived a normal life until now. Escaping from elite Hyukcheon hunters was nearly impossible.

“I need… a way out…”

She turned toward the city. The streets were empty—it was too late at night.

Not that anyone could help her even if they were around. Kwon Hyuk wouldn’t be so careless. He’d have prepared for that too.

She was utterly isolated. She had to find a way to save the baby on her own.

Then she saw it—an emergency medical collection bin. Lee Da-hae tore off the lock and opened the hatch underneath.

She carefully laid the child inside.

“…I’ll be right back. Just hang in there, okay?”

She needed to close the hatch and leave—but her feet wouldn’t move.

She instinctively knew—

She wouldn't be able to keep the promise she made to her baby.

Lee Da-hae pulled out a maternity notebook from her coat. On the first page was the baby’s name.

“Hanul.”

‘Han’ means vast, and ‘Ul’ means world—together, they named the baby Hanul, hoping he would grow strong and wide as the world.

“Mommy loves you so much.”

She hugged the baby tightly one last time.

At that moment—though she didn’t notice—a soft white light rose from her body and entered the baby.

“I’ll definitely come back.”

She gently placed the baby down and ran, putting as much distance between her and the medical bin as possible.

But she didn’t get far.

A spear flew out of nowhere and pierced through her chest. Lee Da-hae collapsed limply to the ground.

Five or six men landed around her body. One of them, checking her corpse, spoke up.

“The baby’s not here.”

The hunter shouted to the others.

“Spread out! Find the baby and kill it!”

“Do we really have to go that far?”

“It’s Kwon Hyuk’s order! Unless you wanna die, shut it and move!”

The hunters scattered in all directions.

* * *

“Pathetic.”

Kwon Hyuk looked down coldly. A man lay sprawled on the asphalt.

“You haven’t improved one bit. No—if anything, you’ve regressed.”

Kwon Cheon glanced up at him with just his eyes. His body was mangled beyond use—he couldn’t even lift a finger.

“You probably don’t even get why I want to kill you. Truth is, I could have left you alive. But… I’m not the type to leave loose ends.”

Even if Kwon Cheon was a traitor who ran from the family, having a direct bloodline left outside the fold was a liability for Kwon Hyuk.

“…No, forget the excuses.”

That wasn’t the real reason Kwon Hyuk wanted him dead.

“I’ve hated your hypocrisy from the beginning.”

Kwon Cheon’s words, his actions—everything about him had always rubbed Kwon Hyuk the wrong way.

“I’ll give you one last chance before I kill you.”

He grabbed Kwon Cheon by the hair and lifted his head.

“Say anything. Curse me, spit on me—whatever you want. I’ll give you the chance to speak.”

With twisted anticipation, he looked down at him. Kwon Cheon opened his mouth with difficulty.

“…Hyung, I’m sorry… for not realizing it sooner.”

Kwon Hyuk’s face froze.

“This foolish younger brother… failed to understand your true heart.”

Kwon Hyuk’s expression contorted. Grinding his teeth, he gripped Kwon Cheon’s hair tightly.

“That’s not it! You think I came all the way here to hear that crap?! Say it! Say what you really feel!”

He slammed Kwon Cheon’s head into the ground.

“Speak! Say it! SAY IT!”

Panting hard, Kwon Hyuk finally stopped. His bloodshot eyes glared down at him.

Kwon Cheon’s face was so battered, it was unrecognizable.

“Please… to Father…”

Even now, he struggled to speak.

“It wasn’t… your… fault…”

Veins bulged in Kwon Hyuk’s neck. He wrapped both hands around Kwon Cheon’s throat.

“I told you… to drop the damn act!”

A sickening crack echoed.

Kwon Cheon’s head fell limp.

* * *

Inside the stone coffin, Hanul Kwon opened his eyes.

He pushed the lid open with both hands and slowly sat up.

The air brushing against his skin felt unfamiliar. The light pouring down from the ceiling was blinding.

Suddenly, he sensed someone behind him. Thinking it might be Joo Hayun, Hanul spoke without turning his head.

“Hayun... do you know what I saw? I saw something from the past.”

Why had he seen such memories when he underwent the Rebirth procedure?

He could only guess that he’d seen the memories of those who had once borne the vessel.

From the demon, all the way to his mother—it made sense.

“I think... I’ve resented my parents this whole time.”

Until now, he hadn’t realized it. But now it was painfully clear.

Whenever he talked about them, he’d always brushed it off, claiming he’d never met them, feigning indifference.

But that wasn’t real indifference.

It was resentment—directed at the parents who had left him all alone.

“Living on my own... it was hard. Really hard.”

A memory surfaced—one of his conversations with Kwon Seonwoo.

Back then, Seonwoo had asked if Hanul didn’t resent him for being his parents’ enemy.

Hanul had answered bluntly:

—“To be honest, I don’t really care.”

—“Why should I risk everything for a father I don’t even remember?”

But that wasn’t the truth.

They hadn’t abandoned him. They had a reason for leaving him behind. They had fought, to the end, to protect him.

He had received so much—more than he ever knew.

“What... what have I done?”

His body began to lean forward. He buried his face in both hands.

Guilt surged through him. It was as though thorns of shame were driving into every part of his body.

“I spoke without knowing anything...”

“Uh, hey... sorry to interrupt,” a voice said, scratching the back of his head.

It was Odin.

“I’m not Hayun, you know.”

Hanul looked up—and finally recognized him.

“She’s over there. Want me to let you see her? You’re going to die here anyway... I guess granting you that one wish is doable.”

Hanul stared at Odin without blinking. Like he was frozen in place.

“Oh, right. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Odin, a member of the Pandemonium Council—”

“I’ve seen you before.”

Odin smiled, clearly pleased. His reputation still preceded him.

“You’re the mage who killed and kidnapped my mother’s family.”

Hanul’s words suddenly took a sharp turn.

“You’re the one who forced the Vessel into her... experimented on her.”

Magic began to stir from within Hanul’s calm body.

“You’re the one who conspired with Hyuk Kwon and framed my father!”

Rage erupted. A tidal wave of immense magical energy burst from him.

But even at the sight, Odin didn’t so much as flinch.

“Don’t waste your strength. You can’t beat me anyway.”

Odin was a council member of Pandemonium.

Even by pure stats alone, he’d already acquired multiple SS-rank attributes.

Hanul was just a recently-emerged rookie. They were in entirely different leagues.

“Why not just sit still? I can at least give you a painless death—”

Odin trailed off mid-sentence.

The power emanating from Hanul had intensified—drastically.

“What the hell? Were you hiding your strength—”

The ground beneath Hanul’s feet split apart. Objects around them scattered like debris from an explosion. The ceiling and walls began to cave inward under the pressure of raw magic.

You have successfully undergone Rebirth!

All stats have reached S-Rank!

Musculature reconstruction complete! All stats receive +30% boost!

Magical pathways reconstructed! All mana efficiency and power increase by 30%!

A monstrous power surged from within.

But this transformation was far from over.

Hanul’s unleashed magic began forming a shape. A massive black dragon coiled in the air and roared.

Black Dragon Bloodline Synchronization Rate has reached 80%!

You have acquired Authority: ‘Dragon Pearl – Five Elements’!

Trait ‘Dragon Lord’ is enhanced by Dragon Pearl – Five Elements!

Trait upgraded to: Dragon Pearl – Yin & Yang!

Trait ‘Poison Immunity’ evolves into ‘Venom Sovereign’!

Trait ‘Dragon Body’ advances to ‘Half-Human, Half-Dragon’!

His synchronization with the Black Dragon Bloodline surged. The dragon’s instincts began to seep deeper into his being.

“This much change... from just Rebirth?”

Odin was puzzled.

He knew of every kind of knowledge in the world—of course he knew what Rebirth was.

Most people did grow stronger from it—but not like this. Not this much.

“I guess I’ll need to take this seriously.”

Odin drew a cursed artifact—he never imagined he’d have to use this against Hanul.

Maybe even the Serpent That Slays...

Just as the thought crossed his mind—Hanul vanished.

“What—?”

He’d lost track of him.

Even with his superior stats, Odin couldn’t follow Hanul’s movement.

Then—Hanul appeared right in front of him, knees bent, fist drawn.

Before Odin could react, Hanul’s punch slammed into his gut.

The next instant, Odin’s body crashed into the ceiling.

No—through the ceiling.

He blasted upward, smashing through layer after layer. His vision spun wildly, impossible to focus.

“...!?”

By the time he regained consciousness, he was no longer in the procedure room. He was sprawled out in some unknown upper level.

“What the... hell...”

A massive hole gaped open in the floor ahead. He tried to check what was below—but something surged from within his body.

“Guh!”

Blood gushed from his mouth, like a faucet turned to full blast. A crushing pain followed, like his insides had been twisted apart.

This wasn’t right.

Even with Rebirth, Hanul shouldn’t have surpassed S-Rank. So how was he this strong?

“Councilor?” A voice called out.

Odin looked up to see one of the Pandemonium villains he’d hired.

“What the hell happened? Why’d you shoot up from below like that?”

“You—you... what are you doing here...?”

The pain made it hard to form words. The villain pointed forward.

A member of the Black Sharp lay beaten and broken.

“I was just about to finish him off. What were you doing—”

Then, from the hole Odin had burst out of—Hanul reappeared.

He was staring straight at Odin.

“Hanul...!”

Odin flinched without realizing it. He drew on all the cursed power he had left.

“What the hell...”

The villain approached Hanul, baring his thug-like face.

“I asked you a question. Who the hell do you think you—”

Crunch.

The villain’s body was crushed from head to toe—like a tin can stomped flat.

“...”

Odin was speechless.

He’d killed the villain in one blow. That was shocking enough—but that wasn’t what left him stunned.

“That hand...”

A giant spectral hand hovered beside Hanul. The same one that had crushed the villain.

He’d seen it before.

A hand that could destroy anything the user willed it to.

That was—

“...the Authority of the Superhuman Bloodline.”

Odin couldn’t see it—

But Hanul’s eyes were flooded with messages.

You have successfully undergone Rebirth!

Superhuman Bloodline Synchronization Rate: 80%!

Authority ‘Diamond Body’ has evolved into ‘Indestructible Vajra’!

Authority ‘Conqueror’s Might’ has evolved into ‘Heaven-Piercing Overlord’!

You have acquired Authority: ‘Hand of Tyranny’!

Authority...

Countless messages followed.

But Hanul paid them no attention.

His focus was solely on Odin.

“Don’t even think about running.”

Hanul’s voice came low—like a growl from a beast.

“I’ll crush you. Down to the last splinter of bone.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]