[Translator - Helga ]

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Chapter 218: Incarnation (1)

Having absorbed the Dragon Pearl, Kwon Hyuk grew stronger by the second.

His appearance changed, yes—but more than that, his aura was shifting so drastically, it was palpable in real time.

In contrast, Kwon Seonwoo—robbed of his Dragon Pearl—began to wither. In the blink of an eye, the dragon reverted to a human form.

“Chairman!”

Even with Kwon Hyuk standing just steps away, Joo Hayun ran straight toward Kwon Seonwoo without hesitation.

Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Kwon Hyuk no longer seemed interested in Kwon Seonwoo.

—“My dear nephew!”

All of Kwon Hyuk’s attention was now locked on Kwon Hanul.

—“Do you see this? The supreme, immortal power I now possess? I have finally obtained True Bloodline!”

Just then, Kwon Hanul who was silent until now, began to move. Kwon Hyuk reacted instantly.

—“Oh? You’re going to challenge me? Good. Show me what you’ve got!”

But Kwon Hanul wasn’t heading toward him—he went to Kwon Seonwoo, lying at his feet.

“Chairman.”

Kwon Hanul checked his condition. Thankfully, Kwon Seonwoo was still barely conscious.

But the situation was far from reassuring—his life force was fading fast.

“Wh-what do we do? At this rate, the Chairman will die!”

Even the normally composed Joo Hayun was in a panic.

It was no wonder. The wounds Kwon Seonwoo had sustained were grave enough to have already killed a lesser man.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”

Kwon Hanul’s words weren’t meant as empty reassurance.

He activated the Power of the Healthy Bloodline—and transferred all its energy to Kwon Seonwoo.

Activating ‘Healthy Bloodline’

Target is in critical condition!

Manifesting the Authority ‘Longevity and Peace’

A green aura surrounded Kwon Seonwoo. His wounds began to heal at a visible pace, and the strength drained from him gradually returned.

“This power… it’s the Healthy Bloodline, isn’t it…? Truly incredible…”

“Sir, please save your strength. You’ll recover faster that way.”

Kwon Hanul tried to stop him from talking, but Kwon Seonwoo wouldn’t be silenced.

“It’s dangerous… Forget about me and get out of here… while you still can…”

Blood spilled from Kwon Seonwoo’s lips.

“He’s… too dangerous now… I can’t… fight him anymore…”

Where he found the strength, no one could say—but Kwon Seonwoo raised a trembling hand and grabbed Hanul’s sleeve.

“Go… survive… and fight another day… this is… my final request…”

—“So moving, I might cry.”

Kwon Hyuk shook his head mockingly, as if disgusted by the sentiment.

—“Father… don’t tell me you actually thought I’d let the little one go?”

“You… of course not.”

Kwon Seonwoo slowly rose. Shockingly, he’d recovered far more than expected in such a short time.

Not just outwardly—his internal wounds and mana were also stabilized to a certain extent.

“I’ll hold him off.”

He looked at Hanul.

“At the very least, I can buy you time. Run while you can.”

“Chairman!”

Joo Hayun cried out, flustered. But Kwon Seonwoo grabbed her shoulder.

“Hayun, you understand how I feel, don’t you? So don’t stop me.”

Joo Hayun bit her lip. Her eyes shimmered, as if on the verge of tears.

“Hanul.”

Now, Kwon Seonwoo turned to Kwon Hanul. His gaze was unusually gentle.

“I’m sorry for everything.”

They say people grow honest right before death.

Kwon Seonwoo was no exception. Words he had long buried now came spilling out.

“When I first found you… I was overjoyed. For the first time in my life, I thanked the heavens.”

He grasped Hanul’s hand tightly.

“I wanted to give you everything. To fulfill the fatherly duties I never could for your father. But I couldn’t. I… wanted you to succeed me.”

Kwon Seonwoo’s hopes hadn’t rested with Kwon Hyuk or Kwon Mi. They’d always been with Kwon Hanul.

But how could he publicly choose the son of a traitor as his successor?

Besides, the heir to Hyukcheon wasn’t a position for the fainthearted.

“If I had just named you heir outright, no one would’ve accepted it. Least of all your uncle—Kwon Hyuk would never have let it slide.”

So, Kwon Seonwoo made another decision.

“I had to make you strong. But I only knew one way to do that. That’s why I treated you the way I did.”

He threw Hanul into danger time and again. Pushed him relentlessly. No matter how great the outcome, he rarely expressed satisfaction.

“Thank you… for surviving. Thank you… for standing before me today. Thank you… for growing into someone so strong under this pitiful old man.”

He said it all sincerely—every word—before finally letting go of Hanul’s hand.

—“Why say your goodbyes, Father? He’s going to die right after you anyway.”

Kwon Seonwoo’s expression hardened. Kwon Hyuk smirked at the reaction.

—“Does that anger you? Then go ahead. Try to stop me. Or wait—is it that you just can’t anymore?”

“I’ll show you I can still discipline you, brat! ”

Kwon Seonwoo summoned what was left of his energy. Using the last of his mana and stamina, he tried to invoke the Incarnation Form.

“I’ll lay down my life… to make sure this child survives…!”

But at that moment—Hanul abruptly struck the back of Kwon Seonwoo’s neck.

Caught off guard, Seonwoo collapsed, unconscious.

“...Lord Kwon Hanul!” Joo Hayun shouted in shock. Hanul, however, remained unfazed.

“I just wanted to hit him once under reasonable circumstances.”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

“If we let him be, he’ll definitely die.”

Hanul turned to the Dark Shade Unit.

“Get this old man out of here.”

“Y-you called the Chairman an old man…?”

“Am I wrong? And make sure you tie him up properly, so he doesn’t throw a tantrum if he wakes up.”

With that, Kwon Hanul stepped forward and stood before Kwon Hyuk.

“Uncle, you really had your fun, didn’t you?”

—“You make it sound so shameful. Everyone’ll think I’m some kind of childish old man.”

Kwon Hyuk laughed heartily.

—“But really, my dear nephew, does it matter? I now possess both True Bloodline and Hyukcheon!”

He clenched his fists. The power of True Bloodline emanated fiercely from his body.

—“Still so calm, are we? Ah, don’t tell me you’re relying on that power you used to kill Mei Xiao and the Dragon Slayer simultaneously?”

He laughed—a thunderous roar from within his draconic form.

—“Even a hundred tricks are no match for true mastery. No matter how many bloodlines you carry, you can’t compare to an Incarnation Form.”

And Kwon Hyuk’s Incarnation was no ordinary one—it was that of the True Black Dragon Bloodline. A tier above all other incarnations.

—“You don’t believe me? Then come. Let’s test it and see which of us is superior!”

“Must be so fulfilling, becoming True Blood, huh?”

—“Foolish question. You of all people—someone who’s tasted True Blood—should know the answer.”

True Blood.

A lineage said to be wielded only by the founding ancestor of the clan—an apex among bloodlines.

The gap between mixed and fervent blood was already vast. The gap between fervent and pureblood, even more so. But the gap between pureblood and True Blood? Unfathomable.

—“It’s incredible. Unmatched. This omnipotence—I’ve never felt anything like it. The whole world feels like it’s beneath my feet. With this, I don’t even need Hyukcheon!”

Kwon Hyuk’s euphoria was understandable. True Blood wielded power on an entirely different level.

But to Hanul’s eyes now, Hyuk’s ecstasy looked… pitiful.

—“If only you’d come a little sooner. Or grown stronger a little faster. While you were standing still, this uncle of yours reached heights no one can touch!”

“Thank you for saying exactly what I was thinking.”

—“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“You should’ve killed me when you had the chance. Because you didn’t, here I am.”

Hanul stepped forward.

And with that, he recalled the knowledge he had absorbed from Azeth Hermes.

“You worked with Aeon, so you must know. My body contains something called the Vessel.”

No one knows what the Vessel truly is.

Azeth Hermes had access to demonic knowledge but couldn’t decipher it—and thus didn’t understand the Vessel.

Hanul possessed the Vessel but lacked the knowledge to unlock its meaning.

Until now.

After completely erasing Azeth Hermes’s soul, Hanul had absorbed all his knowledge.

He couldn’t grasp everything—but with both the Half-Demon Bloodline and the Vessel, Hanul could understand far more than Hermes ever could.

“I didn’t know how to use the Vessel before. Now… I think I’m starting to understand.”

Hanul pointed a finger at Kwon Hyuk.

And said one word: “Reclaim.”

—“Reclaim?”

Kwon Hyuk tilted his head.

—“What nonsense are you spouting? Have you finally gone ma—”

His words cut off mid-sentence.

No—were forcibly cut off.

A sensation of being sucked away overwhelmed him, and in the next moment, his dragon form reverted back to human.

“…Huh?”

Kwon Hyuk looked down at his hands.

And realized: “The Black Dragon Bloodline… I can’t feel it?!”

Panicking, he opened his status screen. Again and again, he checked—but the slot where the Black Dragon Bloodline should be was empty.

“Incredible, right?”

Hanul’s calm voice drew his eyes up. He glared, eyes bloodshot.

“What… what did you do to me?!”

“I used the Vessel to reclaim your bloodline.”

Hanul said it as if it were nothing.

“You don’t seem to know this, but what’s inside me isn’t just True Blood. It’s something higher—the very origin of all bloodlines.”

In that sense, Hanul possessed something superior to True Blood.

That didn’t mean he could automatically use greater powers—but by linking the Vessel with his power, he could now reclaim bloodlines that had spread across the world.

“How does it feel to lose your Black Dragon Bloodline and become just another hunter?”

Sweat poured down Hyuk’s face.

Even for him, the shock of losing a bloodline he’d lived with all his life was profound.

Then, Hanul slowly curled the finger he’d pointed.

Suddenly, the Black Dragon Bloodline reappeared within Hyuk’s body.

“…What are you planning?”

Even with his power restored, Hyuk watched Hanul warily.

Hanul responded, “If we fought now, I’d win too easily. And that wouldn’t settle the grudge I have—for myself… and for my father.”

He clenched his fist.

“Get up, Kwon Hyuk. I’m going to beat you to death with my own two hands.”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]