Crackle.
The heat spreading from Gu Cheol-un's toes. The energy gradually taking shape transforms into flames.
The flames that began to scorch the floor soon became a heat haze. As if expressing its master's emotions, they blazed ever more fiercely.
How could he not be furious? He wanted to burn everything down this very instant.
Even so, he somehow endured it.
If one were to describe Gu Cheol-un's life, it would be a life of endless endurance and agony.
This was the inevitable path for all blood relatives born into the Gu family, and the karma of the household.
And among them, Gu Cheol-un's life was particularly so.
A family born to inherit the atonement and karma of their ancestors.
In the history of such a Gu family, from its inception to the present, there had never been anyone like Gu Cheol-un.
Everything about him was unprecedented.
When his father was still his father. Those were the words he often said to Gu Cheol-un.
That there had never been anyone like him in the Gu family's history.
Yes, as if to prove those words, Gu Cheol-un was special. Not only did he possess a considerably large frame for a blood relative of the Gu family, who were typically small in stature, but he also immediately entered the *Iseong* stage the moment he began learning the Gu Family's Flame Wheel Art.
It took him less than a year to reach the *Oseong* stage, which typically took an average of five years.
Growing stronger just by breathing and sleeping.
That was the saying people used to joke about.
A genius sent by the heavens.
One with no equal in history. A monster who could perhaps even be compared to Yeon Il-cheon, the man who stopped the Blood Calamity.
In the Gu family, Gu Cheol-un was such an existence.
A presence far too remarkable to wither away stuck in Shanxi, let alone within the Gu family.
Therefore, Gu Cheol-un's father, the current Head of the Gu Family, made a choice.
For the first time in history, he sent a direct blood relative of the Gu family out into the outside world.
It was an unprecedented event.
While one could leave if they assumed the position of Family Head or Young Master, they were never outright sent out into the outside world like this.
How could he make such a choice?
He couldn't understand. Because of that, he wanted to ask, but it was too late for that now.
The Family Head from back then was no longer around.
Even though he called him father and the former Family Head, the man from that time was gone.
It was because he had taken on the karma that the Head of the Gu Family must bear. And it was a path that Gu Cheol-un would eventually have to follow.
And so, following the Family Head's will, Gu Cheol-un stepped out into the world at the age of nineteen. He had no grand purpose of his own.
He had merely accepted his father's will to go out and experience the world.
Thus, Gu Cheol-un sometimes wondered.
Were the things he experienced back then truly of any help?
Seeing things he didn't need to see, experiencing things he didn't need to experience... Did that time truly produce the right outcome his father had hoped for?
The answer that surfaced was no.
The world hadn't changed in the slightest.
If anything, it had only gotten worse; not a single thing had improved.
The only thing that had changed was himself.
Then, was that a right outcome?
No. He couldn't even say that.
In the first place, he couldn't even judge right from wrong. He couldn't determine what was right himself.
His entire life had been like that.
For what did he have to live like this? Was there any meaning in a belief without purpose?
He couldn't know, nor did he bother to try.
Just like this. Quietly and silently. Even if he had nothing to call a conviction, couldn't he just live on?
The young man who lived harboring such thoughts—
—"Nice to meet you."
—met a woman one day, and a crack formed.
Something began to fill the emptiness inside him.
It didn't take long for him to realize that it was emotion.
At the same time, a conviction was born.
It was nothing grand. At first, simply listening to her was all there was to it.
—"Don't do that."
Before doing something, he would think twice. And if possible, he would hold back.
—"Make sure to eat before you go. It's cold, so be careful."
—"I will."
—"And you can't go around hitting people again."
—"I won't."
Such small things strangely filled his hollow heart.
Ironically, this was what allowed him to endure even when his life became wretched.
Before he knew it, he stopped pondering about right and wrong.
By the time he realized it, only one thing was truly important to him.
There was no need to grandly call it a conviction.
It was simply a desire.
The simple desire to protect someone. The desire that he *must* protect them.
A resolution that no matter what storms came, he would protect her.
At the time, that was enough for Gu Cheol-un.
No, not just at the time; it would still be enough even now. If there was a difference, it was that it was no longer just about her.
He weathered fierce storms.
Without caring about right or wrong, he lived focusing only on one thing.
Living for someone else wasn't so bad after all. If it was what she wanted, he would do anything.
That was why.
—"...Please."
At the end of the time they had desperately carved out, the fact that he ultimately had to send off the woman who was more precious than his own life with his very own hands—it was all because of that.
—"Take care of the children."
He repeated her final words.
Truly wicked words. *How could I do that without you?* Gu Cheol-un swallowed the words he couldn't bear to say out loud.
It was exactly as he thought. Without her, Gu Cheol-un was nothing.
An incompetent fool who could do nothing but watch his children crumble and break.
Only then did Gu Cheol-un realize he had never truly lived as a father.
There was nothing he couldn't do. Even if there was, if he set his mind to it, he could accomplish anything.
But being a father didn't allow for that.
His daughters, who had begun to fear him.
And his son, who looked at him filled with terror and resentment—he didn't know what to do. The void left behind was enough to destroy what remained.
He turned a blind eye. It wasn't because he had no other choice.
He merely chose the coward's way of avoiding it.
He covered his eyes so he wouldn't see.
He closed his ears so he wouldn't hear.
Even if there was something he could do, he chose not to.
Wouldn't it be fine to just grow numb like this? Wouldn't it be okay to just be swept away, diluted, and crumble?
Such thoughts eventually crossed his mind. He didn't even know how many years had passed.
He slowly buried himself. Nothing mattered anymore.
As he lived through yet another day like that—
—"...Do I... really have to do this?"
He raised his head at the sudden voice.
—"Yes, you have to do it. I'll do it."
His hazy vision cleared a little. Something was different from usual.
—"But do I really have to...?"
—"...?"
—"Yes. I'll go out and see..."
It was his son. As Gu Cheol-un looked at him, the boy flinched and walked away, muttering under his breath.
Watching him, Gu Cheol-un tilted his head.
What was it?
Something was different.
But he couldn't tell what.
At a glance, he seemed the same as always. A boy who, like himself, had been broken ever since that day.
Knowing that, he hadn't been able to do anything. The shackles that held him by the ankles.
By the time he realized that it was fear, it was already too late.
Yes, that was what he thought. That he was far too late. That it was already over and nothing could be reversed.
Or so he thought.
—"They say Young Master Il engaged in a duel with the Thunder Dragon."
Surprisingly, a change occurred.
—"Thunder Dragon?"
—"Yes. And they say he even emerged victorious..."
—"..."
His son was changing.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to realize this.
—"Young Master Il, this time in Shaanxi—"
—"Young Master Il, at this Dragon and Phoenix Gathering..."
—"Young Master Il, at this Divine Dragon Pavilion..."
It truly happened in a flash.
From the moment he recognized that the boy had changed, up until now.
While he remained stuck in the same place, the boy had prepared to stand on his own.
Even though there must surely be scars and lingering resentment.
Whether he was trying to endure or overcome it, his son was striving to change.
What kind of emotional shifts or processes did he go through?
Was accepting the Sword Lord and his granddaughter the reason? Gu Cheol-un didn't know.
It wasn't his place to know, and there was only one thing he considered important.
The boy, who had perhaps suffered even more than he had, was struggling to stand up like that.
Yet what was he doing?
—"Take care of the children."
The voice he had tried to forget rang out once more.
He thought there would be nothing left after sending away what he had to protect, but he realized that wasn't true.
There were far too many things he should have held onto long ago, and far too many things he still needed to protect.
Yet he had done nothing.
Ten years had passed like that. Ten years where he had done absolutely nothing.
Time wasted doing nothing while his child changed.
—"Father."
One day, his son called him father.
He thought he would never hear it again, nor did he have the right to wish for it.
Because he was far too lacking to be called a father. Yet, those words struck him profoundly deep within.
It was the moment he truly felt what he had to protect.
—"Please."
The words that came to mind every day were always the same, yet felt different each time. And this time was no exception.
What does it mean to be a father?
He didn't know. He had never properly experienced it himself.
Was it truly alright to try and understand it this late?
The question crossed his mind, but this was no time to hesitate.
To hesitate was already too late.
It couldn't get any later than this, so why hesitate?
"Speak."
So he had to do what he could.
Because he hadn't. From now on, he had to see it through.
*Crack.*
"Kugh!"
An old man's neck that could be snapped at any moment.
Grabbing it, he spoke.
"If you're thinking of making excuses, drop them. Do you think I don't know that it was also your intention?"
He wanted to burn everything down this instant, but barely held back.
The habit of holding back once before doing something was a routine he had formed decades ago.
He loosened his grip slightly.
"Hah... haa."
It was to hear his answer.
"Speak."
Depending on the answer, Gu Cheol-un would make his choice.
Whether to erase the Murim League from this world right now, or to endure it.
As he thought of that and stared at Muk-yeon—
"...Gu Daeju."
Muk-yeon spoke to him. Hearing those words, Gu Cheol-un's brow twitched as he replied.
"Correct my title. Do I still look like a mere Daeju to you?"
"I apologize..."
"I didn't ask for an apology. Didn't I tell you to give me an explanation?"
Intimidated by Gu Cheol-un's resolute demeanor, Muk-yeon fell silent for a moment.
As he hesitated over how to begin, a fleeting moment passed before he finally opened his mouth.
"...It was because Young Master Gu was needed by the Murim League. He knew this as well, which is why he made that choice."
"So, are you trying to make the excuse that it was the boy's choice?"
"Young Master Gu wanted something from the League, and the League wanted something from him. It was simply a transaction—"
"I see."
Muk-yeon painstakingly offered his explanation, but Gu Cheol-un merely nodded as he listened.
"You haven't changed. Always shifting the blame elsewhere."
Seeing this, Muk-yeon's eyes widened.
"I'm certain."
It was because he realized what choice Gu Cheol-un had made.
"You are unnecessary. You were back then, and you still are now."
*Fwoosh.*
Sparks erupted.
Gu Cheol-un's body was engulfed in flames. He had made his choice.
Today, he would erase the Murim League from this world.
Whatever consequences arose from it, he would bear them.
As a wretched father, he could at least do that much.
And also—
'The karma I carry is the same.'
The karma and shackles of the Gu family—he would sever them all himself.
He would not pass down that unnecessary atonement to his son.
With that thought, Gu Cheol-un unleashed his aura.
The Sword Emperor made his move.
Sword qi filled his broken blade.
Seeing this, Gu Cheol-un moved his hand first. The Kalpa Fire shifted at his gesture.
Before the Sword Emperor could swing his arm, Gu Cheol-un's hand was already shooting toward his face.
At that moment.
*Shwaaa-!!*
A sudden gale swept in from somewhere, forcing a separation between Gu Cheol-un and the Sword Emperor.
"...!"
Seeing this, Gu Cheol-un retracted his hand. He then frowned and created some distance.
He didn't necessarily have to avoid it.
Normally, he would have ignored the gale and ripped off the Sword Emperor's head.
Yet he stepped back.
The reason was simply because of who owned that gale.
The gale that had separated Gu Cheol-un and the Sword Emperor was undeniably a brilliant gold.
As if it had embraced the moonlight.
*****************
*Swish, swish.*
He stepped outside, wiping his hands with a cloth.
They were drenched in blood, so he had to at least wipe them off roughly.
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue briefly.
His mood was quite foul. It wasn't because he felt uneasy about killing people at this point.
"The intel is pretty disappointing."
The information he extracted wasn't much. That was what disappointed him.
He had killed quite a lot of them, yet even as they died, not a single one spilled any information.
To be precise, it wasn't that they refused to talk...
'I should probably assume they just don't know anything.'
These bastards simply didn't know anything.
Why they were doing this. Why they were involved with the Gyecheon Gate.
He kept asking what kind of bastards they were, but their only answer was that they didn't know.
Was it because they were mere underlings? For them to have so little information...
Just in case, he even used the Demon Transformation on them and interrogated them, but the answer remained the same.
Ah, but there was one thing he did manage to find out.
It was that they were an organization.
It wasn't anything major, just the name of their faction? He'd have to look further into the rest, but for now, that was the only thing he could figure out.
And the name was probably...
"Ilcheon-gyo."
Ilcheon-gyo (一天敎).
It was an organization he had never even heard of in his past life.