Chapter 33

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

Chapter 33: The Emergence of Bloodlines (2)

“This is absurd!”

The head of the Mei Clan roared.

He was so agitated that the muscles and veins on his face looked like they might burst at any moment.

“An Incarnate Body? No matter who you are, this is impossible!”

His cries, full of despair, poured out as if the sky had collapsed.

That’s how desperately the Mei Clan leader wanted to deny the reality before him.

“You’re a grown man—stop squealing like a child.”

“Since when? When did you reach the state of Incarnation?”

Kwon Seonwoo responded with a bored expression.

“You look pitiful, so I’ll humor you. I reached that state after your father died.”

For a moment, the Mei Clan leader’s face went blank.

“That was twenty years ago... Then why didn’t anyone know about this?”

“Because I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

“Because there was no need to.”

“So why didn’t you—”

“You idiot.”

Kwon Seonwoo clicked his tongue.

“A trump card is only useful if it stays hidden.”

The Mei Clan leader clamped his mouth shut. In his empty, stunned eyes, a glint of murderous intent slowly returned.

“All members of the Mei Clan, hear me! Kill Kwon Seonwoo, the head of Hyukcheon, right now!”

The Mei clansmen turned to him, their faces filled with confusion.

“Even if he’s an Incarnate Body, flying here from the northern Korean Peninsula isn’t easy! And he even breached our aerial defense systems!” The clan leader shouted with conviction. “His stamina and mana must be depleted! This is our chance—kill him before he can recover!”

His words carried undeniable logic.

The wavering eyes of the Mei clansmen began to regain their fighting spirit.

They tightened their grip on their weapons and glared at Kwon Seonwoo.

Kwon Seonwoo watched them with indifference.

“Still as rude as ever. Instead of facing me yourself, you send these lowly insects to do your bidding?”

The Mei clansmen charged at him.

In truth, fear outweighed hostility in their minds.

Their instincts, long buried, were screaming at them.

‘If we don’t kill him, we’ll die. No— the entire Mei Clan will be destroyed.’

“This is seriously annoying.”

As the Mei clansmen closed in, they thrust their weapons at Kwon Seonwoo.

“You dare bare your fangs at me?”

His eyes gleamed with power—and in an instant, their heads exploded.

Their headless bodies collapsed to the ground. The others skidded to a halt, panic in their eyes.

“E-Everyone… they’re dead.”

“W-What just happened?”

Kwon Seonwoo hadn’t lifted a finger. He had done nothing, yet over a dozen Mei clansmen’s heads had burst.

“...Intent Overwhelming the Spirit.”

Only one person recognized it.

“The head of Hyukcheon… has reached a level where he can kill with intent alone!”

It was the stage just before Heart Sword—a realm every Hunter dreamed of.

After hearing "Intent Overwhelming the Spirit," there was no longer any resolve in the Mei clansmen’s eyes.

Only raw terror remained, as though they stood before a monster beyond comprehension.

“What are you waiting for? You drew your weapons—now you’re thinking of running?”

Despite Kwon Seonwoo’s taunt, the Mei clansmen only stumbled backward.

“That won’t do. You need to pay the price.”

He unleashed his Dragon Aura.

Black energy spiraled and surged toward the sky.

“A dragon’s tail?”

One of the Mei clansmen muttered.

In the next instant, the Dragon Aura swept across the field.

Those caught in it were completely vaporized.

The Mei Clan leader could only watch in stunned silence, speechless from the overwhelming devastation.

“You thought I’d be exhausted from coming all this way?”

The clan leader violently shook his head. Over and over. As hard as he could.

Kwon Seonwoo smiled.

“You were exactly right.Still, you’re surprisingly sharp for someone leading a whole clan.”

Another emotion flickered across the Mei Clan leader’s face.

What… did he just say?

“Flying all the way here from Hyukcheon wasn’t easy. I even got attacked along the way.”

What is he trying to say?

“Honestly, I just want to lie down and rest right now.”

Kwon Seonwoo opened a dimensional pocket and pulled something out.

The clan leader flinched, thinking it might be a relic weapon.

But what Kwon Seonwoo produced wasn’t a relic or a weapon—it was a plain folding chair, the kind used for fishing trips.

“I’m going to take a break. You should keep that in mind.”

The Mei Clan leader felt his blood pressure spike. How low did he think of the Mei Clan to act like this?

But if Kwon Seonwoo’s words were true, this might be the perfect chance to kill him.

“Oh, and don’t get any ideas.”

Kwon Seonwoo leaned back in the chair, almost lying down.

“You didn’t really think I came here alone, did you?”

He pointed to the sky. Instinctively, the clan leader looked up.

Under the blue sky, a circle even bluer had formed.

Its interior was filled with mysterious symbols and text.

The clan leader recognized it immediately—as would any Hunter.

It was the summoning circle they’d all seen countless times in dungeons.

“A magic circle? Did you bring Joo Hayun with you?”

Before Kwon Seonwoo could respond, dozens of people descended from the sky.

Strangely, they didn’t gather around Kwon Seonwoo—but surrounded Kwon Myung-woo.

It made sense.

Their direct superior wasn’t Kwon Seonwoo—it was Kwon Myung-woo.

“Awaiting orders!”

Dozens of soldiers dropped to one knee. Kwon Myung-woo’s eyes widened.

“Why are you guys here?”

Hyukcheon Corps

The most elite and powerful unit in the Hyukcheon Group, rulers of East Asia.

And they were here.

The Hyukcheon Corps stood up from their kneel.

Gone was the heavy tension—their faces now lit up with playful grins.

“Captain, you were in danger. Of course we had to come.”

“You’re getting old, sir. Not like the good ol’ days.”

“You hurt anywhere?”

Kwon Myung-woo growled, irritated at their concern.

“Who the hell do you think you're worried about?! Of course I’m fine, you bastards!”

“Eh, you really don’t look fine though.”

“Yeah, seems like you got stabbed a fair few times all over.”

“You punks! Want to come over here and check for yourselves?!”

Kwon Myung-woo swung his fists in the air. The members of the Hyukcheon Corps flinched and scattered in surprise.

“Boss, please, even as a joke, don’t do that.”

“Seriously! If you hit us, we’ll be bedridden for three days!”

“Shut it! But why are you showing up just now? Weren’t you supposed to come with hyung?”

“Yeah, we came together. Never thought I’d get the chance to ride on the back of a dragon in this life.”

“Then what the hell were you doing all this time before showing up?”

“Chairman said he’d handle the intimidation part first and told us to come down after.”

“So Hayun and I were just hovering in the air for a bit.”

Kwon Myung-woo shifted his gaze toward Kwon Seonwoo, who now had his eyes closed as if none of this concerned him.

“Where did Hayun go?”

“She said she had someone to help and disappeared first.”

“Someone to help? Ah, you mean that guy, huh.”

Kwon Myung-woo nodded as if understanding.

“I’ve never seen Hayun so concerned about someone else before.”

“Man, when word of this gets out, there’ll be tons of men crying. Look, a few in the Hyukcheon Corps are already tearing up.”

“Shut it, you punks! Enough chatter, deal with those bastards already!”

“Yes, sir!”

The Hyukcheon Corps replied playfully and turned toward the Mei clan forces.

In that instant, the air shifted completely. All lightheartedness vanished, replaced by a crushing, iron-clad killing intent that pressed down on the Mei bloodline.

“Leave the Mei Clan Head and the ‘Greatest Sword of the Central Plains’ to me. Those two are mine. Got it?”

“At your command!”

The Hyukcheon Corps scattered in all directions. The Mei Clan Head also issued his command.

“Draw your weapons, all of you! Sever the heads of those Hyukcheon bastards!”

Yet, even with the order, the Mei clan members hesitated. Fear had already taken root deep in their hearts.

“Pull yourselves together!”

The Mei Clan Head shouted sternly at his people.

“This is Mei territory! Are you seriously planning to lose to the Hyukcheon clan on our own land?!”

His roar shook the pride of the Mei clan members. One by one, their fighting spirit returned to their eyes.

“The relics are still active! Our main force is on its way back!”

This was Mei territory.

They still had the advantage in numbers and terrain.

Even with the Hyukcheon bloodline showing up, it was like adding a drop of water to muddy waters.

“Drive out the invaders!”

The Mei clan, wielding weapons imbued with Shura’s Wrath, surged forward. The Hyukcheon Corps responded with a surge of Dragon Aura.

A crimson tide clashed with a black wave.

And the crimson tide began to be pushed back.

Over a hundred men were being overwhelmed by just a few dozen. The sight was so shocking that the Mei Clan Head was left speechless.

“What the hell is this…!”

Suddenly, a realization struck him.

“We’ve already lost… in spirit.”

The appearance of Kwon Seonwoo had completely crushed the Mei clan’s will to fight.

The Mei Clan Head had tried to reignite that flame with sheer force.

But no matter how much you try to revive a dying fire, it’ll never burn as bright as before.

A demoralized Mei clan against a Hyukcheon Corps blazing with resolve.

The outcome was already sealed.

“It’s not over yet! It’s not over!” The Mei Clan Head gritted his teeth and shouted, “Activate all relics! We must crush Hyukcheon here and now, no matter what!”

His eyes gleamed with madness.

“Kill them! Kill them no matter what! If we take out Hyukcheon’s Strongest Fist and Kwon Seonwoo, Hyukcheon won’t be feared anymore! Our Mei clan can devour them whole!”

And then—

<‘Light of Shura’ has vanished. Your stats have returned to normal.>

<‘Fragrance of Eculus’ dissipates. Your mana manipulation returns to its original state.>

<You are freed from the effects of ‘Battlefield Narrowness’. Your will and combat intent subside.>

<‘Cursed Eye’ closes. Your curse resistance is restored to normal.>

<‘Black Hatred’ no longer aids you.>

The relics suddenly ceased to function. The Mei Clan Head panicked.

“What… what is this…?”

“Mei Tian!”

A voice shouted his full name from afar. The Mei Clan Head turned in that direction.

At the heart of the Mei estate, where the relics were stored, stood Mei Hong.

“I’ve cut off the mana supply to all the relics!” Mei Hong shouted with fury. “This is how I’ll avenge my parents!”

“That… that wretch, and at a time like this…”

He wanted to rip her head from her shoulders right then and there.

But now was not the time to worry about Mei Hong.

With the relics’ powers gone, the Hyukcheon Corps’s assault intensified.

The Mei clan couldn’t hold out at all. Weapons shattered, skulls cracked, spines crumbled.

The bloodline—members of the Mei clan—were being slaughtered.

Yet the Mei Clan Head couldn’t help them.

He had to worry about his own life first.

“…Clan Head.”

Mei Rong swallowed hard and spoke.

“You should get ready.”

Not far away, an overwhelming energy surged.

It felt like standing next to seething lava.

“Now this is living.”

Kwon Myung-woo was now free of the relics’ interference, unleashing his full Dragon Aura.

The energy gathered in his fist—compressed, and compressed again, crystallizing like a gem.

Fist Aura.

A technique of the Transcendent.

With that energy wrapped around both hands, Kwon Myung-woo shouted, “Mei Clan Head! And ‘Greatest Sword of the Central Plains’! Let’s settle this once and for all!”

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]