The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 218

“Kuaack!”

Appearing out of thin air, Jae-Hyeok completed his sword-draw, fully activating Two Scythes Block a Cart as he did.

Iyarugt severed an arm and carved a wedge into the first mage’s abdomen; only his stumbling backward had spared him from being split in two. Meanwhile, two crescents[1] of sword aura flew at a wide angle and carved deep lines into the other mage’s belly and waist.

Do-Jin had appeared in the air next to Jae-Hyeok, and by the time he fell, the ground was damp with the first mage’s blood. Do-Jin chuckled despite his pounding headache. “This guy always makes an impression in the worst way.”

The mages seemed stunned rather than hurt—their severed heads, nestled in the crook of their arms, blinked repeatedly.

“This... The success rate of Flash Steps is so high.”

“I can’t believe it...”

Do-Jin gave a thin smile. “What else can I do when thunderbolts keep flying at me? Fighting to survive every day, I naturally improved my skills.”

Do-Jin’s words made no sense to the mages. Before they could think further, Jae-Hyeok closed toward the first mage while Do-Jin backpedaled.

A lightning bolt tore from the clouds and struck the mage.

The thunder tribulation? No, it’s just an imitation. Having undergone several tribulations, both mages could immediately tell the difference. Their bodies had been modified to endure tribulation lightning, so their lightning resistance was naturally high.

The first mage laughed.

“Kid, did you think this type of lightning could kill us?”

“Oh.” Seeing the mage was fine, Jae-Hyeok also looked disappointed.

Both mages snorted and began forming spells. Jae-Hyeok had dared to close the distance and mangle their bodies, so they were going to burn him to ashes first.

However, in the next moment, the spells fizzled from the mages’ hands.

Following a moment of shock and confusion, the mages’ eyes widened. They spun their heads around to examine their bodies, and what they found caused their faces to distort.

Their mana cores were destroyed—split by Jae-Hyeok’s earlier strike! They hadn’t noticed before because their undead bodies felt no pain.

“You despicable bastard!”

They were in the early stages of becoming liches, but even a fully formed lich would die without its mana core. They naturally couldn’t bear it.

“I’ll make you my companion on the way to the Underworld!”

The three mages waved their hands, and the wall of water collapsed into two blue dragons.

“Conversion magic!”

The Shinra family’s vassals, including Oh Ja-Ha, were horrified. Conversion magic was a technique that changed the form of an already cast spell. The technique itself was rare, and it was even rarer to succeed in mastering it. They had never expected to witness it in their lifetime.

One blue dragon chased Jae-Hyeok above ground, while the other burrowed underground, causing the pavement to crack and balloon; that rising wave of pavement joined the first water dragon in racing toward Jae-Hyeok.

Meanwhile, Oh Ja-Du ran to Do-Jin, who was still collapsed on the ground.

“Grab my hand!”

She was the girl who had led the charge and cleared the path for Shinra Kyeong and Oh Ja-Ha to unleash their fusion Skill. Do-Jin muttered, “I’m your senior...”

“So what?”

“Don’t speak informally to me!”

Do-Jin continued to grumble despite the life-and-death situation. But he fell silent after Oh Ja-Du picked him up. He got a clear look at his surroundings.

The battlefield was a mess.

The surge of underground water had triggered an earthquake, opening up a massive ravine that was swallowing people whole.

“Jae-Hyeok!”

Jae-Hyeok was flying through the air, jumping between chunks of falling road. It looked like the growing ravine might overtake him at any moment.

Do-Jin ground his teeth in worry.

“Damn!”

Jae-Hyeok had just become a National Treasure candidate this morning. After eight long years of suffering, he had finally escaped from the hell he’d been living through and had the right to feel happy. Yet, he found himself constantly facing new torments.

Baus! You bastards! 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Do-Jin gritted his teeth and jumped off Oh Ja-Du’s back before she could stop him.

He flew through the air, sword in hand—it was the same greatsword he’d swung thousands of times every day, even before meeting Jae-Hyeok.

“Die, you cockroach-like bastards!”

He landed before the three mages with a roar and traced a wide arc with his greatsword. His greatsword rose and fell as it passed from the first to last mage—obliterating their cradled heads with unerring precision.

The mage’s last thoughts were ones of confusion.

From the beginning, Do-Jin had done little but carry Jae-Hyeok from place to place. Wasn’t Jae-Hyeok the threat? Since when did the red-haired boy boast such monstrous strength?

In the end, the mages died without a chance to air their grievances.

The raging water dragon, raging madly after Jae-Hyeok, came to a sudden halt in mid-air before dispersing into heavy rain. It washed over the battlefield, sweeping away undead remains and rinsing the blood from the road.

“Ugh.”

The rain felt like anvils on Do-Jin’s throbbing body, especially his arm; under the force of his earlier cleave, he’d splintered the bones in his forearm.

Jae-Hyeok arrived then. He stood over Do-Jin, using his body to block the rain as his eyes silently tallied Do-Jin’s wounds. Finally, he said, “Thank you.”

Do-Jin tried to grin, but it came off as a grimace. “I was just cleaning up... my own mess...”

***

In another district of the city, remains of both human and undead littered the ground.

“Kik... Kikikik!”

In the center of the gore stood a skinny man laughing maniacally. He had dark green hair and dark circles under his eyes, features that hinted at his Baus family lineage. His name was Schwazel, a distant relative of Loren, about eight degrees removed.

“Is this really a situation to laugh at?” one of the elites from the Shinra family frowned, discomfort written across his face.

The elites had successfully captured one of the Baus family's strongest fighters with the deployment of an inescapable net, suffering minimal damage in the process. Yet, something felt off, and it didn't take long for them to realize the source of their unease.

“Of course, it’s funny,” Schwazel replied with a smirk. “While you’re all busy trying to capture me, your main camp has likely been destroyed. I’m sure the Saint has noticed by now.

Meanwhile, the master of the Shinra family stood firmly behind a formation so strong that even the undead army couldn’t penetrate it.

The Saint.

Despite the title that he had earned from a lifetime of saving others, the scene around him was anything but sacred.

The mutilated corpses of the Baus’ family knights lay in piles before him. Unable to resist his divine power, they had been purged from within, hollowed out as surely as if a small sun had lit inside their heads and chests.

Schwazel continued, “Saint, your son will be dead by now. But don’t worry too much. Unlike what you’ve done to my family’s knights, his corpse shouldn’t be damaged too badly. We Bauses never waste a corpse if we can help it.”

The elites of the Shinra family gulped nervously.

Schwazel's confident demeanor while making such terrible threats made it clear he wasn't speaking empty words.

Suddenly, a loud rumble echoed in the distance, and faint tremors reached their feet. The sound originated in the direction of the city center.

Schwazel chuckled upon seeing the apprehension in their expressions.

“I’ve assigned three mages to Shinra Kyeong, and among them are highly talented individuals; not even the Rakshasa can handle them alone. Face it, Saint, your boy is already gone.”

“F-Family Head...”

The trembling eyes of the Shinra family’s elites fell on Shinra Hyeon, urging him to rush to Shinra Kyeong as soon as possible.

Behind his cool mask, Shinra Hyeon was also panicked.

The Rakshasa’s skills were indeed extraordinary, but they definitely weren’t at the level of a National Treasure’s. If it had been, then the Shinra family wouldn’t have been able to keep him as a guardian.

“Kuahaha! I see that look in your eyes, Saint. That’s right. You’ve already lost. Your heir is gone! Your family is destined to decline!”

Suddenly, a cold and clear voice interrupted Schwazel’s laughter.

“Who did you say was lost?”

Shinra Hyeon was the first to react.

“Kyeong!”

The elites of the Shinra family also looked over and sighed in relief.

“Ohh! Young Master!”

“You’re safe! I believed in you!”

Schwazel stared blankly.

“H-how? How on earth did you do it?” His glossy eyes wandered to the Rakshasa behind Shinra Kyeong. “Rakshasa! Was it you? Are your skills even greater than the rumors?”

“I’ve never heard any rumors about myself, so I don’t know. But...” The Rakshasa scratched its beard awkwardly. “The young masters dealt with your subordinates before I had time to come forward.”

“Young masters? Those kids?”

Schwazel returned his gaze to Jae-Hyeok. His eyes flashed, and he sighed. He’d read Jae-Hyeok’s energy: it was sharp and smooth like a blade, on a completely different level from what he’d shown during the National Treasure candidate exam just this morning.

“You’ve grown this much already?”

Schwazel accepted the reality and slumped down helplessly. There were no excuses he could make. He’d failed his primary mission. He’d lost.

“Where is Her Excellency Seol Su-Ah?” Jae-Hyeok got straight to the point.

Schwazel’s eyes regained a spark of vigor at Jae-Hyeok’s words.

“Oh, her? She should’ve arrived in Austria by now. She was a coward in the end, hiding herself in ice like a turtle tucking in its shell. But that’s fine. By the grace of the Baus family, she’ll soon be reborn as a valiant death knight!”

“White Night was attacked?”

The Shinra family members murmured among themselves uneasily.

Ring ring.

Jae-Hyeok’s phone rang then. There was no caller ID, but as it happened, the final string of numbers matched Jae-Hyeok's birthday.

Jae-Hyeok’s brow twitched, and he turned to Shinra Hyeon. “This might be important. Do you mind if I take this?”

Shinra Hyeon inclined his head.

“Hello”

—As expected, you knew it was your older brother and picked up right away.

As expected, it was Kang Dae-Seong.

— You wanted me to save Seol Su-Ah, right? Bad news is she’s been taken out of Korea—but don’t worry. I’m boarding a plane to Austria now. Your big brother will smash the Baus family well and good while he’s at it. I’ll make the revival of the Kang family an event to remember! Kay bye～

Beep.

Jae-Hyeok sighed. Kang Dae-Seong’s habit hadn’t changed a bit compared to eight years ago, always yapping about monumental plans before directly hanging up the phone.

A heavy silence hung in the air. As high-level players, everyone had naturally heard Kang Dae-Seong through the phone’s speaker.

“What... does he mean by smashing the Baus family...” Schwazel was the first to break the awkward silence. “Is everyone in South Korea crazy? Don’t you guys know that all of South Korea could be reduced to ashes if you touch our family?”

No one dared to answer.

Even the always confident Shinra Kyeong gave Jae-Hyeok a nervous look. Schwazel wasn’t wrong. Korea would surely face a disaster if they provoked Austria. Ad targeting Austria’s top family, the Baus family, was a sure way to do just that.

“It’s okay.” Surprisingly, it was Shinra Hyeon who calmed Shinra Kyeong down. “The Baus family has invaded us first. A proportionate response is justified,” he stated.

The Baus family had audaciously kidnapped a National Treasure of South Korea and attempted to assassinate two National Treasure candidates, who were also ducal heirs. Regardless of how terrifying it may be, ignoring such actions would lead to a level of shame and sin that Korea’s history would never forget.

“Young Master Kang, the Shinra family will support the Kang family in this,” Shinra Hyeon declared, his deep eyes gleaming with fierce determination. Jae-Hyeok suddenly realized something; perhaps Shinra Hyeon had been waiting for someone to take the lead.

The elite of the Shinra family were roused by Shinra Hyeon’s determination and shouted loudly.

“Let’s head to Austria right now!”

“To Austria!”

At this moment, Schwazel’s body split in half as if a sword had opened him from the inside.

Blood and organs poured out, accompanied by a rush of roiling, inky mana. The mana churned, and a black portal spun into existence. A leg and then a pale face appeared as a man emerged from the portal.

“There’s no need to go all that way.”

The pressure the man radiated stole the breath of everyone present—it surpassed even Shinra Hyeon’s aura.

“I have come.”

The man smiled and flipped his green hair over his shoulder. He was none other than Loren’s father, the master of the Baus family, and one of the strongest players in the world.

“Wilhelm!”

1. Regarding Two Scythes Block a Cart’s sword auras, I will be tweaking the description as appropriate from here on. Although “Scythe-shaped” or ‘auras in the vague shape of scythes’ is what I see, at this point, I’m pretty sure the Author means to reference the blade of a scythe, not a scythe as a whole. Since that’s the case, think of them as crescents or arcs of sword aura. ☜