[Translator - Helga ]

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Chapter 47: Forced Subjugation (2)

What... What is happening?

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With his face pressed to the ground, Ruyn Aspadam was in utter confusion.

He tried to tense his neck, pushed against the earth with both hands, gritting his teeth in a desperate attempt to rise.

But—

No matter how much strength he summoned, only his muscles trembled. He couldn’t stand.

He couldn’t even lift his head, let alone get to his feet.

“...How?”

He knew the reason. Ruyn Aspadam was a Vassal—a being bound to obey the commands of the Vassal Bloodline.

But the man before him... was of the Hyukcheon Clan. He bore the blood of the Black Dragon, not the Vassal Bloodline.

“This... doesn’t make any sense...”

It was a universal truth: no one could possess more than one bloodline.

It was as fundamental as the sun chasing away the darkness or the impossibility of lighting a fire underwater.

Then who—what—was the man standing before him?

How could he wield the power of the Vassal Bloodline while clearly possessing the Black Dragon Bloodline?

No, what was even more baffling—

“...How... how did he force me... to submit?”

Vassals must obey those of the Vassal Bloodline.

There were rare exceptions: if the gap in strength between servant and bloodline bearer was too wide, or if the servant had an unbreakable will, or if the blood purity was too diluted.

In such rare cases, a servant could resist.

Without such an exception, how else could Ruyn Aspadam have defied the orders of Nadia Blaga and Del Blaga?

“I heard it’s notoriously difficult to command a person,” a voice said, footsteps echoing closer. “But this was too easy. Is it because you’re a servant?”

Step, step—a foot landed on his head, pinning him down.

“If I crush you right here, it’d be over, nice and clean.”

Press—his head was ground into the dirt. Humiliated to his bones, Ruyn Aspadam clenched his teeth.

Then, suddenly, the foot lifted. His body felt lighter at once.

Ruyn Aspadam shot up.

“Why... did you release me?”

“What a waste that would be.”

Kwon Hanul shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’ve been curious about your skills for a while. They say you were once a contender for the world rankings, right? I should see for myself what makes you so great.”

Ruyn Aspadam blanked for a moment, stunned.

Then it hit him—Kwon Hanul was mocking him.

“I promise,” Hanul said, “from now on, I won’t use the power of the Vassal Bloodline. Come at me with everything you’ve got—try to kill me.”

A menacing killing intent consumed Ruyn Aspadam’s face.

He’d figure out later how this man of the Hyukcheon Clan had managed to command him.

For now, there was only one thing to do: repay this humiliation with blood.

“...Fine! I swear I’ll kill you!”

Ruyn Aspadam exploded with fury. A savage aura radiated in all directions, as if he’d leap at Hanul any second.

“You’re still not going to use skills?” Hanul asked.

“I told you already! I don’t need skills to deal with trash like you!”

Ruyn Aspadam stomped the ground.

Boom—air cracked as he shot forward, fist swinging toward Kwon Hanul’s face.

In that instant, Hanul’s hands wrapped around Ruyn Aspadam’s arm.

“...?”

No time to react—his vision flipped. A sudden floating sensation, followed by a bone-shattering impact on his back.

“Gah!”

Pain exploded throughout his body, but he quickly understood what had happened.

He’d been thrown.

The moment he’d punched, Hanul had grabbed his arm and slammed him into the ground.

“If you move the same way three times, of course I’ll catch on.”

Hanul clenched his fist, Dragon Demon Aura swirling around it.

“W-wait—!”

Before Ruyn Aspadam could stop him, Hanul brought down his fist.

The Dragon Demonic Aura pierced through Ruyn Aspadam’s torso.

* * *

Outside the Dungeon

Nadia Blaga had run for her life, using every ounce of strength she had left.

The moment she exited the dungeon gate, she screamed, “Help me!”

The Hyukcheon hunters outside froze, staring at her in shock.

An uninvited person had just burst out of the gate. Naturally, they were alarmed.

“An intruder?”

“Let’s capture her first.”

They moved in, but Nadia grabbed them first, yelling, “W-wait! That’s not important right now! Kwon Hanul—Lord Kwon Hanul—is in danger!”

The hunters stiffened. They didn’t know the full story, but something was clearly wrong.

“Get Lord Kwon Jiseok, now!”

One hunter darted away. Moments later, Kwon Jiseok arrived, with Joo Hayun at his side.

“What the hell is going on? She came out of the gate?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Who the hell are you? How did you get inside the dungeon?”

“She’s of the Blaga family,” Joo Hayun said, eyeing Nadia.

“What? The Blaga family? Why is she coming out of our dungeon?”

At that moment, Nadia realized her grave mistake.

She, a member of the Blaga family, had trespassed into a dungeon under Hyukcheon jurisdiction.

This could spark a full-blown conflict between the families.

Should she lie? Dodge the issue?

For a moment she hesitated, but quickly decided: Kwon Hanul’s safety came first.

“L-Lord Kwon Hanul is in danger!”

“Kwon Hanul? What about him?”

“R-Ruyn Aspadam... that madman is trying to kill him!”

Joo Hayun’s eyes widened. Without a word, she turned.

“Where are you going?” Jiseok asked.

“To save Lord Kwon Hanul.”

She bolted toward the dungeon gate, vanishing in an instant.

One team member turned to Kwon Jiseok.

“What should we do? Send backup?”

“Are you kidding? Even all of you together wouldn’t be much help to Hayun.”

“True, but...”

“We stay here. You, contact the Seoul Defense Corps. Now.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kwon Jiseok gave rapid orders.

“And you...”

Nadia flinched. Now that she’d helped Hanul, it was time to worry about her own life.

“I won’t kill you. But you will tell me everything.”

“Oh my, how frightening.”

A voice, soft as feathers brushing the ear, rang out.

Catalina Blaga was approaching.

“What are you planning to do to such a delicate girl?”

She wore a crimson velvet dress, her deeply cut neckline radiating an intimidating presence.

Despite her alluring appearance, no one—including Kwon Jiseok—paid her beauty any attention.

“Catalina Blaga,” Jiseok growled, grinding his teeth.

“You slipped a Blaga bloodline member into my dungeon? You want a war with Hyukcheon?”

“Oh my, do I look like an idiot to you?”

“Then what’s the meaning of this? Explain yourself. Now. Or else...”

He grabbed Nadia by the throat. She choked, gasping for air.

“If that girl dies, things get complicated. Why not hand her over to me for now?”

“Don’t talk nonsense—”

Catalina’s eyes glowed pink. At once, Jiseok’s tense expression relaxed slightly.

“...!?”

He snapped out of it quickly, but realized his hands were empty.

“Cough, cough...”

“Nadia, you’ve had a rough time. Are you alright?”

Nadia was suddenly at Catalina’s side. She coughed, clinging to her.

“L-Lady Catalina! T-this is bad! Ruyn Aspadam... he’s finally lost control!”

“I know.”

“D-Del is dead... and he’s gone to kill Lord Kwon Hanul too!”

“I know everything. Don’t worry.”

“We have to stop him, now—what?”

Nadia’s face went blank. She couldn’t comprehend what she’d just heard.

“Y-you knew Ruyn Aspadam would do this?”

Catalina nodded.

Nadia’s face twisted in rage.

“H-How could this happen…? Uncle Del is dead! And I-I almost died too! How could something like this—!”

“Because this is what I wanted.”

Nadia Blaga was left speechless by the absurd reply.

“W-What in the world…”

“Let’s stop with the headache-inducing talk, shall we?”

“Please, explain everything in detail! Otherwise, I’ll never—”

“You’ll understand, won’t you?”

Catalina Blaga spoke in a gentle tone. Nadia Blaga’s tense face relaxed. She simply nodded blankly.

“I’m glad you understand.”

Catalina clapped her hands with joy. Kwon Jiseok looked at her with utter disgust.

“What the hell do you think of your own bloodline?”

“You’re really angry, huh? People of Hyukcheon truly value things like this. You could call it… strong family ties.”

“Shut up.”

Fury ignited Kwon Jiseok’s fists. A chilling bloodlust surged toward Catalina Blaga.

Despite receiving the lethal intent of Hyukcheon’s bloodline—especially from one of pure lineage—Catalina merely smiled.

“Are you really going to fight me? You don’t stand a chance.”

Her aura shifted. In that instant, Kwon Jiseok’s killing intent vanished completely.

She hadn’t summoned any magic or emitted any hostility.

Simply by revealing her presence, Catalina Blaga had completely overwhelmed his momentum.

“I don’t like getting physical… but none of you here are capable of threatening me.”

Only then did Kwon Jiseok fully grasp the reality.

The woman standing before him was of pure blood from the Blaga family—the eldest and most ancient elder.

Not just himself, even if his entire team attacked, they wouldn’t reach even the tip of the power Catalina Blaga had amassed.

Unless it was someone like his older brother or Kwon Seonwoo, no one could deal with this woman.

“This crazy bitch, what nonsense is she spewing now?”

Even so, Kwon Jiseok didn’t back down. Instead, his killing intent only grew stronger.

“The Republic of Korea is Hyukcheon’s territory. And you dare make threats after committing crimes?”

Catalina tilted her head slightly.

“I’m telling you—you’ll die if you try.”

“So what?”

“Pardon?”

Kwon Jiseok summoned his magic. And not just him—his entire team followed suit.

“…”

For once, Catalina Blaga was at a loss for words.

“…Ah, I forgot. This is Hyukcheon, after all.”

Fools who lived solely by their pride.

Idiots who’d charge in to avenge any fallen kin, dragging the entire family into a blood feud.

But they had the skills to back it up—monsters feared by all.

“Hmm, but I can’t exactly kill you all.”

“Then shut up and die quietly.”

“Could you wait a moment?”

Suddenly, Catalina Blaga pulled out her smartphone and made a call.

“Oh, it’s me. The plan’s gone a bit sideways. Things turned out like this. You’re asking why I didn’t stick to what we agreed on? It just… happened.”

Kwon Jiseok frowned. What the hell is this woman doing?

“Please tell your brother on my behalf. You don’t want this to escalate either, right?”

Catalina ended the call. Moments later, Kwon Jiseok’s phone rang.

“What are you doing? Pick up.”

He checked the caller ID.

—Hyung—

The moment he saw the name, his mind went blank.

* * *

Kwon Hanul withdrew his fist from the ground, then turned his head away, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Ugh.”

Ruyn Aspadam’s condition was horrific. A gaping hole had torn through his abdomen, revealing everything inside.

“Should I take the body with me?”

As Kwon Hanul pondered, Ruyn Aspadam’s fingers twitched.

“…What?”

Startled, Kwon Hanul instinctively backed away from the corpse.

Ruyn Aspadam didn’t stop at twitching—he clenched his fist tightly.

“Ggh… grrrgh…”

Slowly, Ruyn Aspadam stood up. The movement was grotesque, like a puppet being pulled up by strings.

“Grgh… grrraah…”

He groaned. Kwon Hanul finally managed to speak.

“…How are you alive?”

Hunters have extraordinary vitality, but this was beyond any limit.

With his organs blown out and his spine ripped clean, survival should’ve been impossible.

“Heh-heh, this is the grace of Lady Catalina Blaga.”

The massive wound in his abdomen began to heal rapidly. His spine regenerated, and his organs and muscles filled back in.

Kwon Hanul had seen something similar from Catalina Blaga before.

“…The power of an blood-bound.”

Becoming an blood-bound granted various abilities. He’d heard of it, but this was the first time he saw it firsthand.

“This is beyond imagination.”

Catalina Blaga’s regenerative powers were incredible, but Ruyn Aspadam was no slouch either.

To recover from a fatal wound in an instant—this was beyond normal.

“Ahh, I feel no more pain.”

Ruyn Aspadam smiled in satisfaction.

“What a pity. You missed your chance to kill me.”

He released his magic, which morphed into a vivid blue electrical force.

The crackling energy scraped against trees and the ground, making a cacophony of noise.

“You said you wanted to see my Thunder Fist?”

Electric force surged around Ruyn Aspadam’s body, bursting forth with every move he made.

The secret technique of the Thunder Fist user finally came into view.

“Thunder is not only swift—it splits into thousands, tens of thousands of paths.”

The electrical force swirling around his body grew even fiercer.

“Thus, the Thunder Fist is speed, transformation, and adaptation.”

Lightning concentrated in Ruyn Aspadam’s hands and feet.

A shiver, as if his spine had been yanked out, ran up Kwon Hanul’s back.

Thunderclap Fist of Heaven – Triple Thunder

One Fist, Hundred Changes

Hundreds of strikes rained down on Kwon Hanul’s entire body.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Starfall ]

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