The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 268

The next President of Black Dragon sought justice against the Yaksha’s son, a scheming foreign aggressor—this was what China had promoted to the people.

And the narrative was perfect, portraying Zhang Soso as the embodiment of China’s power, confidence, and righteous anger—a message reinforced not just by Jae-Hyeok’s crimes but by his surname, for his father, the Yaksha, had been gone down in history as one of China’s greatest adversaries.

All this to say, today should’ve been Zhang Soso’s glorious debut.

In fact, not long ago, Black Dragon’s higher-ups had even felt grateful to Jae-Hyeok, thinking that after today, the names “Black Dragon” and “Zhang Soso” would sweep through the news, once again reminding everyone who stood at the top of the continent.

But now...

That plan had gone up in smoke.

“Y-y-you!”

Looking at Zhang Soso’s crumpled, headless form, the bodies of the Black Dragon Guild members trembled before erupting in killing intent. They stared red-eyed at the Death Knight standing over the corpse, and when the Death Knight moved to intercept Qilin, the higher-ups snapped.

One slapped the railing and roared, “Kill the criminal!”

The Death Knight held down Qilin and was too powerful for them to handle. But Jae-Hyeok was a different story.

There was no stopping a tribulation; with Jae-Hyeok's attention locked on the sky, they could surely sabotage his shot at transcendence if they gave it their all.

“Kill!”

Black Dragon’s players flew down the aisle toward the arena. Their eyes were fixed on Jae-Hyeok, but then their vision blurred, and in the next moment, a wall of steel-clad men blocked their way.

Park Chang-Cheon stepped forward, hefting his tower shield in one hand.

“You’re people have interfered enough.”

As if echoing their guildmaster’s will, the players of Guardian thumped their shields and roared, the tight rows of players sounding as one: “Today we stand as mountains, bearing wind and rain for our benefactor!”

The players of Black Dragon settled into an offensive formation, and the same higher-up who’d slapped the railing earlier growled. “You dare to obstruct your betters!? Can you bear the consequences!?”

Just then, a breeze swept the area as the students of Lion’s Castle arrived, flanking the group of Black Dragon players on both sides.

“Last I checked, this is the heart of Korea’s capital city.”

Kang Hyeon-Ah emerged from the line of students, hands on her hips. “As for who can bear what—I am indeed curious.”

A vein popped on the Black Dragon's higher-up’s head.

Had Jae-Hyeok stood alone, he would’ve died several times over by now. But in the heart of Seol, Jae-Hyeok indeed had swaths of allies hiding in the woodwork.

The Lion’s Castle students shouted.

“Your guildmaster broke the rules first, and now you aim to do the same!”

“That’s right! Did you think we’d just stand by?”

“Despicable bastards, our homeland’s hero is not someone you can touch. I was still young when we lost the Yaksha, but now things are different. I will protect the Kang family!”

Seeing the energetic atmosphere, Shinra Kyeong’s retainers shared a glance and shrugged.

“We follow Young Master Shinra’s will.”

“We’re also here to help!”

Cho Seong-Hyeon, the third son of Jaegyeong Pharmaceuticals, arrived with his subordinates on his heels

“It’s time to see what the Kang family’s sword dance can do!”

In total, as many as a hundred people had stepped forward to protect Jae-Hyeok.

Of course, most of them wouldn’t be of much help.

All of the Jaegyeong employees were trembling, and so were most of the students from Lion’s Castle.

Even Shinra Kyeong’s retainers were gulping.

As for the players of Guardian, their expressions were resolute, but the sheen of sweat slicking their brows was unmistakable.

Jae-Hyeok’s friends and allies varied in strength; meanwhile, this group of Black Dragon players was all high-level elites.

The disparity was clear.

Nevertheless, every one of Jae-Hyeok’s allies and friends had stepped forward.

Even if they couldn’t do much, even if they died...

They would give it their all.

Some fought to repay Jae-Hyeok’s favor, others fought to live up to his expectations, but all were prepared to give their lives there and then.

Seeing their determination, the other Black Dragon players felt a pang of frustration.

Qilin had indeed been the first to interrupt the duel—and now that things had gone awry, they were trying to intervene in a big way.

No matter how one looked at it, Jae-Hyeok was the victim. And with everything airing live... well, their actions really were unbecoming.

Still—

“Hmph. Right and wrong are for the powerful to decide!”

Once they brought Korea to heel, the Communist Party would alter the narrative as they pleased, and no one would say otherwise.

Thinking as much, the Black Dragon higher-up smiled grimly.

“Good. Great! Today, I’ll show you what it means to cross Black Dragon. Men, kill!”

What followed was a brief stalemate. And then—

“Cough!”

“Oof!”

The guardian guild’s shield formation began to crumble, with breaches appearing throughout.

At the same time, the students were driven back.

“H-Hye-Ji!”

“Roh Jun-Yeop!”

Despite their talent, the Lion’s Castle students were newly awakened, lacking the rich combat experience of seasoned players.

Meanwhile, be it talent, experience, or teamwork—those of Black Dragon lacked nothing, with even the lowest among them being A-class.

“Don’t stop! Take out as many as you can!”

Roh Jun-Yeop roared, but inwardly he cursed.

He’d won more Association-hosted shooting competitions than he could count, yet none of it had prepared him for the chaos of a battle. The Black Dragon players moved at breakneck speeds, casting spells and Skills not only at him but at the backs of other students caught unaware. This forced him to split his attention and constantly switch targets. Attention and focus were the keys to elite marksmanship, so now that Roh Jun-Yeop’s was split, he found it hard to even hit the hem of the Black Dragon players’ clothes.

Even so...

Fear is a luxury I can’t afford.

Roh Jun-Yeop performed a double-mag reload before redoubling his firefate.

His twin pistols blazed with mana.

Every extra minute counts.

Not only Roh Jun-Yeop but every member of the Shooting Club shared this thought. Their first impression of Jae-Hyeok had been as a rude junior. But having experienced so much together, that changed.

Now, he was one of their own.

“Come on! Kang Jae-Hyeok is counting on us!”

“Defend him to the last!”

Roh Jun-Yeop and the members of the Shooting Club believed in Jae-Hyeok more than anyone else.

A boy younger than them but who was incomparably more mature...

From the moment they’d seen Jae-Hyeok’s attitude toward the old man of the seafood restaurant, the members of the Shooting Club had come to touch on what it meant to be an aristocrat.

Jae-Hyeok’s responsibilities were as worthy as they were hefty. Yet he carried them quietly. If that wasn’t worth their respect, then what was? If that wasn’t worth their lives, then what was?

“Are you filming some type of youth drama? Delusional kids.”

“Kuaaack!”

The Black Dragon players effortlessly broke through the barrage of arrows and bullets, unleashing their killing techniques without hesitation.

Young children?

No matter what, they were still foreigners.

Moreover, this was Korea, a backwater country. Whoever they killed, their family wouldn’t dare to seek recompense from China, so the Black Dragon members felt no hesitation.

“You’ve done well.”

However, Kang Hyeon-Ah roamed the battlefield like a ghost, dissolving one crisis after another for the youths.

“T-Teacher...”

Over the past week, the youths had stayed at Kang Manor and learned a lot from Kang Hyeon-Ah.

That they’d managed to delay the players from Black Dragon at all was due to the coordination, mental fortitude, and self-defense skills they gained in her training.

“I’m proud of everyone. Yes, you really helped a lot.”

Surrounded by corpses, Kang Hyeon-Ah smiled gently at the youths.

While the youths were attracting their attention, she’d infiltrated the Black Dragon players’ central formation and carried out a massacre.

“What a monster...! What the hell is her identity?”

“Hmph. I’m his big sister.” Kang Hyeon-Ah gestured to Jae-Hyeok. “And I’m pissed.”

The players of Black Dragon felt their hearts sink.

“You’re also from the Kang family?”

First it was the Yaksha, then it was Kang Jae-Hyeok, and now it was Kang Hyeon-Ah...

The players looked at each other. They were starting to realize that the talent of Korea’s ducal family surpassed even the famous Chinese families.

A transcendent from Black Dragon stepped forward.

“Step aside. I’ll take care of her.”

National Treasure White Tiger—he was Qilin’s closest aid, having stayed by Qilin’s side even during his seclusion.

“Since Qilin has lost Zhang Soso, it’s only right that I make Kang Jae-Hyeok experience the same.”

Revenge begets revenge. It was a vicious chain that would only be broken when either side was completely destroyed.

Of course, the Kang family would be the one to perish.

No matter how powerful, the Kang family was nothing before the Black Dragon, China’s greatest martial force.

“Die!—”

Crunch.

Kang Hyeon-Ah released White Tiger, who crumpled to the ground with a broken neck.

Kang Hyeon-Ah had fulfilled the conditions to gain a title that could only be achieved under extreme circumstances and was clearly a level above Jae-Hyeok.

Even a National Treasure was no match for her when using the Kang-style martial arts that even Jae-Hyeok hadn’t mastered.

“T-this...!”

“Kang Hyeon-Ah!”

The Shinra family and Guardian were shocked, as were the broadcasters and spectators watching from a distance.

Kang Hyeon-Ah’s prowess was truly overwhelming. It seemed the Kang family really was a den of tigers.

Speaking of... Wasn’t Kang Dae-Seong’s reputation higher than Kang Hyeon-Ah’s in the past?

The eldest son of the Kang family...

To what extent had Kang Dae-Seong grown?

The Korean onlookers clenched their fists; perhaps Korea’s future was brighter than they thought.

Meanwhile, the Chinese who'd witnessed White Tiger’s brutal end felt their vision darkening.

I have a bad feeling about this.

This time, we were too rash to provoke Korea...

Sensing the mood, the Chinese broadcasters awoke from their stupor and shouted into their microphones:

“There is no guarantee that Kang Jae-Hyeok will overcome his thunder tribulation! In fact, failure is common!”

“Indeed! According to surveys, players have a 5% chance of surviving their first thunder tribulation. After all, no matter how strong they are, the potency of the lightning scales proportionally.”

“Exactly, and in that sense, the higher their stats, the more likely they are to lose their lives.”

As reminded by the Chinese broadcasters, several Black Dragon players shared glances before several water-type mages stepped forward and cast a flurry of water jets and spheres toward Jae-Hyeok.

The changed environment had an immediate effect.

“Cough!”

Jae-Hyeok had calmly cut through the first lightning bolt. But now that he cut through the second one, he trembled violently and coughed up dark red blood.

He looked precarious, as if his sword was going to fall from his hand.

“No!”

Kang Hyeon-Ah’s face paled.

“Kuek!”

At this time, Theodore was unable to withstand the Qilin’s onslaught and fell.

Rumble!

A third thunderbolt struck Jae-Hyeok.

“I don’t even need to step forward.”

Qilin sighed as he saw the thickness of the yellow lightning bolt.

Even I would have a hard time blocking this...

In the midst of this desperate situation, the water around Jae-Hyeok froze solid.

Seol Su-Ah arrived at the edge of the arena with her hands clasped behind her back. She leveled a flat gaze toward the player of Black Dragon.

“Petty tricks.”

Then she turned her gaze on Jae-Hyeok.

Show me your determination.

Although she’d eliminated the negative interaction between the water and lightning attributes, the lightning bolt condensing in the sky was still monstrously thick.

The bolt tore from the clouds like a descending dragon.

“Ohhhhh!”

Everyone is supporting me.

Having been alone for the last eight years, Jae-Hyeok wasn’t sure what to make of the unfamiliar warmth swelling in his heart.

But he quickly found he liked it.

What was an aristocrat? An aristocrat was someone who was loved and trusted because they were qualified.

He could feel everyone's love and trust.

Now, it was time to prove he was qualified.

Slash!