Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 322

Weapon-Devouring Bastard – Episode 322

Amidst the gathered crowd, I revealed the secrets I had learned from the Aerial Fortress.

“Let me start by stating this clearly: Yi Hyul-hyun, the figure we know as the founder of the Sungmu Yi family, was a real person.”

This was, of course, obvious to the members of the Sungmu Yi family.

As puzzled looks spread through the crowd, I continued without pausing.

“A long time ago, the founder endured a great battle. It was a fight against a monster – a being I think you all have some awareness of. I’m referring to the black clouds that appeared in the northern uncultivated lands, Sector B-1, in Northern Europe…”

The first to react were Aunt Yi Kyung-hwa and my twin brothers.

Aunt Yi Kyung-hwa had experienced it firsthand in Sector B-1, and my twin brothers would have recognized its presence from the Aerial Fortress.

But it wasn’t just them; everyone gathered there was aware of *something*.

Everyone present would recognize some unidentified energy or existence that couldn’t be explained by magic alone.

I might not be able to pinpoint it exactly due to the record deletion phenomenon [a magical effect causing memory loss or altered recollections], but I was certain they recognized the existence itself.

I began to recount the story slowly.

Lacking any talent as a storyteller, my account was a straightforward delivery of facts.

The founder, Yi Hyul-hyun, had struck down the mother of monsters, the primordial beast.

However, the monster wasn’t killed, only fragmented.

Even that was a monumental achievement.

Yet, the founder, Yi Hyul-hyun, wasn’t satisfied.

“So, he made a promise for a future day.”

He forged a sword.

A jet-black sword created solely to cut down the primordial beast.

Black Night.

And he established the Sungmu Yi family to select those worthy to wield it.

…Hearing only this much, it would seem like the work of a wise visionary preparing for future generations.

It was also the role as a singularity [a unique individual with immense power or influence] that the dwarves expected of him.

But Yi Hyul-hyun’s motivations were far simpler.

He didn’t care about future generations.

He simply dreamed of a rematch, of returning to cut down the primordial beast once and for all.

“Yi Chul, what are you talking about? Founder Yi Hyul-hyun lived before the Common Era. You’re acting like…”

I took a short breath and nodded.

“…Yes, Founder Yi Hyul-hyun is not dead. From the moment he was bathed in the blood of that monster, he gained one of its properties.”

Just as I had obtained fragments of the primordial beast and plundered its power, so too had our ancestor.

What he gained was…

Immortality.

At my words, people’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“But that immortality is only half complete. His body was eroded and altered during that battle.”

So…

Yi Hyul-hyun abandoned his original body.

Instead, he chose to transfer his consciousness into new bodies.

For a very long time.

For thousands of years.

“No way…!”

The only one who immediately grasped the implication was Anastasia.

“Yes, wasn’t it strange? How could the history of a family passed down from ancient times remain unchanged?”

It was something everyone had taken for granted and overlooked.

Even with the inevitable ups and downs, how could a single family, connected by blood, have endured for thousands of years?

Amidst the rise and fall of countless nations and the intermingling of peoples, how could it have continued without a single break?

Someone had been maintaining it.

None other than Yi Hyul-hyun himself.

“Wait a minute, Chul. Just wait a minute.”

Uncle Yi Tae-hong stammered, clearly shaken, then began to mutter to himself.

“Wait, could it be… among the past ancestors, those who developed psychosis, or even my father… is that how they became…”

“No way. Chul, are you saying…”

My uncle and aunt stuttered in shock and dawning horror.

“It’s just a guess, but it’s likely correct.”

The previous head of the family, Yi Chung-mu, had initially been a wise leader who spearheaded the revival of the Sungmu Yi family.

However, at some point, he began to act out of character, rejecting his children and even conducting ‘experiments’ on the blood relatives of the Sungmu Yi family.

“Founder Yi Hyul-hyun has been switching bodies with the direct descendants, repeating this cycle.”

All to perpetuate the lineage of the Sungmu Yi family.

He maintained numerous festivals, weapon-crafting traditions, the Iron Thread Style [a unique martial art technique], and naming ceremonies.

“Just to fight that monster? How could he possibly…”

“Then, where is he now…?”

Uncle Yi Tae-hong asked, his voice trembling.

I opened my tightly closed eyes and spoke.

“Big brother.”

I let out a long sigh.

“Myung-jung hyung has probably had his body taken over by Yi Hyul-hyun.”

That was the abyss at the heart of the Sungmu Yi family.

The shameful secret of the main family, the so-called best martial arts family and the hall of martial arts.

* * *

It was late at night.

The moon was partially obscured by thick clouds, and faint moonlight seeped through the curtains into the room.

The second child of the Sungmu Yi family, Yi Jin-yoon, slowly opened her heavy eyelids in the dim light.

“You’re awake?”

Yi Jin-yoon didn’t turn her head, only shifted her eyes to look to the side.

The surroundings were still dark, illuminated only by the moonlight.

Yi Jin-yoon made out the shape of a person in the shadows.

She couldn’t discern whose shadow it was, but she could guess.

“The youngest… it’s you.”

A phlegm-filled voice, like that of a patient suffering from consumption.

It was due to the large sword wound on her torso.

It was a gaping wound, stretching from her right shoulder to her left hip, as if a deep trench had been carved into her flesh.

“The Aerial… Fortress…”

“I won. The Aerial Fortress is now in my hands.”

“Keu, hehe… I knew… you would…”

Beep- beep-.

I looked down at my sister.

All kinds of tubes and machines connected to her body gurgled and emitted strange noises.

My sister looked up at me and rasped in a low voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“You have won… but I have lost. To that spirit… no, to Yi Goon-sung…”

“You don’t need to say that. It was just bad timing.”

It was the truth.

I never anticipated that Yi Hyul-hyun’s soul would seize my eldest brother’s body so soon.

No, I never thought he would target my eldest brother in the first place.

‘Until now, I thought he would target Yi Goon-sung.’

But he hadn’t.

My eldest brother, considered the most perfect martial artist, had been the target.

“…His goal will be your body.”

“I know.”

“The founder… that undead spirit was truly terrifying. You… can’t. Even if Father comes… I can’t guarantee it. That, that’s really… Keuluck! Keuek!”

I quickly looked down at my sister’s chest.

The wound wasn’t healing, even with the regenerative power of the Sungmu Yi family’s bloodline and my second sister’s magic.

It remained open, barely covered.

And in the first place, that sword wound was no ordinary wound.

‘…Mind Sword [a technique that uses mental energy to enhance a sword’s cutting power].’

I sensed the energy of the Mind Sword, still alive and wriggling, within the open wound.

Severance.

It was the Mind Sword of my eldest brother.

Even after several months, that energy was still consuming my sister.

“Yi Goon-sung… was just a contract partner. That sly guy knew about that… he just, just offered his body to switch… He made a deal…”

Yi Jin-yoon felt a surge of anger and tried to clench her fist.

However, her body didn’t respond to her will. Only her fingers twitched.

“The Spirit Sword Troop [a specialized military unit]. Those were the troops for the final battle… Yi Goon-sung, that son of a bitch, continued that legacy… and created something like that.”

“Sister.”

“Father. The reason why Father’s body wasn’t taken over… was because there were restrictions on Father… because Father was too strong… That’s why. Damn it. Why am I so…”

Second Sister couldn’t calm down and muttered, venting her pent-up anger.

My sister, who always seemed so strong, now looked so small and vulnerable.

I placed my hand on my second sister’s forehead.

As I channeled the energy of purification, my second sister’s rough and irregular breathing began to stabilize.

“The Sungmu Yi family… is full of those who have been corrupted by the power of that monster that Yi Goon-sung spread. Not only the Spirit Sword Troop, but all those who have gone over to Yi Goon-sung will have gained more power than their actual skills…”

Did he spread black energy?

Or perhaps Yi Goon-sung had tapped into the power of Behemoth or Kabbalah [referencing powerful, potentially dark, magical systems].

The question of how he had so quickly taken control of the main family was now answered.

“Youngest… it will start now. Even if it’s not that spirit, Yi Goon-sung… will now target you. He has become too strong. That power… you can’t do anything about it…”

Yi Jin-yoon expected Yi Goon-sung to target Yi Chul and make his move.

The Sungmu Yi family was now focused on Yi Chul.

“I already know that, Sister.”

I said softly.

He might not be aiming for me right now, but in the end, I would be his ultimate target.

The Jormungandr [a mythical serpent] that had fallen in the northern uncultivated lands, and the fact that the Sungmu Yi family had begun to move as soon as I arrived, were all messages to me.

*Welcome, we are waiting for you.*

The fight with the Sungmu Yi family, the fight with Yi Goon-sung, was like an inevitable fate.

“Young, est…”

Yi Jin-yoon looked at Yi Chul.

She saw the pouring moonlight and the yellow eyes that shone like the sun in the darkness.

“I can’t just let that guy defile the throne of the Sungmu Yi family, which I have longed for for so long, with his muddy feet.”

Yi Chul’s eyes shone with determination.

Yi Jin-yoon realized that she could no longer stop Yi Chul.

Yi Goon-sung and Yi Chul.

Two individuals born with powerful destinies would now fight a great battle over the fate of the Sungmu Yi family.

Then suddenly, Yi Jin-yoon felt a sense of incongruity while looking at Yi Chul.

‘Has this child grown up this much?’

It felt like this youngest brother, who was physically fit but smaller than her, had matured significantly.

There was usually one reason why a martial artist had this feeling.

Growth.

Was it the growth of martial power, or simply mental growth?

Yi Jin-yoon couldn’t pinpoint it.

She just noticed that something had changed.

“Yes… you were that kind of child.”

Yi Jin-yoon smiled, grumbling.

Then, Yi Chul spoke again.

“Sister, I think I should go now.”

I could hear the sounds outside starting to become chaotic.

The predicted battle was just around the corner.

Now was the time to prepare for it.

“Weakness doesn’t suit you, Sister. I and the family need you, so please get up.”

“Hoo, hooh. Encouragement is, okay… As you can see, I’m, there’s no hope for me now.”

“Why are you saying that?”

“The energy of this Mind Sword… Keuluck! Cannot be resolved. The fact that I survived may be Yi Goon-sung’s intention to have me convey these words to you…”

Yi Jin-yoon felt death approaching.

She felt the deeply carved sword wound gradually widening and consuming her.

No matter who came, even with the greatest elixir or the best doctor, she wouldn’t recover.

“So, I’ll leave everything to you. Since your will is so strong…”

Yi Jin-yoon looked up at Yi Chul, her eyes shining.

However, Yi Chul shook his head.

Instead, he gently reached out his hand and held it in front of Yi Jin-yoon’s mouth, as if telling her to stop talking.

“Don’t say such burdensome things. I’ll be truly disappointed if you’re about to leave a will.”

Yi Jin-yoon let out a hollow laugh.

*Is he trying to instill will in me?*

*That’s right. When I think about it, the youngest was a child who had both cruelty and kindness at the same time.*

“So stop whining and get up quickly.”

“Okay, I underst…”

In an instant, Yi Jin-yoon felt the room become even darker.

*Was the moonlight that had been faintly illuminating the surroundings covered by clouds?*

No. The darkness was flowing from Yi Chul’s hand.

As if gently enveloping it, the jet-black energy emitted from Yi Chul’s hand was seeping into her affected area.

‘Youngest. It’s meaningless. The Mind Sword wielded by the founder was on a different level than ours. This energy can never be resolved…’

Yi Jin-yoon just hoped that Yi Chul would save even a little more strength.

But.

Throb!

She felt the scar on her chest throbbing.

“……!”

And became rigid.

This was because the energy attached to the wound that could never be erased was melting away.

Whoosh!

The darkness deepened.

The energy that had been eating away at her chest disappeared, and soon she felt a strong vitality surging within her body again.

“Ma, Mak….”

Yi Jin-yoon looked at Yi Chul in confusion.

His amber eyes seemed particularly dark.

*How on earth…*

The energy should have been impossible to resolve.

“I’ll see you when it’s over, Sister. Sleep well and get up.”

The youngest’s hand suddenly fell away.

As Yi Chul turned, the hem of his silver-colored clothes fluttered softly.

Yi Jin-yoon felt the flow of magic power that had been cut off begin to move again.

She felt the skin that had been separated stick together and blood flowing through the necrotic tissue.

With that, she felt overwhelming fatigue.

Her eyelids began to droop heavily.

‘How, youngest. What on earth are you….’

Even as sleep came, Yi Jin-yoon only looked at Yi Chul’s back.

She had no idea what that child had gained or how he had resolved this energy.

But without resolving that question, she fell fast asleep.

Before long, she closed her eyes completely, filled with the certainty that she would recover and the worry about the battle that Yi Chul would face in the future.

I looked at my sleeping sister and turned my head.

Anastasia and Jung Jin-soo were waiting there.

“Was it resolved well?”

I nodded at Jung Jin-soo’s question.

“Let’s start right away.”

My eyes sparkled with determination.

Jung Jin-soo, who would be my brain, and Anastasia, who would be my eyes, were both here.

“I’m talking about preparing to bring down the Sungmu Yi family, and Yi Goon-sung.”

I said, looking at them.

The fight was just around the corner.

The moment the preparation was complete, I would point my sword at the Sungmu Yi family.