Jeok Riho stared at Jeok Wigang in shock.
"W-Witchcraft or sorcery? Th-That's impossible! I've been with him the whole time. When could anyone have done such a thing?"
"What is it?"
"Is... Is such a thing even possible?"
Then he rushed toward his father again.
Jeok Wigang recited a healing mantra, and the pain vanished, leaving Jeok Wigun feeling refreshed.
"I gave you a bit of a beating. Just a moment."
Just then, Jeok Wigun's body began twisting grotesquely.
There was something chilling in his eyes.
I really should kill him.
Jeok Wigang glanced over his shoulder.
He struggled desperately to escape.
"That won't happen. I've severed the connection. And I've engraved a formation on him to prevent the bastard from even attempting it again, so you don't need to worry."
He threw himself forward again with all his strength.
"I've noticed that smart guys really hate getting hit here."
"You know about the Four Divine Demons, right?"
"Unfortunately, I've never seen the person himself. I've only seen him using tiny creatures. I have no idea what he looks like or where he is."
"Where...?"
"Didn't you see him run away because he couldn't take the beating?"
"I don't think so."
THUMP—
"Yes. If everything had gone according to his plan, and I hadn't been here... he probably would have become the next Lord of Heavenly Martial Castle."
"Who in the world is this Demon-Brain Divine Demon?"
"Nothing's impossible."
"Do you think I'll leave just because you tell me to?"
He pulled away from Jeok Wigang and looked around.
Then he noticed Jeok Wigang's lips moving.
"Who is this person?"
He examined his body in amazement.
"Wigun! Are you all right? Wigun!"
"You do? You speak as though you've seen it yourself."
"That's possible?"
"My grandfather isn't going to allow you to compete."
THUMP!
"Gasp!"
"If you don't come out right now, it's going to hurt a lot more."
What is it?
Each time he collided with the barrier, it felt as though something soft and comforting had wrapped around him.
"Oh, I think I can."
Jeok Wigang immediately stopped striking him, placed a hand on his body, and began murmuring a mantra.
CRASH, THUD, RATTLE—
Jeok Riho stared blankly for a moment at the mention of Grandfather. Then he remembered that Jeok Wigang was of the same bloodline and nodded.
"Demon-Brain Divine Demon?"
Jeok Riho moved to restrain him, but before he could, Jeok Wigun's neck twisted at an unnatural angle and his head turned toward Jeok Wigang.
Jeok Wigang casually ignored him and turned his attention back to Jeok Wigun.
"Other than when Wigun was in seclusion, I was always by his side, watching over him."
"Can you honestly say you were with him every single moment?"
He tried to move toward his father, but pain shot through his entire body.
"It seems someone called the Demon-Brain Divine Demon was trying to take control of my cousin's body. He almost succeeded."
"Hehehe. Well, what will you do? Are you going to attack your own cousin?"
"What is White Horse Heaven?"
"Of course."
"Won't that Demon-Brain Divine Demon try to take control of my son's body again?"
Jeok Wigang grinned and extended a hand toward him.
"I won't do anything. Could you please get rid of this?"
"This isn't me! It's your cousin!"
"What have you done to me?"
"Isn't it obvious? My cousin is a candidate for the succession to Heavenly Martial Castle. He was probably planning to use his body to become the next Lord of the Castle."
"Then someone must have done something while he was in seclusion."
There wasn't a trace of emotion in them.
HUMMMMM—
Yet it didn't hurt.
Jeok Riho turned his trembling eyes toward Jeok Wigun.
Jeok Riho was glaring at him with a terrifying expression.
CRACK—
For now, he could only try.
A heavy blow struck him, and he felt his body lift into the air.
"I'm not sure yet. I'll have to examine him first."
Jeok Wigang began pounding him on the head over and over.
The Demon-Brain Divine Demon raised Jeok Wigun's hand and ran it along the back of his neck.
Jeok Riho turned to Jeok Wigang again.
This is ridiculous!
The Demon-Brain Divine Demon.
"Yes, Father. I'm fine. My mind is just a little foggy, as though I've woken up from a very long sleep."
A heavy impact sounded behind him, but he paid it no mind.
"That's because I have."
WHACK— WHACK—
CRRRK— CRACK—
Hearing Jeok Wigun's answer, Jeok Riho turned to Jeok Wigang.
"I'm sorry, but I won't allow you to lay a finger on my son's body."
"Sure I do. I'm beating you up."
The Demon-Brain Divine Demon regarded Jeok Wigang with fascination.
"F-Father, what's wrong?"
Unable to endure the pain any longer, the Demon-Brain Divine Demon had severed his connection to the body.
The moment it vanished, Jeok Riho rushed over and pulled Jeok Wigun into a tight embrace.
"To guard against the Four Divine Demons, wasn't it?"
It was a mantra meant to forcibly awaken a sleeping soul.
With the snap of his fingers, something burst, and the transparent barrier separating father and son disappeared.
All that remained was to use it to become the successor to Heavenly Martial Castle.
The Demon-Brain Divine Demon sensed that something was wrong.
Someone came to Jeok Wigang's mind.
Wait. Pain?
Jeok Wigang snapped his fingers.
The pain was becoming more and more vivid.
"I don't know either. Wigun! Are you all right? Do you recognize your father?"
"Probably."
WHUMP—
"That's right. I thought I'd give it a try."
"Grandfather knows about them, too."
"Not a person? Are you saying someone could use a tiny creature to bewitch him?"
He had been so intrigued by Jeok Wigang's use of magic that he'd momentarily forgotten what kind of bastard he was dealing with.
THUMP—
"Yes, Father."
"So you really are a dangerous bastard."
His joints cracked throughout his body as he twisted himself with unnatural force.
"Wh-What?"
Jeok Wigun was looking back and forth between his father and Jeok Wigang in utter confusion.
"Don't feel like it."
Throb.
"Why would that man target my son?"
"I did..."
"My son... Are you really all right?"
"Get rid of this thing at once."
"That's right. I'm dangerous. So why don't you hurry up and get out of my cousin's body?"
"Can I trust you?"
SNAP—
I don't want to get hurt.
"Do you even realize what you're doing?"
"Why...?"
"Exactly. But now its purpose has shifted to guarding against White Horse Heaven. We're trying to crush White Horse Heaven, so having one of its people become Lord of the Castle would be ridiculous. Not that you'll make it that far. I'll crush you myself first."
"W-Wigun!"
"The Four Divine Demons are White Horse Heaven's underlings."
"Yes. As it happens, I know someone who can do exactly that."
He slammed into the floor.
An invisible wall stood in his way.
Jeok Riho turned toward Jeok Wigang.
This time, he was repelled even more forcefully. He couldn't get out.
He wasn't certain whether Jeok Wigun's soul was actually asleep.
Blue light shimmered around Jeok Riho's fist.
"What on earth happened to him?"
Unable to stand listening to their conversation any longer, Jeok Wigun finally interrupted.
"Doesn't it make sense to let anyone become Lord of the Castle, as long as they're strong enough?"
"Urgh!"
If anything, he had the temperament of someone who would fit right in with White Horse Heaven.
Why is he doing that?
"I see. So Father knows about them as well."
"I converted magic into sorcery."
Then his eyes snapped open, and he jolted in surprise.
"It's your cousin who's going to get hurt and die, not me!"
"No. How should I put it? It feels as though I've just woken up after sleeping somewhere warm and comfortable."
He didn't expect such a simple attack to kill Jeok Wigang.
"Huh?"
BANG—
WHACK— WHACK— WHACK!
That bastard did something!
"There's something about you that bothers me. I've been looking for an opportunity to kill you. If you survive an attempt on your life by my hand, then I'll know you're someone I need to be wary of."
"Father?"
At the same time, a strange sound escaped his mouth.
"Huh? That didn't hurt you as much as I expected."
Why can I feel pain?
The bastard was doing something to this body.
"Damn you, Jeok Wigang. To think I'd encounter you here again. Is this fate bringing us together, or are we simply destined to be enemies?"
HUMMMMM—
KWA-KWA-KWAAANG—
What Jeok Riho had seen was Jeok Wigang pounding his son's head so mercilessly that it looked as though he might smash his skull.
"It's a long story, but to put it briefly, there's an organization called White Horse Heaven that has its sights set on the Central Plains. The Demon-Brain Divine Demon is something like its chief strategist."
Someone like that could use a tiny creature to enter the secluded-training chamber and do something to Jeok Wigun.
"You want to kill me?"
"That's absurd! I took special care in constructing his secluded-training chamber. No one could enter it unless I opened the door myself."
He muttered something, and a spherical barrier shimmered into existence around Jeok Riho.
"Do you really think that's possible?"
His fingernails had struck something invisible and could go no farther.
Jeok Riho tried to rush toward Jeok Wigang.
Light blazed from Jeok Wigun's body.
Jeok Wigang chuckled.
"I tried it, and it worked."
Or does he simply not care whether his cousin lives or dies?
Jeok Wigun extended his hand, and a sword resting in the corner flew out of its sheath toward him.
CLACK—
"I... I thought I'd never see you again..."
"You... You're serious. You don't care about this boy's life at all."
Jeok Riho looked ready to rush off in pursuit the moment he heard the name.
"Urgh!"
He could control Jeok Wigun's body perfectly, but he wasn't supposed to feel its pain.
While Jeok Wigang was still hitting him, Jeok Wigun's head suddenly went limp.
Jeok Riho nodded and released his hand.
"You don't remember anything?"
"SKREEEE!"
"How fortunate that we should meet. There's something I've been wanting to find out about you." freewebnovel.com
"Spirits, heed heaven's decree. Awaken from the depths of consciousness. Bind the connection and summon the light. Soul, return to your body."
"I could kill this boy right now."
"I'll take care of that."
"Oh, come on. You wouldn't say that if you knew why Heavenly Martial Castle was founded in the first place."
"I know."
"Can you really bring yourself to do it? That father of his behind you doesn't seem inclined to allow it."
"Th-Then what about my son? C-Can he be saved?"
"S-Save him! Please! H-He's... he's everything to me."
"I could concentrate condensed qi into this hand and slice right through his neck, even now."
But he couldn't simply stand there and do nothing.
"It's not my life."
"Sorry, but I'll need you to stay in there for a while."
"Father, what is this?"
At Jeok Wigang's answer, Jeok Riho seized his hand and pleaded with him.
He was still staring about in bewilderment when—
He looked into Jeok Wigang's eyes.
Something invisible bounced him backward.
Tears streamed down Jeok Riho's face as he looked at his son, who was gazing straight back at him and calling him Father.
BANG—
WHOOSH— CLACK—
"Why not?"
"AAAAH! S-Stop! Stop!"
"What are you talking about? All I did was fall asleep and wake up."
At Jeok Wigang's question, one corner of Jeok Wigun's mouth curled upward.
It was unbelievable.
Hearing the desperate sincerity in his voice, Jeok Wigang placed his other hand over Jeok Riho's.
A sudden wave of irritation swept over him.
"What is that? Magic?"
"Thank goodness! Thank goodness..."
Only today had he finally achieved complete synchronization with Jeok Wigun's body.
"Good heavens..."
The Demon-Brain Divine Demon apparently hated having his head struck, too. He thrashed about wildly.
"I'll do everything I can."
The bastard was more ruthless than he'd expected.
"Go ahead. See if you can."
Thud.
Before he knew it, Jeok Wigang had grabbed him.
There was nothing Jeok Riho could do to break through that protective barrier.
SHRRRRR—
Jeok Wigun slowly rose to his feet.
Yet he had felt that blow.
He saw his father desperately calling his name while pounding on empty air.
Is this bastard insane?
"Who says it had to be a person?"
"Why did you possess him in the first place? What, are you planning to enter the Heavenly Martial Castle succession trial too?"
"Hehehehe. That's right. You're a descendant of that old Heavenly Martial Emperor, aren't you?"
"What? Where is this confidence coming from? Do you think you can stop me?"
The moment he caught it, he unleashed a barrage of sword aura at Jeok Wigang.
He closed the distance to launch his next attack.
"Enemies, obviously. When did you sneak into my cousin's body? You really are busy hopping from one person to another."
"W-Wait a moment. What on earth are you two talking about? Could someone please explain it to me? From what I've heard, it sounds like this has something to do with me..."

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