Chapter 620 – Paternity (完)

Rings of confetti, gleaming in all colors, were ensnared and entombed within the ashen mud.

【 Screeeech! Squeak! 】

The ‘branches’ originating from his spine voraciously gnawed at their host.

The countenance of the bowed demon echoed the hue of the mud. His matted, blood-drenched hair shrouded his features.

Not one flower could unfurl on my side. Although wilting in isolation, even this decay was a product of his own doing.

The demon tilted his head.

‘….’

After what seemed like an eternity, he saw his own face again.

Has his reflection in the pool of blood ever been this marred, this grotesque? If Shiba were to return and witness this, she would surely break down in shock. He was a shell, devoid of any reason to bear the title of a father.

He was a vile bud, untouchable, a harbinger of slaughter.

A filthy demon, entrapped in a cycle of futile and hollow dreams. His heart, crudely and harshly rooted, could not claim to be humble.

The demon,
No. Lee Si-heon.

He suppressed all his emotions, scraping out the void within him, piece by piece. The sins he committed. The unrepentant actions. The lament of a child that can never be reclaimed. He had accumulated these over a long period, continuously turning a blind eye to his own transgressions.

Why did he murder? He dismissed the screams of countless souls, tearing them apart, toppling them. What did he hope to gain while performing acts that his own child would abhor?

He knew.
Lee Si-heon had known from the very beginning.

‘I, too.’

He yearned for love. To be able to give a fervent love, and to be happy. To live without anyone dying, existing in complete harmony.

‘I wanted to be like you.’

– Suddenly.

The body of the demon crumbles. His gaze descended as his body fell under the complete control of the rotting old tree. An ethereal force dominated him, his face obscured by the trees as he prepared for his evolution into a wooden demon.

【 Squeeeak!! 】

A woman, seated at the end of his vision.
Was it a hallucination?

The compassionate gaze of the injured king was filled with disdain as it fell upon the demon.

‘Yes… You were there as well.’

Words of apology that he could not muster the courage to utter. He scoffed at the notion that this was the end. A pitiful and sorrowful figure, devoid of any will.

Then, the branches spoke to him.

【 Fulfill the price. 】

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

─Hiss.

Beneath a midnight sky utterly stripped of the sun’s presence, lay ruins.
The King of Trees, draped in a different armor, sprang to his feet, bracing himself for the endgame.

The final surge of energy set his body aflame. The ominous surge of mana pressed down on the surroundings once again.

“Ah….”
“Huh!”

Soo-yeon, Saku, and Byul, unacquainted with the King’s power, cringed and trembled.
Blanche, her face drained of color, clung to Lee Si-heon with increasing desperation.

The one leading, Byul, turned to Sansuyu.

“You… protect Shiba and Si-heon.”

Steeled resolve fueled Byul’s mana.
Sansuyu ignored her, instead imbuing her sword with magic.

“…If it’s a strategy, I’ll devise it.”

Alba, haggard and spent, summoned a blood-like energy and rose to her feet.

“Your Majesty, I beseech you on behalf of Aori. Please… stop! Please, you must rest.”

Aori blocked Lee Si-heon’s escape.
Healing poured out all her power into her divine skills, while Blanche was helplessly dragged along.

“Mon cheri…! Ugh!!”
“I believe it’s best to rest now. Unless you’ve lost your mind….”

Even the World Tree of Patience voiced its concerns, as Soo-yeon clutched Lee Si-heon’s shoulder.

“…We’ll discuss survival later. I’ve seen your deeds. Please, for now, stand aside.”
“Yes, that’s correct, Mr. Si-heon! Your body… You must prioritize your body first.”

The voices of Saku and Soo-yeon echoed.

“Whimper….”

When Shiba whimpered, her voice dissipating into the mouse hole, Lee Si-heon’s hand twitched.

“….”

He took a step forward.
Shaking off the other women, his gaze was resolute.

His colorless pupils were emptied of energy, and the veins in his eyes had horrifically burst.

The wounds on his body were barely patched up, but his clothes, soaked in blood, were no longer recognizable as such.

─Swish.

The black dragon robe peeled away from Lee Si-heon’s body.
Since inheriting Heaven and becoming King, he hadn’t once shed the black dragon robe. As it slipped off, the scars from his battles with demons were laid bare.

“Lee Si-heon! Please, I beg you!”
“You’re really-”

Just as Byul and Alba were about to scream, a man’s vigorous voice halted them.

“I think we should leave him be.”
“Who the hell are you, Golden Sun!”

Stunned by the fury in Byul’s voice, Tae-yang stuttered and shouted back.

“…Let’s allow him to act as a father, a role he hasn’t been able to fulfill so far. Is there anyone here stronger than him right now?”

Silence seeped in among the women, if only for an instant.

“Why has my elder brother vanished so abruptly, becoming like this? I understand he has his own way, but isn’t he ultimately doing this to save her? Show some consideration for a man’s dignity.”

More than a crafty argument, it was near impudence,
Yet Lee Si-heon advanced unyieldingly, his fists clenched.

The only one who could confront his distorted self was him alone.

The fully descended moonlight cast a lonesome glow on his back, and in his eyes, a steadfast resolve solidified.
A surge of magi erupted.

“…Monchéri.”

Blanche was the first to respond.
The small sage, on the brink of weeping from sorrow, lightly tapped Lee Si-heon’s back with her tiny fist.

Escaping from the women’s touch, the man sprinted forward.

-Chin.

The speed escalating.

-Chin, chin, chin, chin!!

He ran with all his might.
When the demon detected Lee Si-heon, it charged him at an invisible speed.

Before Cornus or Star could react, Lee Si-heon, who had moved swiftly ahead, unleashed his full magi force.

The Heavenly Demon Technique.
The power attained by enduring the agony of witnessing his master’s sacrifice and Lee Se-young’s death.

【 The Eight Forms of Tao Yuan ─ The Fourth 】

This was the final phase.
Blooming flowers clung tenderly to Lee Si-heon’s body.

Transcending earth, leaves, and stems to become a flower.

【Flower】

A magi wave, unimaginably more potent than the third, enveloped his body.
His skin was becoming necrotic, poisoned by the magi, and his dilated pupils returned to normal.

“Paaa!!”

Shiba’s cries could be heard. The corners of her mouth curled upwards, forming a wide grin that revealed her white teeth.

‘It’s okay.’

Because dad is strong.

A fragment of a crown materialized over Lee Si-heon’s head.
The last card he had kept concealed.

─Kill me.

Following the benevolent request, he was set to bring them both down.

The crown and magi were opposites; simultaneous use would inevitably invoke disaster.
However,
If he could withstand the recoil, it could amplify his power.

─Fwooosh!

The flesh was being consumed by the magi, turning into black ashes.
The piece of the thorny crown hovering above his head pulsated with a red glow, unleashing its power.

【Thorn】

Now, with all his power concentrated.
Lee Si-heon, who had even drawn out his last ability, began to perish at a remarkable rate.

“Keeeek────!!!”

Si-heon’s body contorted and she charged forward, ominously aiming for Lee Si-heon’s neck.

The muck squelched around their ankles, binding them to the ground. In the unseen depths of the dark, two fists met in a clash.

─Kwoaaang!

Magic sparked and lashed out, threatening to obliterate the opponent.

A father desperate to resurrect his daughter. A father compelled to protect his own. The raw emotions of both men burst forth, intertwining with the pain of their flesh.

“Urrgh…! Urrraaaa!!”

Even the dignity of a king was cast aside, revealing a true self, unmasked in this bout with the Black Dragon. Their screams echoed through the night, teetering on the brink of a mournful wail.

─Puhhhuk!

Lee Si-heon’s fist sank into Si-heon’s flesh, causing it to crumble and distort from its original form.

─Drudduk!

Lee Si-heon’s armor split apart, limbs scattering. They regrew, but the surge of the magic had significantly dwindled.

[Dad.]

A child’s voice, hauntingly whispering in the wind.

[Shiba is okay.]

The child they both yearned to save, to protect.

[Daddy, bl…blood!!]

His adorable daughter, her voice choked with fear at the sight of his pain. The very thought filled their fists with more resolve.

─Thump, thump.

In that moment, each heart quaked in its chest.

In this battle of fathers, neither could gain the upper hand. The endless brawl was driving both towards the brink of death.

But it wouldn’t end, not until one gave up.

─Kwoaang!

Emotions rode on their fists. In the other father’s fist, a similar sentiment was palpable.

Their brows furrowed in torment, their eyes locked in a sorrowful stare.

─Cheolpeodeuk!

One lost balance, collapsing as if buried in the mud. Not missing a beat, Lee Si-heon launched himself at his opponent.

If one falters, there was a moment’s respite. The fists of both men flew, as if reaffirming each other’s will.

─Pababat!

No words were exchanged, no contest of who was more desperate. They recognized and understood each other’s emotions. As if it was the most natural thing, they drained their life force to the very end.

Who could count the number of fists swung, or the number of martial arts techniques displayed?

Despite the gradual fading of their once mountainous magic, and the exhaustion of their martial prowess, they didn’t stop.

“Beep… Beep.”

When Shiba’s desperate cry saturated the night air.

“Uwaaaaaaa…”

Cheolpeodeuk-

The last one standing was Lee Si-heon, in human form.

‘I’m sorry.’

As his senses returned, human words at last spilled from his lips.

The demon chuckled bitterly.
It seems the strength of that father might have been superior, he thought.

His energy, scraped together from the very depths, proved insufficient. He expended every ounce of his life force. Yet, he couldn’t triumph. Perhaps, after all, his love was indeed the stronger.

“…Lee Si-heon.”
“…”
“I am, as ever, envious of you.”

The man who could barely stand bowed his head, exhaling a weary breath. His shattered fist trembled, and one leg, broken, made standing a challenge.

Perhaps he was not the only one teetering on the brink of death. The fading light of life flickered within the body of Lee Si-heon, whose consciousness was ebbing away.

“…You bloody fool.”

He had invoked the power of the crown, the magic, and the divine authority, so death was inevitable. To Lee Si-heon, who could not hear, he extended his hand, transferring the remnants of his life force.

“…”

Without a word, the demon’s reaching tendrils gently infused warmth into the bosom of Lee Si-heon.

The singular self in the completed world. If he died here, everything would have been for naught.

As this lad once asserted, one of them had to survive. Lee Si-heon, his consciousness returning, murmured to the demon, feeling the life force he had been given.

“…Why.”
“For Shiba.”

Raising a child without a father is absurd. Even if he is currently feigning death, there is a difference between truly being dead and living healthily somewhere else.

“I’ve escaped from the runaway contract. You broke it. Now, even if I kill you, I can’t save my daughter.”

Everything has ended.
The demon, Lee Si-heon, bowed his head and caressed his chest.

One by one, daughters and women rushed toward Lee Si-heon. The demon engraved the figure of the beloved man in his fading vision, repeating it to ensure he wouldn’t forget.

“Lee Si-heon… Lee Si-heon.”

My name.
Not as the demon, but the name called by the people I loved.

“Never. Don’t crumble. Don’t break.”

At the words issued from his cracked throat, the two fathers locked gazes for a moment. All the women fell silent in the face of such raw emotion. The two men, their hostility completely vanished, exchanged vows of intent.

A loving father is strong.
He opened his chapped lips, rested both hands on the ground, and closed his eyes.

“Beep…”

At the sound of the child’s voice, his eyelids lifted once more. Through his blurry vision, he could still make out the same familiar features.

He had never forgotten that face in his life. A young Shiva approached hesitantly.

“…I despise you, sir.”
“I am sorry.”

Shiva was still on the verge of tears, cautious and terrified. He wanted to comfort her, to stroke her hair, but feared it might trigger a trauma.

Lee Si-heon, the man of the woods, could only smile, his hand remaining still.

“Beep…”

Then, Shiva held out something with her mud-covered hand. A crumpled paper necklace. So dirty that the letters weren’t legible, it lay in Shiva’s hand.

“Are you giving this to me?”
“…You said it was precious, sir.”

Even though she detested him so much, had she remembered that? An act born of innocence now stained, Lee Si-heon reached out unconsciously to take it.

Scared, Shiva tried to pull her hand back, but her father held it tightly. Lee Si-heon clenched the necklace.

-Beep.

His consciousness blurred. Transparent tears flowed from the eyes of the man who held the necklace in his arms.

The first birthday gift he had received. A precious memory of his daughter placing it around his neck. The realization that he had removed it himself triggered a burst of pure tears.

“Uh….”

His throat constricted, tears ran down his face. Ashamed, Lee Si-heon let out a sobbing cry.

“Ah… Ahh… Ahh….”

In truth, he yearned to see her. He was desperate to hold his daughter.

He was alive here. He had stood there, guiltless, even after taking a life.

“My daughter… my daughter…. Ahhh.”

Holding the necklace, sobbing, Lee Si-heon collapsed onto the floor, trembling. All the remaining life was draining from him, and only his dying regret echoed in the heavens.

“Beep…”

Could it be a hallucination?

At that moment, a familiar cry resonated in the father’s ears.

In the muddy darkness, little Shiva approached the monster and caressed his head with her tiny hand.

“……Shiva…?”
“Bah.”

Holding the necklace, Shiva, with a bright smile, embraced her father.

“Shiva is okay.”

The endearing sight of her clearly pronouncing words with her soft voice pierced through Lee Si-heon’s heart. Instinctively realizing it was his child, he embraced Shiva tightly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
“Beep?”
“I’m just too ashamed to look at you…. Why….”

He had taken too many lives. He couldn’t be the proud father he wished to be. His guilt struck him, too late.

“…I, I am.”
“Peep.”

Gently stroking her sobbing father’s face, Shiba shook her head.

“It’s okay, Father.”

The figure of a young Shiba began to blur, gradually replaced by a vision of her matured self.

“Ah….”

For the first time, Lee Si-heon found a semblance of peace in his hollow heart.

“There’s something I haven’t voiced.”
“What is it?”

The words ‘I love you.’
Shiba smiled with pure joy.