novelraw Chapter 108 : The Tragedy of Soul Salvation (3)
Chapter 108 : The Tragedy of Soul Salvation (3)
Chapter 108: The Tragedy of Soul Salvation (3)
Jang Geunsoo’s eyelids trembled.
They seemed to close slowly, then opened again. His small chest rose and fell irregularly.
“Ugh…!”
His limbs convulsed. His frail, thin body twisted violently. But he did not die. He was still alive. Only faint groans escaped through his pain.
Gugwi knelt beside him, lowering his voice.
“Geunsoo is connected to the Manifest Demon Emperor right now.”
Jang Unhyeok’s hands trembled.
The strength in the arms holding his son drained away. The name Manifest Demon Emperor was a curse among Soul-Summoners.
“What do you mean?”
“From the time he was subjected to the consciousness transplant experiment… he was already connected.”
Gugwi’s voice grew heavier.
It was a truth difficult to speak of, yet one that had to be said. Even Gugwi himself would not have known, had he not read the experiment records.
“So his consciousness only returns intermittently….”
“Uhh… uuh!”
Geunsoo convulsed again. The groans from his small mouth sounded painful enough just to hear.
“He will die slowly.”
Jang Unhyeok’s face turned pale. His lips trembled.
“Ugh… it hurts….”
Jang Geunsoo’s frail voice pierced the night air.
It felt as though a dagger had struck Jang Unhyeok’s chest.
Had he not awakened his son’s consciousness, his child would not have felt this agony. The price for exchanging a few words with his son returned wholly to the boy — in unbearable pain.
“Let me ask one thing.”
Jang Unhyeok’s voice cracked.
“Is there any chance my son will awaken? Even one in a billion….”
Gugwi closed his eyes. It was hard to answer.
“None.”
Only two words, yet they carried immense weight.
“Not even one in billions? Not even the slightest chance of awakening…?”
“No. Now… it’s completely gone.”
Jang Unhyeok’s shoulders slumped.
Gugwi’s answer was absolute. He knew what no other Soul-Summoner could. That was why he had been their last hope. But now… even that hope had been extinguished.
“Then… we can’t even talk anymore?”
Despair seeped into his voice.
Gugwi said nothing. His silence was the answer.
A cold wind blew. Only the sound of the river could be heard.
“I want to be alone.”
Jang Unhyeok’s voice trembled.
Everyone quietly left.
Yeon Sohye looked back several times. Her face showed worry, but she said nothing.
Jin Geonmu leaned against his spear and retreated a distance, lowering his head.
Gugwi also hid behind a boulder, though his ears were alert. At that moment, the memory of his dying father surfaced — and that same pain was now being cast upon Jang Unhyeok.
The sorrow of losing one’s blood.
Jang Unhyeok was left alone.
He sat by the river, cradling his son on his lap. The sound of flowing water echoed monotonously.
Geunsoo’s breathing grew rough. Ragged and uneven. His small body convulsed once more.
But there was nothing he could do. Though the father was a Soul-Summoner… he could not save the son sacrificed to Soul-Summoning. Jang Unhyeok’s face distorted. Grief burst from his chest.
“Ah… it hurts….”
The faint voice pierced his heart.
“My son….”
He gently stroked Geunsoo’s forehead. Cold sweat beaded there.
Time passed.
The boy’s pain grew worse. His groans became louder.
“It hurts… it hurts….”
His small hand clutched his father’s collar. There was no strength in his grip. His trembling figure was more pitiful than a sparrow drenched in rain. What… what could he do?
Jang Unhyeok’s heart tore apart. Tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Endure it, my son. Just a little longer….”
But endure what? There was no hope.
Geunsoo’s face twisted even more. Waves of pain crashed over him.
“Ugh… aah….”
It was a near scream — unbearable to hear.
“This pain… must end.”
Jang Unhyeok muttered in a trembling voice.
He could no longer bear to watch his son suffer. Death seemed kinder.
Geunsoo convulsed again, his entire body twisting.
“Save… me….”
The weak voice was soaked with despair.
At that moment, Jang Unhyeok’s heart collapsed.
He could bear it no longer. This agony had to end.
His trembling hand reached for his son’s neck. He felt the faint, irregular pulse under his fingers.
“I’m sorry… my son….”
Jang Unhyeok’s voice quivered. Tears dripped down.
“Father… will end your pain. I love you.”
Despair and love intertwined in his whisper.
Then, a miracle occurred. Geunsoo slightly nodded — as though his final consciousness had returned.
“It’s okay… Father.”
The voice was faint, yet clear.
“I love you.”
Those words swept away Jang Unhyeok’s final hesitation.
His fingers tightened slightly.
Geunsoo’s chest stilled. It no longer rose and fell. The painful groans were gone.
His face turned peaceful — as if in sleep….
Jang Unhyeok gazed at his son. A faint smile lingered on the boy’s lips. What he felt in his final moment… was happiness. He had known his father’s love — and that the pain would end.
“Now… you’re at peace. Aren’t you?”
His voice trembled. Yet strangely… instead of relief that his child was free from suffering, the despair of losing his own blood overwhelmed him. His chest ached so much he could not speak.
Whoosh—
The wind blew. Leaves rustled. The river flowed. The world went on.
‘So this… is how it ends….’
At that moment, Jang Unhyeok’s world stopped.
From afar, everyone felt it too.
The air changed. The aura of something ending spread.
Gugwi felt the vibration of the Spirit Flow Core in his chest — small and sorrowful.
Yeon Sohye lowered her head and bit her lip. Jin Geonmu gripped his spear tighter; his fingers turned white.
Everyone knew what had just happened.
Jang Unhyeok held his son’s lifeless body against his chest.
“Why….”
A small murmur began.
“Why did you have to suffer like this….”
His voice grew louder.
“Why!”
At last, his rage exploded.
His cry toward the heavens tore through the night sky and spread far and wide. Even the river seemed to tremble before his roar.
His entire body shook. What he had just done did not feel real.
“I… I killed him… my own son! With my own hands!”
His voice quivered with self-blame.
“With my own hands… my son….”
He could not speak anymore. His throat locked up.
Gugwi quietly approached, his footsteps soundless. He placed a gentle hand on Jang Unhyeok’s shoulder.
“It’s not your fault.”
His warm voice carried comfort.
But Jang Unhyeok shook his head. He couldn’t accept it.
“No… I killed him.”
At moments like this, there was one thing Gugwi could do — something only he was capable of.
He closed his eyes.
Paaang!
The Spirit Flow Core within his chest flared with blue light — and in an instant, he entered the Realm of the Threshold.
Cold energy enveloped his body… and darkness unfolded before him.
Countless souls drifted within the Realm of the Threshold — the Gatekeeper’s domain.
Gugwi searched along the line that Soul-Summoners called the Boundary Wall of the Realm, seeking the faint shimmer that would quietly blend within.
Jang Geunsoo’s spirit.
On that line, which the living called the road to the afterlife, countless lights floated — a gathering of souls, great and small. Even now, many were dying.
Among them, one stood out.
A small, radiant light.
He could not be certain it was Jang Geunsoo’s spirit, yet somehow, he knew. Unlike the others, it shone with a pure and spotless brilliance — the same clarity he’d felt when carrying the boy through the sewers.
An unstained soul.
Gugwi looked upon that light. His heart warmed.
Shaa—
The light began to move, slowly passing through the Realm of the Threshold. Without lingering… without regret… it drifted toward the place where lights disappeared.
Ascension. A journey to peace without pain.
Gugwi exited the Realm.
He grasped Jang Unhyeok’s hands and spoke with a gentle expression.
“He has ascended.”
His voice was soft, yet filled with certainty.
“He left in peace, without suffering.”
Jang Unhyeok slowly raised his head. His tear-streaked face gleamed under the moonlight.
“Truly?”
His trembling voice carried desperate hope, his eyes clinging to one last thread.
“Yes. He’s at peace now.”
Gugwi nodded.
“I saw it myself. He passed through the Realm of the Threshold without pain… most souls remain for seven days, but he didn’t.”
Jang Unhyeok looked down at his son.
A peaceful face. The small smile still at his lips — serenity found in his final moment.
“Thank goodness….”
Relief seeped into his voice.
“At least… he won’t hurt anymore.”
A breeze stirred, brushing through Jang Geunsoo’s hair — as if bidding farewell.
Moments later, Jang Unhyeok spoke, expressionless.
Sorrow turned to wrath. His eyes grew cold, and every trace of gentleness vanished from his face.
“Jesagun Kang Sangho….”
The name left his lips like ice.
“That bastard… I’ll kill him with my own hands.”
His fist clenched. The knuckles turned white.
Gugwi gripped his shoulder.
“Now’s the time to rest.”
But Jang Unhyeok brushed his hand away.
“I can’t rest. I’m too weak. With skills like mine, revenge is impossible.”
Venom laced his tone.
“How could I rest when the man who killed my son still lives? Hah… so I’ll ask you for one thing. Jesagun has five Spirit Union Martial Artists. My Soul-Summoning Arts can’t handle them. Two — give me two more.”
“Chief!”
“No need for more words… just tell me if you can or not.”
“Hmm.”
Gugwi frowned.
“For you, it’s a simple matter, yet you hesitate. Fine. Revenge is mine to bear. You kept your promise and saved my son — so, as promised, my loyalty remains. Call on me when you need.”
Jang Unhyeok stood up.
His gaze was frigid. Blinded by vengeance, he stood on the edge of peril — judgment clouded by grief. Yet, who could stop a father’s heart?
The wind blew, the willow branches swayed, and the river flowed ceaselessly — nature unchanged, while the hearts of men raged like a storm.
Jang Unhyeok looked up to the sky.
“Wait for me, Kang Sangho. I’ll come for your neck.”
His whisper drifted away with the wind.
Gugwi watched him.
He, too, carried concern.
Those who gained Spirit Union Martial Artists through the Spirit Flow Core were, in some way, influenced by the Manifest Demon Emperor.
The Spirit Flow Core was, after all, the heart of the Manifest Demon Emperor.
It was fine for now — but what if the Demon Emperor’s strength grew stronger? Through those Spirit Union Martial Artists, Jang Unhyeok could become the Demon Emperor’s slave. This fate applied to all who received Spirit Union Martial Artists through the Core.
Only now had Gugwi realized this truth.
And yet… should he still assign those warriors to Jang Unhyeok? Gugwi glanced toward him.
Despite being told to rest, Jang Unhyeok was already training.
He summoned fire, wind, and a blacksmith’s forge — practicing relentlessly. Flames rose, wind howled, and hammers rang.
“Haa….”
Gugwi sighed deeply.