"Blood Emperor."
The title slipped from Lee Seong-jun's lips like a whisper, yet it struck Seo Chung-myeon's mind with the weight of thunder. The aura contained in that voice pierced straight into his soul, shaking him to the core.
"As the true ruler of the empire," Seong-jun said calmly, "I have something to ask. Answer me honestly."
Seo Chung-myeon narrowed his eyes, pretending to think, though his pulse throbbed painfully in his neck.
Blood Emperor?
He had heard many boastful fools claim that title before. Normally, he would have laughed them off. But the man before him was different. The oppressive force radiating from him felt suffocating—his presence alone enough to crush air and reason alike.
Could he truly be…? No. Impossible.
The Blood Emperor was the supreme sovereign who once ruled the entire continent. If the real Blood Emperor stood here, Sochang Castle would already be ash and dust. There was no need for such a being to descend upon a remote city personally.
Seo convinced himself this was another fraud—one with dangerous talent, yes, but a pretender all the same.
"If his eyes glow red, he's a master warrior," Seo murmured under his breath. "No, at that level of power… perhaps even beyond the peak."
A smirk twisted his lips. That's fine. I've faced worse.
Before becoming lord of Sochang Castle, Seo had led the dark martial sect known as the Eummak. He had survived countless battles and assassinations, amassed vast wealth, and bribed his way to power. He was no coward; he was a predator in human skin.
I can win this.
Seo straightened, voice booming. "Ha! Do you think a bit of bluster makes you the Blood Emperor?"
The air around him warped as a vicious killing intent poured out. Yet Lee Seong-jun remained still, his expression calm, eyes narrowing slightly.
Seo mistook the silence for fear.
"Hmph! I'll make you understand your place!"
With a sharp cry, Seo drew his sword. Crimson energy coiled around the blade like lightning, and he swung with the intent to cleave the intruder's head in two—
—but his body didn't move.
His muscles locked. His limbs refused to obey.
What—?!
Lee Seong-jun took a single, unhurried step forward.
Just that one step crushed the air between them. Seo felt his bones strain, his heart constrict, his very soul squeezed by invisible force.
This can't be… this pressure… this power…
His mind screamed the truth he didn't want to accept.
He's real.
The figure before him loomed larger and larger, his form stretching upward until he seemed to tower beyond the heavens themselves. Scarlet light blazed in Seong-jun's eyes, and behind him unfurled a burning red ring—a symbol of divine slaughter, the mark of Asura.
"The Blood Emperor has… returned…" Seo whispered, trembling like a leaf in a storm.
He fell to his knees with a heavy thud, forehead pressed to the floor.
"I—I am unworthy! This humble one greets the great Blood Emperor!"
"Good," Seong-jun said coolly. "You've finally come to your senses."
Seo began to babble, voice quivering. "I was blind, my lord! Foolish beyond measure! Please, forgive me—spare my life! I'll answer anything, anything at all—"
"Then answer this." Seong-jun's gaze sharpened. "Why was Song Cheon-baek imprisoned in the underground prison?"
Seo hesitated. His lips trembled.
"I warn you," Seong-jun said, voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "You will not get a second chance."
Seo broke instantly. "S-Song Cheon-baek opposed the new Emperor—Yeon Seo-han—and his followers! He said their rule was corrupt, that the Empire had lost its way! And so… Yeon Seo-han exiled him to Sochang City, then ordered his imprisonment for treason. It wasn't my will, I swear it!"
Seong-jun's aura flared, heat rippling through the room like fire. "So you were one of the dogs who obeyed Yeon Seo-han's command."
Seo dropped his head lower, panic rising. "I was foolish! Please, have mercy!"
But mercy had no place in the laws of the Blood Empire. Betrayal was unforgivable.
Seong-jun stepped closer, crimson energy swirling in his palm.
"You should have remained neutral," he said coldly. "Now, you'll share their fate."
The air screamed as red light condensed in his hand, forming a seething vortex. He pressed his palm against Seo's forehead.
"Blood Spirit Technique—Soul Shatter."
The energy surged into Seo's skull.
"N-no—wait—!"
A horrible hissing filled the room. Smoke poured from Seo's head as his mind dissolved into nothingness. His body twitched once, then went still. The stench of burning flesh lingered as his empty shell slumped to the floor.
Lee Seong-jun lowered his hand and walked past without looking back.
The soldiers who burst into the room moments later froze in terror. None dared speak.
"Guide me," Seong-jun ordered quietly. "To the underground prison where Song Cheon-baek is held."
No one resisted.
He moved through the castle unopposed, the very soldiers once loyal to Seo lowering their weapons in silence.
When he reached the dungeon, his composure faltered.
Inside the cold, stinking darkness lay Song Cheon-baek—once the Empire's brightest strategist—now little more than skin and bone, covered in scars. Around him, the warriors of the Blood Wind Corps were barely clinging to life, their bodies ravaged by torture.
Seong-jun's jaw tightened. Without hesitation, he poured his own power into healing them, summoning every resource in the castle to treat their wounds.
Two days later, they began to stir.
When Seong-jun entered the chamber, relief filled him. But before he could speak—
"Die!"
Warriors burst from the shadows, spears flashing toward him.
Their movements were sharp, disciplined, and deadly. Any lesser fighter would have been impaled instantly.
But Lee Seong-jun was not lesser.
A ripple of red energy burst outward, deflecting every strike in an instant.
One of the attackers—a rugged man with fierce eyes—lunged again, only for Seong-jun to catch him by the throat.
"Vice-Captain Jo Jong-woo," Seong-jun said evenly. "Your technique has improved. But you should rest that body before charging blindly."
"Vice-captain!" the others shouted, but none dared move closer. Their killing intent didn't fade, but doubt flickered in their eyes.
They're strong… and alive. That's all that matters, Seong-jun thought, a faint smile touching his lips.
But Jo Jong-woo spat back, "Don't be deceived! This man is a fraud—a pretender using our Emperor's name! Cut him down!"
Seong-jun chuckled softly. "A fake, am I?"
He tapped his foot.
A crimson mist billowed from the ground—Blood Sea Dragon Treasure: Clouded Veil.
The air shimmered, and dozens of Seong-juns appeared at once, their afterimages striking like shadows of blood.
The warriors staggered under the illusion, eyes wide in disbelief.
Jo Jong-woo's voice trembled. "That technique… Blood Sea Dragon Treasure…?"
"You all recognize it," Seong-jun said. "You've seen it before, haven't you?"
He released his grip. Jo Jong-woo stumbled back, staring up at him, realization dawning in his eyes.
"Truly… it's really you?"
Seong-jun's lips curved into a faint smile.
Then he turned toward the innermost cell.
"Do you still doubt me, Song Cheon-baek?"
The door exploded open. From within the cell stepped a middle-aged man holding a blue-glowing dagger—his face weary but his gaze as sharp and alive as ever.
Lee Seong-jun met his eyes and spoke softly.
"Song Cheon-baek."