"...If that is His Majesty the Emperor's will, I will follow it."
Tanghak bit his trembling lip before bowing his head. His voice was calm, yet hollow — the sound of a man who had already surrendered to fate.
But his silence shattered when Lee Seong-jun's next words fell like a blade.
"It's not just you. Everyone involved in this treason will be destroyed."
Tanghak's eyes widened in horror.
"As expected... what I truly wished to protect wasn't my life."
He had known this end was inevitable. In the Blood Empire, treason had only one punishment — death. Tanghak, one of the Eight Great Demons who had once stood beside the emperor, knew that better than anyone. And yet, he had dared to reach for ambition.
"It was my decision alone," Tanghak said, his voice trembling. "Most of them only followed me out of fear... Please, show mercy, just this once."
"Mercy?" Lee Seong-jun's lips curved into a mirthless smile. "You said moments ago you'd do as I command. Now you beg for forgiveness?"
Tanghak's face twisted in shame and desperation. His words were the same pathetic excuses every traitor had given before him.
No matter how cruel a man may be, he cannot live in isolation. Every person, even a demon, carries bonds — family, friends, comrades. Perhaps that was why Tanghak's eyes still burned with regret.
But understanding did not mean forgiveness.
Because of Tanghak's ambition, countless lives had been lost — comrades, soldiers, and the innocent citizens of the Blood Empire.
Lee Seong-jun's voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl.
"Hwang Cheol-san, Gu Cho-baek, Jang So-hong, Yoo Se-gon... Akho..."
He listed their names one by one — the loyalists who had died during the rebellion.
"They were my people. My family in this empire. And you turned them into cold corpses."
A flash of crimson fury burned in Lee Seong-jun's eyes.
From the moment he heard of Tanghak's betrayal, a rage had festered inside him like fire smoldering beneath ash. Now, facing the traitor, it erupted.
"You took what was precious to others — friends, lovers, families. And now you dare to ask for mercy? How selfish can you be?"
Tanghak's composure broke. "Your Majesty, please! For the sake of our bond—have mercy!"
"Bond?" Lee Seong-jun's tone was frigid. "You severed that yourself. You are no subject of mine. You are nothing but a vile traitor."
"Damn you!" Tanghak spat, his eyes filled with resentment. "If Your Majesty hadn't abandoned us, none of this would have happened! How can you condemn us when you turned your back first!?"
Before Lee Seong-jun could reply, a calm but firm voice cut through the air.
"Your Majesty, may I?"
Song Cheon-baek stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Forgive my intrusion, but I can no longer listen to this filth's excuses."
After a brief pause, Lee Seong-jun nodded. "Do as you wish."
Song Cheon-baek's eyes hardened. He took a step closer to the kneeling Tanghak.
"Do you remember," he began quietly, "the night we drank together under the full moon? You said we would always remain comrades... friends."
Tanghak's lips parted, but no words came.
"At the time, I thought you meant it." Song Cheon-baek's voice trembled slightly, not with grief but with restrained anger. "But now I know it was all a lie — a plea for my help in your rebellion."
He exhaled, lowering himself to one knee so their eyes met.
"Even so, I didn't resent you. It was my choice to trust you. My failure."
But the fury in his eyes burned all the same.
"You made your choices, Tanghak. Now face their consequences."
Song Cheon-baek's hand gripped Tanghak's shoulder — and then power surged.
"Ugh—!"
A scream tore through Tanghak's throat as Song Cheon-baek poured his energy directly into his body. His veins bulged, his dantian shattered, blood bursting from his mouth as the ground trembled beneath him.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!"
Lee Seong-jun did not move. He watched silently, coldly, as justice was served.
After all, Song Cheon-baek was the one most wronged by this man's betrayal. That he had waited this long to strike was restraint beyond measure.
When the light faded, Tanghak collapsed — broken, gasping for air, blood staining the earth.
"It's time," Song Cheon-baek said quietly, his voice almost mournful. "Time for you to bear the weight of your sins."
Lee Seong-jun nodded. "No mercy. Only justice."
Tanghak still breathed, barely. Killing him now would have been simple — merciful, even. But the emperor desired something more enduring. A punishment that would carve fear into every heart that dared to dream of rebellion.
"...How should I deal with him?" Lee Seong-jun muttered, his brow furrowed.
There were many spells and techniques that could inflict pain, but none seemed fitting.
"If only the Mansal Reincarnation Soul-Stealing Technique still existed," he sighed. "What a pity."
Song Cheon-baek nodded grimly. "The Simmyeol Demon's death was a greater loss than we thought."
"Mansal... what technique is that?" Anna asked curiously, tilting her head.
"It's a forbidden sorcery," Lee Seong-jun explained. "It tears the soul apart and forces the victim to die ten thousand different deaths."
Anna's eyes widened. "Ten thousand...?"
He nodded. "And just before each death, the spell revives the body to begin again. Eternal agony without end."
Anna exhaled in disbelief. "Whoever invented that must've been a genius — and a monster."
"He was both."
Tanghak's pupils trembled in terror. But after a moment, he calmed himself. He realized none of them possessed that knowledge anymore.
A small smile crept onto his bloodied lips.
Until Anna spoke.
"There might still be a record of it," she said. "If I had the manuscript, I could reconstruct the spell myself."
Lee Seong-jun's eyes lit with interest. "Are you sure?"
"It depends on its complexity, but... yes. Rewriting the structure into magic shouldn't be too difficult."
Song Cheon-baek immediately disappeared and reappeared minutes later, holding a weathered, ancient book.
"This is it," he said, handing it to Anna.
Flipping through the brittle pages, she frowned. "Hmm. Tricky... but possible."
"How long will it take?" Lee Seong-jun asked.
"About a week," Anna replied confidently. "Is that acceptable?"
Lee Seong-jun nodded. "Good. Then in one week, Tanghak will meet his true judgment — through the Mansal Reincarnation Soul-Stealing Technique."
Tanghak's faint hope crumbled. His face went pale as the emperor turned away, leaving him in the dark — alive, but already condemned to a thousand deaths to come.