CHAPTER 68
"Let me go!"
Muwon growled, his eyes burning.
"No!"
Taejin held him firm.
"This isn't the time—Sihyun's still out there!"
Vanyul turned to Sihyun again, his expression twisted with heartbreak and rage.
"You can't fool me, Sihyun. You think I don't know what this is?"
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating.
"You invited me here like you care, like you wanted peace—"
Sihyun's hands trembled at his sides.
"I do care—"
"—But all along you were luring me into a trap!"
Vanyul snapped, then softened with venomous mockery.
"To negotiate, huh?"
He reached out, fingers brushing Sihyun's cheek before sliding down to his neck.
"You thought I wouldn't see through it?"
he whispered.
"You thought I'd be blinded by old feelings?"
His glowing eyes narrowed.
"I only came here for one reason…"
Sihyun stiffened.
"To burn this place down myself."
Another explosion rocked the courtyard as flames leapt across the rooftops.
Vanyul's voice lowered, trembling with hurt and hate.
"Not that I care about you anymore…"
Sihyun flinched. The words hit deeper than the fire ever could.
From the shadows, Yuhyun's hand clenched into a fist.
Dohyun whispered grimly,
"He's lost it."
Taejin's tone was cold.
"Not yet. But he's close."
Sihyun's eyes glowed faintly—his magic stirred beneath his skin.
"Then I guess,"
he said softly, lifting his chin,
"we're both fools."
The second Sihyun whispered
"we're both fools,"
Vanyul's face contorted in rage.
"You really mean that?"
Before Sihyun could respond, Vanyul lunged—his hand clamped tightly around Sihyun's neck.
Sihyun gasped, caught off guard. The sudden surge of heat around Vanyul was suffocating.
With a growl, Vanyul hurled him away like he weighed nothing.
CRACK!
Sihyun crashed hard onto the stone courtyard, skidding backward. Dust rose. His palm slammed into the ground to steady himself—his magic sparking defensively around him like shattered light.
"SIHYUN!"
Muwon, Yuhyun, Dohyun, and Taejin all broke cover. Guards rushed forward as the palace grounds erupted into chaos.
The battle began.
Vanyul's magic exploded outward in a violent wave. Fire roared.
Flaming arcs shot in every direction, setting trees, walls, and banners ablaze. Several guards were knocked back by the sheer force of it—others weren't so lucky.
Sihyun stood, breathing heavily, eyes burning with golden magic.
"I said…"
he shouted, eyes locked on Vanyul,
"This is between me and him! Stay back!"
Muwon rushed to his side anyway, gripping his arm.
"You're still recovering from the serum. Don't be stupid!"
"I have to do this,"
Sihyun snapped, his voice shaking.
Yuhyun stepped forward too, face pale but eyes sharp.
"He's right, Sihyun! You died, remember? You drained your magic just to bring yourself back. That's not something you just walk off!"
Dohyun and Taejin flanked the group, weapons drawn and glowing faintly.
"Vanyul's not holding back,"
Dohyun muttered.
"He's serious. He's going to destroy everything."
"We're not letting you face that alone,"
Taejin added firmly.
Sihyun's lips tightened. The fire lit up the night sky like a second sun. Sparks danced around them as explosions echoed from all sides.
Vanyul hovered a few feet off the ground now, his red eyes glowing, flames spiraling around his form like serpents.
"You said you cared about me once,"
Sihyun muttered bitterly, staring ahead.
"But this—this isn't care. It's hate."
Vanyul didn't respond.
Sihyun's magic surged again—gold flickering like lightning. He slowly pulled himself from Muwon's grasp.
"Even if I'm not at full strength,"
he said,
"I'd rather burn beside you than let you hurt anyone else."
Yuhyun's voice cracked.
"Sihyun…"
Muwon clenched his fists but nodded.
"Then we stand with you."
The flames burned. The night howled. And the final confrontation began.
With a roar, Sihyun's hands slammed to the scorched earth.
Golden veins of magic pulsed outward like lightning bolts.
The ground trembled. Cracks split the courtyard like spiderwebs, trembling violently—until a sudden BOOM ripped through the night.
The earth opened.
Stone and soil cracked and collapsed beneath Vanyul's feet.
In one violent motion, a pit swallowed him whole—
—leaving only his head and shoulders above ground, trapped in a glowing cage of rock and golden sigils.
The fire stilled. For a moment, only silence.
Sihyun rose, bloodied but firm, and began walking toward him. The others didn't move—they just watched, hearts pounding.
Muwon's fists clenched. Yuhyun whispered,
"End it, Sihyun…"
Sihyun stood before the trapped Vanyul.
"You could've walked beside me."
Vanyul let out a low growl—and his eyes exploded with red light.
With a scream, he erupted from the earth, shattering the trap, magic bursting around him like a shockwave. Sihyun was thrown back, crashing through stone.
Before he could recover, Vanyul was already above him, raining fire and blades of red energy.
Sihyun dodged, deflecting some with golden shields, but Vanyul was relentless.
A blast hit Sihyun square in the side—he screamed as he was launched across the battlefield, his robes torn, skin burned.
Blood spattered across the ground.
"SIHYUN!"
Muwon surged forward, but Dohyun and Taejin held him back.
"He told us… this is his fight,"
Taejin said grimly, though his jaw was tight.
Sihyun staggered up, his face pale, golden light flickering dimly.
He spat blood and wiped it away.
"I'm not done."
He raised both hands and summoned chains of molten light—
They whipped through the air, striking Vanyul's shoulder and thigh. Vanyul hissed in pain, blood pouring down his side.
"You think… you're stronger?"
Sihyun rasped.
"Then stop running from the truth."
Vanyul growled, and they collided again—magic clashing mid-air.
Each blow lit the sky. Golden and red. Light and flame.
Sihyun's body was shaking now—his magic faltering.
Vanyul took advantage, slamming a fire-drenched punch straight into his stomach.
Sihyun gasped—then coughed blood. He collapsed to his knees.
"You were never strong enough,"
Vanyul said bitterly, standing over him, burned and bleeding but still towering.
But Sihyun raised his hand one last time—
And pierced Vanyul's side with a sharp golden spear of magic.
Vanyul cried out—blood spilling from his mouth.
They were both bleeding. Both swaying. Both broken.
And in that raw, silent moment—neither looked like victor or villain. Just two shattered pieces of a forgotten past.