"Ahhh, damn it, am I really going to die as a dog to the justice faction?" Jeok-Myung Jin's voice, strained and bitter, echoed through the dense forest of the ancient murim world.
Ji-Hoon Kim, standing across from him, smirked, the moonlight casting sinister shadows on his face. "Come on, did you expect us not to target you, younger brother?" His voice dripped with mockery. "You have always been the master's favorite, and yes, you’re talented. But let's face it, you're just trash from a trash family."
Jeok-Myung Jin clenched his fists, anger and disbelief swirling within him. As he was about to retort, Ji-Hoon cut him off with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Tsk, what do I care for? After I get my hands on that Ancient technique, I'll be unmatched. No one can stand in my way! And who said that they will know?"
At that moment, two shadowy figures emerged from the underbrush, their presence menacing and overwhelming. Jeok-Myung Jin's eyes narrowed. He sensed these were no mere experts; they might even surpass that level.
His reaction was unexpected. He burst into laughter, a sound that seemed out of place in the tense atmosphere. "HAHAHAH, Middle brother, who could’ve thought you would ally with the Demonic forces? I guess you really have fallen far, just as master said. YOU REALLY WANT THIS MARTIAL ART? THEN I WILL TEAR IT TO PIECES JUST FOR YOU!"
"STOP HIM, YOU FOOLS!" Ji-Hoon Kim's voice thundered through the forest.
Jeok-Myung Jin, with a swift movement, released a burst of Qi from his hand, incinerating the ancient martial art scroll, turning it into ashes. Just as the scroll burned, one of the shadowy figures raised a sword, aiming for Jeok-Myung Jin's neck. In a flash, Jeok-Myung dodged, narrowly avoiding a fatal slash, but not completely. The blade grazed his neck, drawing blood. The second figure, quick as a viper, ambushed from behind with a dagger.
Predicting this, Jeok-Myung Jin moved his blade behind his neck in a lightning-quick motion, blocking the attack. He knew escape was impossible; he was surrounded and outmatched. His decision was made - to fight with everything he had.
"Ah, I really didn’t think it would end this way," he muttered, a resigned yet determined tone in his voice. "But as the Heavenly Demonic flower said, if a man is destined for greatness, he will achieve it one way or another."
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Unleashing an enormous amount of Qi, Jeok-Myung Jin's aura became a spectacle to behold, like lightning in his eyes. He initiated the Supreme Lightning Overlord's Grace technique, a move that amplified his Qi, speed, and strength beyond imagination. He was now a storm personified.
He charged at the first figure with the sword, delivering a punch so powerful it left a gaping hole in the assailant's back. The second figure, using an illusion technique, multiplied into ten clones. Unfazed, Jeok-Myung Jin used the Supreme Lightning Finger technique, disintegrating every clone and the figure's actual body, which spewed blood from its mouth and eyes.
"You are crazy, little brother," Ji-Hoon Kim
admitted, his voice laced with a mix of fear and awe. "I was right about needing to kill you before you became a real threat."
"I guess your strength comes from master's teachings," Ji-Hoon continued, his voice rising in a bitter crescendo. "IF ONLY I HAD BEEN THE ONE CHOSEN TO LEARN THEM, NOT YOU!"
Jeok-Myung Jin regarded him with a deep sadness in his eyes. "I truly feel sad for you, middle brother. If only you had opened your mind, maybe you would've become master's favorite. But I guess fate can be cruel."
"Do you really think I would let you kill me?" Ji-Hoon shouted, his eyes blazing with rage and desperation. "You aren't even worthy!"
As he spoke, the two figures, thought defeated, rose again, emitting an immense amount of Qi. "YOU HAVE DUG YOUR OWN GRAVE, THIS WILL BE YOUR RESTING PLACE!" Ji-Hoon declared.
Jeok-Myung Jin, undeterred, leaped high into the sky. The clouds turned gray, filled with thunder and lightning, as if nature itself was responding to his power. He performed the Supreme Lightning Vortex, losing momentum as he descended faster and faster, the area below him exploding with thunder and lightning.
He slammed his right leg against the ground as he landed, creating an explosion of force. Thunder seemed to erupt from the earth itself, crushing the heads of the shadowy figures and leaving a gaping hole in Ji-Hoon Kim’s chest.
Approaching the fallen Ji-Hoon Kim, Jeok-Myung Jin's sword in hand, his stride was that of a weary but victorious warrior. But suddenly, his energy drained away, his hair turning gray, his skin wrinkling – the toll of the Supreme Lightning Overlord's Grace technique.
"It’s the price you bear with that technique, huh?" Ji-Hoon Kim coughed up blood, a twisted smile on his lips. "Look at that, in the end, we all die. You could’ve spared me, at least."
His hand hit the ground, signaling his demise.
Jeok-Myung Jin’s body collapsed onto the ground, his breaths shallow. "Heh, I guess this is my win, isn't it, middle brother? You piece of shi—" His voice trailed off as his eyes dulled, his breathing ceased, and Jeok-Myung Jin, too, joined his brother in death.
Their bodies lay in the aftermath of the battle, surrounded by the scorched earth and the remnants of their final, devastating techniques. In the heart of the deep forest had witnessed a clash of a titan, a tragedy of familial strife and ambition, leaving only silence and the whispers of the wind through the trees to tell their tale.