CHAPTER 102: THE SUPREMACY ARC, PART 5

...What?

Why isn’t he able to control you?

The Taurus Demon cast a slow glance around the abandoned subway car, eyes gleaming with something ancient and bitter.

"Astaroth’s blood has dominated others for generations. Now he rules over all demons — and if your father really is dead, then Astaroth could command every demon to hunt you down. Even the Hunters with demon blood in their veins wouldn’t be able to resist him."

So that’s how powerful the Demon King is...

"It’s all about the soul-link. Every demon is connected. And the heirs of the Dukes? Just puppets on his strings — easy to pull, easy to twist. But the only ones who resisted, even after evolving... were me and my brother."

...If you refused to submit, Astaroth would’ve found and killed you long ago. So how? What makes you so different?

"Hmph. Boy, you underestimate me. I haven’t fallen so low as to kneel before a demon weaker than myself."

The Taurus Demon’s expression grew darker. The very mention of Astaroth stirred pure revulsion in his gaze. It finally made sense now.

With a temperament like his, of course he’d never bow to anyone. But still...

You’re a Duke. That means you must’ve submitted to the Demon King’s will at some point... right?

"I wasn’t a Duke back then. I shared the Demon King’s throne. Together, we ruled. But when my brother turned his back on demonkind, they turned on me too. I was broken. My brother vanished into another world, and the rest of them wanted him dead. That’s why... I despise my own kind."

So every last demon should rot and die, huh...

In the end, demons aren’t so different from humans.

"About your family," the Duke said suddenly.

The words struck me like lightning.

"Mujin lied to your face."

Y-you know about my family?

"Boy, I’ve seen through your eyes since the day you were born."

Tell me everything! What do you know?!

"Heh. I knew it. Deep down, you never lost faith in your parents. Not even Mujin’s lies could crush that hope. Admirable."

Mujin’s just a bastard — one who thinks people are easy to manipulate.

The Duke glanced at me, measuring. I could tell — he liked my answer.

"Your father... he didn’t kill your mother."

My mouth fell open. A wave of shock swept over me. But underneath that, something even stronger — relief.

"I knew who he was. Your father would never have raised a hand against Arinel."

And the rest... Was it true?

"Hmph? Ah, about your mother. Yes — that part was true. Purest truth."

You bastard. So you really did try to destroy my family. Arinel... she was your heir. Practically your daughter!

You monster — why torment her like that?!

"Boy. Shut your mouth."

His voice turned commanding. The weight of it made my blood boil.

"The sole purpose of her existence was to kill demons. That was my will. And together with your father, she could’ve stood against Astaroth himself. Your ’family’? Don’t flatter yourself. It means nothing to me."

Damn you... You disgusting wretch. I could kill you a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be enough to quench this hatred.

"And I’m using you too. But unlike Arinel, you’ve become the perfect vessel. Your thirst for revenge — it’s the culmination of my work. You and I, we want the same thing: the destruction of demons. Together, we’ll make it happen."

...What?

My thirst for revenge...

What did you just say?

The Taurus Demon narrowed his eyes.

You mean to tell me... everything my family suffered — it was your doing?

"Exactly. Arinel was a far stronger vessel. But in the end, my will slipped from her grasp. I broke her for years to weaken her — and still, she resisted."

...And what did you do in the end?

My eyes darkened. My body turned to stone. Every breath from the demon made my insides freeze.

Then he said it. The truth — brutal, twisted, raw.

"I took over your body. And I killed your mother."

...

I remembered her lifeless body. Her trembling eyes. Her embrace in front of death. Her pain.

In my own house.

With my own hands.

You killed her.

"Lee Yeonho realized the truth the moment he heard about the incident. The Association wanted you dead. But your father refused. After all, you’re the last heir of my bloodline. That’s the truth. Your life is still in my hands. As you’ve figured out by now — I can control your regeneration. And if I want to, I can shut down your strength completely."

There was no expression left on my face. I didn’t want to hear any more.

Every cell in my body screamed to tear this bastard apart. Nothing else mattered anymore.

So this was it. Unique demons — Taurus and his brother. You’re using us as vessels, hiding from the other Dukes. Cowards.

Little did you know... if I cut off my own head right now, you’ll vanish with me. Isn’t that right, freak?

You think you have power over me? Don’t make me laugh. You’re just like me — a vengeful spirit clinging to stories of a brother you couldn’t save.

But your life’s just as fragile as mine. We’re bound together. If I die — you die.

Ha... ha-ha... Hah!

You never should’ve crawled inside a vessel. Who knows what that will cost you?

A manic grin stretched across my face.

"...You’ve gone completely mad, I see. Boy. That’s enough talk."

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! You think you can command me whenever you please?! Don’t make me laugh. YOUR life... is in MY hands!

My laughter echoed through the entire metro station. I didn’t even notice when the Taurus Demon disappeared from view.

A few days later.

I sat in my refuge, distant and cold, when a silver-haired boy came to visit me.

Seojun.

"Kihyun, are you okay?"

"Oh, it’s you."

He walked toward me, a hint of unease on his face.

"I wanted to talk to you about everything. Face to face."

"Of course," I replied calmly. "I’m listening."

"If the leader’s telling the truth... that would mean we’re related, right?"

Ah... Right. I had almost forgotten.

"I suppose that’s true. If Taurus and Hatred are twins, then that would make us relatives — distantly, but still."

He clenched his fists. It took him effort to force out the words.

"Then... I’d like to apologize. If I had known we were brothers... I wouldn’t have fought you so fiercely."

Hmph. And here I thought you were a heartless bastard dreaming of a world without humans. So you do have feelings after all.

"Forget it," I looked away. "That’s the past."

You killed my comrades. And now you want to call me ’brother’? Like hell.

Then Seojun added:

"There’s one more thing I wanted to tell you. It’s about the nature of demons."

"Hm? What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of Familial Memory?"

...

The conversation lasted a long time. In the end, Seojun and I agreed not to show how close we had become.

Mujin didn’t know we had access to this knowledge. And we needed to keep it that way.

More than a year passed.

Present time.

The entire Umbra flock advanced toward the Oblivion Prison.

"By the commander’s orders," Altair announced, "our objective is to free Dmitriy Volkov. Anyone who gets in our way — kill them. Masks on. We approach the gate. Follow the plan to the letter."

From the hilltops, Mujin watched silently as we moved like shadows across the terrain. A crow on his shoulder.

But there would be no clean escape. The prison was protected by some of the strongest defensive units in the world.

We all donned our masks.

And the moment the assault began — the sirens blared.

Oblivion Prison turned upside down in an instant.