It was getting ridiculous at this point.
During one of the most poignant times of his rule, when his citizens needed him the most, the emperor couldn't even get out of his bedchamber. For the past two days he was supposed to attend multiple strategy meetings to keep a close eye on the battle and give out more orders to the knights if necessary. But now the royal adviser had to oversee them in his stead, with the purpose of reporting all the information back to the emperor. At the end of the first day, as he was making his way to visit the emperor, the empress had promptly stopped him. She'd taken the notes he recorded and said the emperor wasn't to receive any visitors for the next day or so. Something about the conflict putting him under too much stress.
When the palace staff were made aware of this, they were left fuming.
Stressed? Because of the onslaught of fighting? Go figure, perhaps he should take into account how his citizens were feeling, how the knights risking their lives on the front lines were faring.
The empress wasn't contributing much either. When a few courageous attendants pleaded to the empress to convince her husband to attend to his urgent duties, they were met with either shocked outrage or pure disregard. As for the prince… he wasn't around much these days.
So, they waited until the empress left. Maybe the empress was putting nonsense into his head, and if they talk to him directly the emperor could take direct action. And if he truly was suffering physically from the stress of the situation, at the very least he could be treated and given medicine for whatever ailment he was suffering from.
His personal attendant and physician walked towards his bedchambers, nervously looking at the surroundings like the empress could pop out at them at any moment. The other staff promised to warn them if they spotted the empress returning, but they could never be careful. They proceeded in silence, their hearts heavy with apprehension.
Upon reaching the door of the bedroom, the maid knocked gently and announced, "Your Majesty, the doctor is here to see you. We've been told your health isn't in the best of conditions." Her call went unanswered, prompting another knock and a repeated inquiry, "Your Majesty?".More silence came.
The two present looked at each other with confusion. Maybe he was sleeping? But coming back later wasn't an option, there would be no guarantee when the empress would return, and they needed their emperor back as soon as possible.
Then, faint sounds came from inside the room.
*Bang*
*Bang* *Bang* *Bang* *Bang*
The sounds became more and more frantic with every second. Distressed that something was happening to the emperor, the maid rushed out an apology before bursting through the door with a heavy push.
Scanning the room, shocked yells escaped their lips as they beheld a gruesome sight—the emperor lay lifeless on his bed, his blood soaked into his bed sheets and mattress. The skin all over his body was deathly white, most of the blood drained from it. In contrast were the dark purple veins that ran under his skin.
This wasn't a fresh kill; the blood had turned a dark brown. The smell of the room was indescribable, as putrid as rotten meat but so distinctive that it would remain in their nostrils for weeks. As for the most poignant detail of the scene: the emperor's head was completely severed from his body.
Glassy eyes stared blankly at the ceiling; his face contorted in fear. With how bloody his clothing was, it was hard to tell if the beheading was the cause of death or done after the fact. But the pity the two felt when looking at the scene before them made them hope that at the very least, the man's death was swift and painless.
Taking a few tentative steps forward, something crinkled under the physician's shoe. Jolting back, he recognized it to be a piece of parchment, blood splattered all over it just like the bed's headboard and a good amount of the floor. He hesitantly bent down to pick it up with trembling flingers. Scanning its contents, he realized it was the emperor's will.
The page was only partially filled out. Along with the blood splatters, ink had stained a portion of the page. It looked like it had spilled onto the paper.
Making out the text that was still legible, the last section of the page written before being cut off abruptly was a designation of successor. Only one line was written under it.
Yoo Joonghyuk.
Before he could even comprehend the weight of those words, the banging started again, this time louder and more desperate. The maid rushed to his side, clinging onto the physician's arm. She shakily pointed over at the closet, the source of the sound. The door shook with every bang, someone trying to escape its confines.
Swallowing down the bile that was rising in his throat, the doctor looked around the room and grabbed a nearby candle stand. It was tall, and weighed heavily in his hands. For all they knew the culprit could've been in there, their bloodlust not satiated.
The physician slowly made his way to the closet, holding the candle stand in front of him with the maid clinging to his back. Grabbing the knob of the door, his grip tightened on the candleholder. He looked back at the maid, a silent order to ready herself.
Finally, he flung the door open. He raised the candle holder to defend back at whatever sinister presence was lurking inside. Before he could make any movements, though, something heavy burst out and tackled him and the maid behind him to the floor, both going down with surprised yells.
Trying to scramble back up before he could be attacked, the physician found out what exactly had emerged from the closet. It was a maid, arms bound, and mouth gagged with cloth. Her eyes looked wild, darting around the room as she tried screaming through her gag. He body thrashed around, trying to escape her restraints. As soon as the doctor and maid realized who she was, they both set to work undoing the cloth.
Finally free, the trapped maid wasted no time telling them what she'd seen.
"Her Majesty... Her Majesty killed the emperor!"
-------
Asuka Ren made her way towards her young master's bedroom, a basket of tomatoes in hand. Her master's insatiable craving for tomatoes hadn't yet faded away, much to the dismay of the house chefs. At first everyone had been happy to see the man getting so many vegetables into his body, after years of avoiding the particular food for so long. But lately they'd been running out of ideas for what to make from them. Their pride as chefs wouldn't allow them to repeat any dishes made within the same month, but at this point their options were running thin. So they sent Asuka Ren to the young master himself for what he'd like to make of them.
"Young master, can I come in?" she called out, receiving no response. Frowning, she repeated her question, but once again, there was no reply.
Assuming her master might have been resting, Asuka Ren cautiously pushed open the door to peek in, only to be met with an empty room, save for an open window with a rope leading out it. With a gasp, the basket of tomatoes slipped from her grasp and onto the floor, forgotten in her alarm.
Rushing to the window, she peered outside in a futile attempt to see if her master was still in the area, but only the lavish yard of the manor could be seen, no young master in sight. Asuka Ren's heart raced with anxiety as she frantically searched for her missing young master, the duchess's order to keep him secured echoing in her mind. Spotting a maid nearby, she seized the woman's shoulders in urgency, causing the maid to startle at her.
"Have you seen the Young master anywhere in the last few hours?" she implored, her voice trembling with worry.
Confusion clouded the maid's expression as she shook her head in response, puzzled by Asuka Ren's panicky demeanor. "No, isn't he in his bedroom?" she asked.
Ignoring the maid's question, Asuka Ren dashed off to search the rest of the manor. However, her haste led to a collision with someone; the duchess, she had soon realized, both women almost toppling over. "Your Grace, I apologize!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply down to her.
The duchess regarded Asuka Ren strangely. "It's fine, but what's the rush, is something wrong?" she inquired, her confusion written all over her face as she sought an explanation for the commotion.
Tensing her shoulders, the maid met Persephone's eyes. "The young master... I can't find him. I believe he snuck out of his room to go somewhere. When I went into his bedroom, the window was open with a rope leading out" she explained, her voice laced with apprehension at the young master's disappearance.
The duchess's expression shifted from confusion to alarm as she processed the situation. Dread gripped her heart as she realized her son had defied her orders once again, venturing outside against her wishes. Fearing the worst, thoughts of what happened last time he disappeared flooded her mind.
The duchess instructed Asuka Ren to prepare a carriage for an immediate journey to the royal palace. With steely determination, she armed herself with a sword, this time she would make sure to cut that bastard of a prince into pieces if he dared to touch any part of her son's body again.
But before she could go anywhere further, an explosion shattered the air, reverberating through the halls with a deafening roar. Shaken by the unexpected strike, the duchess's instincts kicked in, propelling her towards the source.
Reaching the entrance, a scene of devastation revealed itself before her eyes. The once formidable manor gates lay in ruins, the metal bent out of shape and surrounded by rubble. The fallen bodies of the few knights who remained guarded the manor entrance now lay lifeless, crimson seeping from the openings of their metal armor.
A knight who had been surveying the entrance from afar approached her, his expression grave. "Your Grace, a large figure approached the gate and refused to comply with the knights when they questioned his whereabouts. When they went to forcefully escort him away, it attacked them. From what I saw, the explosion was caused by magic. Please retreat back into the manor Your Grace, the other knights and I will try to hold it back!" The knight gripped Persephone's arm, urging her to turn around.
But she refused to comply. Wrenching away her arm, Persephone walked onward, ready to confront the threat head-on. "Hades expects me to protect the manor and that's exactly what I'll do. That's an order!" she commanded, her gaze hard as she brushed off his attempt to hinder her path.
Persephone, raced towards the gate, the knight's shouts to stop fading behind her. As she reached the threshold, her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her—a figure cloaked in darkness, adorned with shimmering diamonds that resembled stars against the night sky.
When Dokja was a baby, she and her husband had always commented on his eyes to be the same; always shining with curiosity. His star laden stare never disappeared as he grew up. Her son's eyes were a universe you would want to get lost in, roaming about in wonder as the stars blinked back at you. But this thing, whatever it was that stood before her, its darkness looked like it wanted to drag everything down into its depths. Choking out all life that entered its void.
A monster.
The duchess's mind reeled with the stark certainty that the entity before her was no mere mortal, instead a creature of malevolence.
"Raven Veil looked more like a monster. Both were wearing cloaks, but from what I could make out Raven Veil had pitch black skin adorned with diamonds."
As the pieces of the puzzle fell into place in the duchess's mind, a chilling realization dawned upon her. The figure approaching her was none other than the infamous killer of the Seoul Empire, the puppet of the empress herself.
Raven Veil.
A familiar voice pierced through the turmoil, calling out from behind the duchess with a quiver. Startled, she whipped around to see Namwoon, her son, with a haunted look on his face as he moved to rush towards her. In his hand he had a death grip on his own sword.
"No! Don't come here!" she shouted.
Despite her warning, Namwoon's pleaded with his mother. "But mother! I'm going to help you!" he insisted.
"No, you can't! Go inside and protect the kids!"
"But—"
"Kim Namwoon, now!" she interrupted, leaving no room for argument.
Namwoon's determination wavered under his mother's order, his teeth clenching in resignation. "Fine, but I'm gonna get Sooyoung and the others for backup," he relented, turning to go to the horse stables.
With a fierce glint in her eyes, the duchess faced the monstrous entity before her, unwavering in the face of danger. She would not hesitate to shatter the monster for daring to harm her child or her home.
Taking her stance, sword at the ready, Persephone readied herself for an arduous fight.
-----
"What are you doing here?" Dokja positioned himself in front of the creatures, shielding them away. The empress, however, remained silent, her gaze scanning the surroundings of the forest.
Unperturbed by Dokja's question, she continued to stroll around casually. "Despite what the rumors may say, this forest really is beautiful, isn't it?" She closed her eyes, taking in the serene surroundings. "I don't think I would mind it at all, spending my days here."
Turning her gaze towards Dokja, the empress offered a small smile. It reminded him of Persephone, the smiles she would give the family when she thought no one was looking. It almost seemed genuine. Catching himself before he lowered his guard, Dokja reiterated himself.
"I'll ask you one more time, what are you doing here?" The creatures stood behind him, readying themselves to defend Dokja should the woman make any move to hurt him. The air crackled with unease. Dokja found it difficult to even breathe in the same space as the empress, not knowing the lengths she'd go to bring him down this time.
In response to Dokja's probing question, the empress offered another disarming smile. "Aren't you tired of this too, Kim Dokja?" She brushed away a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Again and again, we keep on doing this little dance of ours. Why don't we settle things right here and now? No schemes, no secrets. Just us, here in this beautiful forest of yours."
Dokja reached for the handle of his sword, a clear sign of his distrust "What makes you think I'd believe a word that comes out of your mouth, you—"
However, his response wavered as his gaze fell upon the empress's gown. The tips of her sleeves were soaked with blood, with some more splattered all over her front. The stains were a dark brown.
The empress followed his line of sight. "Ah, this? I'm sorry for my messy attire. The past few days have had me in a bit of disarray. It seems like my sorry excuse of a husband just can't get anything right," she seethed, "Saying that Joonghyuk would be the next emperor after he returns—after all that we've done, that I'VE done!"
Her frustration boiled over into fury as she clenched her teeth, her voice rising to a crescendo. "I did everything to ensure my son's future! And that bastard dared to go back on his word."
Joonghyuk as the heir to the throne? Dokja had thought the emperor had long turned his back on his son, so what happened to change his mind? Maybe he realized only Joonghyuk was capable enough to lead the empire. There was also the chance he found out the truth behind Raven Veil. But then, there's the biggest problem: Joonghyuk no longer cared for the throne. If the first son refused the throne and the second son wasn't permitted to take it, what would become of it?
"Hmph, that confused look you get doesn't get old. No need to worry your little head off about it, the emperor isn't with us anymore."
"What!? What did you…? Do you really think you can get away with everything?"
The empress laughed humorlessly at that; her voice empty as she said her next words.
"Haaah, does it really matter anymore? The life I've built, the happiness I worked so hard for, all gone because of one idiotic man. No need for the lecture, I know I don't have a future beyond this."
The serene smile she wore was completely wiped from her face. Her face was completely blank as she stared into Dokja's eyes, her empty stare gaze sending chills down his back.
"Don't you understand, Kim Dokja? There's nothing left for me. Nothing. So, while I have nothing left to lose, there's no need to hide behind the façade anymore. I'll tear down everyone, starting with you and your family."
There was seldom anything more dangerous than a person with nothing left to lose. The Kim Dokja of the novel had been hammered into his mind. There was still no telling the extent of the empress's dark magic. Though she was far from invincible, she could inflict major damage if she was as true to her words as Dokja thought she was being. He would need to stop her here and now, no matter what the cost.
"I won't give you the chance, you'll fall here and now, by my own hands."
The empress shook her head at him, smiling at him pitifully. " My precious Raven has already breached the Underworld Duchy, he's mauling your family's bodies apart as we speak." Dokja's heart dropped. He'd left when his family needed him the most. He couldn't even fight along their side.
His mind raced with what to do—he had to find some way to distract the empress and get back home. The creatures were with him, maybe they'd be able to help him. They were able to harness magic efficiently, if he went back home with them, the creatures would be able to help defend against the monster. But the foremost problem was the empress. She'd already set her sights on him, and it wouldn't be an easy task to evade her. Unless…
"Raven Veil. Your son. You turned him into that monster, didn't you? Your own son, the one thing I had thought you loved as much as your power. Was he really nothing more than another puppet to you?" The question hung in the air, Dokja waiting with bated breath for the answer he was looking for.
The empress's eyes blazed with fury as she snapped back at Dokja, her voice sharp with indignation. "Don't call my little Raven that! He isn't a monster! He's perfect!"
Dokja, undeterred by her protestations, stood his ground. "Can you even call him a human anymore?!"
The empress's voice rose as she lashed out at Dokja, her words sharp with outrage. "Shut up! You don't know anything! That child would have died a long time ago if it weren't for me!" Her son is perfect, he is beautiful.
Dokja's frown deepened as he pressed for more, "What did you do to him?"
The empress's regarded Dokja, looking him up and down before sneering at him with disgust. "You're a pathetic man, Kim Dokja. Your very soul is weak, pitiful, and disgustingly flawed. How cruel of your own mother to look at it and let it fester into what it has become now," the empress's smile returned, but now, tinted with a crazed edge, "But me, I'm different. I saw the weakness in my son's soul, saw that his soul was filled with nothing but flaws. And I removed it. Every. Last. Fragment. And if the devil himself wanted it, then who was I to not give away trash for gold?"
"…What?" Dokja's voice was barely a whisper as revulsion filled the put of his gut. The weight of her words bore down on him, filling him with horror. Exactly what kind of life with the empress's son lead under his mother's lead? Did he have any awareness, control over his actions? Was he just another one of the empress's victims, hypnotized over the course of his life to follow his mother's bidding? How could one live life without a soul?
"This empire deserves the perfect ruler, wouldn't you agree? I did what was necessary!"
"In the end, everything you do is just for your own satisfaction, isn't it?"
The empress said nothing, instead lowering her gaze to Dokja's stomach. "That's right, you're pregnant! No worries, when you have your child you'll understand. If you're truly the moral person you so love to tout yourself as, you'd do the same," she declared with a chilling nonchalance. Dokja couldn't even tell if she genuinely believed in those words or if she was just taunting him.
But it didn't matter anymore, he'd gotten the answer he needed. Whatever the prince had turned into, it was clear that the empress had used her dark magic to do so. So, if he defeated her here, then her son would fall too.
Without another moment's hesitation Dokja summoned the vines to attack the empress, the plants emerging from the forest and ground to try to catch her. However, she swiftly retrieved a dagger from her waist and skillfully sliced through them, deflecting the assault with a calculated ease. With an intimidating glint in her eyes, she advanced towards Dokja, the dagger gleaming in her hand as she prepared her counterattack.
Even with the combination of his sword and vines, it was clear Dokja was at a slight disadvantage. The empress' movements were rapid and smooth, and she probably had more experience utilizing her magic. On the other hand, Dokja's sword weighed him down, his swings not fast enough to keep up with her movements. He would have to focus his attacks, use his vines to position her how he wanted and then strike with his sword.
When fighting against a bladed weapon, and with no armor at that, it was enviable to get cut up. The empress's agility made that inevitability increase tenfold. As Dokja sliced and lunged his sword at her, she easily dodged to the side, getting in a cut of her own before retreating away.
It continued like this for a bit, before Dokja's arms and back were covered in shallow cuts. It was easier said than done trying to harness the vines while fighting. He still needed an immense amount of focus to do so.
The echoes of their conflict filled the forest, the clang of his blade against the empress's dagger. His heaving breaths against her snickers.
Dokja continued to press the attack, his sword slicing through the air with focus. While he was no master swordsman, he drew upon the simple movements he had observed from Heewon and Joonghyuk, using their techniques to guide his own strikes.
The knowledge that his family was under duress lingered in the back of his mind, but he found solace in the knowledge that his loved ones were capable fighters who would defend themselves against the threat. With that assurance, he channeled his energy into the battle before him, knowing that defeating the empress was a crucial step towards ensuring their safety.
Dokja lunged forward, his sword thrusting towards the empress and forcing her to retreat. As he commanded the vines to attack her, the creatures aiding him from behind, she countered with a spell, conjuring flames that engulfed the vines in a blazing inferno.
The empress turned her gaze towards the night sky, a sense of foreboding settling over her. The looming deadline before sunrise weighed heavily on her mind, a grim reminder of the impending sacrifice that fate demanded.
A frown creased her brow before her sight was cast to the side, focusing on something else. A laugh escaped her lips. "Oh my, those papers you have laying over there. Don't tell me, Bihyung gave you those?" she said, amusement coloring her tone.
Dokja's expression darkened at the mention of the name. Holding his sword up defensively, he allowed himself to give into his curiosity. "How do you know Bihyung?"
"But of course, he's the spy I sent to you," she revealed with a smile. Tilted her head, she continued with a sigh of disappointment, "But it seems like he betrayed me in the end. Taking control of the dokkeabis and sparking this useless war"
Dokja…didn't know what to make of this. He had harbored suspicions about the dokkeabis' involvement in the conflict, but to know that Bihyung was the cause behind it all was something else. Yes, he'd thought it was strange how the one of the novel's main antagonists had been reduced to a pitiful street urchin. At the time that he'd encountered Bihyung in the first place, he hadn't even met the dokkeabi and his role had already drastically changed.
But if Bihyung had really been working against him the whole time, why hadn't he done anything until now? The dokkeabi had ample opportunity to kill him if he so chose to. Not to mention the documents he'd left behind…
No, there was no use contemplating it now. He'd already waged war against the empire. He was an enemy to the future of the empire, to citizens, and to him and Joonghyuk. He chose his side. He would have to face Joonghyuk, and Joonghyuk would do what he had to do.
Dokja put a hand on his stomach, Joonghyuk will come back to him...to them. He's sure. Taking a deep breath, Dokja opened his eyes, his gaze locked on the empress.
"That's it. Let's finish this once and for all." With resolve in his voice, he launched into an attack.
-----
The duchess spat blood, grimacing as she wiped her face to clear the crimson streaks. Rising to her feet alongside Sooyoung and Sangah, they stood in a defensive formation, their bodies bearing the marks of slices and cuts marring their skin from the monster's relentless claws strikes. Catching their breath, they fixed their gazes on the looming threat before them.
For the past hour, the duchess, Sooyoung, and Sangah had been locked in fierce battle against the relentless monster, their attacks met with stubborn resistance. Despite their exhaustion and mounting frustration, the three refused to back down. The memory of what the monster in front of them had done to Dokja only fueled their anger, driving them to ensure that it met its end, no matter the cost.
The monster, a hulking mass of twisted limbs and razor-sharp claws, bellowed in defiance as it launched another series of ferocious attacks. The duchess deftly dodged and parried, her sword gleaming in the moonlight as she countered each blow with swift and decisive strikes. Beside her, Sangah moved with the grace of a dancer, her twin daggers cutting through the air with lethal precision.
Focused on the duchess, the monster faced her head-on. Meanwhile, Sooyoung attempted to strike, but the monster evaded with large lunges of its body. But unlike the start of the fight, it was significantly slower in its movements. The women weren't the only ones that had gotten wounded in the fight.
Both Yoosung and Sangah had worked to deliver fatal strikes to its legs, making efficient maneuvering difficult. And finally, their strikes from earlier were showing their effects. With the duchess and Sooyoung pushing the creature back, Sangah was able to stealthily approach it from behind. Climbing on top of it, she plunged her dagger into its back, eliciting a pained roar that halted the fight momentarily.
In the moment of distraction, the duchess seized the opportunity to strike, slicing a deep gash across the monster's chest. Another anguished howl filled the night air. Sooyoung swiftly moved in, severing the monster's left arm.
The monster's roars reverberated through the field, its body drenched in a torrent of blood from the combined strikes of the three women. In the face of the creature's tormented cries, the duchess delivered the final blow. Death would be the only mercy she would grant to it. She brought her sword down, slicing through the monster's neck in a single fluid movement.
Blood spurted from the wound as the head rolled to the ground, the lifeless body collapsing in a final, defeated gesture. The women stood amidst the carnage, their bodies splattered with the crimson evidence of the fight they had waged.
Their expressions remained stoic and unyielding, devoid of remorse or pity for the fallen foe. In a moment of shared relief, they exhaled deeply, the tension of the battle dissipating as they stood victorious over the lifeless body of their enemy.
"…that's one problem down, but we still have another on our hands."
Sooyoung and Sangah exchanged uncertain glances before turning their attention back to the duchess. "Where do you think Dokja could've gone?" Sooyoung questioned.
Sangah's brow furrowed in thought as she pointed towards the lifeless monster. "If this really is the prince…" she mused, "Then could he have come here on the empress's command?"
The duchess nodded in agreement, acknowledging the possibility of the empress's involvement.
"Then… isn't it possible she sent it as a distraction and took Dokja beforehand?"
The dawning realization cast a shadow of worry over the trio. THey could only hope that wherever Dokja was now, he would hold out until they found him.
-----
In a distant land far from the empire, another fight was still raging on, coming to its climax. Joonghyuk locked eyes with Bihyung, his expression a mask of fury. "How could you do this? Kim Dokja trusted you!"
Bihyung maintained a blank expression as he nonchalantly responded, "Dokja and I aren't that close, so don't bother getting any pity from me. But if he did, then his naivety isn't my fault." With those callous words hanging in the air, the rift of duplicity widened between them as they both retreated, the tension thick in the air.
The distant sounds of clashing swords and the cacophony of battle cries reached their ears, a stark reminder of the chaos unfolding around them.
The first few days of the small army's departure was spent venturing to the outside of the Seoul Empire's borders, the portion shared between them and the Starstream Kingdom.
Scouts sent ahead of the army had reported back, saying they identified an area with multiple figures similar to the creature identified from the prior attack on the empire. And so Joonghyuk led his men to a nearby clearing, setting up their camps and supplies.
Joonghyuk wasn't the first to attack, instead sending out the scouts again for more confirmation that figures they were targeting were indeed involved in the attack. But they didn't return, and the dokkaebi launched a surprise attack on the camp.
The men were not prepared to fight against beings that were able to wield magic, many injured in the initial confrontation. But thanks to Joonghyuk's leadership and experience, the casualties were kept to a minimum so far. But the conflict had to end soon, the knights were getting fatigued by the constant fighting.
The past few days were dedicated to pushing past the dokkeabis' defensive line and dwindling their ranks, until finally the knights had reached the core forces.
"No matter what your relation to Dokja may have been, one thing is certain - I will end you here and now," Joonghyuk declared, shifting out from his defensive stance into a fierce attack, his sword cutting through the air.
Bihyung's smirk betrayed the strain in the air as he taunted Joonghyuk. The dokkeabi launched a variety of spells at Joonghyuk, which were either swiftly dodge or brushed aside by the hilt of the man's sword. Despite the large difference between fighting with weapons and magic, Joonghyuk was able to go toe to toe with Bihyung through sheer force of will.
Joonghyuk thrust his sword forward, aiming for Bihyung's torso, but the wily leader deftly dodged the attack. Taking advantage of the opening he'd created, Bihyung moved to cast a fire spell at Joonghyuk's arm. However, Joonghyuk's quick reflexes came into play as he delivered a well-placed kick, forcing Bihyung to stagger backward.
The hostility between Joonghyuk and Bihyung reached a boiling point as they locked eyes, the impending sunrise casting a sense of urgency over their confrontation. With a second's glance at the approaching dawn, Bihyung acted swiftly, extending his free hand and casting a spell that bathed the surroundings in a blinding light. The dokkaebi, under the influence of the magic, ceased their fighting and their eyes glowed with the mystical energy.
Confusion clouded Joonghyuk's mind as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Not allowing his opponent's lapse in attention to go to waste, and not wanting whatever next attack he had planned to take place, Joonghyuk took the chance to drive his sword into the traitor's heart.
The spell's light faded as Bihyung coughed up blood, the gaze he fixed on Joonghyuk one of resignation, rather than the scorn Joonghyuk was so used to seeing in his enemies' last moments.
Around him, the knights serving him also began to charge at the remaining dokkeabi, seeing Joonghyuk slay the opposing leader. But they stopped in confusion, then appalment as one by one, the dokkaebi they had previously been fighting against offed themselves, using spells to drain themselves of life.
Their bodies fell without grace. The knights around them carefully approached the corpses, even stabbing them to ensure their deaths. Joonghyuk, reeling from the sudden turn of events, withdrew his sword and stepped back as Bihyung knelt to the ground, his hand falling limply to his side amidst the lifeless bodies of the dokkaebi.
"What… what is this. Another trick of yours?" His widened eyes remained fixed on Bihyung, the sight of Bihyung still moving despite the fatal blow to his heart leaving Joonghyuk perturbed.
Meanwhile, Bihyung's body betrayed him, the deep wound in his chest causing excruciating pain as he felt the life slipping away from him. Vomiting blood and with his vision blurring, he knew that his time was running out. With a final, bittersweet smile directed at Joonghyuk, Bihyung managed to utter,
"Enjoy your happy ending, Yoo…Joong…" his voice trailed off, his eyes closing as his body slumped to the ground.
------
As the dawn of the new day approached, only Kim Dokja and the empress were left fighting, both combatants forcing their bodies to comply through sheer exhaustion that threatened to take the both of them down.
The empress lunged, prompting Dokja to summon protective vines, only for them to be incinerated by her flames. In the moment she was focused on casting her spell, Dokja swung his sword, inflicting a deep wound on the empress's shoulder, eliciting a cry.
The empress's anger flared as she launched another attack, her movements slowed by exhaustion and the wounds that marred her body. In contrast, while Dokja also bore injuries, they were superficial in comparison, mere scratches and bruises that paled in comparison to the empress's more severe punctures.
Behind him the creatures stood at the ready, closely watching the fight in case they needed to support Dokja with vines of their own. After carefully observing the match from the distance, they were able to read Dokja's movement's well, and predict when he'd need their support to defend him from the empress's attacks.
Seeing the empress's weakened state, Biyoo, Popo, and the griffin all launched themselves at the empress, aiming at the stab wound on her torso. Enraged by their interference, the empress retaliated by casting a spell that chained the trio to a tree, their movements restricted.
"You three! Just hang in there, I'll get you out from there soon!" he watched helplessly as his companions were bound, at the mercy of the empress's wrath.
"Oh? Are you really so sure about that?"
The empress's smirk twisted into a cruel smile as she lifted up a hand, aiming it toward the three creatures. A dark essence gathered in her hand, emanating a faint light as she prepared her spell.
"NO!!"
In a desperate move to defend them, Dokja ran at her with his sword, arms drawn back to stab him in the chest. In those few, heart stopping moments, everything felt like it was going in slow motion as the world faded to the background.
The noise in his ears faded into a deep ring, joined only by his rapid heartbeat. Each of his footfalls took an eternity, the distance between him and the empress not closing quickly enough.
He wasn't going to make it. He wouldn't be able to save his friends.
But then, something inexplicable happened.
Before his blade had even reached her, the magic building up in the empress's hand completely extinguished. She turned toward him fully, spreading her arms wide open in acceptance.
The smirk she had been wearing had changed into a wide smile. She looked.. actually happy. Something in the back of Dokja's mind told him that this one was real, the only morsel of authenticity that he would ever see from the woman. It was within those open arms that his sword pierced through her heart. He heard the squelch as his blade broke through the lining of her organ, felt the weight of her body on his weapon.
Quickly retracting his sword back, Dokja stood in shock at what just happened as he watched her body crumple to the ground, light rapidly fading from her eyes.
As the empress's body lay still on the ground, a sense of peace washed over her, her breaths growing slower and more labored until they ceased altogether. The serene expression on her face betrayed all the chaos she'd caused, a fleeting sense of contentment in the wake of her final act.
With the first light of sunrise painting the sky, she closed her eyes with a smile, a silent acknowledgment of the resolution she had found. In that moment of quiet surrender, the empress embraced the stillness of death, her journey coming to an end the way it was meant to.
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[You have died]
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[Congratulations on successfully completing your mission.]
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[Our dear empress]