Published at 27th of August 2026 7:15 pm

Chapter 1128: The World of Ascension (58)

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Hyun Soyeon Betrayed Us.

Namgung Hyung spoke with a troubled expression.

Why was he suddenly bringing up Hyun Soyeon?

I turned to him with a questioning look, and he frowned before answering.

"...The only people who knew about this tunnel’s location were me and Hyung-nim."

"...Ah."

"And yet, that guy is here waiting for us. I think you know what that means."

Hearing his words, I furrowed my brows.

Only two people knew about the tunnel.

And now, Father was sitting here, waiting, like he’d known exactly where we would emerge.

There was only one explanation for this.

And before I could process it further—

"Correct answer."

A soft, delicate voice rang out beside Father.

Hyun Soyeon appeared, her beautiful face peeking out from behind him.

"...Hyung-nim."

Namgung Hyung looked at her with an incredulous expression.

She met his gaze with an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry."

"This is a hell of a backstab, you know?"

"I didn’t have a choice."

"A choice? What the hell does that mean?"

Namgung Hyung's voice grew cold.

Was he upset that his plan had failed?

Or—

‘Is he angry because Hyun Soyeon betrayed him?’

It was probably both.

But for me, that wasn’t the issue here.

‘More than her betrayal...’

Why had Father listened to her?

That was the real problem.

I quickly assessed the situation, scanning the area for any hidden threats.

‘Not many people are around.’

If I wanted to, I could force my way out.

But—

‘The same applies to them.’

If we started a fight here, reinforcements would immediately flood in.

‘Hmm.’

I hesitated.

Should I just give up?

If I threw Namgung Hyung under the bus now, I could probably get out of this unscathed.

But...

‘It’s a bit late for that.’

At this point, it wouldn’t even make a difference.

I sighed, holding back my frustration.

That was when—

"I didn’t have a choice," Hyun Soyeon said, looking at Namgung Hyung.

"I told you, didn’t I? Now isn’t the time. I told you to wait a little longer. But you didn’t listen."

"Ahaha."

Namgung Hyung laughed.

But it wasn’t the same playful laughter as before.

It was the kind of laugh someone lets out when they’re trying to suppress something.

"You heard my answer back then too, didn't you? I said I was going to do it. That I had no intention of staying in this goddamn hellhole any longer."

"Yes, you did say that."

Hyun Soyeon took a step closer to him.

"And since I knew you wouldn’t listen, I did what I had to do."

"What?"

"I couldn’t stop you on my own. And I couldn’t think of any other way to handle this. You understand, don’t you?"

She smiled.

It was the same bright smile that always made me freeze for a moment—because it was the same as Namgung Bi-ah’s.

"I couldn’t go to the family head about this."

"...Ah, so instead, you went to him?"

"Yes. And I had to pay a high price for it, too. But this seemed like the best option. Oh, although—"

She turned her gaze toward me.

"...The card you brought with you was not what I expected. That was a bit of a miscalculation."

"Haha..."

Namgung Hyung let out a low chuckle.

"I don’t understand."

Swoosh.

Namgung Hyung stood up from his kneeling position.

The playful atmosphere snapped.

His expression was serious—dead serious.

I narrowed my eyes.

‘...Interesting.’

This was different.

The usual playful, carefree Namgung Hyung was gone.

His expression was colder than anyone else's.

It was almost unsettling that he had ever been able to act lighthearted with a face like that.

"If that was the case, you should have just gone straight to the family head."

"......."

"I told you clearly. If you wouldn’t help me, at least don’t get in my way."

Namgung Hyung had begged her for the same thing he’d asked me.

But there was one difference here.

"More importantly, you, of all people, shouldn’t have done this."

His voice was full of betrayal.

"At the very least, you should have been the last person to stand in my way."

"Haa..."

Hyun Soyeon sighed.

"You're really too naive."

Her expression changed.

For a moment, I widened my eyes.

‘She looks just like Namgung Bi-ah.’

When she made that expression—when she got serious—they were practically identical.

"If you run away now, do you have any idea how much damage it will cause?"

"What?"

"The patrols who failed to stop you will be punished. And on top of that, Young Master Baek, who got involved in this mess, will also suffer consequences. All because of you."

Her words were sharp and precise.

Namgung Hyung's face stiffened.

But Hyun Soyeon wasn’t finished.

"I don’t care if you want to escape from this hell or not. But don’t drag others down with you. So just go back quietly."

She was trying to reason with him—to talk him down calmly.

At least, that’s what it looked like.

However.

"If you go back now, I’ll pretend I never saw—"

"Hyun Soyeon."

"......."

Namgung Hyung cut her off.

He spoke her name flatly.

"That’s enough excuses."

His face was twisted with irritation.

Hyun Soyeon flinched.

"Why are you suddenly bringing up other people? Just say it outright."

Namgung Hyung’s gaze turned sharp.

"You don’t give a damn about anyone else. You’re just scared that the family head will kill me."

"......."

"So stop bullshitting and just admit it. That’s the real reason, isn’t it?"

He spoke so bluntly, so coldly, that Hyun Soyeon visibly froze.

‘Whoa.’

Honestly, this was kind of entertaining.

Not only had Namgung Hyung dropped all formalities, but she was clearly thrown off by it.

This wasn’t about patrols or responsibilities—she was just afraid that he’d die.

‘Really?’

This was getting interesting.

And then—

"...Young Master Hyung."

Hyun Soyeon’s tone changed.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

"If you know that, then don’t do this."

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Young Master Hyung, It's Already Too Late."

Namgung Hyung didn’t answer Hyun Soyeon’s words.

He simply squared his shoulders, his face unreadable.

"It's already too late for that. And I’ll say it again."

A slow, intense energy began to emanate from his body.

"I’m leaving this hell tonight. No matter what it takes."

"......."

His determination became tangible, turning into a pressure that filled the air.

The faint distortion of the air—the heat waves visible around him—made Hyun Soyeon bite her lip before speaking.

"...Do you really think the Lord of the Namgung Family doesn’t know about this?"

She was asking if Namgung Jeohwi was truly unaware of his son's escape attempt.

"Of course not."

Namgung Hyung laughed again. Calmly.

"That old man may seem incompetent, but when it comes to what happens inside the Namgung family, he knows everything. Even if he’s hosting a banquet right now, he could have prepared a contingency plan.

"And from the way I see it..."

Srrrk.

Namgung Hyung reached into his robes and pulled something out.

Noe-a.

"My guess is that you, Hyun Soyeon, are the final contingency plan my father put in place.

"And you, being as smart as you are, already knew that, didn’t you?"

"......."

"So let’s end this here."

"......End what?"

"Whatever this is. I won’t do anything. I won’t know anything."

Clench.

Hyun Soyeon bit down hard on her lip at his words.

I won’t know anything.

Did he mean he would pretend not to realize that Hyun Soyeon was just another tool prepared by Namgung Jeohwi?

Or—

‘Is he saying he’ll pretend not to notice her feelings?’

The fact that she longed for him—was he aware of it?

He knew, but he was choosing to ignore it.

‘So this guy... isn’t an idiot after all.’

For some reason, that realization felt surprising.

At that moment—

"Let me ask you something first."

Chi-i-i-i-iik.

The air crackled as Namgung Hyung tensed his body and turned his gaze toward someone.

Father.

"If I want to leave here, do I have to defeat you?"

"......."

Father reacted to his words.

Slowly, he stood up from the chair.

And then—

"Are you finished talking?"

Crack.

He rolled his shoulders, loosening up his muscles.

"Yeah, we just finished. Thanks for waiting, Divine Dragon."

"......."

Father didn’t respond to Namgung Hyung.

Instead, he turned to Hyun Soyeon and asked—

"Lady Hyun."

"...Yes?"

"I will keep my promise."

"...Please do."

A promise?

I had no idea what kind of deal they had made, but judging from their reactions, it wasn’t in Namgung Hyung’s favor.

‘What the hell did she bargain away?’

What was so important that Father would agree to it?

"Namgung Hyung."

Father finally addressed him.

"What?"

"The question you asked earlier—I’ll give you an answer.

"Yes, you are correct."

Tap. Tap.

He rolled his shoulders again, tiny sparks of flame flickering from his movements.

"If you want to leave, you must defeat me."

His voice was heavy.

And at that moment—

"...Oh? Is that so?"

Namgung Hyung tightened his grip around Noe-a.

Crackle—!

A spark flashed from the blade.

And then—

BOOOOM—!!!

Lightning exploded from Noe-a, wrapping itself around Namgung Hyung’s entire body.

‘Ah.’

I recognized that form.

That was—

‘...Thunder God’s Descent.’

A technique that fused completely with Noe-a, maximizing the power of the artifact’s spirit.

‘So Namgung Hyung could use it too?’

I had only ever seen Ma Geomhu in my past life—or Namgung Bi-ah in this life—use it.

So The Strange had been able to use it as well.

"In that case... I guess I have no choice."

Lightning roared around him as Namgung Hyung exuded a deadly fighting intent.

Father, unfazed, took his stance.

And I?

I started thinking.

‘What should I do?’

Could I just... let them fight?

I looked at Father, not Namgung Hyung.

It didn’t take me long to come to a conclusion.

"Wait, wait..."

I sighed and stepped forward.

BZZZT—!!!

As I moved, I grabbed Namgung Hyung’s wrist.

The moment I touched him, lightning surged from his body, violently trying to push me away.

"Wh-what the—?!"

Namgung Hyung flinched and tried to pull away.

But—

"Calm the hell down."

I ignored the lightning completely.

"...What?"

Namgung Hyung looked at me with a stunned expression.

I didn’t bother acknowledging it.

Instead, I turned to Father and spoke.

"Both of you were asked to be here for someone else.

"So the contractors should step aside. Don’t you think?"

"......."

Father stared at me, his face rigid.

"What do you mean?"

I immediately answered.

"What I mean is—"

I pulled Namgung Hyung behind me and stepped forward.

"It’s exactly what it sounds like."

I stood before Father, the size difference between us obvious—a full head’s worth of height between us.

Still, I looked up at him and spoke.

"Forget him.

"Fight me instead."

"......."

Father’s eyebrows twitched sharply.

Share