Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Chapter 69: The Forgotten Past part 23


"Mm... Mother?" Gumiho whispered under her breath, dragging her feet toward Hana.

The surroundings, once filled with the gossip of onlookers, turned mute. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

Gumiho's lips parted slightly, her eyes fixed unrelentingly on Hana. Her arms hung loosely at her sides, and her bare feet left a faint, dragging trail behind her. After reaching halfway, she lost the strength in her body. Her knees bent, and she began to fall.

But before her knees could touch the ground, her head rested on a shoulder, and a hand caught her by the waist.

A middle-aged fox-man was kneeling before Gumiho, his shoulder keeping her from falling. His right arm was wrapped around Gumiho's belly, and on his left—where his other arm should have been—the sleeve of his coat hung freely.

"Lord Aruma?" A wave of gasps spread through the army.

"Father, I missed you," Gumiho whispered.

"I missed you too, my blossom," Aruma replied, his voice carrying a hint of cracking.

A warm hug embraced Gumiho from behind.

"You did well, Ume. I'm proud of you," Hana said.

"Yes, Mother, I stayed strong as you requested. I'm completely fine," Gumiho replied, her voice lacking all hints of emotion.

Aruma raised his hand and patted her head.

"It's alright, Ume."

"As I said already, I'm fine."

"It's alright, Ume."

"Father, I'm—I'm fine now."

"It's alright, Ume."

"Can't you hear me? I—sniff...snift—I said I'm fine!"

"Hmm, I heard you. It's alright, Ume."

"Then—sob... sob—why do you—sob... sob—keep saying that?"

"You don't have to hold it in anymore. It's alright, Ume."

She started crying uncontrollably. Tears poured down her face. Everything she had bottled up—all of her trauma—spilled out. Her hands clutched tightly around Aruma's neck, finally accepting his embrace. Her voice came out in sharp bursts, interrupted by gasps and desperate cries.

"I... I was scared, Father. It hurt so much. Every day I wished to die. I—I hate you, Father. Why? Why didn't you come sooner?"

"Forgive me, Ume," Aruma replied in a low tone as tears rolled down his cheeks. His voice was calm, but every vein in his body was about to burst. His eyes had turned crimson, and his body emitted a horrifyingly oppressive aura that even I was getting goosebumps.

"The man so skillful that he has never lost a duel. The man who single-handedly slaughtered over ten thousand humans. The mere mention of his name sends shivers across Vyoman. A man so steadfast in his principles that, whether you are human or beast, you can't help but respect him. The man so strong-willed that he's never shown a speck of weakness. He alone is called by arrogant titles like the Grim Reaper of Humans and the Battle God Aruma.

Yet that very man kneels before his daughter, appearing as the most vulnerable person in the world," a heavy voice filled with awe declared. "This is the type of man I wish you to become, Vyaghra."

"Vyaghra?" I murmured.

I scanned the surroundings with curious eyes upon hearing the familiar name.

There were two men standing out from the rest of the onlookers. One was middle-aged, puffed with muscles, over 200 cm tall, and carrying a short beard on his face, while the other was about my size and seemed to be around my age as well. Both had dual black-and-blonde hair and whiskers on their faces.

"I won't follow anyone's path, Father. I will create my own," the young man replied arrogantly.

"I can tell just by the way of speaking, he is definitely Vyaghra," I sighed.

However, in the very next moment, his imperiousness was put in place by a wild smack on his head.

"Do you think it's easy to follow the path Aruma is walking? To uphold his dignity and ensure a better future for his daughter, he left his family and fought a losing war against humans. It's not an understatement to say that he alone shifted the tide of war in this territory. And while he was risking his life every day on the battlefield, the clan he had sworn to protect was committing unspeakable atrocities against his daughter. When he demanded an explanation, the fox clan said that his daughter was a two-tailed demon—and as her father who aided in hiding her true identity, he was a criminal as well. Can you feel the betrayal he felt? Can you imagine the fury burning inside him? The fox clan is done for. They've provoked the Grim Reaper, and now he will be coming for their souls."

"I'm not saying that his path is easy, Father. He has his own fate, and I have mine."

"Yes, you have a fate—it's to get beaten to death by me."

While the duo was bickering, Gumiho's cries continued until she became completely exhausted and fell asleep.

---

The sight was still abyssal, but my ears echoed with the loud noises of fast footsteps and numerous curious voices.

"Move fast! Lord Aruma has summoned the whole army."

"He's about to make an announcement. We need to hurry."

"Do you know what it's about?"

"Are you living under a rock or what? His daughter has been rescued, so he's definitely going to declare all-out war against the fox clan."

"This is huge! Run, or we might miss it."

As Gumiho woke up and my vision returned, I found us inside a tent. Gumiho was resting on a bed, and beside her, on the floor, Hana was sleeping in a sitting position with her head resting on Gumiho's hand.

"How are you feeling, Ume?" Hana asked as Gumiho's slight eye movement woke her up.

"I'm better now," Gumiho said, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Why is there so much ruckus outside?"

"Your father is gathering the army to announce something. Do you want to hear it?"

Gumiho nodded, a mild sparkle of curiosity in her eyes.

Hana gently patted her head and whispered, offering her arm, "Let's go."

As the duo left the tent, my troubled mind, which had witnessed the most inhumane torture known to mankind, was finally calming down —but I didn't know why my heart was still restless.

"I might be feeling this way because of my core," I murmured, placing my hand on my stomach. Nearly eighty percent of my core was in pieces, and a violent purple energy was spreading out, gripping my insides like venom.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.


Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter