Heavy rain began to pour.
The Jagalchi Market fell into a heavy silence. On the ground lay the lifeless bodies of Jaegwang and Hashik, the crimson blood being washed away by the rainwater, snaking through the cracks in the pavement.
Jinrang's eyes remained fixed on them for a long time. Everything felt muffled, drowned out by the rhythmic drumming of the downpour.
Then, a massive figure—nearly seven feet tall—stepped into his line of sight, blocking the view.
It was Kitae Kim. He stood there like a monolith.
Jinrang slowly looked up. His face was a mask of cold indifference.
"Who are you?" Jinrang asked, his voice raspy.
A slow, predatory smile spread across Kitae's face. "Hm?"
"Did you do this just to get to me?"
On the sidelines, Daniel's pupils contracted. He stared at the towering back of the man in disbelief. "The son of Gapryong Kim... the King of Seoul... Kitae Kim. He's already here?!"
Before anyone could react, Kitae reached out and snatched Jinrang by the throat, hoisting him off the ground.
"Surrender Busan," Kitae said. His voice was casual, yet heavy with absolute authority.
"Hyung-nim!!" Sang Baek shouted from the side, his body tensing to spring forward.
"Don't interfere," Jinrang ordered without looking back, his eyes locked on Kitae. "He's that person's son."
"But still...!" Sang Baek gritted his teeth.
Jinrang shifted his gaze back to Kitae. "You're saying the same thing James Lee did. What on earth are you people thinking?"
Kitae let out a soft, airy chuckle. "Wrong answer."
"What?"
"The correct answer is obedience."
CRACK-BOOM!
Blue lightning flashed behind Kitae, illuminating his silhouette. He let go of Jinrang's throat, letting him drop. As he walked past, Kitae reached out and gave Jinrang's shoulder a mocking pat.
"The First Generation, the Second Generation... the current eras are boring. I'm going to bring back the past."
Jinrang turned to look at his back. "The Pre-Generation?"
Kitae looked over his shoulder. Blood from Jaegwang and Hashik had splattered across his cheek, making his grin look even more twisted. "Yeah. Back when everything was chaos. When everyone had to struggle just to survive. I'm turning it all back to how it was before Gapryong Kim stepped in."
Jinrang's expression sharpened.
"Are you finished? I've put up with your nonsense only because you are that man's son," Jinrang said, dropping into a stance. "Kitae, coming to Busan was your decision. But whether you leave or not... that depends on mine."
A broad, manic smile split Kitae's face. "The King of Busan... this is going to be tasty. Way tastier than I thought!"
The air shifted.
Jinrang's silhouette blurred as he closed the distance, his boots kicking up a spray of rainwater. He twisted his torso, driving his right elbow toward Kitae's temple with the force of a falling guillotine.
Kitae tilted his head by a fraction of an inch. The strike whistled past his ear, cutting only the air.
"King of Busan..." Kitae murmured, his eyes half-lidded.
Jinrang didn't stop. He pivoted on his lead foot, snapping a horizontal elbow toward Kitae's throat. It was a jagged, lethal arc—the 'Fang' of the Wolf. Kitae simply leaned back, the fabric of his shirt fluttering as the blow missed his skin by a hair's breadth.
"This is getting boring," Kitae continued, his voice steady despite the speed of the assault.
Jinrang's teeth ground together. He dropped low, aiming a rising elbow strike directly under Kitae's chin, followed instantly by a crushing downward strike from his left. It was a textbook sequence designed to shatter a man's jaw and collarbone in a single breath.
Kitae caught the first strike in his palm and swatted the second aside with the back of his hand, as if brushing away a persistent insect.
"What's wrong with you?"
Jinrang lunged again, his elbows becoming a frantic, silver blur against the grey rain. He targeted the ribs, the solar plexus, the neck—none of it landed. Kitae moved with a heavy, deceptive grace, his feet barely leaving their original position.
"Are we playing tag?" Kitae asked, actually letting out a wide, mocking yawn mid-dodge.
Jinrang's breathing grew heavy, the steam rising from his shoulders. He stepped in for a final, desperate combination, but Kitae didn't even bother to move his head this time. He simply shruggged his shoulder, letting the elbow glance harmlessly off his muscular frame.
Kitae looked him dead in the eye, a cruel light flickering in his gaze.
"That snake... he was way cooler."
Jinrang froze for a split second.
He stood tall, taking a deep breath. His stance shifted. His aura shifted instantly, becoming dense and suffocating.
"It's not 'snake.' It's Jichang Kwak," Jinrang said coldly. "I heard you were the reason he went missing. Today, I'll repay that debt for him."
Jinrang threw a punch. It wasn't just a physical strike; it carried the entire weight of his resolve.
The Conviction Punch.
The blow landed squarely on Kitae's face with the sound of a cannon blast.
BOOM!
Kitae's head snapped back slightly, but he didn't budge an inch.
"This isn't it," Kitae muttered.
Before Jinrang could reset, Kitae's counter-attack exploded. He slammed a heavy fist into Jinrang's face, then, in one continuous motion, pushed Jinrang's face and drove him straight into the asphalt with terrifying force.
CRASH!
A massive crater splintered outward beneath Jinrang. Blood dripped from Kitae's knuckles as he looked down at the fallen King.
"You're wrong. Gapryong Kim was wrong, too," Kitae said, his voice dropping to a low growl. "I am the one who is right."
Daniel and the rest of Allied started to rush in, but a familiar figure stepped into their path.
Goo Kim. He looked uncharacteristically somber.
"Mr. Goo?" Daniel stopped. "Why are you here? Did you become one of James Lee's dogs after Charles Choi died?"
"Daniel Park, I work alone," Goo answered flatly. "I just follow the money. That's all."
Daniel tried to sidestep him, but Goo was faster, blocking him again.
"Shut up and stay still if you don't want to die, Daniel," Goo said, his face twisting with a hint of genuine warning. "Step in now, and that guy will kill you. Don't make more of a mess for me to clean up later."
Goo took off his glasses and began cleaning the lenses. "I'm looking out for you because of that cup of coffee we had. Besides... there's someone who would be very sad to see you dead."
Just as the tension reached its breaking point, Kitae raised a heavy axe high over the fallen Jinrang.
"Ahjussi, are you done now?" Goo called out. "I'm gonna take him to James Lee now, okay?"
Kitae didn't lower the weapon. "Weird. I never said I'd take him. I can tell from his eyes—he's never going to give up Busan." He tightened his grip, his muscles bulging. "And one more thing. Jinrang... he isn't Gapryong Kim's disciple!"
He swung the axe down with terrifying force.
Sang Baek threw himself into the path of the blade, closing his eyes, prepared to die for his brother. But the impact never came.
A hand had clamped firmly around Kitae's wrist, stopping the axe dead in its tracks.
"Really? Were you actually going to kill him in front of all these people?"
Kitae turned his head. Standing there with a wild, toothy grin was a tan man with dark red hair. It was Baki.
Kitae's eyes narrowed. "You weren't supposed to be here."
"Now that I am here, does that really matter?" Baki replied.
Kitae ripped his hand back, glancing at his wrist. There were deep, dark marks where Baki had gripped him. "It doesn't matter. Now that you're here, I can just finish you off too."
Baki let out a long, exaggerated yawn. "What was that? Finish me off? I can't believe it. Your bragging is next-level."
Kitae stepped away from Jinrang and cracked his neck, the sound echoing like gunfire. "My strength is, too. Ogre... you look tasty. Way tastier than I expected."
A battle-hungry light ignited in Baki's eyes. "King of Seoul. Son of Gapryong Kim. Either one of those titles is enough to prove a man's strength. But you, who holds both... I wonder just how much you'll entertain me."
The six-foot-four Baki stood his ground against the seven-foot monster. Kitae looked down with disdain; Baki looked up with a challenge. Behind them, a single bolt of blue lightning shattered the sky.