The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4) (65 page)

“I know . . .” Yoori nodded again, assuring him that she understood his dilemma and that she
wanted
him to do this.

At long last, he finally reached her. He fell to his knees in front of her. The sword was still gripped tightly in his hand while the pain grew prominent in his gaze. Tears welled in his eyes, showing her the conflict within him, showing her how much he hated this moment in his life, and silently telling her that he wished he had another choice.

“It’s okay, Tae Hyun,” Yoori murmured, having to exert control to keep from touching him. Tears built up in her own eyes. “I’m ready. I’m ready for this.”

He inhaled deeply, swallowing past his own tears. His eyes searched through hers while he tightened his grip on the sword.

“Will you forgive me for what I have to do?” he asked softly, brokenly.

She nodded. Albeit tears were dripping down from her eyes, she felt her body grow warm at his proximity. She was grateful to be this close to him, to be near him once more before the end. There was no question. She would forgive him for anything he had to do to her.

He exhaled laboriously, nodding as he slowly raised the sword up.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, lifting his free hand to touch her tearstained cheek. He agonizingly added, “
I never wanted to leave you again
. . .”

Swish!

Without another word, he spun his sword in the air.

Yoori could feel the wind glide over her head. Yet, instead of killing her, Tae Hyun abruptly stood up. Much to the surprise of everyone who thought he had been broken, he began to slash the throats of all those who stood near them, never giving any of them an opportunity to defend themselves.

As the last of the assassins closest to him collapsed to their deaths, Tae Hyun rested his enraged eyes on Ji Hoon.

Stunned with Tae Hyun’s unexpected actions, Ji Hoon backtracked and was about to run off. Unfortunately for him, Tae Hyun would no longer permit him the ability to escape.

With his eyes set on Ji Hoon like a hawk, Tae Hyun ran after him and rolled on the floor for added acceleration. When he jumped back onto the balls of his feet, Tae Hyun was half a foot away from Ji Hoon. Crouching down with his back turned to Ji Hoon, he aimed his sword behind him.

Ji Hoon did not see the attack until it was too late. 

“Ugh!”

Tae Hyun gripped tightly onto the sword and with all the force he had in his body, pushed it back powerfully, stabbing through the flesh of Ji Hoon’s stomach. A gasp of shock and pain escaped from Ji Hoon as he stared down at the sword that punctured through him. An endless stream of blood poured from the stomach wound, telling him that he only had seconds to live.

Yoori could only gasp to herself while she watched this.

He had planned this; Tae Hyun had planned this all along.

He knew all along that he could never get to her if he didn’t pretend to be desperate and pretend to want to kill her. He couldn’t protect Yoori and kill all the threats around her unless he tricked the entirety of the Underworld into believing that he had turned on her.

“I told you that tonight will be your last night,” Tae Hyun stated gravely, raising himself from the ground. Never once did his eyes waver from Ji Hoon’s dying ones. Then, with satisfaction on his face, Tae Hyun swiftly ripped the sword from Ji Hoon’s stomach.

“Augggh!”

Another gasp of agony came from Ji Hoon before he fell to his knees in front of Tae Hyun.

“Your end has come,” Tae Hyun stated emotionlessly, raising his bloodied sword up one more time. He was ready to make do on his promise of killing Ji Hoon off before the night was over. “Enjoy your death.”

“No—!”

Ji Hoon never got a chance to finish his words when Tae Hyun swung the sword with unparalleled velocity. The metal blade ran across his throat, slicing the flesh open like fabric. Blood spurted from Ji Hoon’s open wound before the life dimmed from his eyes.

Thud.

Soon after, all that could be heard was the sound of Ji Hoon’s lifeless body hitting the floor. Once the shock of what had just transpired passed, gasps began to swarm the arena. The entirety of the Underworld society gaped down at their motionless King, not believing their eyes. 

Lee Ji Hoon . . . was finally dead.

Clank!

Tae Hyun tossed the sword after the havoc he wreaked and whipped back around. He ran over to a bewildered Yoori, who was still in disbelief after what she just witnessed, and gently picked her up. He protectively held her against his body. With the swiftness that surpassed the speed of light, he carried her to the further end of the arena where he used the marble wall as one side of a shield for her. Before Yoori could process what he was doing, Tae Hyun threw himself over her, pinned her against the wall, and then covered the entire length of his body over hers.

On the heels of his actions was a sea of footsteps that stampeded towards them in merciless fury.

Tae Hyun took a deep breath, held her tight against him, and braced himself for the hell to come.

“Kill them!” Ju Won shouted murderously, crouching above Ji Hoon’s lifeless body.

Young Jae came to stand behind the furious Advisor. His shocked eyes took in the sight of Tae Hyun covering his body over Yoori. Just like the rest of the unnerved Underworld, he couldn’t believe what was happening before his eyes.

“Kill them before the hour ends!” Ju Won continued to scream throughout the arena. “Kill them
now
!”

If Tae Hyun heard Ju Won’s words, then he ignored them because all his attention was focused on Yoori. She was staring up at him quizzically, her mind still fragmented with everything that was happening at once.

“What are you doing?” Yoori asked, not understanding why he was covering himself over her.

Though it was evident that he was in extreme pain from his injuries, he gave her a reassuring smile. Very quietly, he said, “I told you that I would protect you, didn’t I?”

Yoori could hear the impending footsteps rush over to them. Her eyes searched through Tae Hyun’s while the footfalls came closer. In that hectic moment, his response evaded her understanding. She didn’t understand his motives until a dozen masked assassins towered over them.

“Augh!”

When Tae Hyun groaned in agony at the first kick that connected with his spine, Yoori felt tears burn her eyes. Everything clicked together. She finally realized what he was doing. There were less than five minutes left, and because of this, Tae Hyun was going to make sure that she made it out unscathed.

He was going to make sure she made it out of this arena alive.

No
. . .

Torturous screams poured from her chest when the chaos began—when the sound of boots kicking Tae Hyun’s already assaulted body penetrated her eardrums. The sound of fists punching his skull and the sound of Tae Hyun breathing in anguish became murder to her soul. Yoori trembled underneath him, feeling every inch of the attack that was bestowed to Tae Hyun by the sounds of his groans—the sounds of his pain. Every inch of her soul started to rip apart at the sight of Tae Hyun leaning over her, his body accepting every blow and every attack
for her
.

“Tae Hyun?” she whispered, feeling the sobs escape from her chest as his blood, his pain, and his agony washed over hers.

“No,” she tried to whisper past her sobs. “G-get off! Get off!”

She didn’t want him to do this.

He was supposed to kill her and make it out alive; he wasn’t supposed to sacrifice himself for her!

Squirming beneath him, Yoori tried to get herself out from his grasp so she could help accept a portion of the attack for him. Once Tae Hyun felt her do this, he strengthened his embrace around her. He used the last of his dwindling energy and pushed her further to the ground to anchor her down. Breathing brokenly, he continued to lay over her, acting as her protective shield.

All the while as he protected her, the assassins tried to go after Yoori, to kill her before the hour was up. Their attempts were futile. Tae Hyun would not even give them an inch. He did not allow them to touch her.

“No!” Yoori continued to sob. She could feel the pained quivers raking over his body, telling her how much he was suffering for her. “You’re not supposed to do this! You’re not supposed to do this!” she continued to scream, pleading for Tae Hyun to get off her so that he could save himself. “Stop!
Stop!
”

She begged him to stop, but Tae Hyun remained where he was. His embrace on her was as tight as ever.

His physical response said it all: he
wanted
to do this for her.

He could no longer protect her with his strength, so he did the only thing he could do—he protected her with his life; he protected her with his last remaining breath.

Every ambush that was meant to pull him away from her—to leave her exposed for their attacks—was deterred when Tae Hyun held on tighter, not permitting anyone to pull him away from Yoori. Every time they tried to tear him away, he would pin her across the marble wall and intensify his hold around her. His throbbing body quaked the entire time he kept himself as her armor.

“Please don’t cry,” he whispered painfully into her ear. Down to the last sliver of energy, he rested his chin above her head. Tears dripped from his eyes and landed on her hair as he tried to breathe through the insufferable pain. Even when he was suffering, Tae Hyun did all that he could to calm her, to keep her from crying. It was clear that he experienced more pain from seeing her cry than from being physically attacked. “It’s almost over. It’s almost over.”

He buried his face in her hair and kissed the top of her head. Then, he continued to lie there, never giving the attackers any opportunity to get to her, no matter how much his own body was dying from it.

Below him, Yoori felt herself dying as well.

The sound of fists hitting the back of his head, the sound of kicks stabbing into his bloody flesh, and the sound of metal instruments making dents in his back acted as a knife that skewered her heart and soul to shreds.

Desperate, she peered out into the arena. Red-hot tears bubbled within her gaze while her eyes ran over the individuals sitting up there watching them.

“
Please
,” she pleaded to them, her cries growing stronger. “Please stop this.”

She knew that they could hear her. Some stared down at her in pity as a response, others stared down at her with a disgusted look on their faces, while others stared down at her with indifference. Surprisingly, there were also others who were staring down in a manner that she did not anticipate. The more she begged for their help, the more potent the reactions became. For the few who sat in the audience, she could see them gaze at her with horror. They were stunned, utterly taken aback that their human emotions were coming into play as tears rippled in their eyes. It was as though in that moment, they could feel her heartache.

Many of the younger generation of 1
st
layer Royals and soldiers averted their eyes, no longer finding entertainment in an event that they were once so excited to witness. However much they empathized with her pain, she knew by the conflict in their eyes that none of them could help her. They were all bound by the bylaws of the Underworld.
None
of them could come down to help her unless they had a death wish.

Overwhelmed with the devastating truth that they could be of no help to her, she returned her attention to Tae Hyun. The desperation inside her mounted when she could still feel Tae Hyun’s throbbing body. His breathing became raspy as he buried his face on the top of her head to protect every inch of her. Her distressed, tear-shrouded eyes shifted to the ground floor where through the gaps of legs kicking at them, she spotted Ju Won and Young Jae standing together, their arms crossed while they stared quietly at the scene in front of them.

“Uncle . . .” Her eyes became pleading when she locked eyes with her Advisor.
“Please.”

She had hoped that he would remember all those years when he raised her and that he would show her mercy. His cold gaze told her a different story. His dark and utterly unforgiving eyes illustrated to her what a truly spiteful man he was. She had failed him, and in turn, he would make her pay for her failure.

This was her punishment.

This was his last lesson for her.

As a last resort—as she would do anything to save Tae Hyun—her gaze swept to her brother’s.

“Oppa,” she begged brokenly, seeing that—to her own shock—tears were dripping down from his eyes. He stared at her in a way that only an older brother would when his baby sister was in pain. Nevertheless, it was the anger in his eyes that told her that even though he may still love her, he would never forgive her for what she took from him. He was still set on vengeance, no matter how much it saddened him to witness it.

“Stop!” Yoori cried at the top of her lungs to anyone who would listen. It tortured her to realize that no one would lift a hand to help her stop this. Her screams grew louder. Never in her life had she felt as human—as helpless—as she did now. All she wanted to do was save Tae Hyun. All she wanted to do was save the love of her life. “Please! Oh God, please stop this!”