Hwarang could see the soft flicker in his hazel eyes, which made him realise he still retained a bit of affection for him, although he had no choice but to carry out the obligations of an assassin and punish him for his vile crimes of treason and defiance.
"You committed a forbidden act and a treacherous deed to the assassins brotherhood by desecrating our code of honor and then murdered three of your brothers, all for a blind fae princess?" Master Zhang stated in a thoughtful manner.
"They're not my brothers. We're all murderers who acts like the king's puppets going around slaughtering people, because we have an empty and heartless soul, so he takes advantage of our dark nature." Hwarang remarked with a deep low voice.
"It's to implement justice and order in the kingdom. It's our responsibility to protect the Silla kingdom and it seems like you have forgotten the vow you made." Master Zhang said in a flat tone.
"Haven't you wondered why even though we're present in the Silla kingdom, crimes still elevate? The King only uses us to induce fear and compell subordination on the people and uses us as his shield. Protecting Silla kingdom doesn't mean killing the innocent." Hwarang said and his eyes dropped on Master Zhang's grip tightening on his sword.
"Since when did the innocent matter? What is innocent?" Master Zhang asked rhetorically, but he was right. The innocent had never mattered, nothing had ever mattered but her.
"Why her?" Master Zhang asked as he gave up on the debate.
Hwarang couldn't find a logical response to Master Zhang's question. He chose to protect her, chose to commit a grave sin for her, a sin that had no redemption, he had chosen the path of blood and death pervaded with a dark mystery. But the question 'why?' rang in his head continuously.
Why did she have a strange unfathomable effect on him? Why did she enact an alien sensation in him? Why did she make him act irrationally and impulsively dangerous? Why couldn't he resist her bewitching charm on him? There was not a single answer to occlude his questions.
"I didn't come here for a chat. I came here to conclude with your execution." Master Zhang broke the unnerving silence as he unsheathed his sword from its scabbard.
"Hwarang, from this day forth, you have been stripped from your title and status in the Silla kingdom as a Hwarang assassin for treason, your title now has been debased to a fugitive and a traitor. I sentence you to death by my hands." Master Zhang said with a hardened cold voice devoid of warmth and feeling.
He knew Master Zhang had cared for him since he was a child and even though he appeared unfeeling, he still cared but he had no choice but to punish him, just like her had no choice but to kill him first.
Immediately he declared death on him, Master Zhang didn't waste another second as he glided his feet against the floor in a rapid pace, toward Hwarang with his hand holding the sword extended.
Hwarang stood pinned to the ground, not moving an inch as Master Zhang attacked him with vigor.
He swung his sword horizontally at Hwarang ready to slash his midriff but Hwarang's sword clashed against his, sending sparks flying midair as the two swords collided with brute force.
With rapid movements their swords were swinging at each other and they dodged with flexible athletic movements.
Master Zhang makes another straightforward attack at Hwarang with a rapid shuffling approach and then lunged his sword to enact a snapping laceration at his ribcage, but Hwarang parried it with a swift turn before landing a hard kick at the back of Master Zhang's leg making his bone snap from the immense force.
Master Zhang didn't react in pain and nevertheless, his resilience and composure didn't falter as he swung his sword relentlessly to spill his blood.
Master Zhang skillfully shuffles toward Hwarang, cutting and snapping his blade but Hwarang parries it before veering around and he dodges it with flexible movements.
Master Zhang extended his sword for the sharp tip of the blade to puncture into his back, but Hwarang evaded it as red mists blasted out of his palm toward Master Zhang's abdomen.
The effect of the blast sent Master Zhang flying away from his position as his body collided against the wooden wall which made it shattered as wood splinters flew.
His sword dropped from his hold and they both made a brief eye contact before their gazes dropped on the sword.
With a rapid pace, Master Zhang reached out for his sword, but a ref mist engulfed it and the sword propelled with a magnetic force toward Hwarang as he caught it beneath his feet before shoving it aside, leaving Master Zhang disarmed.
Master Zhang sprouted up on his feet with vigor and a red mist blasted out of his palm toward Hwarang but he swiftly eluded it with his sword sending red sparks flying in the air before it faded.
Hwarang outstretched his hand toward Master Zhang and red hazy mist engulfed his body as he was propelled off the ground with body hanging midair.
His body became stiff in the midair position and Hwarang approached him with slow steps as he hovered the blade of his sword in front of him. His jaws ticked, but he knew he had no choice but to end Master Zhang's life or Nari's would be in grave danger.
Master Zhang struggled to break free from the trap, but his efforts were futile.
"You shouldn't have come." Hwarang said in a low dangerous tone as he peered his dark gaze into Master Zhang's hazel ones.
"At least not alone." Hwarang added.
"Who said I came alone?" Master Zhang asked rhetorically and just immediately the words rolled off his lips, Hwarang could sense the heavy aura of the assassins and the huffing of feet sliding against the wooden floor with quick but stealth movements, he couldn't sense them near him which made him alert.
Nari. His subconsciousness warned him inwardly and he felt a feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins, something he had never been acquainted with before.
His body trembled unnervingly in the feeling of rage and dread sufficing it. In that moment of untamed anger, he swung his sword across Master Zhang's neck, sweeping his head off clean and he watched his decapitated body drop with a soft thud on the floor with his head as blood sprayed out of it.
Nari was the only thing he could think about at that moment and he took off past the corridors, with a rapid pace and feet barely touching the floor. A grim look etched on every corner of his face and his teeth clenched hard in disturbance.
He slid the hanji screened door open where he had left Nari and the harsh stench of blood greeted his nostrils.
His aura darkened with the heavy weight of melancholy hovering around him and he felt an untamed dangerous emotion surging inside of him, ready to pour its wrath on the world.
He occupied the dark room and his raven black eyes narrowed to the mutilated body on the floor which was slowly getting enveloped in its own blood. His brows creased tightly and a profound scowl settled on his face.