Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Section 5. Reunion After a Long Time, But the Heart Isn't the Same (1)
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113
Helping Oh Gun-ui fight off the attackers, Hae So-wol suddenly shuddered as if her heart had dropped.
The heated atmosphere in the hall cooled in an instant.
A man was approaching, dragging his foot.
He stamped the ground with his right foot and dragged his left slightly as he walked.
Thud! Scraaape! Thud! Scraaape!
The irregular footsteps echoed strangely, stirring everyone's chests.
It was Dam Ho.
The moment Dam Ho appeared, one man visibly stiffened. It was Namgung Chang, who had led today's gathering.
"Urgh!"
Namgung Chang's facial muscles twisted horribly.
It was a reaction beyond his control. He tried to regain his composure, but it was no use.
His body was reacting on its own to the fear etched into his mind.
His hands and feet trembled like he had Raynaud's, his heart pounded wildly, cold sweat drenched his body, and bloodshot veins filled his eyes.
But not a single person here paid attention to Namgung Chang's state.
All eyes were fixed on one person: Dam Ho.
Dam Ho possessed power.
A mysterious power that seized everyone's gaze.
Once he appeared, no one could look away. His eerie, overwhelming presence demanded it.
Not only the warriors from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, but even the Golden Horse Lion and the attackers had paused their fight to stare at Dam Ho.
Dam Ho walked on, drawing all their gazes.
A deep furrow creased the brow of the Golden Horse Lion, hidden behind his golden mask.
Thump! Thump!
His heart raced uncontrollably.
Though unknown to the world, he was a warrior who had traversed countless battlefields. His accumulated experience far surpassed that of ordinary fighters.
Even for him, Dam Ho was the first existence to unsettle hearts like this.
'It's that gait.'
The irregular steps.
Normal people's steps align with their heartbeat. That's how they're born, and most live adapted to it.
But Dam Ho's footsteps were off-beat. The sound disrupted their heartbeats, making them flutter anxiously.
The Golden Horse Lion abandoned Cheonghwa Jinin, whom he'd been fiercely battling, and glared at Dam Ho.
Instinct told him Dam Ho was more dangerous than Cheonghwa Jinin.
Cheonghwa Jinin was undoubtedly strong. But he lacked the overwhelming aura and murderous intent that put foes on edge.
It was a natural limitation of a Taoist's nature.
In contrast, Dam Ho exuded an unsettling energy. Like a volcano on the verge of eruption?
"Who the hell are you?"
The Golden Horse Lion's voice echoed chillingly. But Dam Ho wasn't even looking at him.
His gaze fixed on a woman.
Twelve years had passed, but she was still graceful and beautiful. One of the few who had treated him consistently at Mount Hua: Han So-yu.
Towering menacingly before her was Sam Yeom-ra. His sword pressed against Han So-yu's nape.
A slight push, and her head would sever from her body.
Dam Ho stepped toward Han So-yu.
"W-What?"
Startled by his presence, Sam Yeom-ra snarled viciously.
Dam Ho's eyes turned to Sam Yeom-ra.
"Get lost!"
"How dare you!"
Sam Yeom-ra's eyebrows shot up beneath his mask.
Since following the Golden Horse Lion, no one had dared speak to him so arrogantly.
He tightened his grip on his sword.
"First, I'll kill this wench, then tear you limb from—"
In that instant, Sam Yeom-ra's eyes widened.
Flash!
Dam Ho had shortened the distance without warning.
Through his wildly whipping black hair, beastly eyes gleamed larger.
A ferocious charge.
Whoosh!
Then, the Flying Death Spike hurtled toward Sam Yeom-ra.
"Urk!"
Sam Yeom-ra withdrew the sword from Han So-yu's neck and swung at Dam Ho.
Swoosh!
Silver sword energy stretched out, aiming for Dam Ho's hand.
Sam Yeom-ra intended to sever Dam Ho's wrist with this strike.
No matter how trained, human flesh couldn't withstand steel—that was his belief.
Clang!
But the moment his sword clashed with Dam Ho's fist, shattering with a clear metallic ring, he sensed something was wrong.
Dam Ho's fist, which had pulverized Sam Yeom-ra's sword, bore not a single scratch. Sam Yeom-ra's common sense shattered.
"Urgh!"
Sam Yeom-ra urgently leaped back.
It was Dam Ho's fist that had broken his full-power strike. A direct hit wouldn't end with torn muscles or broken bones.
Evade first, then counter. That was Sam Yeom-ra's plan.
But the next moment, he painfully realized how foolish that judgment was.
Charging forward is always faster than retreating.
By the time Sam Yeom-ra regained his senses, Dam Ho had already closed in on his chest.
Grab!
Instead of retrieving the Flying Death Spike, Dam Ho seized Sam Yeom-ra's collar.
"Guh!"
As Dam Ho's iron grip tightened around his throat, Sam Yeom-ra's face drained white.
Sam Yeom-ra hurriedly unleashed a life-saving technique to shake off the hand. But before he could react, his body was yanked into the air.
Rising with Dam Ho, Sam Yeom-ra's body flipped upside down.
Earth-Shattering Strike, using the ground as a weapon, unfolded.
The earth rapidly enlarged in Sam Yeom-ra's eyes.
"N-No!"
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, Sam Yeom-ra's head smashed into the ground.
His head was gone. Instead, shattered skull fragments and brain matter splattered everywhere.
His inverted body twitched, then collapsed to the floor.
"Gasp!"
"Urgh!"
Horrified by the headless corpse, many clamped their eyes shut.
It had happened too fast.
Even the other Yamas and the Golden Horse Lion couldn't react.
Blood from Sam Yeom-ra's body stained the青石 floor red.
"Y-You?"
Il Yeom-ra, who had been facing Myeong-gyeong, stammered.
He and Sam Yeom-ra were like blood brothers. Since starting martial arts, they'd never been apart for a single day in decades. He thought they'd stay together forever.
But Il Yeom-ra's hopes were shattered by Dam Ho.
"I told you to get lost."
Dam Ho said coldly.
Han So-yu stared blankly at Dam Ho standing right before her.
His wildly disheveled hair like a madman, deep black eyes beneath, and firmly pressed lips.
It felt strangely familiar, though she'd never seen him before.
"Um..."
As Han So-yu tried to speak, Dam Ho indifferently passed her by.
He headed straight for Eun So-cheong.
"Ah... damn."
Eun So-cheong's voice trembled upon seeing Dam Ho.
"You okay?"
"Yes!"
"Any injuries?"
Eun So-cheong shook her head vigorously at Dam Ho's question.
She pretended to be composed, but tears welled in her eyes.
"Jinbo was worried. Let's go."
"But..."
To the hesitant Eun So-cheong, still fearful, Dam Ho said,
"It's fine."
In that moment, something hot surged in Eun So-cheong's chest.
Relief.
Her surroundings remained a hellish scene. But with Dam Ho there, she believed it would be okay.
"Yes!"
Eun So-cheong wiped her tears and nodded firmly.
Then.
"Kekeke! What a farce this has become."
A grating, metallic voice leaked from beneath the Golden Horse Lion's golden mask.
For today, they'd invested massive manpower and resources.
They'd scoured the identities of everyone gathered, analyzed their tendencies and strengths meticulously, and deployed forces accordingly.
Risking the loss of carefully nurtured troops. All to achieve their goal.
Yet one man's appearance changed everything. Dam Ho hadn't been in their calculations at all.
Turning, he saw Cheonghwa Jinin staring blankly at Dam Ho, equally surprised. It looked ridiculous.
Dam Ho's arrival threw not just the Golden Horse Lion and Blood Chain Ghosts into chaos, but also the warriors from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families gathered to form the Murim Alliance.
As all eyed Dam Ho suspiciously, some moved: the Blood Chain Ghosts.
—Kill him.
The Golden Horse Lion's transmission spurred them.
Swish!
Dozens of iron chain sickles flew at Dam Ho. Chains tangled wildly in the air, their razor-sharp blades poised to shred his flesh.
"Ah! Watch out—"
Han So-yu and Hae So-wol cried out simultaneously.
Whiiing!
Then they heard an eerie sound.
Like thousands, tens of thousands of bees buzzing their wings.
Dam Ho's form blurred simultaneously.
He was clearly there, yet hazily visible. And then the astonishing happened.
Tingtingting!
The fearsome iron chain sickles, upon touching Dam Ho, ricocheted with faint metallic pings.
Drained of power, dozens of them veered off course.
In a flash, Dam Ho's hand shot out like lightning, sweeping the air. Dozens of chains were now in his grasp.
"Gasp!"
Helpless breaths escaped the Blood Chain Ghosts who had thrown them.
Dam Ho yanked the chains hard. Dozens of Blood Chain Ghosts tumbled forward.
As they staggered off-balance, a waterfall of fists poured down on them.
Dam Ho unleashed Triple Strike Cannon Shadow Fist seven times in succession.
Pum-pum-pum-pum!
They burst like firecrackers.
Heads exploded on those struck there, torsos shattered on others.
A horrific power that would terrify even in dreams.
In an instant, dozens of Blood Chain Ghosts fell as chunks of meat.
"......"
Silence blanketed the hall.
Blood rained down.
Dam Ho stood at its center.
Red droplets trickled down his black hair and inky robes.
Yet his eyes burned fiercely.
The sight was terrifyingly gruesome.
People were speechless, not even breathing loudly.
Then Dam Ho's gaze turned to the Golden Horse Lion.
The moment the Golden Horse Lion flinched, Dam Ho charged.
Whoosh!
Blood clinging to Dam Ho's body scattered in the wind, fierce pressure flapping the Golden Horse Lion's golden robe.
Without warning, Dam Ho closed in.
For the first time, bewilderment flickered in the eyes behind the golden mask.
Boom!