Chapter 150
Chapter 150
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: Chapter 8. There Exists Pain Worse Than Death (4)
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“Huff! Huff!”
Rough breaths leaked through Mok Il-gwang’s parted lips.
His entire body was soaked in blood, and at his feet tumbled more than a dozen warriors.
The Blood Heaven Axe Technique that Mok Il-gwang unleashed with his two axes was truly terrifying. The powerful axe qi cleaved charging warriors in half with a single stroke.
As they died one after another upon charging in, Ascending Dragon Squad Leader Yu Gwang-cheon changed his approach. Instead of clashing head-on, he opted for hit-and-run attacks from the outskirts.
His aim was to drag the fight into a prolonged battle and drain Mok Il-gwang’s strength. Meanwhile, he dispatched more warriors toward Hwang Hye-ryeong.
Mok Il-gwang had even forsaken his role as squad leader of the Ascending Dragon Squad just to guard Hwang Hye-ryeong at her side. It showed just how much he cherished and yearned for her.
‘If we touch Hwang Hye-ryeong, his focus will definitely split.’
Yu Gwang-cheon’s scheme succeeded.
With even more troops converging, Hwang Hye-ryeong grew flustered in her movements, and seeing her peril, urgency flashed across Mok Il-gwang’s face.
His mind told him to stay calm, but his heart refused to settle.
His heart pounded wildly, his gaze and senses locked entirely on Hwang Hye-ryeong. His attention couldn’t help but scatter.
Yu Gwang-cheon didn’t miss that opening.
Slash!
“Urk!”
Yu Gwang-cheon’s sword grazed Mok Il-gwang’s arm. A long gash opened, blood spraying forth.
Fortunately, the bone was unharmed, but with the muscle torn, he could no longer grip his axe properly.
“That’s it!”
Yu Gwang-cheon let out a cheer of triumph.
Mok Il-gwang’s Blood Heaven Axe Technique only displayed its full might when using both axes. If he couldn’t wield even one properly, its power would weaken dramatically.
“Die!”
Seizing the moment, an Ascending Dragon Squad warrior charged at Mok Il-gwang.
“Haaah!”
But Mok Il-gwang was a seasoned veteran of countless battles. He roared instead, counterattacking fiercely.
Boom!
“Urk! Damn it!”
The warrior who blocked with his sword spat curses. Yet his expression wasn’t as grim as one might expect.
Just moments ago, Mok Il-gwang had been splitting men in half with single strikes. If blocked with a sword, he’d shatter the sword; if with a blade, he’d cleave both blade and man.
He had blocked such a devastating axe strike without a scratch on his weapon. It meant Mok Il-gwang’s attacks had weakened that much.
“He’s tiring out. Press him harder!”
Yu Gwang-cheon urged his men on.
The warriors attacked Mok Il-gwang even more ferociously.
“Grit!”
Mok Il-gwang ground his teeth until they nearly cracked.
He wanted nothing more than to devour Yu Gwang-cheon whole, but reality was far from lenient.
Yu Gwang-cheon was cunningly tormenting him.
‘Miss!’
Hwang Hye-ryeong was locked in a desperate struggle.
Her body, too, was drenched in blood.
Hwang Hye-ryeong’s eyes met Mok Il-gwang’s. Her clenched lips and twisted face burned clearly into his vision.
In that instant, something surged up from the depths of Mok Il-gwang’s chest. The energy rising from the bottom of his heart flowed through his arms and erupted from his axes.
“Raaah!”
A surge of powerful axe qi exploded forth. This qi, on a level beyond anything before, cleaved three charging warriors in half along with their weapons.
A path opened.
Mok Il-gwang launched himself forward without looking back.
Yu Gwang-cheon’s sword raked across his back. The wound split muscle and scraped bone.
Agonizing pain gaped Mok Il-gwang’s mouth wide. But he endured it, charging toward Hwang Hye-ryeong.
Slash!
In that moment, Yu Gwang-cheon’s sword sliced into Mok Il-gwang’s leg.
Mok Il-gwang’s massive frame staggered before tumbling to the ground. He scrambled up in haste, but the leg wound was too severe—he could barely walk.
Yu Gwang-cheon sneered at the sight.
“You think I’d let you go that easily? Heh heh!”
“Gwang… cheon.”
Bloodshot veins bulged in Mok Il-gwang’s eyes.
The day before, Bang Jin-bo had visited. He had relayed Dam Ho’s warning and urged utmost caution.
Mok Il-gwang had acknowledged it. But he never imagined Jo Yun-san would act so boldly within the Paewang Stronghold itself.
‘My mistake. I should have been more vigilant.’
In the meantime, the assault on Hwang Hye-ryeong intensified.
She held on desperately, but even that was reaching its limit.
“Stop resisting now.”
“The more you fight, the worse it gets for you.”
“We don’t want to do this either.”
A flicker of conflict shadowed the eyes of the warriors attacking her.
Just a short while ago, they had cherished Hwang Hye-ryeong dearly. Though circumstances had changed, forcing their blades against her, a nagging guilt was unavoidable.
Had she died cleanly, they wouldn’t feel this remorse—but she clung on tenaciously, resisting. Wounds multiplied across her body as a result.
Hwang Hye-ryeong bit her lip.
Rage boiled within her.
She felt pathetic in her powerlessness.
Clang!
The sword in her hand flew away, deflected by her foe’s weapon. In her defenseless state, a warrior’s fist slammed into her chest.
Thud!
“Aaack!”
Hwang Hye-ryeong screamed at the sensation on her chest. Shame overwhelmed the pain.
“Heh heh! So soft.”
The warrior who struck her chest leered.
It wasn’t a mistake—he had targeted it deliberately.
He had long been notorious for his poor conduct. While Hwang Kyung-moon lived, he wouldn’t dare entertain such lust, but with the shift in power, his true colors showed.
Hwang Hye-ryeong was one of the great beauties even among bandits. Her flushed face from humiliation exuded a strange allure.
This emboldened a few others to join in. They toyed with her even more.
Other warriors tried to intervene, but the momentum was too strong to halt.
“Miss!”
Mok Il-gwang’s anguished cry rang in Hwang Hye-ryeong’s ears.
The fury and heartache in his voice pierced straight to her heart.
‘Il-gwang!’
Tears streamed from Hwang Hye-ryeong’s eyes.
One of the attacking warriors grazed her shoulder with his sword.
Rip!
Her clothes tore, exposing pale skin. A red line traced across the white flesh, blood soon gushing forth.
The momentum had already turned.
Hwang Hye-ryeong no longer had the strength to fight. The warriors planned to torment her until she gave up on her own.
Wang Jik, the eldest among her attackers, bellowed loudly.
“That bitch, even whole, she wouldn’t smell fishy… Gurk!”
Wang Jik couldn’t finish. He couldn’t even speak.
Someone had seized the nape of his neck.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
He couldn’t breathe.
Like weeds yanked from the soil, Wang Jik’s legs lifted clean off the ground.
Sensation vanished below his nape, as if his pressure points had been struck.
He felt breath on the back of his neck.
An inexplicable terror flooded him.
‘W-what?’
In that moment, a low voice murmured.
“The mouth is the root of all cartoons.”
Chill!
The instant he heard that voice, Wang Jik involuntarily squeezed his eyes shut. Instinct reacted with fear before his mind could process.
His hair stood on end, teeth chattered. Goosebumps crawled up his spine and refused to subside.
“…….”
Silence blanketed the area.
The warriors who had been toying with Hwang Hye-ryeong froze in place, as if on cue.
“W-when?”
Incredulity lit their eyes.
At some point, a man clad all in black stood amid them. In his hand dangled Wang Jik’s nape.
Wang Jik hung limp like a withered branch.
“B-big brother?”
Hwang Hye-ryeong’s eyes widened.
Reflected in her dark pupils was Dam Ho. Tears quickly welled in her eyes.
In that instant, Dam Ho twisted Wang Jik’s neck outright.
Crack!
“Gah!”
With a dying screech, Wang Jik’s head lolled sideways.
He died instantly, tongue lolling long.
Dam Ho casually tossed aside Wang Jik’s lifeless corpse.
The warriors felt their chests tighten.
From the moment Dam Ho appeared, the air itself stilled—no wind stirred. Sweat soaked everyone’s backs.
Dam Ho looked at Hwang Hye-ryeong.
The moment he saw her battered form, his eyes flickered.
“Gasp!”
The warriors who met his gaze unwittingly held their breath.
Dam Ho spoke to Hwang Hye-ryeong.
“Come here.”
“Big brother.”
Hwang Hye-ryeong took steps toward Dam Ho.
The warriors who had been harassing her until now didn’t dare block her path.
From the instant Dam Ho appeared, their bodies had gone rigid.
‘M-move, damn it. Please!’
‘Shit!’
Sweat drenched their backs.
Move, and die.
They would surely die.
From Dam Ho’s arrival, their instincts whispered it.
The foe was an impossibility to resist. But they couldn’t just stand there and offer their lives. They circulated their qi, desperately resisting Dam Ho’s presence.
By then, Hwang Hye-ryeong reached Dam Ho.
Her face was streaked with blood and tears. Dam Ho reached out, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Hic!”
Suddenly, her shoulders began to heave.
From the moment she saw Dam Ho, the tears wouldn’t stop for some reason.
The dire situation surrounding her and the Paewang Stronghold remained unchanged. Yet seeing Dam Ho brought an inexplicable wave of relief crashing over her.
Dam Ho patted her back with his large hand.
“It’ll be fine.”
“Hic… sob!”
Hwang Hye-ryeong’s sobs grew louder.
Power laced Dam Ho’s words, as if they would come true. Hearing him strangely filled her with reassurance.
No one instilled certainty like Dam Ho. Overcome with relief, Hwang Hye-ryeong wept endlessly.
Dam Ho stepped forward, leaving the sobbing Hwang Hye-ryeong behind.
His signature offbeat gait unsettlingly stirred everyone’s hearts.
“Sh-shit!”
Yu Gwang-cheon’s face twisted viciously.
Dam Ho was walking toward him. His subordinates, terror-stricken, shrank back.
The tidal wave of fear daunted not just them, but Yu Gwang-cheon himself.
“W-what are you? Are you even human?”
He tried to sound composed, but Yu Gwang-cheon’s voice trembled faintly. He himself didn’t notice.
Dam Ho’s emotionless gaze swept over Yu Gwang-cheon and the warriors. Those it touched shuddered involuntarily.
The next moment, Dam Ho spoke.
“You’d be better off taking your own lives.”
“W-what?”
“Because from now on, you’ll learn just how agonizing it is to stay alive.”
Hearing that flat, emotionless voice, Yu Gwang-cheon’s mind reeled dizzily.
If anyone else had said it, he’d laugh them off as mad. But from Dam Ho’s lips, darkness closed in before his eyes.
It was like the grim reaper pronouncing judgment. Yet he couldn’t just end his own life.
Yu Gwang-cheon bellowed desperately.
“Attack him! If we don’t kill him, we’re dead!”
“Raaah!”
The warriors roared at the top of their lungs and charged Dam Ho.
Desperation etched their faces.
Without killing Dam Ho, they had no future. They had to kill him.
They rushed Dam Ho without regard for front or back.
The oncoming horde of warriors reflected in Dam Ho’s black pupils like a tsunami.
“Yeah! You idiots wouldn’t get it unless I spell it out.”