Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Chapter 5. Evil Fates Cling Stubbornly (2)
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Sucheon—Guardian of the Heavens.
In the Nangong Clan, "heaven" meant the clan head. The name Sucheon signified one who protected the clan head.
The leaders of the Sword King Squad had used the name Sucheon for generations.
Their birth names held no meaning to them. From the moment they became leader of the Sword King Squad, they discarded the names given by their parents and took on Sucheon.
The current Sucheon was no different.
At seventy-two years old, he was a seasoned veteran of the Sword King Squad who had weathered countless battles. Thirty years ago, when the Demonic Cult invaded the Nangong Clan, it was he who led the Sword King Squad in slaughtering them.
The fact that he had held the position of Sword King Squad leader longer than any Sucheon before him was proof of his exceptional ability.
Sucheon gazed at the corpses brought from the inn.
None of the bodies retained a proper shape. From their wounds, Sucheon gauged the attacker's power.
"Excluding Nangong Jangkyung, most of the others died in a single strike."
A chill ran down Sucheon's spine.
The warriors led by Nangong Jangkyung were renowned experts even within the Nangong Clan. The implication that such masters had died without mounting any real resistance was clear.
"An expert... one whose strength is hard to measure."
Sucheon sensed it would be a tough fight. But he wasn't overly worried.
Thirty years ago, he had repelled the Demonic Cult's elites. He didn't think this opponent would be stronger than them.
Sucheon asked one of the Sword King Squad warriors at his side.
"What of the assailant's whereabouts?"
"The trail leads to Hamsan Mountain. If we hurry, we can catch up by morning."
"The entire Sword King Squad mobilizes."
"The en...tire squad?"
"Yes."
"You judge the assailant that highly?"
The Sword King Squad numbered just over a hundred. That figure hadn't changed in two hundred years.
There had almost never been a full mobilization of the Sword King Squad. The most recent was thirty years ago, during the Demonic Cult's invasion of the Nangong Clan.
Sucheon replied calmly.
"I'm just preparing for the worst."
"Understood. I'll summon the entire Sword King Squad."
"Make haste."
"Yes, sir!"
The warrior vanished after responding.
Sucheon rose to his feet.
"Whoever you are, you'll regret touching the Nangong Clan to your dying day."
A chilling edge laced his low murmur.
***
Hamsan Mountain wasn't widely known, but its deep, lush peaks drew herbalists and hunters alike.
Kwak San, who had settled there, was an herbalist. But he hadn't started out that way. His only daughter, Kwak Yeon, had begun wasting away some time ago.
He consulted renowned physicians who examined her pulse, but none could cure her.
Debts piled up, and unable to endure it any longer, Kwak San had come to Hamsan Mountain to treat her himself.
He had scoured every corner of the mountain. He gathered every herb said to be beneficial and fed them to his daughter. Yet Kwak Yeon's condition showed no improvement—only worsening.
Until recently, she had managed to walk a little on her own, but now she couldn't even twitch a finger.
Kwak Yeon sat on a small chair in front of their thatched hut. Though it was early autumn, she was bundled in a thick fur blanket up to her neck. Even so, her face was pallid, her lips bloodless.
Darkness pooled between her brows, as if the reaper had already perched on her shoulder.
Kwak Yeon sat gasping for breath.
She parted her small lips.
"D...Daddy!"
"What is it?"
Kwak San, at her side, asked hurriedly.
"Will big sis come today?"
"She will. She said she would, so she surely will."
"I hope so."
Kwak Yeon gave a wistful smile. Kwak San's heart tore at the sight.
He knew his daughter's life was nearly spent.
Her condition was so dire she could breathe her last that very day. Yet here she was, the dutiful daughter feigning composure for her lonely father's sake.
*Please, hang in there, Yeon-ah. If you die, your father can't go on living in this world.*
It was then.
"Ah! Big sis!"
Suddenly, Kwak Yeon tried to stand. But she staggered before her knees could straighten.
"Oh, my girl!"
Kwak San caught her tiny, tottering frame. Joy lit his face nonetheless. Where Kwak Yeon's gaze pointed stood a man and a woman.
A woman running toward them, waving, followed by an elderly man.
It was Jongri Yeon and Hwa No.
"Thank goodness."
Thick teardrops rolled down Kwak San's cheeks.
***
Damho glanced back.
He saw Jongri Yeon's receding figure as she ran ahead, waving.
As she had said, the patient was on Hamsan Mountain. He had ended up accompanying her here unintentionally.
On the way, Jongri Yeon had shown endless curiosity toward Damho. But he had never once let her get close.
They were destined to part ways soon, and he figured they'd never meet again.
Damho mounted Black Ghost.
It was time to ride.
Black Ghost bolted forward at terrifying speed. Damho surrendered his body to the mount.
After galloping some distance, a forest of stark white birch trees appeared. Sunlight piercing the birches created an ethereal atmosphere.
Crunch! Crunch!
Black Ghost's hooves struck the carpet of fallen leaves and pebbles, echoing strangely.
It was then.
*Ping!*
A sharp whistle pierced the birch forest. At the same time, Damho swung his hand.
*Clang!*
With a metallic ring, a dented arrow clattered to the ground. It was half the length of a standard arrow.
*Phut! Phut! Pfft!*
Whistles rang out again.
Damho kicked off Black Ghost, launching his body into the air. The incoming arrows sliced harmlessly through the space he had occupied.
"Go."
Still airborne, Damho spoke. As if understanding, Black Ghost bolted from the birch forest alone. In that interval, Damho landed on the ground.
At that moment, round objects flew toward him from all sides.
Damho's eyes narrowed. They weren't as fast as arrows, so he let them be and observed.
*Fizz!*
The round objects hitting the ground erupted in green smoke. The instant he caught the scent, nausea and headache assaulted him.
*Poison smoke?*
Damho held his breath and circulated his internal energy to expel the toxin.
The poison smoke blanketed the area. Then, black shadows rose from spots throughout the birch forest.
The white birches contrasted starkly with their black attire. Sharp auras emanated from their entire bodies.
*Sword warriors.*
Their waists bore swords, confirming them as swordsmen. But they weren't limited to swords.
Some wielded crossbows, others hidden weapons, and some spears.
Each carried at least two weapons.
Damho, who had crossed the martial world and seen countless warriors, had never encountered a group armed with multiple weapon types like this.
*The Nangong Clan?*
Damho instantly guessed their identity.
As he surmised, the newcomers were the Nangong Clan's Sword King Squad. Leading them was Sucheon.
Sucheon walked toward Damho.
"I've finally caught up."
"......"
Instead of answering, Damho stared straight at Sucheon. Sucheon met his gaze without flinching.
"Who the hell are you?"
"You chased me without knowing?"
Sucheon furrowed his brow.
Disheveled black hair, tattered black robes, a ferocious aura that instinctively cowed onlookers, and beast-like eyes.
"The Fist Demon... right?"
Damho responded with what could pass for a smile—if the slight twitch of his facial muscles qualified as one.
"Perfect."
Murderous intent flickered in Sucheon's eyes.
Damho had already become the Nangong Clan's mortal enemy.
Because of him alone, the clan's grand scheme had been delayed, Nangong Su had died, and countless Nangong warriors had perished.
For any ordinary sect, it would have shaken their foundations. Within the Nangong Clan, voices had risen to hunt him down, but they couldn't because his whereabouts were unknown.
"You've run wild without knowing your place long enough. Today it ends. I'll put a stop to your atrocities."
Sucheon raised his hand. The Sword King Squad's aura surged.
"These are the Sword King Squad, the elites of the main house. Don't compare them to the rabble you've faced before, or you'll regret it."
"They all said that. But they were nothing special."
"To equate the Sword King Squad with such trash."
"You lot seem different?"
Damho asked.
Sucheon's eyes reddened with rage at his words.
"Subdue him. Limbs can be severed as long as he breathes. Subdue him quickly so we can return to the main house with his head."
"Yes, sir!"
The Sword King Squad moved.
*Phut!*
First, those with crossbows loosed their bolts.
Dozens of arrows flew at Damho as triggers were pulled. Fired by mechanical devices rather than human strength, their power was several times greater.
Damho swept his hand, batting them away.
His eyes and senses, honed in darkness, detected arrows flying faster than the eye could see.
*Thud thud thud!*
Arrows piled up at Damho's feet.
Sucheon's eyes flashed.
"Not bad. But useless. We're only just beginning."
*Phut phut pfft!*
The crossbows fired again.
The crossbows, crafted with utmost care by the Nangong Clan's artisans, allowed continuous fire. Spiral grooves on the arrowheads and shafts made them spin fiercely on launch, amplifying destructive power.
Firing a crossbow tired no one—just aim and pull the trigger. Blocking them, however, kept nerves on edge and muscles tensed in fear.
*Ka-gang!*
Damho's hand blurred through the air.
Blocking, striking, deflecting—the fluid motions chained in the blink of an eye. Crossbow bolts shattered or dented, falling to the ground.
The crossbow barrage continued, now joined by hidden weapons. Needle-fine darts sliced through the air, too small to see.
The Sword King Squad resembled an army more than a band of warriors. Though swords were their primary weapon, they wielded crossbows, hidden weapons, and other armaments freely.
Their goal was eliminating threats to the Nangong Clan. To achieve it, no tactic was off-limits.
Efficiency over honor, the clan's glory over personal feelings.
Despite the name, the sword was their last resort.
Damho fully grasped the Sword King Squad's nature.
They weren't warriors—they were soldiers.
Ones who knew to use every weapon at their disposal to crush enemies.
Damho knew another such being.
Himself.
*Whiiing!*
In an instant, Damho's body vibrated with minuscule, hyper-speed tremors invisible to the eye.
A protective energy shield using super-vibration unfolded.
*Thud thud thud!*
Crossbow bolts and darts striking him lost power and dropped.
In that frozen moment of shock, Damho unleashed a surge.
*Boom!*
His body cleaved the space.
*Kwam!*
Someone met death.
Thus began the bloodbath that would etch itself into the history of the Fist Demon and the Sword King Squad.