Chapter 50
Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: There Is No Justice More Expensive Than Human Lives (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Keuk-heuk!”
A bizarre chuckle slipped through Eun Ha-seong’s lips.
Vitality surged through his entire body. It felt as if a volcano had erupted inside him.
He had writhed in excruciating agony all night.
The power contained in the spirit pill left by the Blood Demon was truly immense, reconstructing his body to an extreme degree.
His muscles and bones had forcibly shifted of their own accord. It was transforming him into the optimal physique for cultivating the Blood Demon’s martial arts.
In exchange, Eun Ha-seong had experienced hell. His muscles tore and healed dozens of times, and as his bones realigned, he endured the agony of his entire body burning in flames throughout the night.
But as recompense, he gained a reconstructed body and tremendous inner energy. It was an overwhelmingly profitable deal.
“Excellent!”
A satisfied smile spread across his sweat-soaked face.
He was two inches taller than before, his shoulders broader. His muscles were denser yet more supple.
Eun Ha-seong picked up the saber lying to one side.
The other legacy left by the Blood Demon: the Demon Blade.
Woooong!
The divine saber Demon Blade hummed in his grasp. A massive saber cry, incomparable to before, reverberated through the room.
“Now you finally recognize me as your true master.”
The Demon Blade had rung out before as well. But back then, it had felt reluctant, whereas now it wailed as if acknowledging Eun Ha-seong as its rightful owner.
The power emanating from the Demon Blade was incomparable to before. It exuded a force befitting its title as a divine weapon.
‘With this much power…’
Eun Ha-seong was intoxicated by the immense strength surging from his body and saber.
Right now, he felt he could shatter mountains or topple the heavens. Blazing heat dominated his entire form.
His body itched unbearably.
He wanted to vent this urge as soon as possible. If not, it felt like his body might explode.
Fortunately, Eun Ha-seong knew of such a place nearby.
He stepped out of his quarters. An attendant hurried over.
“My lord, are you all right?”
“Better than ever.”
He started walking. The attendant quickly fell in beside him.
“Where are you headed?”
“The Blood Demon Pit.”
“Why there?”
“I received a fine gift from the Blood Demon. The least I can do is offer a sacrifice in his honor.”
A chilling smile curled Eun Ha-seong’s lips.
It wasn’t long before the entrance to a vast underground cavern appeared. The place he called the Blood Demon Pit.
Wind blew from the gaping maw of the pit, like the jaws of a giant beast. Eun Ha-seong caught the dank, ominous scent carried on it.
“Hmm! Perfect. Feels just right.”
Eun Ha-seong strode into the Blood Demon Pit.
He had been here hundreds of times, so his steps were sure.
“My lord.”
The subordinates guarding the pit bowed deeply in unison. Beyond them, numerous laborers huddled together.
They were all haggard and reeking. Once, they had set out for the Western Regions with grand dreams, but now those dreams were shattered, their spirits broken, vitality drained from their eyes.
Eun Ha-seong walked toward them. Sensing something ominous, terror twisted their faces.
Then, someone staggered out from among the crowd.
The elder in tattered black night clothes was Heuk No, Shim Ok’s bodyguard. He had been captured and thrown into the Blood Demon Pit in a battered state.
He raised his bloodied face and cried out.
“To commit such heaven-defying atrocities! Have you no fear of the heavens, Lord Eun?”
“The heavens? There are still fools clinging to such nonsense?”
“The Blood Scale Net will move. Don’t regret it when they do.”
“We’ll see who regrets it.”
Eun Ha-seong smiled. Confidence radiated from his grin, stirring inexplicable unease in Heuk No.
“Before, the Blood Scale Net might have been a nuisance. But now that I’ve obtained the Blood Demon’s legacy, no one can stop me—not even them.”
“You actually found the Blood Demon’s legacy?”
Instead of answering, Eun Ha-seong drew the Demon Blade.
Woooong!
The saber cry poured out demonically, filling the Blood Demon Pit. The aura from Eun Ha-seong wielding it amplified several times over.
At the sight, Heuk No finally squeezed his eyes shut.
“The Blood Demon left a spirit pill for his successor. I consumed it and gained this power.”
Eun Ha-seong advanced toward the captives. They stared at him with terrified eyes, but there was no escape.
Eun Ha-seong fixed his gaze on one of them.
“P-please, spare…”
Puk!
In that instant, Eun Ha-seong thrust the Demon Blade into his chest.
“Keurk!”
The stabbed man gaped at Eun Ha-seong in disbelief. But all he saw was Eun Ha-seong’s dark smile.
Gulp!
His chest heaved violently. No—precisely, the Demon Blade embedded in his chest writhed.
The man’s complexion rapidly paled. All color drained from his body, turning him as white as ice.
“Th-that…?”
Heuk No’s eyes bulged.
As the man paled, the Demon Blade glowed ever redder. Strangely, not a drop of blood leaked from the man’s wound.
The Demon Blade was clearly absorbing his blood.
“A d-demon blade!”
“The Blood Demon’s legacy. It amplifies my inner energy by devouring others’ blood.”
“Madness!”
“The Blood Demon was a genius. To create such demonic arts and a demonic weapon.”
Eun Ha-seong’s smile deepened.
No one had taught him. After consuming the spirit pill, it came to him naturally—like a child learning to walk or a fledgling flapping its wings by instinct.
Eun Ha-seong withdrew the Demon Blade, and the man collapsed limply. Drained of blood, his corpse was shriveled and dry.
“Sp-spare me!”
“I don’t want to die!”
Witnessing the scene, the people panicked and fled in all directions. But there was nowhere to run.
Puk!
“Kuhuk!”
Another became a sacrifice to the Demon Blade.
Drained dry, the man toppled like a withered stalk.
“Kuuk!”
Heuk No turned away, unable to watch.
‘Such insanity…’
The world knew Eun Ha-seong as the great hero who quelled Blood Wind’s chaos. Who could have guessed he was this brutal?
In moments, over a dozen people fell to the Demon Blade. They writhed in agony until their last breath.
“Heuk-heuk!”
Conversely, Eun Ha-seong’s smile grew thicker.
His eyes gleamed with murderous intent, his reason fading bit by bit. But consumed by madness, he noticed nothing.
Heuk No bellowed until his throat tore.
“Stop this madness! Are you planning to slaughter everyone here?”
“Why? Is there any reason I should spare them?”
“They’re human beings too.”
“So?”
“Please show mercy.”
“Heuk-heuk! I’ve overlooked you long enough, and now you overstep. No one tells me what to do.”
Eun Ha-seong approached Heuk No, his bloodshot, murderous eyes gleaming, Demon Blade pointed at him. Heuk No sensed his end.
‘Young master…’
He closed his eyes, awaiting death. Even in dying, he vowed not to show ugliness.
It was then, as Eun Ha-seong moved to impale Heuk No with the Demon Blade.
Kung!
A low thud echoed from afar.
Most in the Blood Demon Pit didn’t notice it, and even those who did dismissed it as ordinary noise.
But not Eun Ha-seong.
Kung!
Another thud rode the air from the distance. Eun Ha-seong’s expression twisted.
To others, mere noise—but it shook his very soul.
‘Something’s coming.’
Something powerful enough to rattle the spirit bolstered by the Blood Demon’s inner energy.
Eun Ha-seong ordered his subordinates.
“Something’s happening outside. Go check.”
“Yes, sir!”
They dashed out.
At the sudden commotion, Heuk No cracked his eyes open. He saw Eun Ha-seong’s back turned.
The rigid tension in Eun Ha-seong’s posture betrayed his wariness.
‘What could it be?’
Others might not sense it, but Heuk No felt Eun Ha-seong’s agitation.
Then.
Kwang!
A faint thud reached even Heuk No’s ears. Another followed, closer now.
Kwang! Kwang!
The thuds grew more frequent and louder.
‘What is it?’
Something was approaching.
Heuk No’s eyes trembled beneath wrinkled lids.
“Wh-what is that?”
“What’s going on outside?”
The West Heaven Manor warriors murmured. Unfathomable anxiety etched their faces.
As some moved toward the tunnel entrance, unable to bear it.
Kwaang!
A roar erupted, and something flew into the cavern from outside.
“Eek!”
The warriors scattered in panic. The object smashed into the cavern wall and crashed to the floor.
“Th-this is…?”
The West Heaven Manor warriors recoiled at the mangled form.
Unrecognizable, but it was clearly one of their comrades sent to investigate moments ago.
Silence blanketed the Blood Demon Pit.
Ominous signs stifled all breath—from laborers to warriors.
Only Eun Ha-seong stared at the tunnel with displeasure.
As he opened his mouth to command his men again.
Seureuk! Thud! Seureuk! Thud!
An alien sound, unlike before, echoed through the pit.
Something striking the ground, then dragging across it.
Normally ignorable, but now their hearts pounded wildly.
The eerie noise swelled, bouncing off walls, amplifying dread. Tension peaked.
Gulp!
As someone swallowed dryly, a figure emerged from the tunnel.
A man drenched head to toe in red. His once-black robe glistened crimson with blood.
A foul blood stench poured from him.
Just inhaling it dizzied the mind.
Still dragging his feet, he fully entered.
Heuk No recognized him first.
The man from the inn before ascending to West Heaven Manor.
“Damho?”
It was Damho.
Intense heat radiated from Damho’s body. The blood coating him evaporated in the blaze, steam rising like haze.
Silence fell. Overwhelmed by his presence, no one dared breathe deeply.
Damho’s gaze swept the pit.
Captives forced into long labor. West Heaven Manor warriors encircling them. Heuk No bound and kneeling.
Finally, it lingered on the shriveled corpses drained dry by the Demon Blade.
A single glance revealed the carnage within.
“Who the hell are you?”
Eun Ha-seong’s voice rang in Damho’s ears.
Seureuk!
At last, Damho’s gaze turned to him.
Madness-reddened eyes met fathomless black depths.
Eun Ha-seong’s eyelids twitched.
In Damho’s eyes, he saw endless abyss—like the depths of hell’s Avici.
Never had he imagined anyone with such eyes. In all his encounters, none matched Damho’s gaze.
Woooong!
From the moment Damho appeared, the Demon Blade wailed madly.
Damho stared silently at Eun Ha-seong. Eun Ha-seong glared back but faltered, turning away from those emotionless eyes.
He hated to admit it, but Damho’s gaze had overwhelmed him.
A raspy, phlegm-choked voice rasped from Damho’s lips.
“You the lord of West Heaven Manor?”
“And who the hell are you? State your identity.”
Darkness flickered in Damho’s eyes.
“Finally, we meet.”
Hearing it, Eun Ha-seong felt his blood run cold.
A bolt of anxiety pierced him from head to toe.
In that instant, Damho moved.
Reacting to the sudden charge with no words, Eun Ha-seong blocked with the Demon Blade.
“You mad bastard!”