Chapter 101

Chapter 101: To Move Forward Without Regret (1)

Namgung-su's expression twisted.

"What did you just say?"

"Let go of him."

"And then?"

Namgung-su asked again.

From his body, a formidable aura surged. He had activated the Namgung Family's secret heart method, the Boundless Heart Technique.

"Guh!"

At this, Bang Jin-bo's face turned deathly pale. His eyes rolled back and he was on the verge of passing out.

There was no way Bang Jin-bo, who knew nothing of martial arts, could withstand an aura that even a peak master of the Murim would find difficult to endure. If this continued, Bang Jin-bo would suffer damage to his heart meridians.

Namgung-su's fury erupted.

"You dare say you'll break my hand? Then try it. How dare you…"

"Young Master Namgung, please calm down…"

Hae So-wol, unable to stand by, tried to restrain Namgung-su.

Swoosh!

In that instant, a violent wind swept through.

Dam Ho had deployed the Charging Step.

The surrounding air surged like a deluge before his lightning-fast movement.

"Hah!"

Namgung-su, still holding Bang Jin-bo, felt an immense pressure bearing down on him and hastily retreated. However, he still kept his grip on Bang Jin-bo's collar.

He had not expected Dam Ho to launch an attack without warning, and in his haste he tried to use Bang Jin-bo as a shield.

Boom!

"Guh!"

In that instant, a thunderous sound erupted, and Namgung-su's stifled groan rang out.

Namgung-su's body bent backward like a shrimp as he was sent flying. Dam Ho's fist had grazed past Bang Jin-bo's side and struck Namgung-su's waist.

Namgung-su could not catch his breath, as though he had been struck by a massive hammer. He had never imagined that Dam Ho would attack without regard for Bang Jin-bo's safety.

Bang Jin-bo, whom Namgung-su had been using as a shield, now stood behind Dam Ho. Dam Ho had moved him aside as lightly as a game piece.

If Dam Ho had not held back to protect Bang Jin-bo, Namgung-su would have been finished in a single blow. But Namgung-su did not realize this in the slightest.

"You?"

Namgung-su's expression became wretched.

Not only had he lost the shield he was using, but he had also suffered a devastating blow. The pain in his side was nothing compared to the wound to his pride.

Namgung-su drew the sword at his waist.

Shing!

"You bastard. I'll kill you."

Rage had consumed his reason.

Namgung Chang's repeated instructions to leave Dam Ho alone had long since vanished from his mind.

The sword in Namgung-su's hand radiated a cold light in all directions.

It was the Dragon Cloud Sword, a blade issued only to the direct bloodline of the Namgung Family. Forged by the family's own master smiths, it was renowned for its sturdiness.

Namgung-su leveled the Dragon Cloud Sword at Dam Ho.

Whoosh!

The Dragon Cloud Sword let out a sharp cry.

Azure Firmament Boundless Sword Technique.

Among the countless martial arts of the Namgung Family, this was a supreme sword art that firmly held its place among the highest ranks.

Namgung-su had mastered the Azure Firmament Boundless Sword Technique to near its peak. Aside from the Namgung Family's ultimate art, the Sovereign Sword Form, no other martial art could surpass it.

At least, that was what Namgung-su believed. And his conviction had never once wavered.

In that instant, Dam Ho lunged toward Namgung-su.

Whoosh!

Dam Ho's body shot forward in a straight line.

The Charging Step—that linear footwork—was deployed once more.

Having experienced Dam Ho's footwork before, Namgung-su attempted to evade by deploying the Namgung Family's secret movement technique, the Ten Direction Illusion Step.

The Ten Direction Illusion Step allowed one to simultaneously step in ten directions within a single breath, creating an illusion to confuse the opponent.

Swish-swish-swish!

When the Ten Direction Illusion Step was deployed, Namgung-su's form instantly multiplied to more than a dozen.

Among them, only one was real. The rest were all phantoms.

'What will you do now? Can you distinguish the real one among ten phantoms?'

Boom!

In that instant, a thunderous roar erupted as Namgung-su's body was sent hurtling backward. Disbelief was etched across his face.

'H-how?'

Dam Ho had accurately found Namgung-su's true body and struck him.

Had he not blocked with the Dragon Cloud Sword, that blow would have dealt him severe injuries.

Hummm.

The Dragon Cloud Sword was crying.

The sound was vastly different from the sharp ring it had emitted moments before. It was as though the sword itself was weeping in pain.

"Damn it!"

Namgung-su gritted his teeth and swung the Dragon Cloud Sword.

Swoosh!

Azure Firmament Severing Flash.

It was the ultimate technique of the Azure Firmament Boundless Sword Technique.

A dense barrier of sword energy formed before Namgung-su's entire front. Not a single drop of water could have seeped through its tight weave.

Through the wind-tossed strands of his hair, Dam Ho's eyes gleamed.

In that moment, Namgung-su felt his entire body go cold.

It was a thrilling sensation, as though lightning were piercing him from head to toe, and with it came a sense of crisis that gripped his mind.

Swoosh!

'It's coming.'

First came an overwhelming wall of pressure. Then Dam Ho's fist flew toward him.

Namgung-su channeled all his power into the Dragon Cloud Sword.

'I'll cut off your hand.'

No matter how one trained the body, it could never match the sharpness of a steel blade.

Namgung-su believed in the sword technique he had mastered and the sharpness of the Dragon Cloud Sword.

Crack!

But in the next moment, his face was painted with disbelief.

The Dragon Cloud Sword, which had never once betrayed his expectations, was now gripped in Dam Ho's hand.

The sharp blade trembled pitifully against Dam Ho's palm, unable to leave even a single scratch.

Silver Net Hand.

A technique that enveloped the hands in a net of energy, protecting oneself from the enemy's bladed weapons.

Namgung-su's eyes went wide. His gaze met Dam Ho's.

In that moment, Namgung-su felt his heart plummet and shuddered.

Dam Ho's eyes held not a shred of emotion. That utter indifference only amplified Namgung-su's fear.

It was then that Namgung-su finally understood.

The nature of the emotion that had been making him so uncomfortable.

It was fear.

Something about Dam Ho had touched the fear buried at the very bottom of his heart.

"Aaaargh!"

With a roar, Namgung-su swung the Dragon Cloud Sword, trying to shake off Dam Ho's grip.

Crack!

In that instant, the blade in Dam Ho's hand shattered like a biscuit.

Boom!

Then Dam Ho's fist lashed out like a whip, striking Namgung-su's temple.

It was the Breaking Strike.

Namgung-su staggered from the blow to his temple.

Blood vessels in his eyes had burst from the impact. He looked as though he might drip tears of blood at any moment.

Everyone shuddered at the sight.

Namgung-su could not regain his senses.

His ears were ringing, his vision doubled, and mucus dripped from his nose into his mouth.

Grip!

Dam Ho seized Namgung-su's wrist.

The cold sensation finally brought Namgung-su back to his senses. Then he realized what Dam Ho was about to do.

"No, no! Don't!"

Crack!

In that instant, Namgung-su's wrist snapped with a sickening sound, twisting in the opposite direction.

"Aaaagh!"

A piercing scream erupted from Namgung-su's mouth.

He had never experienced such agony in his life. He rolled across the ground. Dam Ho gazed down at him with an expressionless look.

"That… that?"

Cho Yeon-woon's jaw dropped at the unbelievable sight.

It was not that Dam Ho had defeated Namgung-su that was surprising. As much as Namgung-su might hate to admit it, Dam Ho's level was far beyond what he could dare to rival.

The problem was that Namgung-su was a direct bloodline member of the Namgung Family.

The Namgung Family was a clan with debts and grudges as clearly delineated as the Tang Clan of Sichuan. They never forgot a kindness, and they never forgot a grudge—repaying it tenfold. That was one of their family precepts.

The Namgung Family's influence was as vast and far-reaching as that of the Wudang Sect or the Mount Hua Sect. For this reason, no one was willing to make an enemy of them lightly.

And Dam Ho had broken the wrist of a direct Namgung Family member. The wrist of his sword arm, no less.

If it healed completely, that would be fortunate. If not, he might be forced to abandon the sword techniques he had spent his life mastering.

"This is madness."

Cho Yeon-woon, witnessing this outrageous act committed by his friend, could only hold his forehead in disbelief.

Everything had happened so quickly that he had no way to intervene. And he truly had not expected Dam Ho to break Namgung-su's wrist so decisively.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Namgung Chang and Oh Gun-gi rushed out from the annex upon hearing Namgung-su's desperate scream.

Seeing Namgung-su clutching his wrist and screaming, Namgung Chang ran over in haste.

"Su!"

"Uncle…"

Namgung Chang saw that Namgung-su's wrist, now cradled in his arms, was completely broken.

"What happened?"

"That man…"

Namgung-su stared at Dam Ho with bloodshot eyes. Namgung Chang's furious gaze turned toward Dam Ho.

"How dare you! To attack a member of the Namgung Family."

Namgung-su was a prodigy whom even the Namgung Family had high hopes for. He was destined to hold an important position within the Martial Alliance in the future.

Such a prodigy's wrist was now broken. He would need at least several months of recovery. By the time Namgung-su's wounds fully healed, most of the work to establish the Martial Alliance would already be complete. Whether his position would still be waiting for him—even Namgung Chang could not say.

This was not only a devastating blow to Namgung-su personally, but also an enormous loss for the Namgung Family, which sought to seize leadership of the Martial Alliance.

Oh Gun-gi, who had come out late, approached Hae So-wol.

"What happened?"

"Well…"

Hae So-wol could not immediately explain. The situation had unfolded so rapidly that she herself could not fully assess it.

"You!"

Namgung Chang left Namgung-su behind and rose to his feet. From his entire body, a terrifying aura emanated.

Though he walked the path of a strategist, he was still a master who had cultivated the Namgung Family's supreme martial arts to their peak. His presence was more than enough to dominate an entire area. But even his presence had no effect whatsoever on Dam Ho.

That made Namgung Chang all the more furious.

He shouted.

"Golden Sword Squad!"

Immediately, thirty martial artists rushed in from outside the annex.

Every one of them radiated an extraordinary aura. They were the elite warriors of the Namgung Family, brought along specifically to serve as Namgung Chang's escort.

"There is no need for reasons. He has injured a member of our family. Surround him."

"As you command!"

The experts of the Golden Sword Squad surrounded Dam Ho.

In that instant, Dam Ho's head turned sideways toward Namgung Chang. The tilt of his head irritated Namgung Chang's nerves.

"If you thought you could lay a hand on a Namgung Family member and get away unscathed, you are sorely mistaken."

The corners of Dam Ho's mouth curled slightly upward.

In that instant, the expressions of the Golden Sword Squad and Namgung Chang changed completely. An overwhelming killing intent, the likes of which they had never before imagined, had descended upon them.

And at last, Dam Ho began to move.

Scrape! Boom! Scrape! Boom!

Dam Ho advanced with a dragging gait.

His uneven, off-rhythm steps strangely stimulated Namgung-su's nerves.

Namgung Chang had never seen a martial artist who walked with a limp. But he knew well how致命 a weakness a damaged leg could be for a warrior.

A limp meant the leg muscles were destroyed.

Damaged legs caused the spine to twist, affecting even the neck muscles.

The spine and neck muscles formed the central axis that ran vertically through the body.

The more accomplished a martial artist, the more upright their central axis stood. But Dam Ho's central axis was not so. It tilted slightly to the left, lacking balance.

A deep furrow formed between Namgung Chang's brows.

'A man whose central axis has collapsed like that defeated Su?'

It was beyond Namgung Chang's comprehension. The same was true for the Golden Sword Squad.

The Golden Sword Squad, overwhelmed by Dam Ho's bizarre aura, did not dare to attack rashly.

Then Dam Ho's lips parted.

"You said I would be a fine driving force for establishing the Martial Alliance?"

"What?"

"That's what you said."

"H-how did you…?"

Namgung-su's pupils trembled with shock.

That had been a conversation conducted through telepathic transmission.