Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Slash!

“Ugh!”

Namgung So-hye retreated, feeling her shoulder being slashed. However, the massive saber that swiftly lunged in followed her rapidly, giving her no room to dodge.

Clang!

“Ugh!?”

An immense power was felt when the sword and saber clashed. The name Hegemonic Saber was by no means an empty boast.

Moreover, what was even more bleak was the fact that Ma Dok-jin had not yet shown his true strength.

Slash, slash, slash!

His monstrous strength in swinging such a great saber with one hand as if it were nothing was impressive, but what was even more threatening was his speed.

Because of its large size, a great saber naturally had constraints on its movement. It could not help but be slower than a sword. Yet, Ma Dok-jin was as agile as if he were swinging a sword.

That made Namgung So-hye struggle even more.

Slash!

Frowning, she felt her abdomen being cut.

Fortunately, it was not a deep cut, so she avoided damage to her internal organs, but having lost her balance, she could not properly block the next move.

Boom!

“Aaah!”

Her fragile body flew like a stone and crashed into a tree.

Thud!

With a harsh sound, her vision shook violently for a moment.

Gasping for breath from the shock so great that she could not gather her senses, she vomited a bowlful of dark blood.

Her vision was blurry, and the hand holding her sword trembled violently.

Even if she was Namgung So-hye, who was making a name for herself as the best of the younger generation, this was the moment that proved she was nothing before an expert who had long been active in the Jianghu.

“Tsk, tsk, no fun at all. To think you cannot even reach the toes of the Murim Alliance Leader, who is called the Sword Emperor.”

“Haaa… haaa… haaa…”

“Many people under heaven consider the Namgung Family to be the head of the Eight Great Families, but seeing you now, even that was just an empty reputation.”

Ma Dok-jin did not stop his mockery.

She was weak, fragile, and pathetic, like an ant that he could trample to death if he resolved to.

‘To think the sword of the Namgung Family was merely this.’

Ma Dok-jin was deeply disappointed.

“It is I who am weak… my family is not weak!”

“Hmph, only your mouth is alive. It is not just you who are weak. The family that raised you like that is also weak. They only grew proud after producing the Sword Emperor.”

“Ugh!”

Ma Dok-jin slowly approached Namgung So-hye. He looked indifferent, as if he had already lost interest.

Standing before her in no time, Ma Dok-jin aimed his massive saber.

“The Murim is a place ruled by the law of the survival of the fittest. The loser must remain silent, and show respect to the winner.”

Ma Dok-jin placed his right foot on Namgung So-hye's head and applied pressure. His intention was to crush her head into the ground like this.

However, Namgung So-hye stiffened her neck stubbornly.

A glimpse of her resolve never to bend could be seen.

“Just… kill me.”

“Hmph, does the world change just because I kill a mere girl like you? And if you are a martial artist, you should naturally know how to submit to the victor. Hahaha!”

Ma Dok-jin burst into a loud laugh. Looking down at Namgung So-hye, who lay fallen but still keeping her neck stiff, he fully enjoyed the victor's rights.

This was the Jianghu.

Family background? A great internal energy?

Such things were of no use.

Only strength.

The place where only the strong could survive was this very Jianghu.

Rustle, rustle

It was at that moment.

A strange sound was heard from somewhere. Ma Dok-jin, who was trampling on Namgung So-hye's head, raised his eyebrows and turned his head.

The bushes rustled heavily.

And the sound of someone approaching was also heard.

‘Is it Gwon Mu-jin?’

No, it was definitely not the footsteps of his subordinates. Moreover, as the sound drew closer, an immense pressure was felt.

It was so intense that it was hard to even breathe properly.

“Who is it?”

Ma Dok-jin watched the spot with a bleak gaze. It was the same for Namgung So-hye.

Her internal strength heavily damaged, she was panting as she struggled to even properly withstand the strong pressure.

Soon, a man revealed himself.

“The law of the survival of the fittest… I like it.”

Thud!

Dan Woo-hyun laughed, throwing Gwon Mu-jin, who was miserably crushed, to the side.

Covered in blood all over his body, Gwon Mu-jin did not budge from the spot, as if he had lost consciousness.

“H-How… did you?”

“You said you were going to Henan, yet you still haven't left Yueyang.”

As if he had no intention of resolving Namgung So-hye's questions, he leisurely dusted off his hands.

With his gaze still fixed on Ma Dok-jin, a smile deeper than ever was formed on Dan Woo-hyun's lips.

“You are a fearless fellow. Seeing that you caught Gwon Mu-jin, you seem to have some skill, but… do you know who I am to come here so confidently?”

Ma Dok-jin glared at Dan Woo-hyun with a settled gaze.

Strangely, he looked familiar. He felt like he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn't remember well.

Meanwhile, Dan Woo-hyun turned his gaze away from Ma Dok-jin and looked at Namgung So-hye. Looking at her face, which was visibly filled with surprise, he made a more playful expression than ever.

“Didn't I tell you? Since pride is blinding your eyes, you cannot see anything properly.”

“Ugh…!”

“You bastard! Do you not see this Ma Dok-jin before you!”

Perhaps thinking he was being ignored, Ma Dok-jin let out a rough roar.

The powerful internal energy vibrated in all directions, shaking even the air.

This was the skill of an expert at the peak stage.

“Run away quickly! He isn't someone you can face… wait, what…?”

Shouting, Namgung So-hye suddenly turned her head.

Although her vision was blurry and she couldn't see clearly, judging by the clothes he wore, the person collapsed over there was undoubtedly Gwon Mu-jin.

‘H-He practiced martial arts? That man?’

Namgung So-hye swallowed hard.

Was he not simply a wealthy wastrel?

Moreover, Dan Woo-hyun did not flinch even while taking Ma Dok-jin's violently blowing aura head-on.

‘Come to think of it…’

She recalled the first time she had met Dan Woo-hyun.

The circumstances aligned so perfectly that it was strange she was only having such doubts now.

She had clearly met Dan Woo-hyun on the path to Mount Tianzi, and not long after, the Black Dao Association was destroyed. And he was living in Yueyang.

“Could it be?”

Dan Woo-hyun walked toward Namgung So-hye.

His steps were so leisurely that they looked out of place.

However, the strange thing was that Ma Dok-jin, who had been so high and mighty, retreated backward to create distance.

That man, who did not seem like someone who would ever retreat but rather push forward no matter what, was doing so.

He was even breaking out in cold sweat.

“Just who are you…”

Clank-

Dan Woo-hyun ignored Namgung So-hye's words and took the sword she was holding in her hand.

He inspected the blade here and there, then nodded his head as if he liked it.

“At least the sword is a good one.”

“That sword is mine… Ugh!”

Namgung So-hye, having her sword taken away, tried to shout in surprise, but ended up collapsing in pain.

And finally, Dan Woo-hyun stood before Ma Dok-jin.

“What are you doing? Why aren't you coming?”

“You damn bastard! Do you know who I am!”

“An idiot full of nothing but confidence. Just like someone else.”

Dan Woo-hyun glanced at Namgung So-hye.

He could feel her gaze trembling, but he turned his head without paying it any mind.

In truth, in Dan Woo-hyun's eyes, everyone looked like mediocre fools anyway, so comparing anyone was meaningless in itself.

“Have you truly gone mad? You have no filter even with Ma Dok-jin, the Hegemonic Saber, standing before you. Do you have two lives?”

“I have only one life…”

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled, pointing to his own neck.

“A neck that no one has been able to take.”

“You arrogant bastard!”

In the end, Ma Dok-jin, whose eyes rolled back, gritted his teeth and dashed toward Dan Woo-hyun.

Running with a domineering momentum, he displayed a ferocity that seemed ready to sweep away everything in the surroundings.

“Avoid it!”

Namgung So-hye let out a shout close to a scream.

However, it was not something that could be resolved by simply avoiding it. In the first place, Ma Dok-jin's saber technique was so fast that one could hardly believe he was swinging a great saber.

Whoosh!

Radating immense power, the great saber rushed toward Dan Woo-hyun.

Clang!

“Gasp!?”

However, at the unrealistic sight that unfolded before their eyes soon after, not only Namgung So-hye but even Ma Dok-jin opened their mouths wide and could not close them.

The great saber did not reach Dan Woo-hyun.

For the slender tip of the sword blocked the blade of the great saber.

“Ugh?!”

Since Ma Dok-jin was someone who possessed monstrous strength to the point of obtaining the name Hegemonic Saber, the great saber he swung should have naturally deflected or shattered the blade.

Yet, to block a great saber with a mere sword tip?

“T-This cannot be!”

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Ma Dok-jin swung his great saber wildly.

Although he poured out attacks with all his might, the lightly moving blade of Dan Woo-hyun blocked every single one of them.

‘Handling Ma Dok-jin like a mere child…’

Namgung So-hye could not tear her eyes away.

It was truly a magnificent sight.

She had personally felt that Ma Dok-jin's reputation was by no means an empty boast. Every single move carried a weight that was unbearable, and his dazzling saber technique was as swift as a flash of lightning.

Despite this, Dan Woo-hyun looked leisurely.

As he lightly toyed with his sword against Ma Dok-jin's great saber, it was like an impenetrable armor, never letting him penetrate inside.

It was impossible to even step inside the range.

“Quite impressive. Overcoming the simplicity of a great saber with speed. An interesting idea. However…”

Dan Woo-hyun wore a smirk and swung his sword wide horizontally.

Ma Dok-jin scoffed at Dan Woo-hyun's decision and applied even more force. Using all the power he possessed, he would crush the fellow in one blow.

For that was the very reason he held the alias Hegemonic Saber.

“Ludicrous!”

The great saber, carrying a storm-like momentum, charged toward the sword swung by Dan Woo-hyun. Since he had imbued the great saber with a force that seemed capable of crushing even a great mountain, who could possibly block it?

On the other hand, Dan Woo-hyun's sword moved as gently as a spring breeze.

It seemed as if no technique or force existed within it.

A blow swung lightly, as if correcting a young child.

Soon, the moment the sword and the great saber clashed.

Boom!

Along with a massive sound that vibrated through the entire body, Namgung So-hye stared wide-eyed, watching the unrealistic sight.

The body of Ma Dok-jin, who boasted of never being pushed back by anyone in strength, flew through the air in a futile manner.