Chapter 131

Chapter 131: The Thread of Fateful Enmity Grows Ever More Vicious (3)

Namgung Su was sent hurtling backward, spitting blood from his mouth.

"Kuh!"

The impact that pierced through his entire body sent his internal organs into turmoil. Yet he had managed to save his life.

It was thanks to the martial artists of the Namgung Family who had sacrificed themselves to shield him.

Before him lay three Namgung Family warriors, battered and bloody. They had taken Dam Ho's Fortress Breaking Fist in his stead.

"Stop him!"

The Namgung Family martial artists hurled themselves forward.

Their hatred for Dam Ho had already reached its peak. They cast aside concern for their own lives and threw themselves at him.

That became the spark.

"Kill him!"

The martial artists of the Martial Alliance rushed toward Dam Ho as one.

They surged forward like wolves catching sight of prey.

A space dominated by madness and killing intent.

At its very center stood Dam Ho.

Upon his back rode Hwang Hye-ryeong, and tucked under his arm was Muk Il-gwang.

Muk Il-gwang had long since lost consciousness.

Dam Ho flung Muk Il-gwang's massive body toward the enemies charging from the front.

Crash!

"Kuh!"

"Gack!"

The martial artists who collided with Muk Il-gwang's enormous frame screamed and fell.

The hall descended into chaos in an instant.

That was only the beginning.

In Dam Ho's hands now appeared two axes. They were Muk Il-gwang's weapons.

Dam Ho hurled one of the axes toward the front.

Whoosh!

The massive axe spun terrifyingly as it swept through the charging enemies.

"Kraaah!"

Desperate screams echoed throughout the hall.

The axe in Dam Ho's other hand flew toward the opposite side.

Crack-squelch!

The sounds of flesh tearing and bones shattering rang out.

"Madman!"

Namgung Su trembled at the sight.

It was like a tiger that had leapt alone into a flock of sheep.

A blood-hungry tiger was slaughtering the sheep indiscriminately.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the screams of men rang out.

Namgung Su turned to flee.

He could bear the fear no longer.

'I will never encounter him again.'

He swore it over and over.

In that moment, a chill ran down the back of his neck.

'It's him.'

No one had told him, and he had not yet seen, but he knew instinctively.

As he expected, Dam Ho had already claimed the space behind his back.

Namgung Su spun around like lightning and unleashed the Namgung Family's signature technique, the Thunder Finger.

A powerful surge of finger energy hurtled toward Dam Ho's forehead. Yet Dam Ho merely tilted his head slightly, evading the strike, and in the blink of an eye closed the distance to Namgung Su's chest.

Dam Ho's eyes met his. A hot breath, thick with killing intent and the scent of blood, struck him full in the face.

He could not even think of revulsion.

Crack!

Instead, a searing pain lanced through his chest.

Dam Ho's fist had pierced through.

It shattered his breastbone and burrowed in to the wrist. He could feel his beating heart grasped in Dam Ho's hand.

"Guhuk!"

Namgung Su vomited blood.

More than the agony, it was Dam Ho's emotionless gaze that sent a chill through Namgung Su.

Pop!

The heart in Dam Ho's grasp burst.

The light of life faded from Namgung Su's eyes. Yet paradoxically, a thread of relief was visible in his dimming gaze.

'I no longer need to fear you. Come find me at the ends of hell if you can.'

Those were Namgung Su's final thoughts while still alive.

His body crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.

With the fall of both Cheong-gu Sage and Namgung Su, the martial artists of the Martial Alliance lost their center of gravity and fell into disarray.

In that interval, Dam Ho launched himself forward.

He flew straight into the heart of the crowd of heroes.

"Huh?"

A man stood there with his mouth agape. He had not even entertained the thought of escape.

"Amusing, is it?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

The man's voice trembled as he spoke. Dam Ho's gaze flickered roughly.

"I've been curious for some time now. Who keeps inciting them like that?"

The madness of the heroes had not ignited on its own. Someone had been hiding behind them, fanning the flames at every turn.

The man staggered backward.

Terror was plain in his eyes.

The man's name was Gong So-chu.

He was a confidant of Gwak Geo-cheol, the Fan Master of the Black Water Banner.

He had been hiding among the martial artists of the Martial Alliance, inciting them. It was a scheme to borrow the Alliance's strength to kill Hwang Hye-ryeong.

At first, things had seemed to go according to their plan.

Unaware they were being used, the Alliance warriors eagerly attacked Muk Il-gwang and Hwang Hye-ryeong.

It was truly a case of sitting back while others did the work.

'But who could have predicted this monster would intervene?'

Their entire plan had been undone by Dam Ho alone.

Neither the common sense of the Murim nor any sense of justice held any sway over him.

Countless martial artists were instead being routed by this single individual.

A smile tugged at the corner of Dam Ho's lips as he looked at Gong So-chu.

"So it was you."

Years had passed, yet faces he remembered with crystal clarity remained. Gong So-chu was one of them.

The moment he saw Dam Ho's smile, a shudder ran through Gong So-chu's entire body.

"D-do you know me?"

"I suppose you don't remember."

At Dam Ho's words, Gong So-chu rummaged through his memories. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall. So he dismissed it as nonsense. If he had ever met someone like Dam Ho even once, he would surely have remembered.

How could one forget a being who radiated such an overwhelming presence?

Dam Ho spoke.

"You couldn't have done this alone. Who is it? The one who instigated you."

"Wh-what nonsense is this? Who instigated me?"

Gong So-chu hurriedly tried to deflect.

"Jo Yun-san, perhaps?"

"H-how did you—"

Crack!

In the instant Gong So-chu's eyes went wide, Dam Ho's fist struck him in the stomach.

"Uwah!"

Gong So-chu doubled over and vomited everything he had eaten that morning.

His abdomen felt as though it were being torn apart, and he could barely breathe.

Dam Ho seized Gong So-chu by the scruff of the neck and began to walk. Gong So-chu's body, paralyzed, was dragged along.

"Nngh!"

Though countless men were present, not one dared to try and stop Dam Ho.

To their eyes, Dam Ho was not human.

A human being could not be like this.

"Uwah!"

Some had already collapsed to the ground, retching. They did not even dare to meet his gaze.

Dam Ho tucked Muk Il-gwang, who was lying on the ground, under his arm.

With Hwang Hye-ryeong on his back and a man cradled in each arm, he launched himself forward.

Dam Ho vanished in an instant. Yet no one dared to pursue.

Boom!

Namgung Chang shot to his feet.

His face had gone deathly pale.

"Say that again. What did you just say?"

"Well…"

The Namgung Family martial artist who had come to report hesitated.

"Now!"

"Master Namgung Su… has fallen."

"What utter nonsense…"

Namgung Chang's shoulders trembled. But he quickly composed himself and asked.

"Where is Su's body?"

"It is outside."

Namgung Chang threw open the doors and strode out.

In the courtyard beyond the great hall, the Namgung Family martial artists stood in formation. In their midst lay a figure draped in white cloth.

"Could it be?"

Namgung Chang's steps faltered, his legs trembling.

The white cloth was stained red with blood. Namgung Chang lifted it carefully. Beneath it lay the form of Namgung Su.

His head was half shattered, yet his eyes remained wide open. The face of Namgung Su bore the full measure of terror he had felt in his final moments.

"H-how? Who on earth did this?"

"The Fist Demon…"

"The Fist Demon? You mean Dam Ho? Why would he—"

"That is…"

The martial artist explained in detail what had transpired.

After hearing everything, Namgung Chang closed his eyes tightly.

'In the end!'

His heart raced wildly, and his breath grew short.

It had been that way from the moment the name Dam Ho was mentioned. That name had seared an indelible mark of fear into his heart.

"Dozens of martial artists were killed or injured because of this."

"Where is he now?"

"He has left Akyang. This incident has put the entire Martial Alliance on alert. They are designating him a public enemy of the Murim and organizing a pursuit force. The order is to bring the Elder at once."

Namgung Chang hurried toward the great hall of the Martial Alliance.

His complexion was beyond wretched.

'Because of that one man…'

Namgung Chang bit his lip hard.

Everything he and the Namgung Family had built was trembling. If things continued as they were, the very foundation of the Martial Alliance could be shaken.

When he opened the door to the great hall and entered, twenty pairs of eyes turned toward him. All were elders of the Martial Alliance.

"Welcome, Elder Namgung."

"We have been waiting."

As soon as Namgung Chang took his seat, the meeting began.

"You have all heard the reports. A man called the Fist Demon has brought shame upon the authority of the Martial Alliance."

"He must be eliminated to restore the Alliance's dignity."

"He is like a single loach stirring up the waters. We can no longer stand by and watch."

The elders spoke with one voice, demanding that Dam Ho be punished.

Namgung Chang's gaze fell upon Hyun-mu Sage, the elder of the Mount Hua Sect.

"What are your thoughts, Hyun-mu Sage?"

"Why do you ask me?"

"Is the Fist Demon not a former member of the Mount Hua Sect?"

"He was, in the past."

"Are you saying he no longer is?"

"He was the one who rejected the Mount Hua Sect first."

Hyun-mu Sage's voice was as cold as could be.

He had not yet forgotten the humiliation he had suffered at Dam Ho's hands.

A disciple who denied his own sect?

And from the prestigious Mount Hua, no less.

Hyun-mu Sage could not forgive Dam Ho.

To accept him would be tantamount to denying the Mount Hua Sect itself.

"Then I shall take that to mean the Mount Hua Sect has no objection to however we deal with the Fist Demon."

"The Mount Hua Sect is also a member of the Martial Alliance. I trust you will keep that in mind."

"The Mount Hua Sect's position is well understood."

Namgung Chang nodded.

The elders listening to their exchange allowed satisfied smiles to cross their faces.

For if the Mount Hua Sect had insisted on protecting the Fist Demon to the very end, it could have caused a schism within the Martial Alliance.

The elder of the Cheongseong Sect, Cheong-wol Sage, rose from his seat.

"Let us organize the pursuit force from this moment forward. We must eliminate him before he becomes an even greater threat."

"Hear, hear!"

The elders voiced their approval of Cheong-wol Sage's proposal.

Namgung Chang's expression darkened.

It was not just any faction—it was the Martial Alliance itself that was moving. Now there was no place left in the world for the Fist Demon to stand.

No matter how powerful the Fist Demon's martial arts might be, he could not survive with the entire world set against him.

That was the way of the world, and the law of the Murim as Namgung Chang knew it.

'But why do I feel so uneasy?'

A chill washed over him.

He wrapped his arms around his shoulders.