Chapter 150

Chapter 150: There Exists Pain Greater Than Death (4)

"Hah… hah…"

Ragged breaths forced their way past Muk Il-gwang's lips.

His entire body was drenched in blood, and at his feet lay more than a dozen fallen warriors.

The Blood Heaven Axe Technique he wielded with twin axes was truly fearsome. The powerful waves of axe energy cleaved charging warriors in two in a single stroke.

As they fell one after another, Ascending Dragon Division Leader Yoo Guang-cheon changed his tactics. Rather than engaging head-on, he harassed from the flanks, striking and retreating.

It was a scheme to drag the battle out and wear Muk Il-gwang down. Meanwhile, he sent more warriors toward Hwang Hye-ryeong.

Muk Il-gwang had even refused the position of division leader to protect Hwang Hye-ryeong. It spoke to how deeply he cherished and loved her.

'If I target Hwang Hye-ryeong, he will surely be distracted.'

Yoo Guang-cheon's stratagem succeeded.

As more forces concentrated on her, Hwang Hye-ryeong grew unsteady, and the sight of her peril tightened Muk Il-gwang's expression with urgency.

His mind told him to stay calm, but his heart would not listen.

His heart pounded, and his eyes and senses were wholly fixed on Hwang Hye-ryeong. Naturally, his attention was divided.

Yoo Guang-cheon did not let the opening slip.

Shck!

"Urgh!"

Yoo Guang-cheon's sword grazed Muk Il-gwang's arm. A long gash opened, and blood sprayed.

Fortunately, the bone was not damaged, but the split muscle left his grip on the axe weakened.

"There!"

Yoo Guang-cheon cried out in triumph.

Muk Il-gwang's Blood Heaven Axe Technique could only display its full power when both axes were in play. If even one was compromised, its devastating force was severely diminished.

"Die!"

Seizing the opening, an Ascending Dragon Division warrior lunged.

"Haah!"

But Muk Il-gwang was a warrior who had weathered every trial. With a battle cry, he counterattacked.

Kwam!

"Urgh! Damn it!"

The warrior who had blocked Muk Il-gwang's axe with his sword cursed. But his expression was less dark than one might have expected.

Just moments before, Muk Il-gwang had been cleaving men in two with a single blow. Blocked by a sword, he shattered the sword; blocked by a saber, he shattered the saber and the man alike.

But now the warrior had blocked the axe with his sword, and neither he nor his weapon had suffered damage. It meant Muk Il-gwang's attacks had weakened considerably.

"He's tiring! Press harder!"

Yoo Guang-cheon urged his men on.

The warriors attacked Muk Il-gwang with renewed ferocity.

"Grrr!"

Muk Il-gwang ground his teeth.

He longed to tear Yoo Guang-cheon apart, but the reality was not so simple.

Yoo Guang-cheon was tormenting him with cunning precision.

'My lady!'

Hwang Hye-ryeong was fighting desperately.

Her entire body was drenched in blood.

Her gaze met Muk Il-gwang's. He saw her clenched lips and contorted face, every detail burned into his vision.

In that instant, Muk Il-gwang felt something surge up from the depths of his chest. The energy that had been churning at his core surged through his hands and erupted from his axes.

"Gaaaah!"

A powerful wave of axe energy was unleashed. With force far beyond anything before, it cleaved three charging warriors and their weapons in two.

The path opened.

Muk Il-gwang did not look back as he launched himself forward.

But Yoo Guang-cheon's sword grazed his back, leaving a wound so deep that muscle split and bone was bared.

Agony ripped through him, and Muk Il-gwang's mouth fell open. But he endured the pain and ran toward Hwang Hye-ryeong.

Shck!

In that instant, Yoo Guang-cheon's sword slashed across his leg.

Muk Il-gwang's massive body staggered, and he tumbled to the ground. He managed to rise, but the wound to his leg was too severe—he could barely walk.

Yoo Guang-cheon looked at him and laughed.

"Did you think you could escape so easily? Heh heh!"

"Guang… cheon…"

Muk Il-gwang's eyes blazed with fury.

The day before, Bang Jin-bo had come to him. He had relayed Dam Ho's warning, urging him to be on guard.

Muk Il-gwang had acknowledged it. But he had never imagined Jo Yun-san would dare act so brazenly within the Tyrant's Stronghold.

'My fault. I should have been more careful, more vigilant.'

Meanwhile, the assault on Hwang Hye-ryeong had intensified.

She was holding on desperately, but even that was reaching its limit.

"Now, cease your resistance."

"The more you resist, the worse it will be for you."

"We take no pleasure in this."

Even the warriors attacking Hwang Hye-ryeong had a faint look of conflict in their eyes.

Until recently, they had doted on her. Now their positions had changed and they had to point swords at her, but the unease they felt was undeniable.

If she had simply died cleanly, they would not have felt this guilt. But Hwang Hye-ryeong clung stubbornly to life, fighting back. For that reason, wounds multiplied across her body.

Hwang Hye-ryeong bit her lip.

She was furious.

She despised her own weakness.

Clang!

The sword in her hand was struck from her grasp. In her defenseless state, a warrior's fist struck her chest.

Pfft!

"Aaah!"

The sensation from her chest drew a scream. More than the pain, shame overwhelmed her.

"Heh heh! Soft."

The warrior who had struck her chest chuckled.

It had been no accident—he had deliberately targeted her.

He had always had a reputation for poor conduct. While Hwang Gyeong-mun was alive, he had not dared harbor impure thoughts. But now that the situation had changed, his true nature emerged.

Hwang Hye-ryeong was one of the most beautiful women in the forest. Her face flushed with shame only heightened her allure.

Seeing this, a few warriors joined in the harassment. They tormented Hwang Hye-ryeong further.

Other warriors tried to intervene, but the mood had already turned, and it was useless.

"My lady!"

Muk Il-gwang's desperate cry rang in Hwang Hye-ryeong's ears.

The anger and anguish in his voice were palpable.

'Il-gwang!'

Hwang Hye-ryeong wept.

One of the attacking warriors lightly grazed her shoulder with his sword.

Rip!

Her clothing tore away, revealing pale skin. A red line appeared on the white flesh, and blood began to flow freely.

Her spirit was already broken.

Hwang Hye-ryeong had no strength left to fight. The warriors tormenting her planned to make her surrender of her own will.

The eldest among them, Wang Jik, shouted,

"That wench—we could have our fill without a hint of fishy st—Kuh!"

Wang Jik could not finish his sentence. No—he could not.

Someone had seized him by the nape of his neck.

"Khck!"

His breath was cut off.

His legs were wrenched from the ground as though uprooted.

Below the nape, he felt no sensation—as if his pressure points had been struck.

He felt someone's breath on the back of his neck.

An indescribable terror washed over him.

'Wh-what—?'

At that moment, a low voice spoke.

"The mouth is the root of all trouble."

Shudder!

The moment he heard that voice, Wang Jik squeezed his eyes shut without thinking. His instincts reacted before his mind could process the fear.

His hair stood on end, and his teeth clattered together. The chill that raced up his spine did not subside.

"……"

Silence descended upon the hall.

The warriors who had been harassing Hwang Hye-ryeong stopped as one.

"When—when did he—?"

Disbelief filled their eyes.

Without their knowing, a man clad entirely in black had appeared in their midst. In his hand, he held Wang Jik by the nape.

Wang Jik hung limp, like a wilted branch.

"Br-Brother?"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's eyes went wide.

Reflected in her dark pupils was Dam Ho. Tears quickly welled in her eyes.

In that instant, Dam Ho twisted Wang Jik's neck.

Crack!

"Kh!"

With a final, strangled cry, Wang Jik's head lolled to the side.

Wang Jik died instantly, his tongue lolling out.

Dam Ho casually tossed the lifeless body aside.

The warriors felt their chests constrict.

From the moment Dam Ho appeared, the very air seemed to have stopped circulating. Not even a breeze stirred. Every man's back was drenched in sweat.

Dam Ho looked at Hwang Hye-ryeong.

The sight of her battered state made his eyes flicker.

"Gah!"

Those who saw that look drew sharp breaths.

Dam Ho spoke to Hwang Hye-ryeong.

"Come here."

"Brother…"

Hwang Hye-ryeong walked toward Dam Ho.

The warriors who had been tormenting her did not dare block her path.

From the moment Dam Ho appeared, their bodies had gone rigid.

'M-move! Please!'

'Damn it!'

Their backs grew slick with sweat.

To move was to die.

They would certainly die.

From the moment Dam Ho appeared, their instincts whispered this.

The opponent was a being beyond resistance. But neither could they simply surrender their lives. They gathered their internal energy, desperately opposing Dam Ho's overwhelming presence.

In the meantime, Hwang Hye-ryeong reached Dam Ho.

Her face was streaked with blood and tears. Dam Ho reached out and gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Hic!"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's shoulders began to shake.

From the moment she saw Dam Ho, the tears would not stop.

Though the situation around her and the Tyrant's Stronghold remained unchanged and perilous, the instant she saw Dam Ho, an indescribable sense of relief washed over her like the tide.

Dam Ho patted her back with his large hand.

"It will be all right."

"Hic… hic…"

Hwang Hye-ryeong's crying grew louder.

Dam Ho's words carried the conviction that they would come true. Listening to him, she felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

No one could inspire confidence the way Dam Ho could. Hwang Hye-ryeong wept without restraint, comforted by that certainty.

Dam Ho left the weeping Hwang Hye-ryeong behind and moved forward.

His distinctive halting gait set the hearts of the warriors racing with dread.

"D-damn it!"

Yoo Guang-cheon's face twisted into a scowl.

Dam Ho was walking toward him. The subordinates who should have blocked him recoiled in terror, falling back.

The fear that washed over them like a tidal wave was not limited to the subordinates—it gripped Yoo Guang-cheon himself.

"Wh-what—what are you? Are you even human?"

He tried to appear calm, but Yoo Guang-cheon's voice trembled. He himself did not notice.

Dam Ho's emotionless gaze swept over Yoo Guang-cheon and the warriors. Those who met it shuddered involuntarily.

The next moment, Dam Ho spoke.

"You would do well to take your own lives."

"Wh-what did you say?"

"You will soon learn how painful it can be to be alive."

At the sound of that voice—utterly devoid of emotion—Yoo Guang-cheon felt his mind go faint.

Had anyone other than Dam Ho spoken those words, he would have dismissed them as the ravings of a madman. But from Dam Ho's lips, they plunged him into darkness.

It was as though the Reaper itself had pronounced his death sentence. But he could not bring himself to end his own life.

Yoo Guang-cheon screamed desperately.

"Attack him! If we don't kill him, we're dead!"

"Waaah!"

The warriors roared and charged at Dam Ho.

Desperation was plain on their faces.

If they did not kill Dam Ho, no future awaited them. They had to kill him.

They rushed at Dam Ho without a moment's hesitation.

The tide of warriors was reflected in Dam Ho's dark eyes.

"So be it. It seems words are wasted on you."