Chapter 370

Chapter 370 – Debts Must Always Be Repaid (2)

At the moment of Namgung Chang's crisis, his bodyguards moved. ​

"Stop!"

"Rescue the strategist!"

Those who bore the name White Sword Unit were martial artists dispatched from the Namgung family. ​

Namgung Chang was the most reliable lifeline of the Namgung family that had fallen due to Dam Ho. Thanks to his secret support, the Namgung family had been able to recover much of their vitality. Therefore, they had done everything possible to protect Namgung Chang. ​

The result was precisely the White Sword Unit. ​

'Must protect the strategist.'

'Without fail!'

Swaaaaash! ​

Sword energy bloomed from their swords. ​

The sight of dozens of sword energies cutting through the air was truly spectacular. The dozens of sword energies flew with terrifying momentum as if they would butcher Dam Ho at any moment. It was such a murderous sight that even any master would have to be intimidated. However, none of those present thought Dam Ho would suffer serious wounds from such an attack. This was the same for the White Sword Unit launching the attack. ​

Their purpose was just one thing. ​

To make him retreat just one step. ​

Thereby gaining a chance to rescue Namgung Chang. ​

For the goal of the White Sword Unit, which could be called the elite of the Namgung family, it was quite modest. But the opponent was Dam Ho. ​

A monster-like existence whose individual martial power and presence alone could match the great sects of the Central Plains. They never dreamed of gaining superiority against such a being. ​

It was when they were desperately swinging their swords. ​

Whoooosh! ​

Suddenly wind blew from behind. ​

At first they thought it was an illusion. But the moment the gentle breeze intensified like a storm, they realized it wasn't an illusion. ​

The surrounding air was rapidly being sucked toward Dam Ho. The attractive force emanating from Dam Ho's body was drawing in even the air. And it sucked in the White Sword Unit as well. ​

"Grrrr!"

"What is this?"

The White Sword Unit's balance collapsed under the terrifying attractive force. ​

They tried with all their might to escape the attractive force. But the gravitational pull Dam Ho generated wasn't something they could escape at their level. ​

Whooom! ​

"Gack!"

"Damn it!"

The White Sword Unit's screams burst forth. ​

Creating deep furrows in the ground, they were rapidly sucked toward Dam Ho. ​

Black hair and black robes billowing in the fierce wind, and Dam Ho's black pupils rapidly enlarging. ​

For a moment, the White Sword Unit saw the darkness of hell. Death from which nothing could escape was spread before their eyes. ​

They saw Dam Ho raising his fist. ​

BOOM! ​

And darkness came with the thunderous sound. ​

That was the last sight they saw alive. ​

Splat splat! ​

Flesh and bone fragments scattered in all directions. ​

Drops of blood spattered dot by dot onto the faces and bodies of the heroes. Though they had suddenly been covered in blood and flesh, no one dared to open their mouth. It was such a shocking sight. ​

It was a single strike. ​

It was the Mountain-Breaking Fist. Dam Ho's signature technique that anyone in the martial world knew. ​

There was no one who didn't know how extremely vicious the power of the Mountain-Breaking Fist was. That's why it was an object of wariness, and recently advice to stay far away when encountering Dam Ho had become popular. They judged that keeping distance would allow them to avoid the Mountain-Breaking Fist. ​

But the current Mountain-Breaking Fist was different. It drew enemies in and then destroyed the entire space. From the shock, many martial artists who had been near Dam Ho had their eardrums burst and were bleeding, staggering with unfocused eyes. ​

"……" ​

Even with so many people gathered, not a single heavy breath could be heard. It was such a shocking sight that the heroes were left speechless. ​

The air covering the entire area around Shaolin Temple's mountain gate settled heavily. That damp feeling that coldly penetrated the lungs was terrible. Enough to make one shudder involuntarily. ​

"Ah!" ​

The one who broke the silence was precisely Namgung Chang. ​

His pupils were hazily unfocused. The Namgung family martial artists who had stuck with him for twelve hours a day had been pulverized beyond recognition of their original forms. ​

Namgung Chang thought he was having a nightmare. Everything that had happened before his eyes felt so unreal. But Dam Ho's damp breath could be felt, and Namgung Chang's mind was forcibly returned to reality. ​

"You, what exactly are you…" ​

Namgung Chang's shoulders trembled violently. The wounded beast's howl burst from between his clenched teeth. ​

"What exactly do you have against the Namgung family that you're doing this to me? What crime did I commit?" ​

He forgot all dignity and screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

Crack! ​

At that moment, Namgung Chang's body swayed greatly. Dam Ho had shattered his knee. ​

Namgung Chang fell to one knee. But his eyes weren't broken yet. Anger still burned in his eyes looking at Dam Ho. ​

Dam Ho stared at such a Namgung Chang. ​

In his jet-black pupils that contained no emotion, the miserable image of Namgung Chang kneeling was reflected. ​

Namgung Chang convulsively raised his head to glare at Dam Ho. ​

"Fine. Kill me. But don't forget that the moment you kill me, you'll be at a disadvantage in the fight against the Demon Cult. Don't forget who has been leading the fight against the Demon Cult until now. This Namgung Chang led the establishment of the Martial Alliance and raised it to this extent. Can you imagine the Martial Alliance without me? Is that really the best choice?" ​

Now he had nothing left but desperation. Namgung Chang forgot his dignity and screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

Several people unconsciously nodded. ​

Namgung Chang's role had been great in growing the Martial Alliance to this scale. Therefore, it was true that many people felt crisis about his absence. ​

That's when it happened. ​

Crack! ​

"Gack!" ​

Namgung Chang's shoulder was completely shattered. His bones were smashed to pieces by Dam Ho's strike. As his previously intact shoulder was ruined in an instant, Namgung Chang screamed at the top of his lungs. ​

"Aaaaah!" ​

Dam Ho asked. ​

"Does it hurt?" ​

"Hurt? Of course. You bastard worse than a dog." ​

Namgung Chang shouted while lying face down on the ground, drooling. ​

It was too painful and agonizing. And humiliating. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't accept this situation. ​

He was practically a founding contributor who had created today's Martial Alliance. Though there might be minor flaws, he hadn't done anything bad enough to deserve this treatment. ​

"Yes! You also feel pain." ​

"I'm also human. Of course I feel pain and agony." ​

"So you were human after all. Then why did you do it?" ​

"You bastard!" ​

Namgung Chang thought Dam Ho was mocking him. The thought that Dam Ho of all people was mocking him made his reason fly away. ​

His neck bulged with veins. ​

"I am not a cheap enough life to deserve mockery from you. Show reverence to me, who has devoted everything for the great cause of the martial world." ​

"So you collaborated with the Demon Cult for that?" ​

"What nonsense are you talking?" ​

"I already know. That you collaborated with the Demon Cult to kill me." ​

"Don't, don't lie. Do you have evidence?" ​

"I don't need evidence." ​

"Don't make false accusations carelessly. I'm an important figure of the Namgung family and the Martial Alliance. I haven't lived such a trivial life as to be slandered without evidence. To persecute someone without any proof…" ​

"I told you! I don't need evidence." ​

Craaaack! ​

At that moment, Dam Ho's foot struck down on Namgung Chang's left leg. As if pounded by a giant pestle, Namgung Chang's left leg was completely crushed from the shin. ​

"Grrrr!" ​

The extreme pain that made his head go white prevented Namgung Chang from even screaming. He just curled up and trembled. ​

Dam Ho looked down at such a Namgung Chang indifferently. That bottomless gaze made Namgung Chang sick. ​

He instinctively realized. ​

That Dam Ho had no intention of ending with just this much. ​

He would continue to torment and cause him pain until he heard the answer he wanted. ​

Though Namgung Chang thought nothing of causing pain to others, he was infinitely weak before the pain he would suffer. ​

"You demon-like bastard!" ​

His breath was choking. He felt like suffocating. ​

Dam Ho's gaze made it so. It was as if his mind and body were being sucked into an endless abyss. ​

Suddenly something welled up inside Namgung Chang. He couldn't suppress what rose from deep in his chest and vomited it out. ​

"Yes! I did it. To eliminate you. To erase you, who isn't even human. I leaked information to them. Why? Because you would only be a harm to the martial world. So… so I leaked information to the Demon Cult bastards. Is that wrong? I don't think so." ​

Like a dam bursting, Namgung Chang poured out words. With his reason paralyzed, Namgung Chang didn't even know what he was saying. He just wanted to pour out cursed words at Dam Ho in this moment. ​

"If not for you, there would have been no reason for the Namgung family to fall like that, and many prestigious families wouldn't have suffered damage. It's all because of you. Because of you, the existing order was shaken, and because of that, many suffered damage. You're like a plague that's no help to this world. So I tried to eliminate you using the Demon Cult bastards. Is that such a great wrong?" ​

"……" ​

Dam Ho was silent. ​

If he were human, he would have shown some reaction by now. That appearance completely blew away Namgung Chang's reason. ​

"If not for you from the beginning, my plans wouldn't have gone awry, and there would have been no reason to freeload at Shaolin Temple like this. Your arrogance, your stubbornness created today's tragedy. So rather than resent me, resent yourself. Kehehe!" ​

Saliva and foam flowed from Namgung Chang's mouth. The extreme pain and tremendous fear he was experiencing for the first time in his life had paralyzed even his reason. ​

"The strategist collaborated with the Demon Cult? How could that be?" ​

"That's impossible!" ​

"For Strategist Namgung to commit such acts." ​

The heroes murmured. ​

Expressions of disbelief commonly appeared on their faces. But they had to believe. Because they were words directly spat out by none other than Namgung Chang himself. ​

It didn't take long for expressions that began with disbelief to change to shock, then anger. ​

Whatever the reason, the strategist who should lead the Martial Alliance providing information to the enemy Demon Cult was absolutely unforgivable. ​

When the situation became like this, not only Shaolin Temple's Abbot Gwang-cheon but even Alliance Leader Nam Cheon-san showed clearly flustered expressions. ​

"Amitabha!" ​

"This cannot be!" ​

They couldn't manage their expressions at such a shocking fact. Namgung Chang's words were that tremendous. ​

That's when it happened. ​

A bit of life briefly returned to Namgung Chang's unfocused eyes. His reason had somewhat returned. ​

The heroes gathered at the mountain gate were murmuring. When that rumbling stimulated his eardrums, the words and moments he had just spat out came to mind. The secret that should never be known to the world, which he had spat out like excrement. ​

Instantly Namgung Chang's complexion went deathly pale. ​

"No, it can't be!" ​

He felt gazes of disbelief and anger. ​

Thousands of people gathered in this place were looking at him with hostile gazes. ​

Namgung Chang's pupils shook as if an earthquake had occurred. He couldn't even feel the physical pain. ​

Due to his statement today, the Namgung family's honor had been driven into the ground, and they had lost their place in the martial world. With his own hands, he had practically cut off the lifeline of the Namgung family that had just begun to recover. ​

Namgung Chang looked up at Dam Ho. In that brief time, his face had aged at least ten more years with deep wrinkles, and his hair had turned completely white. ​

"Cruel… Are you satisfied now?" ​

"……" ​

"Because of you, everything of mine and the Namgung family has collapsed. I'm asking if you're satisfied now." ​

Namgung Chang's voice was closer to a wail. But among those in the hall, there wasn't a single person who sympathized with him. Rather, they looked at Namgung Chang with contemptuous gazes. ​

Though they wanted to directly punish Namgung Chang, that was Dam Ho's role. ​

"This demon-like bastard. Though you're triumphant now, your end won't be good either. Because of you, Mount Hua Sect will also fall. You're a seed of disaster; everything connected to you won't escape calamity." ​

Namgung Chang cursed Dam Ho. ​

His appearance spitting curses with bloodshot eyes made viewers' hair stand on end. But Dam Ho, the person in question, showed not a change in expression. That appearance made Namgung Chang even more enraged. ​

Just as he was about to pour out more curses, Dam Ho grabbed his collar and lifted him up. Namgung Chang's body dangled in Dam Ho's grip. ​

With his shoulder broken and one leg ruined, Namgung Chang couldn't even dare to resist. Still, he didn't avoid Dam Ho's gaze. ​

Not avoiding Dam Ho's gaze was his last pride. Dam Ho's face filled his retina. ​

Dam Ho's mouth opened. ​

"There's only one reason you're dying." ​

"What… is that?" ​

Dam Ho's gaze sank eerily. ​

He kills people with his fists, but someone like Namgung Chang kills people with his three-inch tongue, with his three-pound brain. The number of those who die from his wrong decisions, his wrong orders, cannot compare to the number Dam Ho kills with his fists. They think of their subordinate forces only as numbers, not as fellow humans. ​

"Being in the highest position yet not looking toward the lowest place." ​

BOOM! ​

With a thunderclap, darkness settled in Namgung Chang's vision. ​

Never to be lifted. ​