Chapter 124: Chapter 124
“Wh… What on earth is happening in front of my eyes…?”
Go Dam-jin trembled all over, speechless. The man who had stepped forward just before the one called the Gentleman Sword died. His overwhelming martial power was beyond description.
But it was not simply a matter of that.
There were still many guards remaining in the surroundings.
Whichever the case, he thought it would be practically close to impossible to drag Murong Hyeok-mun down without dealing with them first.
However, he stood up.
The person wearing the black mask.
Having stood up, he grabbed a sword lying on the floor and began to swing it. One strike, another strike. Every time he swung it, they fell without fail.
Those who had not even batted an eye no matter how much they, who were called the renowned masters of the Nine Sects and One Gang, attacked them were sliced like tofu and lay scattered on the ground.
“Wh… Where did such masters come from!”
Kunlun Sect Elder Jang Heo also could not control his trembling voice. That was how overwhelming and marvelous the scenes unfolding before his eyes were.
What stimulated their astonishment even more was…
The man who was dealing with Murong Hyeok-mun.
Although he clearly looked to be thirty at most, he was handling the Sword Saint Murong Hyeok-mun, who had obtained even greater power than in the past, like a child.
Rumble!
“Keueok!”
Murong Hyeok-mun spat blood and collapsed.
The sword paths he thrust out were broken without fail, and the footwork he stepped on did not work. Everything he had swung and mastered with blood and sweat since childhood could not even affect the man in front of him, as if it were all a midday dream.
Did that make any sense?
Even the Sword Emperor of the world could not do it!
“This makes no sense!”
Murong Hyeok-mun, who suddenly stood up, swung his sword even more wildly. The blade he swung frantically did not contain the momentum of the one who had been called the Sword Saint.
It was just a single strike to cut down the opponent in front of him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
That was why whatever he did was light.
On Dan Woo-hyun’s face as he blocked it, even boredom was etched.
“It is only monotonous and not even fun.”
Putting those words into his mouth, he swung his sword powerfully.
Boom!
The moment blade collided with blade, an immense force exploded and Murong Hyeok-mun’s body flew up. His figure flying like a feather was truly pathetic.
Crash!
He crashed deep into the Alliance Leader’s Hall.
Even his figure could not be seen from the outside anymore. Those watching could not even open their mouths and had to gulp at the overwhelming power displayed in front of them.
“Father!”
Only then did Murong Gwan-cheon snap out of it, shouting and rushing into the Alliance Leader’s Hall. A father called the Sword Saint, a father who was always at the very top no matter what, an object of envy.
Such a father was being miserably trampled right before his eyes.
He did not want to think of this as reality.
He needed to wake up from the dream, but strangely, he did not.
Murong Gwan-cheon’s entire body trembled violently.
What on earth was happening right now?
Rushing into the Alliance Leader’s Hall, he searched for his father’s figure. He saw him groaning, huddled alone in that corner. The moment he ran over in a hurry to support him.
Crash!
“Keok!”
Murong Hyeok-mun struck Murong Gwan-cheon’s chest. The moment his body flew back and fell ten feet away, hitting his buttocks on the floor.
Slash!
“Aaaargh!”
A bizarre scream was heard, and blood splattered.
What was happening?
Murong Gwan-cheon could not understand even while looking at it with wide-open eyes. His father’s arm was severed, and blood splattered. Then, a violent scream rang out.
Step, step.
Along with it, the footsteps of the Grim Reaper drew closer and closer.
“Who taught you that?”
“Heh… hehehe, d-do you think I would tell you?”
Dan Woo-hyun quietly looked down at the sneering Murong Hyeok-mun. He did not say anything, and because his facial expression was unrecognizable, he looked even more terrifying.
However, there was no fear in Murong Hyeok-mun’s eyes.
It was a completely different emotion from the fear Murong Gwan-cheon was feeling.
He would kill the opponent.
His bloodshot eyes were spitting out such words, and he tried to put it into action by grabbing his sword. Then, the moment his internal energy exploded mercilessly, he lunged forward.
“Die, you bastard!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A force powerful enough to make the entire Alliance Leader’s Hall shake violently exploded. As if he did not even care who was inside or what the aftermath would be, Murong Hyeok-mun was completely consumed by killing intent.
However.
“Aaargh!”
Rather than the violently exploding force, Dan Woo-hyun’s sword, which subtly penetrated the gaps, pierced Murong Hyeok-mun’s leg, shoulder, and waist.
It was impossible to even see the moment he stabbed him.
Murong Hyeok-mun, stepping back haltingly, gnashed his teeth.
This cannot be!
This cannot be!
He was someone who had finally surpassed the Sword Emperor and risen to a position where he could look down on everything. Yet, what was this bastard who suddenly appeared?
Was he not looking down on him?
He did not like it.
He had to kill him.
He had to kill him.
If only he killed this bastard, everything would be peaceful. Holding a woman like in the past and ordering subordinates around like servants, holding absolute power that could move the Central Plains Martial World with a single finger…
“Gwan… Gwan-cheon?”
At the end of Murong Hyeok-mun’s gaze, who was gnashing his teeth and venting his anger, something came into view. It was the figure of his son, who had been shedding tears by his father’s side just a moment ago.
But why was he lying down?
Why was he vomiting blood?
Why was he not even moving?
Dragging his trembling body, he approached Murong Gwan-cheon. He reached out and felt his pulse. Feeling that it was not beating at all, Murong Hyeok-mun’s expression changed by the second.
“…Y-You…”
Namgung Cheon, who had entered inside at some point, also could not hide his surprise. He was a son whom he had treated more harshly than anyone. But it could not be said that there was no fatherly affection.
Just as Namgung Cheon had raised Namgung So-hye strictly, because he wanted to raise him into a stronger martial artist, Murong Hyeok-mun had not offered a single warm word.
Even so, as the days went by, Murong Gwan-cheon did not stop relying on Murong Hyeok-mun, and each time, he behaved even more coldly.
How could that be called a lack of fatherly affection?
Since it was something he did because he loved his son more than anyone, he was afraid of how Murong Gwan-cheon’s death would affect Murong Hyeok-mun.
“W-Wake up… W-What are you doing?”
Murong Hyeok-mun’s trembling voice was heard.
However, Murong Gwan-cheon still did not answer, and showed no sign of even moving a finger.
“W-Why! Why did it turn out like this!”
Roar!
Murong Hyeok-mun’s thunderous shout erupted.
The single word he spat out while wailing loudly stimulated the eardrum.
“Foolish. You do not even know you killed your own son with your own hands.”
“Wh… What?! I… I… killed him?”
Murong Hyeok-mun looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a strange expression. Catching that face full of ridicule in his sight, he retraced his memories one by one.
The blow he had poured out to attack Dan Woo-hyun just a moment ago.
He had swept the surroundings without any thought, and ended up committing the folly of cutting down even Murong Gwan-cheon. It was a single strike solely to kill the opponent, without even thinking that there was someone nearby.
“Ah… Aaaaaaargh!”
Murong Hyeok-mun’s bizarre scream spread.
He glared with blazing eyes again and vented his anger toward Dan Woo-hyun.
“I do not know whether to call you stupid or a fool…”
The rain fell.
It poured down as if trying to cool the burning flames. The ones holding swords, the ones who had fallen, and those who were just blankly watching.
Every single one of them was engraving the sight into their eyes while being hit by the rain.
Thud!
“Kkeok!”
The world’s Sword Saint.
Murong Hyeok-mun.
Although it was said that his power did not reach the Five Emperors, the fact that he was one of the few strongest in the Central Plains did not change.
He was once a man who could be called the peak of the Righteous Faction Martial World, and was also an object of admiration for all martial artists. But now, in the eyes of the people looking at him, a love-hate relationship was etched.
Anger that the Righteous Martial World had shaken because of him.
Sadness at engraving into their eyes the sight of the one they had once served collapsing miserably.
“Ha, ha.”
He glared at Dan Woo-hyun with bloodshot red eyes. The sword in his hand was so damaged that its edge was chipped, and the Sword Saint’s state was no better.
His mouth was bleeding and swollen.
The trickling blood showed no sign of stopping. His disheveled hair was covered in blood and dirt, looking worse than a beggar, and the white robe he was wearing was torn and cut, worn out just like his pride.
Nevertheless, Murong Hyeok-mun charged.
As if he did not want to accept the fact that there was another existence he could never defeat, he gnashed his teeth, brandished his sword, and asserted his pride.
However, whether he struck down heavily or swung softly.
He was helpless against the opponent’s sword.
Clang!
Dan Woo-hyun lightly blocked it and pushed him back. Murong Hyeok-mun’s body, which was rich in experience as well as internal energy, was pushed back absurdly and lost its balance.
Without missing it, he whipped his foot.
Thud!
“Keok!”
Hit in the face, Murong Hyeok-mun flew back, spitting blood. It was a fight so futile that one wondered if that was truly the Sword Saint.
Even Namgung Cheon, who was watching, closed his eyes tightly.
“Stop…! That is enough!”
Looking at his friend who lay unconscious without even moving, Namgung Cheon could not bear to watch any longer. He had lost his arm and his son.
He was even crushed miserably in front of all these people.
Even his pride was in a situation where it plunged to the ground.
What would be the point of tormenting him further?
Even the resentment built up in the heart could not be fully resolved.
“Are you not going to kill him?”
Dan Woo-hyun, holding his sword slightly, looked at the unconscious Murong Hyeok-mun. It seemed Namgung Cheon’s words to stop sounded somewhat strange to him.
But Namgung Cheon shook his head.
“Let us stop… and go back.”
“…You will regret it?”
For what reason did that single sentence sound so meaningful? Looking at Dan Woo-hyun’s narrowed eyes, he looked like a person who wished for Murong Hyeok-mun’s death.
But what more could be done?
Since he had already lost everything.
“Let us… let him go.”
A smirk and a small laugh were heard.
It was Sa Do-hak’s sneer heard from behind. Even while realizing that, Namgung Cheon had no choice but to make this decision. Although it was not an exaggeration to say that he himself had lost everything, the same was true for him.
However, Namgung Cheon still had his family and the people of the manor. Conversely, Murong Hyeok-mun had already lost everything from one to ten, and would not be able to retrieve it.
He was already too miserable.
“Please entrust him… and his son’s corpse to me.”
Dan Woo-hyun looked at Namgung Cheon without saying a word. Seeing his expression, which did not seem like he would listen to whatever he said, he let out a long sigh as if he had no choice.
“It cannot be helped.”
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