Chapter 144: Chapter 144

Those who moved secretly were like cats.

Holding a sword in one hand, they scanned their surroundings with eyes targeting prey, and when no one was in sight, they slipped into the private house.

From inside, the even breathing of sleeping people could be heard.

The moment he felt it, the man adjusted his grip on his sword. Moving even more cautiously, he raised his sword as he approached the sleeping people.

He would cut off their breath in a single blow.

Did he hold a grudge against the target he intended to kill?

No, there was no such thing.

Only the order.

Kill every human in sight.

He was simply following that order.

Though it was an order followed by discarding even a martial artist’s pride, the man did not hesitate in the slightest. And just like that, he reached out and struck down hard.

In that instant.

Thud!

A faint sound was heard from somewhere.

At the same time he turned his head in surprise, a finger-sized hole appeared in the wall, and something flashed, striking him hard between the eyebrows.

Slump!

The man’s body collapsed helplessly.

It seemed even the deceased himself did not realize what had happened. The finger force that flew in had extended at a speed that far exceeded the man’s cognitive ability.

“Is this the fifth one?”

Outside the private house.

Standing blankly there, Sa Do-hyue hummed. Although he had a reluctant expression because he had only killed five, it was clear that the other bastards were still deployed all around.

“I feel bad for the dead ones, but it is impossible to protect everyone…”

Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue.

He was moving as fast as possible. However, as Ma Dok-jin’s subordinates were considerable in number, it was impossible to protect everyone.

Although he moved at his fastest and killed five in an instant, he had already seen the corpses of two or three civilians. Whether they were splayed out on the street or lying dead inside a room.

It was unfortunate, but that too was their fate.

Sa Do-hak turned his head.

Another hidden cat was moving.

The moment he heard that faint sound, he grinned.

Among the sounds coming from all over, he sought the nearest one first. Those who became the targets of the closest sound were extremely lucky, as they could survive without dying.

Sa Do-hak threw his body forward.

His lightness art, which struck and flew swiftly, arrived at the place where the sound originated in an instant, and his hand reached out before the opponent could even perceive Sa Do-hak.

Crack!

A lightly swung palm strike smashed the head to pieces.

The fragments scattering in pieces, the sensation in his hand tingled. This sensation, felt after a long time, reminded him of the past when he was active in the martial world.

He felt thrilled.

Having reached the peak of the Demonic Cult, he had never engaged in any fight worth mentioning since. As someone who originally loved blood, Sa Do-hak preferred leading the killing like this over watching from behind and giving orders.

‘This is why it’s so fun that I can’t leave!’

Sa Do-hak let out a low chuckle.

And once again, he threw his body forward, heading toward the place where he sensed their presence.

On the other hand, Namgung Cheon swallowed a groan.

Partly because it was not a place with many private houses, but as a person walking the righteous path, he did not want to let a single person be sacrificed, so he was pushing himself somewhat as he moved.

His sword, held in one hand, was already covered in a lot of blood. Even if he shook it off, it would soon be covered again, to the point where the efficiency of shaking it off itself was low.

The place they were heading to was the government office.

Whether they were aiming for the government office from the start rather than attacking the surrounding private houses, they were advancing rapidly toward that place.

Attacking them from behind was also an easy task.

Slash!

Every time he swung his sword, a flash of light gleamed.

Human bodies were sliced as if cutting tofu, and blood and entrails fell with a pattering sound. The sword, extended before the other comrades could notice, cleanly took their lives and turned them into corpses.

“Oh dear. There are quite a lot of them…”

Namgung Cheon shook off his sword while looking around with an incredulous expression. Just the number gathered near the government office seemed to be at least twenty.

Since the number of people he had killed was also about ten, it meant at least thirty people had approached with their eyes on this government office. It was a clear indication of how anxious Ma Dok-jin was to exact revenge on Dan Woo-hyun.

However, Namgung Cheon blocked their path.

He stood blankly, blocking the way of those trying to approach.

Then, holding his cleanly wiped sword, he aimed it at the opponents.

“Do you intend to go in?”

“…”

“If you wish to enter, you will have to step over this old man’s corpse… though from what I see, it seems impossible for the likes of you.”

Ma Dok-jin’s subordinates said nothing.

They merely adjusted their grips on their swords while exuding killing intent toward their opponent.

They had heard from Ma Dok-jin that the ones to be most careful of among the people of that manor were Gwon Mu-jin and the Manor Lord, Dan Woo-hyun, and that the rest were no different from garbage, but somehow the situation was flowing differently from what they had thought.

The man who appeared to be the leader touched his sword.

“Kill!”

Simultaneous with the order being given, they rushed toward Namgung Cheon.

“Aaargh!”

“Hi… Hieeeek! P-Please spare me!”

The red-light district.

That street was in a great uproar.

The faces of those fleeing in a hurry were filled with dismay. Although they wanted to escape this place somehow and avoid those blades, the swords of the rapidly moving masked men ruthlessly shattered their hopes.

Slash!

Blood spilled, and it became a complete mess.

Powerless commoners.

Those with money and power.

Rogue martial artists who had trained in martial arts to some extent.

Ruffians.

Although it was a space where many kinds of people mingled, the methods of the sword-wielding men were so cruel and fast that no one could block them.

The street of the red-light district literally became a hell.

Corpses piled up everywhere.

The sword swings, which did not discriminate by gender or age, created a literal pandemonium, and only desperate screams echoed loudly everywhere.

“Y-You bastards!”

Namgung So-hye charged forward at the same time she saw that sight. Drawing her sword, she rushed toward the masked men who were moving dazzlingly and cutting people down.

Sky Boundless Sword.

The ultimate technique boasted by the Namgung Clan bloomed.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sword qi extending toward the masked men who were trying to kill people showed a level that could not be blocked with their swords. As if her training with Namgung Cheon all this time had not been in vain, her swordsmanship had certainly become sharper even in Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes.

“Oh.”

Dan Woo-hyun watched this with interest.

She cut down one and faced another masked man who rushed in again. If it were in the past, even moving would not have been easy, but Namgung So-hye extended her sword as if she were reading their movements.

It was called Insight.

The stage of predicting the opponent’s movements the moment one saw the sword. It was something one must go through to become a master, and it was also the specialty of Nam Ju-ryeon, who was one of the Three Heavens.

Although still unstable, Namgung So-hye had certainly stepped into that stage.

“W-Who is that…?”

“I-I’m saved…!”

“W… Wow.”

At the same time, exclamations of admiration were heard from all around.

The moment the gazes of the masked men who were killing people turned toward Namgung So-hye, the people who had gained some breathing room widened the distance and witnessed the sight.

Even while receiving attacks from countless masked men, she calmly blocked them, easily deflected them, and showed perfection in catching the opponents off guard.

‘Her talent isn’t going anywhere.’

Dan Woo-hyun smiled and turned his head.

Come to think of it, where did this guy go?

Gwon Mu-jin was nowhere to be seen. Since he had ordered him to pursue Ma Dok-jin, he had probably chased after him. Dan Woo-hyun, quietly feeling the wind, walked toward the inner part of the red-light district.

Crack!

He struck the face of a rushing masked man.

The masked man’s body, flying helplessly like crumpled paper, smashed into a courtesan house and was wedged inside. It was not something that could be considered a human technique.

“I will leave this place to you. Can you do it?”

“Of course!”

Namgung So-hye nodded while tightly gripping her sword.

If she could not even do this much, she could not be called a swordsman. Although the somewhat large number of opponents was a drawback, as someone who had inherited the sword of a prestigious orthodox sect, specifically the Namgung Clan, she could never back down.

“I-It is Namgung So-hye! The Namgung Clan has come to help us!”

One of the wanderers recognized her face and shouted loudly. Since neither those who knew martial arts nor those who did not were ignorant of the name Namgung Clan, a light of hope flickered on people’s faces.

“Go! I will handle things here.”

“…Even if you told me not to go, I was planning to, so do not worry.”

Energized by the cheers of the people, Namgung So-hye raised her thumb and showed confidence. Dan Woo-hyun was somewhat dumbfounded by that sight, but since it was better than having no confidence, he strolled forward slowly.

“Come! Your opponent is me, Namgung So-hye!”

At her voice coming from behind.

Dan Woo-hyun got goosebumps all over his body.

They say blood runs deep…

That aside, where are these guys?

Dan Woo-hyun slowly walked forward, ignoring the shouting coming from behind.

“Haah… Haah… Haah…”

Gwon Mu-jin gripped his small twin blades, gasping for breath. In front of him stood Yuk Gyeom-sa, and behind him, Ma Dok-jin could be seen sitting leisurely.

Drip.

The blood flowing from his left eye proved that it was by no means a light wound. It was cut by a sword, and he could certainly no longer see ahead.

“Tsk, tsk. Did you follow us with only that level of skill?”

Yuk Gyeom-sa smirked with a hollow expression.

He had thought the guy named Dan Woo-hyun would come first, so it was unexpected. However, since the top priority target was Gwon Mu-jin, it did not matter either way.

He would slowly torture and kill him.

However, there was also something he did not like.

The gaze of the guy who had lost one eye was directed not at Yuk Gyeom-sa himself in front of him, but at Ma Dok-jin behind. The killing intent gathered in those eyes was also looking solely at Ma Dok-jin.

Did he mean that he did not even register in his sight?

My word…

Yuk Gyeom-sa laughed hollowly and swung his sword.

Stab!

“Khh…!”

At the same time the blade stabbed into his thigh, Gwon Mu-jin let out a groan. For a moment, his legs seemed to lose strength, but he stood firmly with the single will never to bend.

“Crazy bastard.”

Ma Dok-jin muttered as he watched that.

He was still a guy he did not like. He thought his personality would bend somewhat since he had returned from the dead, but if anything, he had become more venomous and did not change at all.

Ma Dok-jin stood up from his seat.

“I must cut off your head and bring it to Father. I did not like that he was still looking for you anyway.”

“Ha… Haha, crazy bastard… A mere idiot who can’t do anything by himself.”

Ma Dok-jin’s eyebrows twitched.

Was he seriously saying that right now?

He was so dumbfounded that the words would not even come out properly. Perhaps the fact that he did not step forward himself but ordered Yuk Gyeom-sa instead seemed to have greatly displeased the fellow.

Even so, it was also laughable to play along with the guy’s thoughts.

Ma Dok-jin brushed it off as if it were nothing and laughed.

“Those eyes, I really don’t like them. It would be best to pluck out the other eye.”

Yuk Gyeom-sa nodded at Ma Dok-jin’s words.

Even without that, he also did not like the eye. Since just carving it out was no fun, should he gouge it out this time?

Grinning, he took a step closer and reached out his hand.

In that instant.

Crack!

A heavy impact was felt on his face, and his brain shook violently. Before he could even realize what was happening, Yuk Gyeom-sa’s body floated into the air and flew more than five Zhang before rolling on the ground.

What?

What just happened?

He looked ahead with a dazed expression.

And then he saw.

Since when had he been standing there?

In front of him, who lay face down and could not even gather his senses, Dan Woo-hyun stood blankly, looking down at Yuk Gyeom-sa in silence.

Soon, his foot was slowly raised and then trampled on Yuk Gyeom-sa’s face.

Crunch!

“Aaaaargh!”

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