Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 463
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Episode 463
The Endless Prison (3)
“You?”
Won Mu-ak, who had just lost his arm, leaned against the wall. His face was filled with unfiltered emotions: confusion, anger, fear, and terror.
Aside from the Sect Leader and the Ten Blood Demons, no one in the Celestial Demon Troupe had ever made him feel so helpless. He had always reveled in others’ admiration, flaunting his strength and living as he pleased.
He was the one who inflicted pain on others, never the one to receive it. This fed his arrogance and his sense of entitlement to rule over others.
But now, for the first time in his life, Won Mu-ak had been utterly defeated.
It wasn’t just because he let his guard down.
He had prepared thoroughly and was confident in his power. The simple truth was that his opponent was just far too strong.
Staring at Lee Gwak, Won Mu-ak thought of the current leader of the Celestial Demon Troupe. The mightiest warrior who had once dragged down the one he believed was akin to the heavens.
In that moment, Won Mu-ak felt fear.
The fear that bloomed deep in his chest paralyzed his reason.
“Guh!”
Lee Gwak, holding Seo Jong-myeong’s Bisa, didn’t spare Won Mu-ak a glance. This disregard made the humiliation unbearable for Won Mu-ak.
Overwhelmed by fear and disgrace, he trembled.
Then, someone stepped in front of him.
It the Saintess, Gu Mun-hye.
“It’s been a while, brave warrior.”
Lee Gwak frowned slightly as he looked at her.
“What brings the Saintess of the Celestial Demon Troupe here?”
“I have my reasons.”
“And those reasons are?”
“I’m sorry, but it’s not something I can share with an outsider.”
“Was it also his will to create this prison of torment?”
“No. He would never have wanted a place like this.”
Gu Mun-hye shook her head gently.
“Then who did?”
“I did.”
“Why would someone like you…?”
“I told you. I have my reasons.”
Her voice was cold.
She did harbor some admiration for Lee Gwak. She respected the strength he had built from scratch, and she even admired it.
But separate from those feelings, she feared and was wary of him. His strength, born of struggle, was exactly what frightened her.
‘Why did we have to meet here, of all places?’
Gu Mun-hye bit her lip.
The place she most wanted to hide had been exposed to the person she least wanted to see.
Lee Gwak was the person the Celestial Demon Troupe had to be most wary of.
Go Geom-wol had his reasons for being wary of him, but more than that, Gu Mun-hye, who could faintly glimpse the future, always felt uneasy whenever she saw Lee Gwak.
Strangely, anything related to him never showed up in her visions.
“Warrior Lee, is Jin Ryeong’s disappearance related to you?”
“Yes.”
“Is she… dead?”
“Regrettably, yes.”
“Sigh…”
A deep shadow passed over Gu Mun-hye’s face.
Though the Moonlight Six Fairies were like sisters, her bond with Jin Ryeong had been particularly strong. Jin Ryeong had cared for her like an older sister, or even a mother at times.
‘So it’s come to this…’
She had always known a clash with Lee Gwak was inevitable. But it had happened far sooner than she expected.
“Great Hero Lee, what happens from now on is entirely your responsibility.”
“……”
“So don’t bother apologizing. This, too, is fate.”
“Prison Warden, get up. You still have a duty to fulfill.”
“Ghk!”
“Surely the great Won Mu-ak hasn’t been cowed by fear of him?”
“W-Who said anything about fear?!”
Won Mu-ak scrambled to his feet, his face twisted in defiance.
Gu Mun-hye watched him with an icy gaze.
She had always shown deference and caution around him when they were alone. But now, all that consideration was gone.
She was just as desperate now.
Then she sent him a soundless transmission.
—No matter what, drive him into the Flame Chamber.
Gu Mun-hye watched him with an icy gaze.
Won Mu-ak’s expression changed dramatically.
The Flame Chamber was sealed behind the strongest iron doors in the underground prison. Even Won Mu-ak, did not approach it casually.
It was the very reason this prison had been built.
Another transmission followed.
—Your strength isn’t enough to defeat him. Lure him into the Flame Chamber. That’s the only way we survive.
Won Mu-ak clenched his teeth.
He had lost an arm in one strike.
Lee Gwak was on a different level. Gu Mun-hye’s suggestion was the only option.
—Fine!
He responded telepathically, then looked at his subordinates.
Fear was written all over their faces too.
If they could have, they would have fled. However, the laws of the Celestial Demon Troupe did not forgive desertion in the face of the enemy. Not only would the deserter be executed, but their entire family would be too.
Better to die here alone.
Won Mu-ak gave the order.
“All units, attack!”
“Yes, sir!”
They launched an all-out assault.
The narrow corridor swelled with enemies, and even Lee Gwak was forced to retreat momentarily.
Pew pew pew!
Suddenly, dozens of steel arrows shot from the walls.
They were fired from traps and were far more destructive than regular arrows.
Lee Gwak swung his blade defensively and retreated.
Kukuku!
Then, the floor beneath him split open, revealing a deep pit.
A perfectly timed trap.
Twisting his body in midair, Lee Gwak narrowly escaped.
As soon as he landed, another wave of attacks and traps came. Even he had to fall back.
Gu Mun-hye was operating the traps.
She designed this prison, so no one understood its mechanisms better than she did.
Swish!
Lee Gwak’s blade sliced the air, aiming for Won Mu-ak’s neck.
Panicked, Won Mu-ak grabbed a subordinate and pulled him in front.
“Guh!”
The subordinate took the hit and died instantly. Won Mu-ak barely survived.
His blood ran cold.
It felt like he had just barely escaped death.
This was his first time experiencing such a sense of crisis, so his fear only grew.
Still, Lee Gwak’s blade kept reaping lives.
Without Gu Mun-hye’s precise trap timing, they would’ve all been dead already.
“Just a bit more! He’s human too!”
Won Mu-ak rallied his men.
They gave their all, attacking Lee Gwak with renewed desperation.
Kill one, and two more came. Lee Gwak frowned as he was slowly pushed back.
Slowly retreating, they soon reached the original tunnel lined with iron doors on both sides.
He sensed danger. He couldn’t retreat any farther.
Just as he was about to unleash a deadly technique—
Kwa-rung!
The ceiling behind Won Mu-ak collapsed.
“What?!”
“What is this?!”
No one had anticipated that.
If the collapse continued, both Lee Gwak and his enemies would be buried alive.
“Did the Saintess betray us?”
“Damn it!”
Won Mu-ak and his men tried to flee, but before they could take two steps, the entire rear chamber collapsed, blocking their escape.
Despair filled their faces.
“That damned bitch abandoned us?!”
“How could she do this to us?!”
“We’ll never forgive you, Gu Mun-hye!”
Their curses echoed through the chamber.
Even Lee Gwak was stunned. Not even he had expected the Saintess to trap her own allies.
What in the world is in here…?
A sinister presence loomed behind him.
It was the Flame Chamber, what Gu Mun-hye and Won Mu-ak feared most.
Then—
Kiiiiii!
A heavy groan came from the iron door.
Won Mu-ak’s face turned pale.
“Damn it! She even opened the Flame Chamber while I’m still in here?!”
He was trembling uncontrollably.
Huuuuh…
A bizarre breathing sound seeped through the open door.
The cave was filled with a sticky, oppressive air, like the breath of a monstrous beast reeking of blood.
Not just Yuan Wu’E and his men, but even Yi Gwak’s expression hardened.
Something lurked beyond that massive iron door.
Its overwhelming presence suffocated the cavern, distorting the very flow of air.
Won Mu-ak gritted his teeth.
“Damn it… The Sect Leader—”
His fearful gaze fixed on the door.
Then, a voice like a beast’s growl echoed from inside.
As soon as he heard the voice, Won Mu-ak flinched like he’d been struck in the head.
His eyes trembled violently.
The voice called again.
“Come in.”
“Ugh!”
He and his men tried to resist.
They knew what was imprisoned within. And they tried to resist his command.
Kuuu!
Suddenly, the air trembled violently. And a powerful force surged toward Won Mu-ak.
“Guh!”
His face went pale.
It felt like a massive boulder was crushing him.
His giant body lifted into the air and was pulled into the chamber.
“The Warden’s…!”
“Run!”
“Urgh!”
His men tried to flee, but the exit was blocked and there was nowhere to go.
“Gyaaaaah!”
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from beyond the door.
It was Won Mu-ak’s voice.
The sheer agony of it made the hairs on everyone’s necks stand on end.
Grip.
Lee Gwak tightened his grip on Star Soul.
There was no retreat. No escape.
He stepped forward toward the iron door of his own will.
The warriors watched his back with terror-filled eyes.
Once inside, searing heat engulfed him.
Even Lee Gwak frowned at the intensity of it.
Behind the door was a massive cave, with a river of lava flowing at the back.
The source of the deadly heat.
Even a master of internal energy would not last long here. But in the center of the cave stood a monstrous man.
A giant boulder partly blocked the lava, saving the man from death. Otherwise, not even his monstrous strength could have survived.
His hair was long, covering his face, and a scrap of cloth barely covered his waist.
More than his appearance, it was his condition that caught Lee Gwak’s eye. Both legs were severed below the knees, and chains as thick as thumbs pierced through its shoulders and sides, stuck into the rock blocking the lava.
In front of the man lay Won Mu-ak, whom he had dragged away just moments ago. He was dead. But the corpse’s state was strange. It was completely dehydrated and shriveled, like a dried-up tree trunk.
The lava alone couldn’t have done that.
The culprit was the man before him.
When Lee Gwak stepped in, the man lifted his head, revealing an intense gaze between his tangled hair.
Like a caged beast.
The ferocity and madness in that gaze sent shivers down Lee Gwak’s spine.
Unconsciously, Lee Gwak clenched his jaw. But he did not retreat.
The monster, seemingly surprised by Lee Gwak’s reaction, opened his mouth.
“Who are you?”
“And who are you?”
“Me? Kuhaha!”
Finding Lee Gwak’s question amusing, the monster let out a thunderous laugh.
Kwa-rurung!
His laughter shook the underground chamber as if an earthquake had struck.