Chapter 596

“Whooooosh!”

A storm erupted.

The wind was like the claws of a beast, tearing at everything in its path.

The majestic pavilions and towering walls crumbled, unable to withstand the fury of the storm.

“Argh!”

“Ugh!”

“Sa… save me…”

People caught in the eye of the storm were swept away, vanishing into thin air.

The fierce storm devoured and destroyed everything in its path.

“Aah!”

“What?”

The lucky survivors slumped to the ground as their legs gave out. They surveyed the ruins around them, grateful to be alive.

They had survived solely by good luck.

Those who weren’t so lucky were either dead or vanished without a trace.

It was hard to believe that all this happened because of a fight between just two people.

If they had not witnessed and experienced it firsthand, they would never have believed it.

The sight before them was that shocking.

All of their common sense had been denied.

‘What was the outcome?’

‘Who won?’

People stared wide-eyed, looking for where they thought Pyo Wol and Go Il-won might be.

The dust and ash obscured their view, so they couldn’t tell who had won.

Gulp!

Someone, unable to handle the tension, swallowed hard. Just then, a breeze blew in from the sea.

The thick dust and ash was gradually carried away by the wind, clearing the view.

At last, people could see the outcome of the battle.

“Aaah!”

Someone gasped.

He was a martial artist from the Ghost Fleet.

Go Il-won was kneeling on one knee, panting heavily. Pyo Wol was in the same position in front of him.

Both were covered in blood.

Covered in blood, and panting heavily, they glared at each other.

Go Il-won spoke first.

“Pyo Wol!”

“….”

Pyo Wol did not answer.

His internal injuries were so severe that he could not even speak.

He looked at Go Il-won with bloodshot eyes.

At that moment, Go Il-won rose to his feet.

His already large frame seemed even more enormous.

Despite his wounds and blood-soaked appearance, his terrifying presence remained undiminished.

“Our leader…”

“Did he win?”

The martial artists of the Ghost Fleet thought Go Il-won had won.

They had no choice but to think so.

Go Il-won had stood up on his own, while Pyo Wol was still kneeling.

He looked at Pyo Wol with eyes filled with mixed emotions.

“Pyo Wol, you truly are… like the Reaper.”

“….”

“I mean it. For the first time in my life, I felt fear. You were the first to make me feel this emotion. And you will be the last.”

Suddenly, Go Il-won’s eyes trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck within them.

Pyo Wol stared intently at Go Il-won’s face.

Whoosh!

Blood spurted from Go Il-won’s entire body.

From his neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs, blood spurted, dispersing into the air.

Wounds inflicted by the Black Lightning Strike.

“Kuhuk!”

Go Il-won coughed up blood and staggered.

“Leader!”

“shit!”

Only then did the martial artists of the Ghost Fleet realize that Go Il-won had been defeated.

They rushed at Pyo Wol without regard.

“Supreme Master!”

At that moment, someone leaped in to shield Pyo Wol.

Swish!

It was Blood Shadow, one of the ten blood assassins.

With a sweep of his blade, the martial artists of the Ghost Fleet who had been rushing at Pyo Wol were cut down.

Go Il-won looked at his dying men with despair in his eyes. But it was only for a brief moment before his gaze shifted back to Pyo Wol.

Meanwhile, Pyo Wol suppressed his inner pain and stood up.

Despite the same shock, Pyo Wol’s survival was due to the Black Blood Robe given to him by Tang Sochu.

Even though the Black Blood Robe had turned to dust and disappeared, it had saved Pyo Wol’s life in the dire situation.

Pyo Wol opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Go Il-won!”

“You’ve won. But I haven’t lost.”

“….”

“The seed I’ve planted has already sprouted. I regret not being able to harvest it, but I have no regrets.”

Go Il-won revealed his blood-stained teeth and laughed.

Pyo Wol glared at Go Il-won’s face, then spoke.

“That seed will never grow to its full potential. I will uproot it entirely.”

“Try it. It will not be easy.”

“Nothing I’ve done so far has been easy. But I’ve managed everything. It will be the same this time.”

“Mad… man… It suits you well.”

Go Il-won laughed weakly.

Suddenly, he looked up at the sky.

The pitch-black darkness, without even a star, filled his eyes.

That was the last sight Go Il-won saw while alive.

Then, true darkness came for him.

Go Il-won staggered and fell like a dead tree.

Thump!

It was then.

“Our leader!”

A man ran like mad.

It was Jo Pyeongrak, the captain of the flag ship that Go Il-won usually rode.

Jo Pyeongrak hugged the lifeless body of Go Il-won and screamed.

“Please wake up, leader! Please…”

But Go Il-won did not answer.

Only then did he accept Go Il-won’s death.

Holding Go Il-won in his arms, he cried out.

“Kill them all. They are the enemies of our leader.”

His cry resonated across the Sea Gate city.

The martial artists of the Ghost Fleet, who had been scattered all over the city to set up the bombs, gathered together.

This time, it was Blood Shadow who shouted.

“Everyone, protect the Lord!”

At his command, the assassins scattered throughout Sea Gate City gathered.

Assassins gathering like dark clouds.

They blocked the way in front of Pyo Wol.

Jo Pyeongrak screamed.

“Kill them!”

“Charge!”

“Avenge our leader!”

The martial artists of the Ghost Fleet yelled as they charged towards Pyo Wol.

Facing them, the assassins moved.

Unlike the martial artists of the Ghost Fleet, they neither shouted nor moved in a flashy manner.

They moved silently, like literal dark clouds, fighting against the martial artists of the Ghost Fleet.

Clang! Clash!

The sound of their clash echoed across the battlefield.

“Huff! Hah!”

Hong Ye-seol, Thunder Eye, and Sal-no breathed heavily.

Their entire bodies were stained with blood.

Dokgo Hwang’s martial arts prowess was terrifying.

Even the combined assault of the three top assassins of Kangho failed to bring him down.

Although he had suffered minor injuries in several places, he remained unscathed.

Annoyance filled Dokgo Hwang’s face.

He hadn’t been able to completely snuff out the lives of the assassins, even after dozens of moves.

He never thought he would waste so much time on mere assassins.

One of the things he hated most was to waste time so pointlessly.

“Haah!”

Dokgo Hwang let out a sigh.

He was angry at himself for wasting so much time on mere assassins.

―Be careful, everyone. Something seems off.

Sal-no sent a warning to Hong Ye-seol and Thunder Eye.

They both nodded wordlessly.

Boom!

An explosive suddenly exploded on the dock.

Dokgo Hwang’s eyes turned towards the dock.

A smile spread across his face.

He saw many ships at the dock.

Flags symbolizing the Martial Sword Alliance flew from the masts of the ships.

The reinforcement troops had finally arrived.

With the arrival of reinforcement troops, there was no need to join hands with the Ghost Fleet.

Dokgo Hwang thought things had turned out well.

If he could wipe out Pyo Wol and the assassins, as well as the Ghost Fleet, his reputation in the Golden Heavenly Hall would rise again.

“Good. Excellent!”

Dokgo Hwang smiled, raising his sword.

A terrifying momentum surged through his entire body.

Sal-no, Hong Ye-seol, and others shuddered as if thousands of needles were piercing their bodies.

The atmosphere and the pressure felt were on a completely different level than before.

‘I have stake my life on this.’

Sal-no gritted his teeth.

He had no attachment to life.

It was a miracle that he had survived this long after being raised as an assassin.

He had no qualms about losing his life now.

But Hong Ye-seol and Thunder Eye were different.

They were still young. Their future promised more days than they had lived.

He felt the need to protect them at all costs.

Mustering all his strength, Sal-no fixed his gaze on Dokgo Hwang.

At that moment, Dokgo Hwang swung his sword and charged.

The blade of the sword had dragon-like teeth. They were clearly visible and even turned wildly on the sword.

Whizz!

Dragon Tooth Spiral Annihilation.

It was the most potent technique he had mastered.

The destructive power generated by the Spinning Blade Aura surpassed many other formidable martial arts techniques.

The sight of the sword aura swirling in front of his eyes was terrifying.

Even Sal-no, who had long since lost the emotion of fear, felt his heart sink, such was the sensation.

“I will erase you from this world.”

Dokgo Hwang shouted loudly, unleashing the Dragon Tooth Spiral Annihilation.

Kwa-aaa!

The air twisted with the use of Dragon Tooth Spiral Annihilation.

The spiraling air turned into a storm, enveloping the area.

Sal-no, Hong Ye-seol, and Thunder Eye were at the center.

There was no escape in sight.

The three of them exerted their greatest techniques.

For a brief moment it seemed they might hold, but soon their energy was consumed by the overwhelming storm.

Kwa-aaaang!

“Cough!”

“Agh!”

“Huff!”

The screams of the three echoed simultaneously.

They were swept away like fallen leaves, crashing powerlessly to the ground.

The sight of them sprawled on the ground was quite horrifying.

Especially Sal-no, who had faced Dokgo Hwang’s attack head-on, was in a grave state.

His right arm was gone, and his left leg had disappeared.

His side was torn, and blood was pouring out.

Hong Ye-seol and Thunder Eye could not help as they were also seriously injured.

Thanks to Sal-no, who blocked most of the impact, they had only suffered so much; without him,

their lives would have been cut short long ago.

Hong Ye-seol struggled to lift her head and looked forward.

Her eyes were red and bloodshot with tears all over them. They looked like they were about to spill blood at any moment.

Dokgo Hwang was approaching, his sword held high.

‘It’s over, I guess.’

Hong Ye-seol sensed the end.

There was no strength left to resist.

At that moment, Dokgo Hwang raised his sword high to the sky and slashed down at the three of them.

That’s when it happened.

“Sajae!”

TL/N- Sajae is kinda disciples under the same teacher.

Someone shielded the three of them, fending off Dokgo Hwang’s attack.

Kwa-aaaang!

An explosion occurred in front of the three, but no shock reached them.

The person who had blocked Dokgo Hwang’s attack absorbed most of the shock.

Dokgo Hwang’s face twisted.

“Sajae… you?”