Chapter 1044: Die or Kill (Part 4)

Thud!

A blood-soaked hand emerged through the back. The hand, still dripping with blood, clenched around a pulsating heart.

"Kkurrk...."

The gazes of the dying and those witnessing the death met nearby. Eyes widened in disbelief. The face, realizing the impending death approaching, contorted in terror. The remaining one mockingly laughed.

Bang!

Swiftly kicking away the fallen body that could only be called a corpse, the demonic sect member, heart in hand, squeezed and burst it.

"Huhahaha! You filthy unbelievers!"

Fear has a peculiar nature.

People tend to muster greater courage when in a group than when alone. Isn't there a clear difference between walking a dark path alone and walking it with others?

But once fear begins to spread?

From then on, the fear that follows is often even greater than being alone. The fear that originated at the forefront quickly spread throughout the entire Black Ghost Castle.

What was lacking was not martial skill but rather the state of mind.

The difference between the demonic sect, which retained the poison from a century-old tragedy, and those who had forgotten everything in time and history was now dramatically evident.

"The Second Coming of Heavenly Demon, Ten Thousand Blessings. The Second Coming of the Heavenly Demon, Ten Thousand Blessings. The Second Coming of the Heavenly Demon, Ten Thousand Blessings."

The mantra muttered like a spell penetrated their ears.

Someone was dying and screaming, while laughter filled with madness rang out simultaneously. On top of that, curses poured incessantly, and life seemed to pour down like rain.

Who could possibly maintain reason consistently in the face of such madness?

"Huuh... euh..."

"No, this can't be...."

It crumbled.

After sustaining for a long time, the undefeated martial artists, the perfectly restrained rationality, the pride bestowed by the name Black Ghost Castle—all crumbled like a decaying tree in an instant.

All that remained were humans overwhelmed by fear, desperate for survival.

"Uwaaaah!"

Someone screamed and turned to run, and at first, it was just a few spontaneous actions, but their ripple effect was tremendous.

In the minds of those who could only think of fighting back, the option of 'escape' was unexpectedly presented.

Those who couldn't resist temptation turned their backs to the enemy. Even those who were somehow holding their ground couldn't prevent their blades from becoming dull.

Hungry wolves, recognizing the weakness of their prey, pressed even harder, intent on swallowing the entire flock without leaving a scrap of flesh behind.

Fear and despair settled on the blood-soaked ground.

"Ah, no...."

The elite members of the Black Ghost Castle, facing the sight of their comrades being torn apart, froze like statues. Although they knew they had to fight and resist, their bodies refused to move, as if they were shackled.

"Euh..."

A demonic sect member, with bloodshot eyes, roared like a beast and swung his hand towards the head of a frozen elite Black Ghost Castle member.

In that moment.

Paaaang!

With a violent sound, the head of the attacking demonic sect member soared into the sky.

For a moment, it felt like the world had come to a standstill.

The elite member of the Black Ghost Castle, who was resigning himself to impending death, looked blankly at the head of the demonic sect member soaring into the air. The head, spinning and spewing blood, still seemed to exude a perverse pleasure.

Perhaps that demonic sect member, even in the moment of death, was unaware of his own demise. It was as if he did not comprehend the situation even as he sacrificed his life.

Thud!

The head that flew through the air landed on the ground. In the vast battlefield where countless had met their end, it was merely one more death. Small and insignificant. However, the repercussions were tremendous.

"...."

The gaze of an elite member of the Black Ghost Castle, who had narrowly escaped death, lowered slightly. Just below his eye level, someone who hadn't existed a moment ago was now showing their back.

Black attire.

Tightly bound hair.

And in one hand, a sword gleaming with white light.

"Mount Hua...."

Before his mind could comprehend, his mouth opened first. Before the sigh-like voice could finish, the person in front, wielding the sword, moved again.

Paaat!

As he fiercely kicked the ground, the person swung the sword like a dancing flame.

"Kahat!"

Another demonic sect member instinctively swung his arm, intending to block the flying sword and tear off the noose in one swift motion.

But just before the arm and the sword clashed, the sword spun around and slipped past the demonic sect member's arm. Immediately, like the talons of a bird of prey, it plunged into the throat.

Paeaeaeaeang!

The body of the demonic sect member, who had effortlessly withstood numerous attacks until now, was cut without the slightest resistance. The head soared into the air, and the remaining body crumpled on the spot.

The battlefield froze.

Chung Myung, who had swiftly beheaded the two demonic sect members, slowly opened his mouth.

"...I'll tell you, kids."

Chung Myung slowly raised his sword again.

"When facing the demonic sect...."

Paaaat!

His sword began to emit a dazzling aura. The crimson radiance scattered like an illusion, enveloping the demonic sect members.

"Kuk!"

"This, this is...."

Faced with the storm of flower petals covering the entire front, the demonic sect members instinctively tried to retreat. Even if they charged at the enemy with all their might, they couldn't recklessly dash into the flying sword aura obscuring their vision.

"Kaaaaaat!"

Retreating, they raised both arms to fend off the flying Plum Blossom Sword aura. However, the moment the hands infused with tremendous energy touched the petals, all the sword auras vanished as if they were truly illusions.

"What?"

And then,

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Seizing that moment, the flying sword auras swiftly pierced the necks of the demonic sect members.

"Kugh!"

Even if they lowered their gaze, they couldn't see their necks. What the demonic sect members could witness was only the blood spurting fiercely from their necks.

Thud! Thud!

The pierced demonic sect member and the one with a clear Plum Blossom Seal on their forehead crumbled like rotten straw stacks.

The extreme Illusionary Sword. A sword technique with an extremely narrow boundary between reality and illusion.

Since it was a swordsmanship that deceives and manipulates opponents, it was belittled for deviating from the norm. However, for the demonic sect members, whose strength lay in overpowering their enemies with force, Mount Hua's swordsmanship was nothing short of deadly poison.

"Aim for the neck."

Chung Myung twisted the corners of his mouth and spoke. Though different from the madness of the demonic sect members, there was still a sinister resemblance in his eerie smile.

"Or crush their heads."

Thud!

Chung Myung took another step forward. Extreme vigor, rage, and an indescribable heat filled his eyes.

And at that moment,

Kwaaaaa!

With a sharp breaking sound, something flew and impaled the head of a demonic sect member.

Kwaaaang!

With a massive explosion, the head of the demonic sect member burst open.

'What?'

The golden object that had flown in rapidly rotated and returned to where it came from.

Thunk!

Reaching out casually, Jang Ilso caught the bracelet and grinned.

"Heads and necks... If you had such information, you should have mentioned it sooner. Anyway, they say you have a bad personality."

Ignoring Jang Ilso's words, Chung Myung moved forward.

The eyes of the Black Ghost Castle elites, who had been completely shrouded in despair, regained their light.

Heads and necks.

Of course, they were not easy targets. Everyone, regardless of who they were, took thorough precautions to protect their heads and necks. However, the difference between having no way to bring down the opponent and having a difficult but existing method was like heaven and earth.

"This..."

However, the perspective of the demonic sect members was entirely different. Watching their fellow sect members die in front of them, a deeper hatred began to grow on their faces.

"This filthy bastard... "

Chung Myung laughed as he looked into their eyes.

"Sure, I like that look in your eyes."

"..."

"That gaze of yours..."

A bloodshot hue filled Chung Myung's eyes.

"It's the most enjoyable when it's stained with fear."

Kwaang!

With an eerie brightness, Chung Myung charged forward, his sword enveloped in intense red energy.

The sword that was once perfected by cutting off their necks was now aiming for their throats again.

"Kill him!"

The demonic sect members also rushed towards Chung Myung, screaming like a frenzy. They instinctively understood who the most dangerous presence here was.

"Heavenly Demon! Ten Thousand..."

"Shut up!"

With a single stroke, Chung Myung severed the flying arm and thrust his sword into the mouth of the demonic sect member who was yelling defiance. With that blow, the body of the demonic sect member, whose cervical spine was instantly severed, slumped down. The rotating sword inside the mouth lifted and cleaved the head of the demonic sect member in two.

Thud!

Even before the sword was fully drawn, Chung Myung's foot moved first. Advancing nearly a yard with a single step, he plunged into the bewildered demonic sect members and forcefully stamped the ground.

Harnessing the power from both advancing and retreating, Chung Myung swiftly moved forward and swung the sword embedded with tremendous force into the waist of a demonic sect member.

Kwagagak! Kwagagak!

It was closer to slicing than severing.

The tough, rubbery bodies of the demonic sect members could not withstand the force of the advancing sword, and they were cut through with a splintering sound.

Paaaaaang!

Soon, the upper body of the demonic sect member, whose waist was completely severed, rotated like a spinning top. Chung Myung, who cleared away the collapsing lower body, rotated in place, scattering plum blossom sword energy in all directions.

Darkness covered the sky. The ground was stained deeply.

Those clad entirely in black robes.

In that dark world, a single plum blossom tree extended its branches. As if nourishing itself with flowing blood, it radiated an intense red hue.

Sarararak!

The scattered plum blossom leaves rotated fiercely as if facing a storm, sweeping through the demonic sect members.

Kwaduk! Kwaduk! Kwaddeudeuk!

Although the petals seemed fragile, their power was by no means weak. They easily pierced the bodies of the demonic sect members, who had been rendered powerless by numerous layers of solid energy and blades.

"Kuaaaaack!"

For the first time, screams echoed from the mouths of the demonic sect members.

Their bodies did not easily allow death. Therefore, even with dozens of holes pierced through their entire bodies, they could not die easily. In other words, it meant that they had to keenly feel all the pain from every single wound.

The sword energy turned the flesh inside out, cut the tendons, and ground the bones. The vivid pain thoroughly stirred the minds of the demonic sect members and finally made them lose consciousness.

Blood spurted continuously from the bodies of the demonic sect members surrounding Chung Myung. That blood made the plum blossoms he created even darker.

Pouring blood rain.

In it, Chung Myung revealed his only white teeth untouched by blood.

The warm, fetid smell of blood stabbed the nose almost suffocatingly. That scent quickly familiarized Chung Myung again. The unfamiliar sensations returned rapidly, lingering at the fingertips holding the sword.

Everything had changed. However, only this sensation remained at his fingertips.

"...You shouldn't have forgotten about me."

Chung Myung, lifting his head, smiled like a demon.

"Don't you think so?"

Chung Myung laughed with a eerie smile, pounding the ground.

It was the moment the roles of the hunted and the hunter were reversed.