Chapter 1045: Die or Kill (Part 5)

The sensation of rubber gripping a sword tightly. The dull, bone texture felt only after penetrating that sensation. The heat, so intense it could scorch, emanating from the blood as it flowed out, the sound of air mixed with the gurgling noise of a throat being cut.

All these sensations were plucked from his memories.

"Not yet."

Squelch!

Chung Myung's sword swiftly twisted the neck of the demonic sect practitioner halfway.

"Not yet!"

Chung Myung swung the sword even faster, cutting the neck that had been halfway severed once again.

Clang!

"No!"

Gritting his teeth, he rotated his body, creating an illusion-like circle with the sword tip.

Seo―thud!

He couldn't feel his fingertips. The perfectly swung sword completely severed the neck and raised arm of the demonic sect practitioner simultaneously. He couldn't feel the slightest sensation, but paradoxically, a great sense of satisfaction that he had never felt before remained at his fingertips.

Chung Myung reflexively strengthened his grip on the sword.

As if savoring the lingering sensation at his fingertips, but at the same time, seemingly contemptuous of the fact that the sensation lingered on his own fingertips.

The pupils of his eyes, tightly bitten, showed blood vessels rising.

Thud!

The sound of stepping on the ground resonated more forcefully than usual. His inner strength erupted like a waterfall from the deep recesses of his dantian.

Carefully refined, repeatedly refined, the purest energy in the world explosively surged through his body and flowed into the sword.

Compared to the immense inner strength that filled him during his days as the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, his current inner strength was still meager. However, even though the absolute quantity was lacking, the quality of the inner strength was incomparable.

Whee-ee-ee-ee-ing!

Inner strength rotated fiercely along the sword. The extended sword clashed with the arms surrounded by demonic energy.

Crunch!

There wasn't even a sensation of cutting.

Chung Myung's energy crushed the demonic energy. Arms empowered by demonic energy were no match, akin to rotten pieces of wood. As Chung Myung's sword passed by, the arms of the demonic sect practitioner split with a crunch, spraying sticky blood.

Thud!

However, Chung Myung didn't give the demonic cultists a chance to be astonished. He immediately swung his sword again, beheading the cultist in a single blow.

Swoosh!

Hot blood sprayed from the severed neck, covering Chung Myung's face. Despite the overwhelming stench of the pouring blood, his eyes remained chillingly cold like ice.

The turning point came at that very moment.

"Kill him!"

"Sweep them all away! Those damn fanatic dogs!"

The elite warriors of the Black Ghost Castle, who had been frozen with fear, regained their momentum and charged alongside Chung Myung.

They were members of the Evil Sect, valuing strength and following the powerful. Now, before them, a powerful figure had appeared, regardless of whether he belonged to the righteous or the evil faction. In the face of the horde of the demonic cult, the distinction between the righteous and the evil was meaningless.

What mattered to them now was that an absolute master had emerged to turn the hellish situation around.

This was not a realm of calculation or reason. They instinctively sensed the overwhelming aura. In this chaotic situation, they recognized the victorious energy radiating from Chung Myung's back.

"Attack!"

"Ooooooh!"

The disciplined elite warriors of the Black Ghost Castle, letting out explosive battle cries, formed a single wave and began overwhelming the demonic cultists.

"These cursed bastards...!"

The demonic cultists turned their eyes in disbelief. How dare these filthy unbelievers expose themselves and come at the cultists like this? From their high level of devotion, this was an intolerable sight.

Resistance against the cult was akin to resistance against the great one.

Those who resist will be executed, and even their souls would be consumed by flames.

Wasn't that the primary doctrine?

"Kill all these filthy unbelievers!"

The demonic cultists howled like beasts, swinging their arms towards the disciplined Black Ghost warriors.

Crack!

Weapons broke, and limbs were torn apart in all directions. It was still a gruesome scene, but it was undoubtedly different from before. The Black Ghost warriors, who were once pushed back in fear, now clung tenaciously even if they were pushed back.

"Neck! Aim for their necks!"

"Smash their heads! Heads!"

The elite warriors of the Black Ghost Castle relentlessly targeted the heads of the demonic cultists. Even the cultists, who had fervently thrown themselves into the fight, blocking and dodging attacks from the elite warriors, couldn't ignore the attacks aimed at their heads.

That alone was enough to change the atmosphere that had been in complete chaos.

"These damn cultists! This is our territory!"

The Black Ghost Castle attacked the cultists, proclaiming their evil.

"Hehehehe!"

The cultists, with a fierce look in their eyes, retaliated, slashing at those in front of them. Although a flying sword embedded itself in one's upper arm, the cultist, without blinking an eye, targeted the face of the elite warrior with long, sharp magical claws.

In that moment when the elite warrior of the Black Ghost Castle unknowingly tightly closed his eyes...

Swish!

With a cutting sound that seemed to split the wind, a white sword flew and beheaded the cultist in an instant. With an expression drenched in low pleasure, the demon cultist's head spun several times in the air and then fell to the ground.

"uh… … ."

The Black Ghost Castle elite, wide-eyed and bewildered, looked ahead, beyond the fallen body of the cultist.

Chung Myung twisted his sword to pull it out and spat out the words.

"Don't let your guard down, you idiots."

"...Yes? Oh... yes!"

With those words, Chung Myung turned around and advanced once again. The Black Ghost Castle elite, wide-eyed, followed him fiercely.

"Hmm..."

Jang Ilso, as if finding the situation interesting, rubbed his chin.

In his two eyes, a peculiar mix of joy and discomfort simultaneously emerged. With a hint of vigilance mixed in, his gaze flickered strangely.

"It's definitely interesting."

No matter how much the Evil Sect followed the strong, it didn't mean they blindly submitted to any strong figure. Especially when the loyalty to their sect was firmly rooted. Even if there were stronger beings, they wouldn't easily change their minds.

But now, the elite warriors of the Black Ghost Castle were undeniably following the Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.

'What a ridiculous amount of control.'

What made it even more absurd was the presence of the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold here. Even if his arm was cut off, he was still the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold. In a place where their superiors were clearly present, would the Black Ghost Castle follow what a righteous sect bastard says without question?

'Unbelievable.'

Jang Ilso chuckled heartily.

No matter how you looked at it, that guy Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was in the wrong place. If he had settled in the Evil Sect instead of a righteous sect, he would have become a huge tycoon. If that were the case, he would have become several times more threatening to Jang Ilso than he was now.

"But hmm... this doesn't do wonders for my dignity."

Muttering as if humming, Jang Ilso moved his steps leisurely. One of the demonic cultists who noticed him rushed forward, emitting a red glow from his eyes.

In an instant, Jang Ilso's red lips traced a line.

Swish!

With the air tearing apart, a demonic hand, a magical attack, flew towards him. Jang Ilso casually lifted his hand, deflecting the approaching demonic hand away.

Thud!

"Kahak!"

Swiftly repelling another demonic hand that swung consecutively, Jang Ilso's hand suddenly pierced the throat of the cultist like a bolt of lightning.

Squelch!

As if elegantly decorating a well-prepared lady, Jang Ilso's fingertips sharply penetrated the cultist's throat.

"Cough!"

The cultist's mouth gaped open. However, even with that, it seemed insufficient to break his spirit. The cultist struggled, swinging his hand in rebellion.

"Hmm..."

As if dismissing a child's prank, Jang Ilso effortlessly brushed away the hand.

Thunk! Thunk!

Suddenly, Jang Ilso's fingertips, embedded in the cultist's throat, moved forward, tearing through the flesh.

"Eugh... eugh..."

The cultist, who seemed oblivious to pain, couldn't endure the excruciating agony and let out a pitiful moan. In reality, he might have screamed in agony, but with the airway already half penetrated, he couldn't scream as much as he wanted.

"It's not appropriate to attack the neck… If the windpipe is torn it's still fine, hmm... … ."

Squelch! Squelch!

Jang Ilso's fingertips, lodged in the cultist's throat, ruthlessly broke the bones and twisted forward.

"Kuk... Kuaah..."

Even the cultist, who had seemed oblivious to pain, couldn't endure the excruciating agony of this horrific torment. In reality, he might have screamed in agonizing cries, but with his windpipe already halfway penetrated, he couldn't scream as much as he wanted.

"This should do it."

Thud!

Jang Ilso's hand, which touched the cervical bones, ruthlessly shattered and contorted the cultist's neck. The cultist convulsed as if caught in a spasm, but soon withdrew his tongue, twisted his head, and succumbed to death.

"Hmm."

Jang Ilso observed the cultist with a look of disdain, as if examining filth. He casually tossed the lifeless body aside, brushing off the blood on his hands.

"The head, or maybe the cervical spine. Tricky. Moreover..."

A discomforting expression flickered across Jang Ilso's pale face.

Ideally, when he brought his nails down, the neck should have been neatly severed. However, reality proved different. To break that cervical bone, he had to delve into the neck with considerable effort.

'Is my internal strength not functioning properly?

The meaning behind Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold's words became clear. If even this small fry resisted his internal strength, it was evident that the bishop, a formidable opponent, would present an even greater challenge.

"This is quite..."

Jang Ilso's gaze shifted towards the back of Chung Myung, who was thrashing about. Observing the swift beheading of the cultist, Jang Ilso smirked.

"Unfair, isn't it?"

It seemed like bringing these guys along was a good choice.

"Tsk."

However, he soon clicked his tongue, glancing disapprovingly at Chung Myung. Leading from the front was fine, but wouldn't exerting too much force be counterproductive?

It seemed like Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword either forgot who they should be dealing with or were naturally like that.

'Probably the latter.'

Hoping that this guy would be foolish was like waiting for a waterfall to shoot up into the sky. 

"While I respect your preferences, you're under my command now, so it's inconvenient for you to be leaping around on your own accord."

Jang Ilso smiled darkly and glanced back.

"Everyone heard that, right?"

Instead of a response, a subtle sound of breathing could be heard. Though called "Hongyeon," they were far from wild, crazy dogs. Instead, they were restrained in their approach, attacking Jang Ilso's enemies with a methodical style, tearing at throats to cut off the air supply like hunting hounds.

"What you should target is the cervical spine, or even the head. Breaking those makes them no different from ordinary people."

Jang Ilso's gaze, with a sly glint, focused on Chung Myung.

"It might be fun just to watch, but letting only the guests fight is discourteous. Anyway, I'm quite close to being a gentleman. So..."

Jang Ilso gestured lightly towards the front.

"Go and ask."

With a terrifying momentum, the Honggyeon, who had guarded Jang Ilso's back, turned into streaks of red light and rushed forward.

Flourishing his white robe, Jang Ilso slowly advanced.

"Fascinating."

A mysterious gleam filled his eyes without pause.

"Even these guys are at this level. But what kind of monster is that bishop?"

His eyes, beyond the battlefield, gazed at the partially collapsed escape route. From the depths of that city, an exceptionally eerie aura seemed to emanate.

"Chilling."

Clank.

The rings clashed harshly against each other.

Jang Ilso, after wiping his lips with his fingertips, stepped forward with a murderous glint in his eyes.