Chapter 524

Chapter 524
## Chapter 524. The Monster That Eats Despair (9)

—

Engaging in actual combat was never as orderly as a match of strategy on a game board. Soldiers rarely executed directives flawlessly, and casualties frequently occurred mid-maneuver. As **Je-gal-cheon-gi** used to observe, this was precisely why tacticians had to devise their arrangements by incorporating the inevitability of loss into their equations.

The reason our progress had stalled until this moment was my reluctance to embrace that burden. To be precise, I loathed it. Making the identical cold-blooded determinations as those I had detested so deeply in my previous existence felt utterly repulsive.

Yet, delaying further was no longer an option. The current crisis was forcing us toward a sheer drop, and maintaining this hesitation would inevitably result in annihilation for everyone. After delivering the grim news that our period of rest had concluded, the entire group sat down, initiating deep breathing exercises to steady their internal force. As each individual emerged from their meditation, I approached them sequentially.

“Are you familiar with the **Baek-ho-geom-sik**?”

The martial artists stared back, their expressions reflecting total bewilderment at my sudden inquiry. In response, I demonstrated the specific variations of the **Baek-ho-geom-sik** that the members of the **Yoseong-dang** had mastered.

“With our diminished ranks, wouldn’t executing the traditional sword array prove overly problematic?”

The Monks of the Shaolin Temple lacked their ideal complement, and the forces of the Moyong Clan had likewise suffered heavy attrition. Attempting the standard formation in this state would yield an unstable line, bound to trigger a catastrophe mid-battle.

“We understand your reasoning. Kindly instruct us.”

Defying my concerns that they might obstinately cling to their respective heritage, the representatives from Shaolin and the Moyong Clan acquiesced without protest. I broke down the altered **Baek-ho-geom-sik** for each warrior as they rose to their feet. Given their high level of cultivation, they comprehended the principles rapidly, immediately beginning to adapt their physical movements to the new rhythm. The **Yoseong-dang** maintained their original unit cohesion, whereas the Moyong Clan and the Shaolin Temple intermingled their remaining forces.

Once our preparations reached a functional state, I spoke up.

“We move out.”

With those words, I led the advance.

—

Deceased warriors littered every single passageway. Some wore the attire of the **Huk-do** factions, while others clearly belonged to the **Baek-do** alliances. Individuals who would have refused to share the same ground for even a brief moment during their lifetimes were now tangled together like joined roots. Their final moments resembled a desperate struggle against the years they had spent hating one another, serving as a grim testament to the utter futility of their past animosity.

Ultimately, that bitter irony mattered little to us. The mere sight of so many familiar faces we had encountered in these tunnels reduced to lifeless forms sent a profound shiver down our spines. Though we had successfully cleaved our way through the **Hon-gang-si** and corrupted zealots thus far, our own endings could easily mirror this horrific display.

Confronting the reality of mortality so directly constantly drained one’s psychological stamina and eroded the spirit. I cast a brief glance backward. **Do-kwang-su** trailed closely behind, his posture tense and his gaze filled with apprehension. It seemed almost impossible that in a few short years, this same man would charge recklessly into the fray, deliberately shielding me with his own body. Judging by his present martial capability, his raw strength now wasn’t vastly different from what it would be then.

Despite that, **Do-kwang-su** had consistently placed himself ahead of me, pressing forward into the teeth of danger while letting out ferocious roars. In those days, I had inwardly scoffed at his seemingly foolish bravado, but now the truth was clear. Those outbursts weren’t meant to intimidate the foe or rally the troops. It was a coping mechanism meant solely for himself—a desperate, vocal struggle to avoid being paralyzed by an overwhelming, nameless terror.

*Hup!*

“*Uwaaaaaaa-ak*!!!”

I unleashed a massive shout into the cavernous void.

“*Uwaaaaaaa-ak*!”

Though I refrained from infusing it with internal energy, the sheer volume caused my chest to vibrate and echoed deep into the subterranean passages. **Do-kwang-su** flinched violently.

“W-Why on earth did you do that?”

“Simply felt like it.”

“Come again?”

“Give it a try yourself.”

“Pardon me?”

“I am instructing you to release a scream.”

**Do-kwang-su**’s gaze shifted frantically around the space, his face practically screaming that he thought I had lost my mind.

“Are you going to comply, or must I reassign you to the vanguard……”

“YOU ABSOLUTE BIIIIIIITCH!!!”

**Do-kwang-su**’s vehement profanity reverberated loudly off the stone walls.

“……”

“Ah! That actually brought a great deal of relief. My gratitude, **Great Hero**. Might I indulge in one more?”

Though he had directed the shout forward, a strange dissatisfaction settled over me.

“……Absolutely not.”

“Why ever not? It truly eases the mind.”

“Because adversaries are drawing near. If you intend to survive the clash, stay in the rear.”

“*Hee-ik*!”

Following that outburst, a sense of lightness washed over me. As I focused my intent, my internal force surged cleanly to the tip of my blade. The **Flying Flow Formless Sword** was far from the swiftest technique in existence, yet no other style offered such perfect mechanical efficiency. I drove my weapon toward the oncoming wave of corrupted cultists.

*Slash—*

I drove the point precisely into a fatal vulnerability, executed a sharp pivot, and wrenched the steel free.

“*Kuaaaa-ak*!”

The infamous zealots of the Demonic Cult gave vent to agonizing shrieks. Though it was a thoroughly wretched sound, to my ears, it possessed a bizarrely melodic quality. I felt a fleeting urge to twist the blade within the wound once more, but with the momentum forcing me forward, I merely unleashed the **Soundless Clear Water Seal**, kicked the dying zealot aside, and lunged toward the next adversary.

*Slash—*

The **Jeok-gwang** sword, twisting through the air with serpentine precision, severed the tendons in the opponent’s wrist. Stripped of the ability to wield his primary weapon, the cultist reached desperately into his robes with his left hand to draw a concealed projectile.

*Hwa-reu-reuk—*

The **Holy Fire Demon-Destroying Hand** ignited upon my left palm, striking the zealot full in the face.

“*Uwaaaa-ak*!”

Fueled instantly by the presence of corrupt energy, the **Holy Fire Demon-Destroying Hand** flared intensely. I hurled his burning form directly into the thick of his comrades. Distracted and terrified by the unnatural flames, the enemy group scattered wildly, only to be struck down by **Il-gak**’s devastating strikes and **Dang-seo-hee**’s lethal throwing weapons, collapsing in rapid succession.

I didn’t pause to deliver any finishing blows; the martial artists following tightly in my wake would easily handle the stragglers.

“*Kueo-eok*—”

The unmistakable sound of a dying gasp echoed out behind me, but I couldn’t afford to glance back. Directly ahead, a **Hon-gang-si** was crouching low, preparing a devastating leap meant to shatter our formation.

*Pung—*

With an impact resembling a black powder explosive, the stone and earth beneath the creature’s feet erupted. The entity’s murderous intent was absolute, and it sought to tear through our ranks by crushing me first. Gathering every ounce of my physical strength and internal resolve, I swung the **Jeok-gwang** sword.

[**White Moon Ascending Heaven Third Style**]
[**Second Style**]
[**Extreme Strength**]

A dense torrent of sword-qi materialized, intercepting the **Hon-gang-si** as it flighted forward like a massive bolt.

*Peo-peo-peo-peo-peok!*

The creature stubbornly endured a barrage of force that would have shattered an ordinary martial artist’s skull multiple times, continuing its forward crawl.

*‘If this keeps up, our line will collapse!’*

Had our objective been to hold our ground and engage in a war of attrition, it would have been a different matter. But since we needed to maintain our advance, allowing the creature to breach the vanguard was unacceptable. Utilizing the **Sole Traveler Style**, I surged forward at an equal velocity, simultaneously drawing upon the **Jade Clear Heavenly Power** to forcibly alter the monster’s trajectory.

*Peo-peok—*

Despite channeling the refined sacred force through my strike, only a muffled, unsatisfying thud resounded. Nonetheless, the impact successfully redirected the creature’s momentum, sending it crashing violently into the stone wall. As I closed the distance, the feral beast lashed out with its blackened talons, tearing wildly at my limbs and torso.

“*Ka-aaaa-ak*!”

I shoved my ignited **Holy Fire Demon-Destroying Hand** directly into its open lacerations.

*Hwa-reu-reuk—*

“*Ka-aaaa-ak*!”

The creature bellowed with far greater agony than before. Executing the nimble footwork of the **Tae-eul-pal-man-sin-bo**, I fluidly disengaged from the thrashing monster and reclaimed my position at the front of our column.

“A—Are you unharmed?”

**Do-kwang-su** stared at my fresh injuries, his countenance entirely drained of color. Oddly, his panicked question triggered a memory of an identical inquiry I had posed to him in my previous life. In that past timeline, after a demonic cultist’s blade had narrowly missed his vitals, what had **Do-kwang-su** said to me?

“It is a trifling matter. Merely feels like a minor insect bite.”

Reflecting on it now, despite lacking true top-tier strength at the time, he certainly possessed an absurd amount of bravado.

*‘I used to wonder what kind of lunatic he was.’*

Back then, my own bewildered reaction had mirrored **Do-kwang-su**’s current expression. The sole distinction lay in the fact that **Do-kwang-su** had collapsed shortly after putting on his arrogant display, whereas my own physical frame was already beginning to mend itself beneath my garments.

Glancing back cursorily, I noted that one of the Moyong Clan warriors had vanished from our ranks. I chided myself for looking; there was no purpose in dwelling on it. I forced my legs to move, pressing deeper into the darkness.

“*Uwaaaaaaa-ak*!!!”

As the collective shout reverberated through the subterranean passages, the burden on my feet seemed to lessen. More corrupted zealots materialized to block our path. As before, some commanded Jiangshis while others fought alone. In these frantic clashes, all adherence to elegant forms and traditional martial aesthetics evaporated. Every strike was reduced to the absolute shortest path, aimed solely at ending the opponent’s life.

I rigidly refused to look back at the carnage occurring behind me. I knew with absolute certainty that if I turned my head even once, my resolve would fail and my feet would freeze. My solitary duty was to expend every ounce of my being to slaughter and shatter whatever adversary stood directly in front of me.

“*Uwaaaaaaa-ak*!”
“*Uwaaaaaaa-ak*!”

The number of voices joining the chorus of screams from behind grew steadily. **Geum-pyo** was the first to echo the cry, followed soon after by **Nam-hwa-seong**, **Ya-yul-geuk**, the Monks of Shaolin, and the swordsmen of the Moyong Clan.

Despite the collective surge of spirit, our forward momentum began to flag. Even with my constant cycling of internal energy, the rate of expenditure vastly outpaced my body’s ability to regenerate it. Those who lacked advanced breath-circulation techniques or possessed lesser cultivation bases were undoubtedly experiencing an even more grueling trial.

At this stage, halting was completely out of the question. Should we stop now, the hostile forces we had bypassed would inevitably pin us from the rear. I forged ahead, my blade carving through an endless stream of opposition. When the path was clear of living cultists, it was choked with the dead, and when the dead cleared, more zealots and Jiangshis erupted from the shadows.

Amidst the debris of battle, the distinctive martial robes of the Wudang Sect caught my attention. I had no reason to dwell on it, yet the image seared into my mind. I suspected a connection to the lone survivor we had previously encountered. What could possibly possess a disciple of the fiercely proud Wudang Sect to flee so desperately, abandoning all companionship?

If it were merely a standard Jiangshi or a common demonic human, the prior terror exhibited by **Lee-hwa-gyu** and his companions didn’t make complete sense. While such entities were undeniably formidable, they shouldn’t utterly shatter a master’s sanity. The orthodox martial artists of the **Baek-do**, particularly those from Wudang, possessed exceptionally resilient minds forged through relentless meditation and spiritual discipline.

An entity capable of reducing such disciplined practitioners to babbling wrecks…… My thoughts abruptly shifted toward **Yong-so-ah**.

*‘That woman…… did she anticipate the demise of the Wudang group from the start?’*

She had admitted that her foresight was limited, but had she truly been blind to the slaughter of the Wudang Sect’s reconnaissance team? Or had she simply chosen to move forward despite witnessing their fate? I couldn’t discern whether her choice stemmed from a realization that they were beyond saving, or if she deemed the effort of rescuing them to be ultimately inconsequential to the greater objective.

Yet, strangely, reflecting on **Yong-so-ah**’s calculating nature didn’t evoke the same visceral disgust within me as it once had.

“……”

My head began to turn backward instinctively, but I forced myself to take another step forward instead. I recognized that looking back now would only cause me to loathe my own pragmatism. Simultaneously, I pushed my sensory awareness to its limits, confirming that the members of the **Yoseong-dang** and **Moyong-seol** remained among the living.

“*Uwaaaaa-ak*!”

A jagged talon from a Jiangshi tore into my midsection. Driving the **Jeok-gwang** sword directly into the creature’s throat, I unleashed the **Holy Fire Demon-Destroying Hand** right into the toxic sludge spilling from the wound. Unsatisfied, I slashed open its torso and plunged my burning palm directly into its chest cavity to cremate the heart.

As my internal reservoir dwindled dangerously close to empty, a sharp, constricting pressure gripped my lower abdomen. Yet, as the physical toll increased, my mental focus grew sharper. My dantian aggressively reclaimed every scattered scrap of internal force remaining in my pathways, deploying it exactly as I commanded.

*Slash— slash—*

Stripped of the capacity for conscious calculation, I simply cut down everything that entered my field of vision. I fought precisely as I had on the apocalyptic battlefields of my previous life. When my internal energy fell too low to sustain the intricate patterns of the **Flying Flow Formless Sword**, my body naturally transitioned into the fundamental movements of the **Small Heavens Sword Technique**. The trajectory of the **Jeok-gwang** sword, stripped of all deceptive feints and fluid transitions, resembled a desperate, brutal bludgeoning more than an elegant martial art.

Nonetheless, because my current level of martial comprehension far exceeded my past life, I easily slaughtered cultists that would have claimed my life in that previous existence. I shattered the skull of a zealot who attempted to pin my leg, and slamming another against the stone wall, I eviscerated his chest using the **Ascending Path**.

With every brutal exchange, the toll on my own body mounted. Conversely, the density of the opposing forces began to thin. Right at that moment—

“!”

In the midst of our advance, **Do-kwang-su** suddenly lurched toward me. Instinctively thinking he was falling, I reached out to steady him—

*Step—*

Instead, he firmly braced my shoulder against himself.

“What are you doing?”

“I observed that your stride was faltering.”

“Step aside, unless you possess a desire to perish here.”

“……The adversaries have ceased their assault.”

“What……”

His observation was entirely accurate. The exit of the subterranean cavern was finally appearing ahead. The illumination pouring from the opening seemed blindingly brilliant compared to the oppressive gloom we had endured. The trail of corpses had vanished entirely. The heavy, suffocating miasma characteristic of the Demonic Cult was nowhere to be felt. Instead, emanating from that brilliant point at the end of the corridor, a turbulent yet incredibly pure aura radiated outward in dense waves.

“That is the Central Hall.”

“……”

“My talent for navigation is truly remarkable, wouldn’t you say?”

A faint, strained smile touched the corner of his lips. For reasons beyond my comprehension, **Do-kwang-su** chose that moment to indulge in mindless banter.

“Indeed, your tracking skills are as exceptional as always.”

“……?”

The moment my foot crossed the threshold into the brilliant light—

“HALT!!!”

An immense, deafening Lion’s Roar shattered the silence, nearly rupturing our eardrums. Directly in front of our position—

*Step— step—*

Hundreds of heavily armed martial artists had completely encircled the cavern exit, their ranged weapons and daggers trained directly upon our bedraggled group. Before we could even begin to process the nature of this ambush, the same thunderous voice shook the air once more.

“FIRE!!!”

—