Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chu Bang-ji turned his gaze toward the courtyard.
As the Sect Leaders had said, a figure presumed to be Namgoong So-hye was executing graceful Sword Strikes across the field.
The way she moved among the countless disciples was the very picture of beauty—a form that seemed to embody the word itself.
Yet his attention was fixed entirely elsewhere.
“That man… who is he?”
His fists clenched, fire blazing in his eyes, he stared at a single figure.
Jang Sam-tae.
A man very likely in league with the monster who had brought down the Heukdo Society.
All the schemes he had devised since the Society’s collapse, searching for this bastard, weighed on him like chains.
Teaching the Reverse Spell Technique to the Chilgak Sect’s Leader alone had consumed considerable time.
“You! At last I’ve found you!”
Chu Bang-ji gnashed his teeth and threw the door open, striding into the courtyard.
“W-wait, Chu Bang-ji! We must understand what is happening here!”
“Can’t you see? Your scheme has finally been exposed. Hehehehe.”
“Curse…!”
“But have no fear. Once those few are dead, the matter ends. And you haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you?”
“…What you said?”
“That’s right. If you fail to kill that man here, don’t expect any further help from me.”
Their options had narrowed to almost nothing.
With Namgoong So-hye bursting in unannounced, the Murim Alliance must surely be aware of their plot by now.
Those who had been ready to flee with their gold found themselves forced to recalculate.
They still possessed one hidden trump card, and their opponents numbered only four.
More than that—if they failed to kill the man standing before them, they could not hope for Chu Bang-ji’s assistance, leaving them precious few choices at all.
The three exchanged glances and nodded to one another.
There was no way around it now.
Without Chu Bang-ji, they were nothing but powerless Sect Leaders of minor sects.

***

‘So it was true.’
Clang! Clang! Clang!—
Namgoong So-hye moved her blade with swift precision, pressing the assault. There was no room for sympathy when they struck first without warning.
The swordplay these men displayed now—
It matched exactly that of the masked figures she had seen just moments before.
Then this place was certainly connected to the opium trafficking.
Their martial prowess was considerable and formidable.
There was a time when she would have struggled against such skill, but since meeting Dan Woo-hyun, something in her had changed. Her blade had grown sharper, her strikes more precise, channeling the power to exploit every opening and subdue her enemies with certainty.
Slash! Slash! Slash!—Crack!
She cut and cut again.
None would leave this place alive if she could help it.
The three sects that comprised the Samdo Society were registered with the Murim Alliance. If they had committed crimes within the Alliance, punishment should fall from the Alliance itself.
Her aim now was to strike down as many as possible—even one more than Gwon Mu-jin or Jang Sam-tae, pouring every ounce of strength into the effort.
‘I had hoped it would be different!’
Unable to contain the rising fury, her bitten lip split and wept blood.
The Murim Alliance was the symbol of the Orthodox Faction.
Every sect registered there bore a duty to live up to that name.
That was precisely why the Alliance protected them.
Yet here they were, wearing the mask of righteousness while committing such vile crimes?
The more she dwelt on it, the more her anger burned.
Her blade sharpened further, sweeping the area around her with ferocious speed.
The Namgoong Clan’s Secret Technique bloomed, and her graceful movements left all who witnessed them speechless.
“Front!”
Clang!—
At the sudden shout, Namgoong So-hye pivoted forward, lowering herself, then drew her blade swiftly from left to right.
Screech!—
Two men toppled, spraying blood.
Namgoong So-hye did not allow herself a moment’s carelessness—she retreated and resumed her Guard Stance. In such chaos, even a heartbeat of inattention could cost her life.
Clang-clang-clang!
Namgoong So-hye’s blade flared with light as she parried blades and fists striking at her from all sides, each one seeking her life.
In the instant a brilliant flash erupted, thirteen sword trails carved through the air.
It was a display of skill almost too perfect for the eye to comprehend.
“Thank you.”
Namgoong So-hye offered her thanks to the owner of that voice which had warned her moments before.
“More importantly, look there. They’ve finally arrived.”
As Dan Woo-hyun said, four figures were approaching. Three of them were unmistakably the Sect Leaders who formed the Samdo Society, and the fourth was somehow familiar.
Where had she seen him before?
Namgoong So-hye, sifting through her memory, suddenly cried out loudly.
“Chu Bang-ji!”
“Kehehehe, if you’re the Phoenix Clan Leader, you’d know this old man’s face. So, how fares Namgoong Cheon? It seems the time has come… yet not a word from him.”
“How dare you speak!”
Namgoong So-hye snarled, grinding her teeth in rage.
If Chu Bang-ji stood behind all of this, then the true nature of that strange opium was beginning to fall into place.
It had to be of his creation.
That would explain why its effects were several times more potent than ordinary drugs, and why even a single exposure led to an addiction one could never break free from.
“Sam-tae.”
“Yes?”
Dan Woo-hyun, who had been studying the three figures, called out to Jang Sam-tae, who was catching his breath off to one side.
Jang Sam-tae rushed over and looked at the three people Dan Woo-hyun indicated.
“That’s the one.”
“That one?”
“The one in the middle. You can see the marks of the Reverse Spell Technique on his face.”
“Him?”
Jang Sam-tae pointed with a bewildered expression.
Toward the one standing in the center.
“Yes, that’s the one.”
‘So what am I supposed to do about it?’
Jang Sam-tae broke into a cold sweat.
He couldn’t see any trace of the Reverse Spell Technique, but the man standing in the middle had clearly eaten something wrong—his eyes were bloodshot with burst capillaries, and every muscle in his body was so swollen it looked ready to tear.
There was something about him that screamed danger; Jang Sam-tae felt he’d die the moment he engaged.
“We need to capture that one.”
“Me?”
“Or should I do it?”
Jang Sam-tae swallowed hard and laughed awkwardly.
The look in Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes was far too sharp and menacing.
‘He could do it faster himself, but of course he assigns it to me. Damn…’
He had no desire whatsoever to tangle with this brute in a situation that was already difficult enough.
He glanced sideways at Gwon Mu-jin, but that man’s gaze remained fixed on the figure to the right, and Namgoong So-hye was watching the one on the left.
‘Why do these bastards just pick their opponents without asking?’
Jang Sam-tae was exasperated.
Looking at the one standing in the center, wasn’t he clearly the strongest of the three?
Naturally, someone with matching skill should be the one to step forward.
He glanced at Dan Woo-hyun, catching only a smile on his lips.
“You seem quite confident in your Light Martial Arts, with legs so sturdy.”
“Light Martial Arts?”
“Yes, but who’s faster in Light Martial Arts?”
“……Me?”
“That’s right. You’ll be the fastest here after me.”
“……!”
The moment Jang Sam-tae heard those words, strength surged through him as if he’d been granted an army of angels.
Dan Woo-hyun never spoke falsehoods.
“I’ll do it! Since I staked my reputation, I should be the one!”
“Good. If it seems like you’re going to die…”
“If it seems like I’m going to die?”
“Just charge him head-on.”
In the end, it was an order to fight as if prepared to die.
His enthusiasm drained away rapidly, but there seemed no way to escape this situation. Jang Sam-tae clenched his fists with an awkward smile.
“You there! So you’re the one who brought down the Heukdo Society!”
At that moment, a loud cry pierced the air.
It was almost a shriek, and Dan Woo-hyun flinched, turning away with a scowl as Chu Bang-ji pointed at him accusingly.
“There! That Jang Sam-tae cowering—it has to be you! You’re the one!”
“Quiet,” Dan Woo-hyun said coldly.
“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
“I said, quiet.”
Dan Woo-hyun’s scowl deepened.
Chu Bang-ji’s shrill, scraping voice grated on him terribly.
“You stole my sanctuary! You murdered my family! You took everything from me!”
“Chu Bang-ji. Close your mouth.”
A strange wind stirred.
A sanguine wind gathered around Chu Bang-ji—visible only to Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes.
Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes narrowed to slits.
The Red Wind was a symbol of those who brought calamity in their wake.
It marked one who dealt harm to Dan Woo-hyun—a being bound tight in karmic debt.
Seeing that wind again after so long, Dan Woo-hyun let out a hollow laugh.
He had sworn no more karmic debts, yet here the Red Wind appeared once more.
Was this too fate?
“Kill him now! Tear his limbs apart, destroy everything he holds dear!”
“You truly cannot comprehend a simple command.”
A small whirlwind gathered in Dan Woo-hyun’s palm as his eyes remained narrowed. Space itself seemed to warp, and all present stared in widened horror.
The wind departed from his hand and settled upon Chu Bang-ji’s form.
Then—
Crash! Boom! Boom! Boom—!
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
It became a typhoon, devouring everything in its path.
Chu Bang-ji’s entire body was shredded as though cast into the teeth of a hundred blades, leaving not a scrap of flesh behind.
Even the word “obliterated” seemed inadequate.
All who witnessed the impossible spectacle held their breath, cold sweat streaming down their faces.
How could a mortal possess such power?
“Th-this can’t be real!”
……
“How is this possible……?”
All present understood—this transcended what any human could achieve.
Thus they trembled.
Terror of Dan Woo-hyun took root within them, and they grasped that no stratagem would work against him.
The three Sect Leaders stood rigid, unable to move.
Too afraid that his gaze might turn toward them.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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