Chapter 243 – The Road Ahead is Long, but the Steps are Slow (3)

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The Blood Dark Squad’s clothing was specially made to allow free movement underwater. Made from processed shark skin found only in the ocean, its surface was covered with countless microscopic protrusions that could easily overcome strong currents.

 

Combined with their special breathing techniques that allowed them to breathe freely underwater, they were specialized in aquatic combat.

 

Swoosh!

 

Short spears shot out from underwater. They persistently targeted Dam-ho.

 

Swish swish swish!

 

Simultaneously, countless throwing weapons and arrows rained down from the cliff walls of the gorge.

 

“Argh!”

 

“Ugh!”

 

The water bandits steering the speedboat fell, skewered by arrows. Their screams echoed across the deck.

 

“Damn it! Duck down!”

 

Muk Il-gwang protected Bang Jin-bo, grabbing a loose plank from the deck to shield their heads.

 

Thud thud thud!

 

Numerous arrows struck the plank. If his reaction had been even slightly slower, they would have become arrow fodder like the others.

 

“Jin-bo, over here.”

 

Taking advantage of a brief pause in the arrow shower, he moved Bang Jin-bo to a corner of the speedboat. Then he covered it with planks.

 

“Don’t move from here no matter what.”

 

“Yes!”

 

After hearing Bang Jin-bo’s response, Muk Il-gwang straightened up.

 

“Ugh!”

 

“P-please save me!”

 

The deck was littered with fallen bodies, soaked in their blood.

 

“Everyone get it together! Grab the sail ropes!”

 

Captain Jang San-woo was almost the only one maintaining his composure and clear thinking.

 

He maintained control of the rudder while deflecting incoming arrows. If he lost control of the rudder, the boat would capsize. If that happened, no one would survive.

 

At Jang San-woo’s desperate cry, those still able tried to maintain the boat’s balance. Thanks to this, despite rocking violently, the boat managed to inch forward.

 

On the swaying boat, Dam-ho looked up at the sky. He saw Deung Cheon-so and Jin Hye-won looking down at him.

 

“This Hell Gorge will be your grave, Fist Demon.”

 

Deung Cheon-so spat out in a harsh voice. Sticky killing intent emanated from his entire body.

 

Guilt over being unable to prevent his close friend So Cheon-san’s death and pure anger toward Dam-ho had paralyzed his reason.

 

Jin Hye-won stood beside Deung Cheon-so.

 

Her eyes held both demonic energy and a streak of curiosity as she looked at Dam-ho. Unlike Deung Cheon-so, Jin Hye-won had never directly confronted Dam-ho. Thus, she was full of curiosity about the man she had only heard rumors about.

 

Fierce rapids swirled around his boat. The Blood Dark Squad attacked with short spears from below the surface, while arrows rained down from the gorge above. Yet Dam-ho didn’t move.

 

The sight of Dam-ho standing alone steadfast on the wildly rocking speedboat, looking up at the sky, gave her an inexplicable thrill.

 

‘That man!’

 

Their eyes met.

 

Her face was reflected in his pitch-black eyes that held no emotion.

 

At that moment, she felt an inexplicable shiver.

 

Different.

 

He was different from any man she had ever seen. That was the feeling she got.

 

Crash!

 

The Blood Dark Squad stabbed at the speedboat’s bottom with their short spears. Holes opened up everywhere, and water gushed into the boat.

 

“Ugh! We need to get rid of those guys below.”

 

Just as a look of despair appeared in Jang San-woo’s eyes.

 

Dam-ho raised his right foot high. Then he stomped down hard toward the floor.

 

Boom!

 

The boat shook violently as if about to break apart, and water sprayed up everywhere. It was as if a thunderbolt had exploded underwater.

 

The bodies of the Blood Dark Squad members who had been making holes in the boat’s bottom floated to the surface. Blood flowed from their eyes and ears. Their vital points had ruptured.

 

Deung Cheon-so and Jin Hye-won’s eyes widened.

 

“St-striking the ox beyond the mountain?”

 

This technique of striking something across a mountain wasn’t as difficult as it seemed. Warriors of Deung Cheon-so or Jin Hye-won’s caliber could use it with their eyes closed. However, it was impossible to target only enemies underwater without affecting the boat.

 

At that moment, Dam-ho stomped his foot again.

 

Boom!

 

It wasn’t just a simple “strike across mountain” technique, but one that applied the principle of breaking walls with a single strike. The shockwave from Dam-ho’s foot spread far through the water.

 

“Ugh!”

 

“Hmm!”

 

The Blood Dark Squad members who had been hiding underwater, waiting for an opportunity, clutched their ears and surfaced.

 

That’s when Dam-ho moved.

 

Crack!

 

The heads of the Blood Dark Squad members who had surfaced exploded like watermelons. Dam-ho had stepped directly on their heads.

 

Splat splat splat!

 

Dam-ho continuously stepped on the floating heads of the Blood Dark Squad members, and with each step, more headless corpses floated to the surface.

 

Swish swish swish!

 

Countless arrows rained down toward Dam-ho, but it was too late.

 

After instantly crushing over ten heads, Dam-ho had already returned to the boat. As a result, the arrows from the cliff merely struck the water’s surface uselessly.

 

“Kugh!”

 

Deung Cheon-so’s face twisted like an evil spirit’s.

 

“Everyone attack!”

 

At his command, the Blood Dark Squad members who had been hiding underwater began climbing onto the boat. Simultaneously, those on the cliff dropped down toward the boat.

 

Everywhere you looked, there were only red-clothed Blood Dark Squad members. Like red ants in an antlion’s pit, they pressed forward relentlessly toward Dam-ho and the Yellow Demon Channel bandits.

 

“Ugh! Everyone be careful!”

 

Jang San-woo shouted while gripping the rudder tightly.

 

Muk Il-gwang, standing guard in front of Bang Jin-bo, pulled out two massive axes.

 

“Hyah!”

 

He swung the two axes like windmills. Martial energy swirled and swept through the area.

 

Whirlwind Fierce Slash.

 

It was the ultimate move of the Blood Heaven Axe Technique he had mastered.

 

“Argh!”

 

“Gah!”

 

Screams filled the air.

 

Five or six Blood Dark Squad members were cut in half by his axes and fell to the floor.

 

He could feel sticky blood flowing down the axe handles. But Muk Il-gwang gripped the handles even tighter.

 

Though he had seemed like a gentle lamb lately in Dam-ho’s shadow, he was a master in his own right in the martial world. Muk Il-gwang displayed his full might.

 

Death descended around him. But no matter how much power he displayed, he couldn’t match Dam-ho.

 

Bang! Bang!

 

Explosions continuously rang out around Dam-ho. With each boom, Blood Dark Squad members flew in all directions, reduced to bloody pulp.

 

Three or four squad members caught in his Crushing Demon Strike flew through the air with their waists bent like sickles. Thrown onto the water’s surface, they floated motionlessly with the current.

 

Blood spread across the water’s surface.

 

Dam-ho’s gaze turned skyward.

 

Deung Cheon-so and Jin Hye-won were still looking down at him.

 

At that moment, a Blood Dark Squad member behind him lunged with a short spear. Without looking back, Dam-ho grabbed his collar and threw him toward the cliff.

 

Thud!

 

The ambusher was deeply embedded in the cliff. With his crushed skull and spine, he died without even a scream.

 

Thud!

 

Dam-ho continued throwing Blood Dark Squad members at the cliff. Their corpses lined up on the cliff face. It looked just like a staircase formed on the cliff.

 

Dam-ho didn’t hesitate to launch himself toward these stairs.

 

“Brother! Don’t worry about here!”

 

Muk Il-gwang’s voice came from behind. This choice was possible because he was providing reliable backup.

 

Dam-ho climbed the stairs without looking back.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Deung Cheon-so’s body trembled.

 

Dam-ho was climbing the cliff in a way he had never imagined. It was a moment that made his assumption that Dam-ho couldn’t use proper lightness skills due to his limp look foolish.

 

The killing intent in Deung Cheon-so’s eyes grew stickier.

 

“Right! I would have been disappointed if you had fallen to mere Blood Dark Squad members.”

 

He gathered his internal energy.

 

At that moment, Dam-ho finally reached the top of the cliff.

 

“You?”

 

Just as Deung Cheon-so pointed his sword at Dam-ho, Dam-ho stomped the ground without catching his breath. It was a Charging Step.

 

Followed by a Wave-Breaking Kick.

 

Bang!

 

With a thunderous sound, Deung Cheon-so’s body slid backward.

 

His sword arm trembled. Deung Cheon-so’s expression hardened.

 

It was due to Dam-ho’s attack that came without warning.

 

Usually in such situations, there would be exchanges like “Where did you come from?” or “Why are you attacking?” But for Dam-ho, such procedures didn’t exist.

 

They had mobilized the Blood Dark Squad to attack.

 

Therefore, they were enemies. Dam-ho had no generosity for dialogue with enemies.

 

Swoosh!

 

A Single Yang Strike flew toward Deung Cheon-so’s bridge of nose.

 

“How dare you!”

 

Deung Cheon-so swung his sword to block Dam-ho’s strike. He injected his energy to the extreme, intending to cut off Dam-ho’s hand completely.

 

Clang!

 

When the fist met the sword, a metallic sound rang out. Instead of cutting Dam-ho’s wrist, Deung Cheon-so’s sword was deflected by a powerful opposing force.

 

Dam-ho’s hands were covered with the Silver Net Hand technique. This method of wrapping hands in a net of energy perfectly protected Dam-ho’s hands from enemy weapons.

 

This was why Dam-ho didn’t fear fighting bare-handed.

 

“That’s enough, youngster! Ohoho!”

 

Jin Hye-won, who had been observing the fight between Dam-ho and Deung Cheon-so, jumped in.

 

She was the one who had taken the head of Zhongnan’s True Sword Yeom Jung-hwa. Her voice was filled with demonic energy that could shake one’s soul.

 

Her strategy was to create an opening by first disturbing Dam-ho’s soul with her laughter.

 

Swish!

 

Her whisk covered the entire space. Deung Cheon-so’s sword thrust through the gaps.

 

Two of the Seven Great Demon Masters were attacking together.

 

If the Demonic Cult had known this fact, they would have been shocked. Though there were the Four Generals and the Black and White Masters above the Seven Great Demon Masters, they were largely symbolic figures.

 

While the Four Generals and Black and White Masters were the Demonic Cult’s final defense, the Seven Great Demon Masters were the strongest warriors active on the front lines. Their pride was correspondingly strong.

 

Until now, the word “joint attack” hadn’t existed in their lives. But now they were attacking Dam-ho, having thrown away all such pride.

 

Intense waves of energy surged like a tsunami, stimulating their eyes and skin. Their eyes became bloodshot and stinging pain spread. It felt like thousands of tiny needles were simultaneously pricking their entire bodies.

 

Whoosh!

 

‘Here it comes.’

 

‘It begins.’

 

Dam-ho’s rough energy swept through like a storm.

 

Bang!

 

An explosion rang out and both Deung Cheon-so and Jin Hye-won’s bodies jerked simultaneously.

 

As Dam-ho’s left foot stomped the ground hard, his right leg drew a strange arc.

 

Bang!

 

A Blood Heaven Kick exploded and Deung Cheon-so and Jin Hye-won’s bodies slid backward. A deep furrow appeared in the ground atop the cliff.

 

Deung Cheon-so roared.

 

“That’s enough, you brat.”

 

He drew another sword from his back. Now he held two of his three swords.

 

Jin Hye-won swung her whisk widely.

 

Swoosh!

 

The five-colored whisk transformed like a blade and shot toward Dam-ho’s neck.

 

Moon Spirit Slash.

 

It was the same move that had taken Zhongnan’s True Sword Yeom Jung-hwa’s head. An tremendous energy vortex surged toward Dam-ho.

 

Flutter!

 

Dam-ho leaped into the center of it, his black windbreaker fluttering.

 

Thus began the legendary battle that would later be known as the Fist Demon’s Blood Path.