Chapter 444: Chapter 1332: I'll Carve That Name Into Memory (Part 2)
As he looked at the unfolding scene before him, Goyang's face twisted with discomfort.
He was undoubtedly someone familiar with blood. Since the day he first gripped a sword, the days he had seen blood outnumbered those he hadn't.
Even he, accustomed to such scenes, found the current spectacle unfamiliar.
The white cliffs soaring on both sides of the canyon, as if deliberately painted, were now stained with a deep red hue. The once proud members he had carefully nurtured were now the owners of that blood, left behind in a gruesome display of corpses.
Looking at the brutally abandoned bodies, Goyang involuntarily swallowed dry saliva.
More than half of the hundreds of Blood Sword Sect members had met their end in this canyon.
Even among the survivors, most were barely clinging to life, simply awaiting the impending death.
The term for this situation was simple.
Annihilation.
The Blood Sword Unit, one of the factions within the Myriad Man Manor, had collapsed here. The remaining personnel numbered barely thirty. Calling them a "unit" (團) now seemed absurd.
Although Goyang felt no warm affection for those he had raised, witnessing the pitiful corpses of his subordinates stirred indescribable emotions within him.
He silently observed the figure blocking the exit of the canyon, preventing escape to the vast land beyond.
This lone figure wasn't just holding back the Blood Sword unit but also the formidable forces of the Myriad Man Manor, single-handedly.
This is what Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword looked like.
Perhaps... this current sight would become a legend and even evolve into a myth that would echo through the ages within the martial world.
When someone in the future discussed Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, this might be the first anecdote they'd mention.
Even if Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword were to perish here, buried with their bones and a handful of survivors' regrets, their heroic reputation would remain undiminished. No, it might even grow into a more glorious legacy than simply surviving.
After all, sometimes heroes are perfected through death.
Goyang couldn't deny it. Despite being enemies, what Chung Myung was orchestratingw as undeniably great. He had rushed to this distant land to save the isolated Southern Island, even standing alone against the overwhelming forces of the Myriad Man Manor.
Acknowledging such a straightforward fact, Goyang couldn't help but wonder if he was witnessing the birth of a legendary scene that would be passed down through generations.
However...in reality, in the current view before him, it was challenging to find a heroic figure or a protagonist worthy of myth.
His once elegantly arranged hair had become disheveled, and his youthful face was now stained a bloody red with the blood of the Evil Sect members.
His left thigh was split open to reveal bone, and the mark of a sword thrust was clearly visible just to the left of his spine.
The makeshift bandage on his side had once again opened, pouring out fresh red blood, and long wounds adorned his left neck and armpit. The injuries on his right leg from entering here, the sword scar cutting across his back, and various other wounds were countless and immeasurable.
Where could one find a heroic image or the grandeur of a protagonist in someone barely sustaining their body with the sword they had thrust into the ground, as if their breath could cease at any moment?
That desperate appearance held no traits of a hero.
That was simply a human being.
Struggling, rebelling, and indulging in evil—purely the embodiment of a human. There was no hero who could split mountains with a single sword or shake the heavens with a roar. What existed here was just a human being.
Blood dripped down Chung Myung's chin, marking a continuous trail of droplets. Weak breaths escaped from his slightly parted lips. Anyone could see that he was already beyond his limit.
The appearance of a beast so wounded that even resistance was impossible. Even if it were an ordinary Myriad Man Manor warrior instead of a Blood Sword Sect member, ending the life of this creature with their sword would not be very difficult.
But the Blood Sword Sect members, who derived greater pleasure from cutting the life force of their prey, couldn't muster the courage to approach the wounded beast.
However, Goyang didn't blame them. No, he couldn't blame them.
It was that moment.
Squelch.
As Chung Myung tightly gripped the sword, a grinding sound emanated. Holding the sword stuck in the ground, Chung Myung pressed down and slowly straightened his bent body. It was like the creaking of an old cart.
Goyang silently watched the scene without uttering a word.
From Chung Myung's body, blood continuously flowed down. Lips visible between the disheveled hair gradually parted.
Whatever he was saying, it wasn't audible. It seemed as if, despite his efforts, his voice wouldn't easily come out. Eventually, Chung Myung tightly sealed his lips. As his lips touched and then parted again, the dry, stuck lips cracked, allowing blood to flow.
"...Inside..."
The cracked purple lips soaked with blood turned red. After a moment, the slightly opened lips, the raspy and cracked voice, barely flowed out as if it might cease any moment.
"Should I continue...?"
The corners of the mouth slightly twisted upwards.
Seeing that smile, Goyang couldn't bring himself to smile back. Unconsciously, he clenched his fist.
At that moment, it wasn't just empty boastful words; it seemed as if Chung Myung's sword began to move.
Extreme.
The sword that was stuck in the ground was pulled out.
Even with trembling hands, Chung Myung managed to raise the sword, swaying it briefly but ultimately gripping it firmly with both hands.
Goyang's eyes shook.
The fact that the man couldn't even handle the weight of his own sword meant something that everyone would understand. At least, no one here would be an exception.
But even so, he intended to fight. And now Goyang understood. That wasn't boasting or rebellion.
If he could lift the sword, he would fight. If his life hadn't ended, he would resist.
To someone else, this method might be incomprehensible, but to that man, it was a natural essence.
Wookshin.
Goyang grabbed his lower abdomen with his hand against the surging pain. The spot where he had been pierced by the hateful sword of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was now complaining of pain. The same went for other wounds. Goyang had also suffered numerous injuries from Chung Myung's sword.
But Goyang, instead of retreating, firmly held the sword and advanced.
To sever the breath of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.
This was the one thing he couldn't concede to anyone. It was the right that Goyang had to take and compensation for what he had lost.
"...Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
Goyang slowly opened his mouth.
"You're... truly remarkable."
There was no trace of sarcasm in his words. It was purely genuine admiration.
Even if their paths were different, even if their directions were different, Goyang was also a swordsman holding a sword. Therefore, there was no way he could refrain from expressing reverence.
"But... you have too many useless things."
If that Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was alone, and if he could withdraw when he wanted to and fight when he wanted to?
Could the Blood Sword Unit have captured Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword?
No, they couldn't. If Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword were alone, the Blood Sword Unit would have been thoroughly hunted by him.
There would have been no way to close the desperate gap, and they would have miserably perished, crying out in despair.
In other words, what's now driving Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword to death are the things he was trying to protect. Altogether, those insignificant things drove him to death.
"It's regrettable. Perhaps... you could have become like Ryeonju."
Chung Myung didn't respond to these words.
It's possible he couldn't respond. His body had already burned once, leaving only ashes behind.
The only thing supporting him was his unextinguished spirit.
Goyang subtly extended his foot forward and signaled with a nod. In response, two Blood Sword Unit members, with tense expressions, approached behind Goyang and assumed a ready stance.
Of course, there was no strength left for Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword to even lift a finger. However, based on what they had witnessed so far, it was too much to let their guard down.
Woo-oo-oo-ong.
Goyang pushed all the remaining strength into his sword.
"At least let me kill you without suffering."
Paaaah!
At that moment, a loud slashing sound came from behind Chung Myung. Goyang narrowed his eyes and surveyed the front.
One of the female swordsmen from the Mount Hua Sect, who had fled the canyon desperately, was running towards them. Even from this distance, her desperate determination was clearly visible and palpable.
However, Goyang had no intention of responding to that desperation.
He had already felt, to the bone, that not even a small variable could be allowed hastily.
"Attack!"
Kwaaang!
Goyang and the Blood Sword Unit members charged towards Chung Myung at a dazzling speed. Yoo Iseol managed to squeeze out the last of her strength and pounded the ground, but the enemies reached Chung Myung much faster.
"Ah, no..."
Despair filled her eyes. What followed was hope.
No, perhaps it was vague expectation. It was an unfounded certainty that Chung Myung would not fall like this.
As if not wanting to betray that hope, Chung Myung's sword swung.
However, it wasn't as intense or explosive as usual. The sword strike of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword Chung Myung was unbelievably weak, cutting through the air with little force, colliding with Goyang's sword.
Kaang!
With a short and high metallic sound, the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword was pushed back by Goyang's sword.
Soon, Goyang's sword accurately headed towards Chung Myung's heart.
'Ah...'
As if floating in murky water, all senses became heavy.
Yoo Iseol unconsciously reached out her hand.
However, that hand didn't reach Chung Myung or the thin sword flying towards him. It only scratched at the air.
In a powerless world where nothing could be done, all she could see was the hunched back of Chung Myung and Goyang rushing towards him.
Chung Myung's left shoulder twitched at that moment. And his left hand, which had been hanging, reached forward.
Yoo Iseol could understand. The internal energy squeezed into those hands.
Even in that critical moment, Chung Myung didn't give up.
Whooosh!
But at that moment, something hot splashed onto Yoo Iseol's face.
Her vision turned red for a moment. Within that, she saw something that shouldn't be on the hunched back of Chung Myung, especially in a moment like this.
It was the thin blade that Goyang had thrust.
It seemed as if the tip of the blade protruded sharply from Chung Myung's back.
The bloody smell invaded her nostrils, and the sticky sensation of it flowing down, along with the warm heat, was felt.
With all these combined, Yoo Iseol fully realized the reality.
A piercing scream erupted.
"Chung Myung-ahhhhh!"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Bagel_Seeds
Bagel_Seeds ok...let's guess what happens
more grinding, more pain? slow death...makes sense considering length of this arc lmao
deux ex machina? Jo Gol save the day?
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