Episode 116: Return to the Demon Sect
The commotion from the lord’s hall had drawn the attention of the martial artists stationed within the fortress. They rushed in, surrounding Sabigang in an instant.
Sabigang calmly surveyed the warriors encircling him. Despite their menacing aura, they hesitated to attack, likely due to the display of his formidable skills earlier.
With a cold smile, Sabigang taunted them, “Looks like all the trash has gathered.”
“Who are you, scoundrel? Are you from the Alliance?” one of the leaders shouted, brandishing his sword.
Sabigang nonchalantly picked at his ear. “Why does everyone keep yapping about the Alliance? I’m just me.”
“Madman! Attack!” At the leader’s command, the warriors charged, weapons raised.
In that moment, Sabigang’s expression turned icy. “For the crime of disrespecting the dead, for desecrating the fallen, I shall judge your sins with the fires of hell!”
In a heartbeat.
Whoosh!
The ground around Sabigang turned a fiery red, as if a radius of several meters had been set ablaze.
The warriors, who had been charging like a swarm of bees, hesitated.
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted violently from the ground, engulfing the area.
A Fire Field—a spell that transformed a designated area into a land of flames.
The warriors caught in the blaze screamed in agony, writhing in pain.
Seeing this, the survivors were too terrified to approach Sabigang, standing awkwardly in place.
Sabigang sent a telepathic message. [Muntak, watch closely. This is how you use the ‘Black Hive.’ Of course, only someone like me can pull it off. Heh.]
Suddenly, hundreds of spikes shot out from his belt, soaring into the air.
The spikes, resembling a swarm of bees, darted through the enemy ranks, attacking the warriors.
One by one, the warriors fell, their bodies pierced by the sharp stingers.
“Ugh! Argh!”
“Ahhh!”
As the warriors fell without understanding the cause, the remaining ones lost their morale.
“A monster!”
“It’s the work of a ghost!”
One by one, they dropped their weapons and fled, leaving only corpses in the courtyard.
The black swarm, having completed its task, returned to Sabigang’s belt, reattaching as spikes.
Watching this, Cheok Gilyang narrowed his eyes. “What kind of trickery is this?”
“You lack faith, my friend. There’s no trickery involved.”
“Hmph, nonsense!”
Cheok Gilyang refused to believe it. After all, hadn’t a wall of fire appeared out of nowhere, and flames erupted from solid ground?
With a swift motion, Cheok Gilyang launched himself forward, deciding there was nothing to gain from further conversation.
Swoosh!
His sword extended, its aura tripling its length.
In a flash.
Clang!
His sword clashed with Sabigang’s, creating a resounding echo.
Both men were thrown back, landing several meters apart.
Sabigang felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips and nodded slightly. “Impressive martial arts. It would be a shame to kill you.”
“Still spouting nonsense, I see.”
“Heh. I wonder how the future might have changed if you hadn’t been buried in the Blood Cave. Then again, you’d probably end up as a pawn of the Demon King or dead soon enough.”
“I’m tired of your drivel. Let’s end this.”
Cheok Gilyang thought Sabigang must be truly insane—a man who had mastered immense magical power but lost his mind to inner demons.
His words were nothing but fanciful tales.
With a swift kick, Cheok Gilyang charged again.
In a split second, Sabigang leaped back, hurling his sword, Berthas, into the air.
Whoosh!
Cheok Gilyang’s eyes widened in surprise.
In battles between masters, throwing one’s weapon was rare. The difference between wielding a weapon and being unarmed was significant.
Yet, Sabigang had thrown his weapon?
It was an unexpected move, but undeniably threatening.
Berthas, imbued with sword energy, flew towards Cheok Gilyang, who quickly summoned his protective aura and raised his sword.
But then.
Crack!
The translucent shield shattered effortlessly, and even the protective aura was easily pierced.
‘This can’t be happening…!’
Though it happened in an instant, to Cheok Gilyang, it felt like an eternity.
Berthas collided with Cheok Gilyang’s sword, but it was Cheok Gilyang’s weapon that was sent flying.
Berthas, with its immense force, drove straight into Cheok Gilyang’s heart.
His body was lifted off the ground, crashing into a building wall with Berthas embedded in him.
“Ugh! Cough!”
Pinned against the wall, Cheok Gilyang couldn’t comprehend the situation.
Had he ever been defeated so thoroughly in all his years roaming the martial world?
“What… what the hell… cough!”
As he tried to speak, blood gushed from his mouth, his face contorting in a demonic grimace.
His feelings were more of rage than despair.
“How dare… someone like you… dare… to me…!”
The ever-smiling Cheok Gilyang now wore a fierce, yaksha-like expression.
Grasping the hilt of Berthas with both hands, he trembled violently before finally yanking it out of his heart.
Blood didn’t gush out like a fountain.
Berthas had absorbed much of the blood from his heart.
As a result, Berthas had turned a dark crimson.
Tap, tap, tap.
Cheok Gilyang quickly pressed his acupoints to stop the bleeding.
Watching this, a hint of surprise crossed Sabigang’s face.
“Impressive. Even in such a state, your willpower is commendable.”
“Shut up!”
“But what will you do? Berthas thrives on the bloodlust of killers like you. It feeds on such desires to grow stronger.”
“I told you to shut up!”
With a burst of energy, Cheok Gilyang launched himself into the air.
Despite his injuries, he moved faster than before, likely due to wielding Berthas.
In a flash.
Whoosh!
An arrow shot towards Cheok Gilyang at high speed.
It was fired by Dan Lijeong, hidden somewhere nearby.
“Stay out of this!”
Cheok Gilyang swung Berthas, deflecting the incoming arrow.
Clang!
The arrow narrowly missed Sabigang’s cheek.
It happened before the Dark Ring’s shield could activate.
Cheok Gilyang’s reaction had become that much quicker.
He realized his martial prowess had increased.
“Heh, this is quite a delightful weapon. It seems your possession will become mine.”
He smirked coldly, glaring at Sabigang.
Sabigang shrugged. “I suppose I should teach you what happens when you lay hands on someone else’s belongings. Consider this a lesson.”
“Heh heh. I’ll make sure you can’t flap that mouth of yours any longer!”
With a swift motion, Cheok Gilyang appeared right in front of Sabigang, Berthas in hand.
In that moment, everything seemed to slow down for Cheok Gilyang.
He was certain of his victory.
Slash!
Berthas sliced through the air, aimed at Sabigang’s neck.
Cheok Gilyang landed, bending his waist and letting out a triumphant laugh.
“Hahaha! I got you! You’ve lost!”
He thrust Berthas forward, pointing at where Sabigang’s body should have been.
But…
Nothing?
Hadn’t he just cut him down?
Yet, where Sabigang’s body should have been, there was nothing.
‘Could it be… an afterimage?’
His brow furrowed deeply.
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
Sabigang’s voice suddenly echoed.
Looking up, Cheok Gilyang saw Sabigang standing atop the fortress wall.
‘When did he get up there?’
Cheok Gilyang gripped Berthas tightly.
“Huff, huff.”
His breathing grew more labored.
At the same time, his eyes turned bloodshot.
Sabigang chuckled coldly. “You’ve made the same mistake twice.”
“What?”
“Taking what isn’t yours. The thing at your waist and the one in your hand.”
Meanwhile, veins began to bulge on Cheok Gilyang’s forehead.
His entire body seemed ready to burst, with every muscle straining.
With a face flushed red, Cheok Gilyang shouted, “You rat! Stop squeaking and come down here!”
“Heh. The one you’re holding always craves blood. But what will you do? When there’s no blood to absorb, it turns on its master.”
“What?”
Suddenly.
Vroom!
Berthas began to vibrate, as if responding.
“Ugh! Wh-what is this…?”
Cheok Gilyang’s hands clamped down on the hilt of the sword, Berthas, as if his life depended on it.
It felt as though the sword was controlling his very body.
“Argh!”
He gritted his teeth, pouring all his strength into resisting, but his injuries were too severe to keep Berthas in check.
Trembling, Cheok Gilyang found himself in the horrifying position of aiming the sword at his own neck.
And then, finally—
“Nooo!”
With a scream that echoed like a death knell, Berthas pierced through Cheok Gilyang’s throat.
“Gah! Ugh…”
He collapsed to his knees, eyes wide open in a vacant stare, life slipping away.
Even as he fell, Berthas continued to greedily drink the blood flowing from his neck.
Hongmyeo Seoraehyang gazed out the window of her office, her eyes fixed on the moon.
She had just received news of Jeokhaseong’s fall.
Ryu Yeojoong, the strategist and leader of Mantong, was shaking the foundations of Jeongdomeng with terrifying efficiency.
At this rate, it seemed only a matter of time before the Sado would unify the world.
Meanwhile, her own standing within the Blood Alliance was diminishing.
She couldn’t escape the blame for the debacle at Hotujang.
Moreover, the identity and whereabouts of Gadeuksam, the mastermind behind the incident, remained a mystery.
“Sigh.”
Seoraehyang let out a long, weary breath.
She returned to her desk and stared at the wanted poster.
A man with a rather neat appearance.
“Who are you… really?”
Unless she found and dealt with this man, her position in the Blood Alliance would continue to weaken.
The only silver lining was that Ryu Yeojoong was giving significant attention to the young man known as “Gadeuksam.”
If she could just handle him, it might be the stepping stone she needed to rise again.
Knock, knock.
A man entered after a soft knock on the door.
It was Yosin, the leader of the Hwan Sal Dan.
Originally under Baekto, the leader of Sahwan, the Hwan Sal Dan had become an independent organization after Baekto’s death.
Yosin’s visit to Hongmyeo’s office was because they were to move to Jeokhaseong together.
Ryu Yeojoong, the strategist, had decided to station Seoraehyang and the Hwan Sal Dan in Jeokhaseong, while continuing to deploy the successful Myeolsal Dan in operations.
Despite being recognized as an independent group, Yosin was still ranked below Seoraehyang, and he greeted her with due respect.
“Leader of Hwan Sal Dan, Yosin, at your service, Hongmyeo.”
Seoraehyang smiled lightly at his formal greeting.
“Welcome. Given our current circumstances, let’s dispense with the formalities.”
Yosin gave a wry smile, then glanced at the wanted poster on the desk, his brow furrowing slightly.
Noticing his reaction, Seoraehyang asked casually.
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s just… he looks familiar somehow.”
“Come to think of it, this is your first time seeing him, isn’t it? Do you recognize him? If we can find out who he is, it could change both our fates…”
“I think I do.”
The sudden response caught Seoraehyang off guard.
“What did you say?”
Instead of answering, Yosin picked up the wanted poster, scrutinizing it intently.
After a moment, he nodded slowly.
“There’s no doubt. This man is…”