Episode 216: Return of the Martial Arts Instructor
“Your plan? Ha! This should be interesting. So, what’s the plan?”
“From now on, you’re all going to get beaten to a pulp. Don’t ask how it’s possible. You’ll find out soon enough. And don’t bother asking about the women. They’ll be fine. You’re the ones who are going to get thrashed. Then you’ll kneel before me, begging for forgiveness. After that…”
“And then what?”
“You’ll be writing something called ‘the voice of your heart.’”
“The voice of my heart? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. It’s about writing down the deepest cries of your soul. But I’ll give you a way to avoid all this.”
“Interesting. Go on.”
“Release those two women right now, grovel like dogs, and beg for forgiveness. Then I’ll pretend none of this ever happened. Of course, you’ll also have to attend my lessons.”
“What? Ha! Hahaha!”
Maeng Ga-sook burst into laughter, then abruptly stopped and looked at Sa Bi-gang.
“Just as I’ve heard, you’re a fool. Did you all hear that? He wants us to kill the women.”
“Heh. But where’s the fun in killing them right away? Hey, Instructor. If you’re so strong, why don’t you take us all on?”
Do Bi-cheon licked his dagger as he spoke.
Sa Bi-gang looked at him calmly.
“So, you’ve chosen the path of getting beaten to a pulp?”
“Haha! This guy is hilarious. Let’s see what you’ve got! Who knows? We might change our minds.”
Before the words were even out of his mouth,
Swish!
A dagger sliced through the air toward Sa Bi-gang.
Clang!
A shield materialized, deflecting the dagger.
Maeng Ga-sook’s eyes gleamed.
“Interesting, a protective aura? But in this situation? Trying to intimidate us? Wrong move!”
Bang!
Maeng Ga-sook launched himself forward like a bullet.
Jin Jo-young followed suit, pushing off the ground.
Thud, thud, thud!
In an instant, Maeng Ga-sook was in front of Sa Bi-gang, thrusting his nine-section staff.
Swish!
The staff grazed Sa Bi-gang’s chest.
But then,
Click, click, click, click…!
The staff suddenly segmented into nine parts, twisting toward Sa Bi-gang.
Whoosh!
Clang!
Sa Bi-gang drew his sword, Veritas, and deflected the staff.
Thud, thud, thud!
The staff snapped back together, returning to its original form.
Meanwhile, Jin Jo-young seized the opportunity to strike at Sa Bi-gang’s abdomen with his sword.
‘Got him!’
A smirk spread across his face.
But then,
Whoosh!
‘Huh?’
He felt no resistance.
Looking up, he saw Sa Bi-gang dissolve like a mirage.
A voice came from behind.
“Over here.”
”……!”
As Jin Jo-young turned,
Wham!
He was sent flying by a punch.
“You damn instructor!”
Do Bi-cheon shouted, ready to charge, but then,
“Huh?”
He blinked, looking around.
Maeng Ga-sook did the same.
“What kind of sorcery is this?”
To their shock, there wasn’t just one Sa Bi-gang. There were four, standing in each direction.
It was a mirror image spell, a kind of duplication magic. The duplicates moved in unison with Sa Bi-gang.
Unaware of this, Maeng Ga-sook’s group scowled, glaring at the four Sa Bi-gangs.
“Damn it, doesn’t matter which one! Take them all out!”
Maeng Ga-sook shouted, and the fighters charged.
The ones guarding the kidnapped women stayed put, ready for anything.
Thud, thud, thud!
Once again, Maeng Ga-sook was the first to attack, thrusting his staff.
Whoosh!
The staff pierced the air toward Sa Bi-gang’s chest.
But again, Sa Bi-gang vanished like a mirage.
“Tch!”
He clicked his tongue, turning around,
Whack!
“Argh!”
Maeng Ga-sook staggered back, nose bleeding from Sa Bi-gang’s elbow strike.
Meanwhile, Jin Jo-young, Do Bi-cheon, and the others were dealing with the duplicates.
The mirror image spell wasn’t hard to counter since the duplicates merely mimicked Sa Bi-gang’s actions.
“Damn! This one’s a fake!”
“This one too!”
Realizing their mistake, Jin Jo-young and Do Bi-cheon rushed toward Maeng Ga-sook.
Or tried to.
“Hold it.”
Sa Bi-gang had Maeng Ga-sook by the throat, speaking coldly.
“Maeng!”
Jin Jo-young, Do Bi-cheon, and the others froze.
How did he get there so fast?
Rumor had it he used a strange movement technique that looked like teleportation. Could it be true?
“Ugh…!”
Maeng Ga-sook gritted his teeth, struggling, but Sa Bi-gang didn’t let go.
Instead, he dragged him to a rock, forcing him to kneel.
“Kidnapping innocent women and hanging them like that. You deserve punishment.”
“Ugh! What are you doing?”
“Teaching you a lesson.”
Sa Bi-gang smirked, drawing Veritas and tearing Maeng Ga-sook’s pants.
In an instant, Maeng Ga-sook’s lower half was exposed, and he foamed at the mouth, shouting.
“You bastard! Let me go!”
“Damn it, Maeng!”
The group moved to intervene,
“Didn’t I say not to move? Want to see this old man die?”
“You crazy bastard…!”
They glared at Sa Bi-gang, unable to act.
Meanwhile, Maeng Ga-sook’s eyes glinted coldly.
‘Let’s see you handle this!’
He infused his staff with energy.
Suddenly,
The staff sprang to life, moving as if it had a mind of its own.
Click, click, click!
The staff shot up, aiming for Sa Bi-gang.
But Sa Bi-gang didn’t flinch, swinging Veritas to deflect it.
Clang!
Whoosh, thud!
“Argh!”
The deflected staff pierced Maeng Ga-sook’s shoulder, pinning him to the rock.
Sa Bi-gang looked down at him coldly.
“Beg for forgiveness.”
“Screw you, bastard!”
Whoosh, smack!
Veritas came down hard, striking Maeng Ga-sook’s rear.
Though it was the flat of the blade, the mana made it feel like his backside was on fire.
“Argh! Damn it! I’ll kill you!”
“Seems you’re a tough one to teach. But it’s worth it for scum like you.”
Whoosh, smack!
Again, his rear felt like it was burning.
Veritas was imbued with fire mana, heating the blade.
“Argh! I’ll kill you! You bastard!”
“Let’s change the hostage. If you want this old man to live, release the women. Otherwise, he might die right here.”
Sa Bi-gang’s grin widened.
The group’s faces paled.
‘Who is this guy? Is he really from the righteous alliance?’
‘He’s worse than us!’
But they were known as ruthless fighters. They wouldn’t back down out of fear of death.
Maeng Ga-sook shouted.
“Damn it! Don’t release the women! I don’t care if I die, show this bastard who we are! What are you waiting for? Attack him!”
“You’re quite the talker.”
Whoosh, smack!
“Ugh! Argh!”
The searing pain nearly made Maeng Ga-sook pass out.
They say the most unbearable pain is burning pain.
His rear felt like it was on fire, the skin blistering and peeling.
The group steeled themselves and charged.
“Maeng! Hold on!”
“Take this, you bastard!”
Jin Jo-young and Do Bi-cheon led the charge.
But…
Thud!
“Argh!”
With a sickening sound, they stopped, faces pale.
Sa Bi-gang had driven Veritas into Maeng Ga-sook’s back.
The sword pierced through him, embedding deep into the rock.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Veritas drank deeply of Maeng Ga-sook’s blood.
Jin Jo-young and Do Bi-cheon stared at Sa Bi-gang, eyes wide.
“You crazy…! Are you really going to kill Maeng?”
“Why not? Is there a reason I shouldn’t?”
“This is Blood Sect territory!”
“And?”
“And…!”
The two men stood there, muttering in a daze, when Maeng Ga-sook suddenly erupted in fury.
“Damn it! There’s no point in talking to this lunatic! Kill those two women right now!”
It was a last-ditch effort.
He didn’t care if he lived or died.
At this point, he was determined to create as much trouble for his enemy as possible.
He summoned the last of his strength to shout, and his consciousness began to waver.
Finally, the two warriors perched on the tree branches drew their daggers, exuding a menacing aura.
Sensing the danger, the women in the sacks began to struggle and scream.
“Ahhh! Please, spare us! We haven’t done anything wrong!”
Maeng Ga-sook looked up at Sabigang with half-closed eyes and sneered.
“See? This is all your doing, you bastard.”
With those words, the two warriors moved to strike the women with their daggers when—
Shhhhhh…!
A suffocating aura of menace suddenly filled the air from all directions.
‘What… what is this?’
The palpable threat made not only the two warriors in the trees but also those facing Sabigang flinch and glance around nervously.
Emerging from the thicket was a dark shadow.
The eyes of the gathered crowd widened in shock.
“Wh-why are they here…?”
Dobi-cheon stammered, his voice trembling.
On the chests of the shadows emerging from the forest was the word “Death” embroidered in black.
‘Why is the Death Squad here?’
Even Maeng Ga-sook, whose consciousness had been fading, snapped back to attention.
After all, what kind of place was the Death Squad?
If you had to name an organization you’d never want to encounter, even in your dreams, it would be them.
Maeng Ga-sook’s eyes darted around.
‘Could they be here to kill Sabigang?’
The same thought crossed the minds of the other warriors.
They couldn’t think of anyone among them who would be a target for the Death Squad.
Surely, they must be after Sabigang.
As if to confirm their suspicions, one of the masked figures began walking steadily toward Sabigang.
At this point, Maeng Ga-sook burst into hysterical laughter.
“Hahaha! Fate is truly twisted! Of all things, the Death Squad is after you! You’re as good as dead! Go on, try to squirm your way out of this…!”
“Master, give the order!”
Maeng Ga-sook’s eyes widened in disbelief.
For a moment, he doubted his own ears.
‘Master… who are they talking to?’
As if answering his unspoken question, Sabigang grinned and spoke.
“It seems the leader hasn’t come. Understandable, given the circumstances. First, gather these fools in one place. They need to be disciplined.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that response, the dark wave surged toward Maeng Ga-sook’s group.